Before there was American Idol there was Amateur Night at the Apollo, right here in NYC. So instead of watching Simon Cowell in the judge's seat on TV, all you need is $20 and a ride on the A train to become a judge yourself at Harlem's historic talent competition on 125th Street.

Amateur Night at the Apollo is a highly entertaining show that's actually pretty kid-friendly if you want to plan a family night out, or it's also a fun choice for a kid-free parents night out with friends. Every Wednesday night at 7:30 the Apollo theater becomes a showcase for wanna-be stars. Singers, dancers, comedians, poets and more put on their best acts and the audience decides who the winner is by applauding for their favorites and booing the others off the stage.

What's new this week? Last chance to register for the Big Swim, sell your stuff at a great kids consignment event, and see photos of some awesome Easter Bonnets from the parade last weekend. Find out what else opened this week for kids in NYC and read about some cool and useful apps for your phone or to use online.

We just updated our NYC Kids Birthday Party Guide. Now you can conveniently find tons of party ideas and the best places to have a kids birthday party in NYC all on one page.

Also we have chosen all our winners for the Split Rock contest. Find out who won below.

Photograph of the week: Easter is pretty.

This week we went to the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens and had a blast. We also checked out Socialsklz, a manners class that teaches modern-day social skills. And, found out that Birthday party places on Staten Island are just as fun at a fraction of the cost.

Meanwhile, just two days after we posted photos of the new playground at Brooklyn Bridge Park, predicting that the metal orb features of this park were going to get very hot on summer days, the NY Daily News ran an article saying the metal orbs are already burning hot and the Brooklyn Paper followed up to say that tents have been put in place to keep the burning orbs out of the sun.

There's so much going on this weekend I could barely pick what to feature. You can try your hands at medieval artistry, learn how to use a compass, catch live music, theater or some short films.  Plus, the Center for Fiction and "Read This" are offering a great celebration of books and reading that directly benefits NYC public schools in need.

You can take in a parade, there are two this weekend: The Annual Tartan Day parade marches up Sixth Avenue and the Little Leaguers of Brooklyn will parade into Prospect Park to celebrate opening day.  This weekend is also Brooklyn's monthly Deedle Deedle Dees Family Variety Show that we reviewed last week. And if you are leaving town for the weekend, don’t forget to check out what is going on in neighboring New Jersey and Long Island.

And the best part of all, most of these events are free.  I hope your decision on what to do this weekend isn’t as hard as ours is, but check our calendar for even more family activity ideas.

Here are our event picks for this weekend:

Are manners important nowadays? Are thank you notes ridiculously old-fashioned in the age of email? What social skills do we need to teach our children in order for them to be successful in life? These are some questions worth reflecting on for a moment. Our culture is so much more casual than it once was that formal manners seem hopelessly anachronistic, but that doesn't mean they should be tossed aside. Giving our kids strong social skills can help them make a powerful impression in their future work and social lives.

As parents we're often running after our kids, but how about running with them? It's great to get outside and exercise together as a family and one fun way to do that is to sign up for an upcoming race or free field day with the New York Road Runners. No experience is necessary, anyone can do it, and the group has several events on its spring calendar for adults and kids, including a free field day event.
 

Recently I took the opportunity of a brief (albeit cold) respite from the seemingly endless rain to stroll down the hill from Brooklyn Heights and check out the new Brooklyn Bridge Park. Pier 1 of Brooklyn Bridge Park officially opened in March on the same pier that housed the “pop-up” park last summer.

Read on to hear about the new playground and check out some photos for a peek of what to expect: