Labor Day weekend is no longer the sacred signal of end of summer that it once was; changes have been taking place at schools all over the Southland, making the first day of school something of a moving feast. Some families are scrambling for one more round of summer camp, while others have been knee-deep in homework for weeks already.

We’ve been avoiding writing about back-to-school anything. That’s because we’re always annoyed by all of the back-to-school craziness that seems to start sometime around the end of June, plus we don’t want to admit that summer really is coming to an end. But we can’t put off reality any longer: Come September 8, New York City public school students return to their classrooms, and some charter and private schools start even earlier.

If you’ve already stocked up on everything you need in terms of supplies and clothes—we envy you. But in case your family is like mine and you’re only now getting around to your back-to-school buying (meaning it’s too late to do it online), we figured we’d share our favorite local places to shop for inexpensive clothes and supplies year-round. We’re sure you’ve heard of some of these spots—is there a parent left in the U.S. who doesn’t know about The Children’s Place?—but sometimes one person’s “duh!” is another’s revelation. Plus, we’re giving away a Children’s Place gift card and we’ve got the scoop on a number of upcoming festivals where you can pick up free back-to-school supplies.

By Shiela Hageman

Mark Twain House and Museum
351 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06105
(860) 247-0998

I still remember my first visit to the Mark Twain House as a child: the creaky floors, the shine of the old chars, the thrill of walking through the rooms where the writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer lived. The specialness of visiting a famous writer’s home has not worn off for this generation either.

Today, visitors enjoy daily tours of the striking home (visitation is by guided tours only), which is an example of Picturesque Gothic architecture with a dramatic grand hall, a lush glass conservatory, a grand library and the handsome billiard room where Twain wrote his famous books.

With September 11 coming up, lots of families are trying to figure out what to do that day. I know I am. My daughter just turned six, so until now, we’ve gone the escapist route: We just avoided turning on the news and acted like it was a regular day. I’m not sure we could do that this year even if we wanted to: It’s the tenth anniversary and it falls on a weekend, so reminders will be everywhere.

While I’m going to do the best I can to make sure she doesn’t see any footage from September 11 (I wish the media would stop running the Towers falling on a loop every anniversary), she’s old enough to learn about what happened that day. I want her to start to grasp the impact September 11 had on our city and the world.

There are many ways families can mark the day, remember the victims and honor the heroes. Whether you explore an exhibit, visit a memorial or volunteer to help others, here are enriching and educational things to do on September 11 with your kids.

Hurricane Irene is getting all the attention right now, and though we hate to overload you with hurricane news, we do want to make sure everyone is safe and sound. And once you are safe and sound, we would like you all to be sane, and maybe even entertained, while waiting for the storm to pass. Here are a few links to help:

Much as we'd like to, we can't keep ignoring Hurricane Irene. (We'd also like to ignore all of our friends who think they're being clever by posting the "Rock You Like a Hurricane" video on Facebook.) Everyone's scrapping their vacation plans for the last weekend of August (my family's dream of heading to the Cape has been killed), and pretty much all of the events we recommended this weekend are already canceled.

While we hope this turns out to be much ado about nothing, chances are your family's going to be spending a lot of time at home this weekend. Right now you're in full prep mode. If you're wondering how best to secure your home, just turn on your local news (avoid the Weather Channel: They are freaking out!) or visit the official website of your town, city or state. New Yorkers can find info on potential flooding zones (there are many, not all along the water), emergency shelters, evacuation notices and more at nyc.gov. Mayor Bloomberg's even going to start shutting down subways and buses come Saturday at noon!

If you're heading out to buy toilet paper and snacks (we doubt even the most intrepid deliver guy will be on the streets on Sunday), think about stocking up on things to do, too. You can't watch TV all weekend (especially if the power goes out). But your family can try doing some fun crafts, cooking some kid-friendly dishes or playing a few cool analog games. And if you end up doing them by candlelight, just pretend it's 1811.

Here are creative ways to keep busy during Hurricane Irene.