No Shadows Allowed! Free and Fun NJ Groundhog Day Events

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!  Let’s hope Mr. Groundhog’s coat grew especially thick this year!  Shake up your routine on Groundhog Day and keep your fingers crossed there’s no shadow to be seen.  Maybe you can’t make it all the way to Pennsylvania to see Punxsutawney Phil make his annual prediction, but New Jersey teams with terrific activities in celebration of this common New Jersey garden pest (sorry Phil!).

New York City Kids Weekend Events January 30-31: Free Screenings & Swim Lessons, Haiti Relief Concerts, Winter Fun and More

With winter break still a few weeks away, and cold, wind and snow in the forecast, you and the family might be looking for a cure for those mid-winter blues. (And since City Bakery's Hot Chocolate festival doesn't start until Monday, we've got plenty to keep the blues away until then.) This weekend you can take the kids to special for-families Haiti Relief Benefit Concerts, go on a marine watch, learn how to swim or the secrets of snow globes, plus catch a free screening of Charlotte's Web, ice skate with the King of Pop and enjoy some free winter festivals and ethnic concerts.

Oh and don't forget to enter our contest to win a free iPod Touch (see details in the left sidebar on our homepage).

NJ Weekend Jan. 30-31: Fire and Ice and Lots of Freezy, Free Events!

New Jerseyans know what extreme cold and ice mean: time to play and party!  This weekend, watch ice sculptors, meet ice hockey champs, or take a chilly dog sled ride at two winter festivals; try your hand at a historical farm’s old-fashioned ice harvesting; skate over to Disney on Ice; or celebrate winter by Wassailing the apple trees, maple sugaring, animal tracking, or snowshoeing.  If you prefer the warm indoors, don’t worry---those ice festivals also include fiery chili cook-offs and fun kids’ entertainment like puppet shows.  Or you may want to check out the latest car models at the New Jersey Auto Show; the largest and most complete set of T-Rex dinosaur bones at Liberty Science Center; or just hunker down for some heart-warming Valentine crafts.

Weekend Events for Kids on Long Island, January 29-31: Theater, Wildlife, and more

Feel like sticking around the (Long) Island this weekend and checking out some culture? We've got good news for you! There are tons of great activities going on, from museum events, to multicultural celebrations, to theater productions for our pint sized family members. And, who says culture means high-brow? The event we're looking most forward to in our household is the Monster Truck Show. Check out our picks for great events this weekend:

Valentines Day Ideas: Free Clip Art For Kids Crafts and Cards

Earlier this week we posted about some very high tech ways to make cool Valentines Day Cards, On the other end of the spectrum, this post shares how you can use your computer to find pretty, free, vintage Valentines Day clip art that you and you kid can use to make beautiful home made Valentines Day Cards with nothing more than red or pink construction paper, a paper doily, a glue stick.

Did you know that you can get free clip art in your inbox every week?

Stay in Bed Clocks: How to keep kids from getting up too early

An old friend bemoaned on Facebook her frustration at not being able to keep her toddler in bed past 4:30 in the morning. Not only does the kid wake her up, but wakes up the younger siblings as well (sounds like a great morning routine!).

If you have an early riser, you've felt her pain. Sleep. It's the one thing a parent just can't get enough of. And the issues never seem to go away, they just change. Just because you had a baby sleeping through the night at 9 weeks doesn't mean you are out of the hot water. As many parents of toddlers will tell you, the issue becomes not getting your kids to sleep through the night, but to keep them in bed past dawn.

New Extreme Sleepovers at Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium Museum

Have you ever wondered what is actually in the Ripleys Believe It or Not! Odditorium? We've walked by it so many times and written it off as a tourist attraction (with the price tag to match), but we recently heard they are starting "Extreme Sleepovers" and thought we'd check it out. I didn't expect to care much for it, but found the experience surprisingly interesting. Find out more about this zany museum and it's special events:

New Jersey Dance Schools: From Ballet to Hip-Hop, it's Here!

Whether your child’s a tough guy, a tomboy or a tiny princess, there may come a day when they wanna’ cut footloose and dance. While “dance class” used to strictly mean “ballet,” the vast range of New Jersey dance studios now expands that definition to include everything from hip-hop and tap, to ballet and break-dancing classes. So, if you’re dreaming of your child as principal dancer at The Joffrey Ballet, or if you just want to see your little star on stage in a cute costume, there’s a school to fit the bill. Check out the wide array of options sure to please every type of tiny dancer out there, and let your little one bust-a-move!

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