Mostly Free & Fun Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend March 16-17: St. Patrick's Day Festivities, Nano Day & More!

3/13/13 - By Shari Simpson

Oh, faith and begorrah (whatever that means), it's the weekend of St. Patty's, and there's much greenery abounding. But even if that holiday is not appealing to ye, there's much in New Jersey that's fun for families, like Nano Day at Newark Museum or Dinosaur Day in Roseland. Read our top picks and find a listing of all NJ activities in our Event Calendar. And don't forget to enter to win a week of Pony Camp at Dapple Hill Farm on our Giveaways Page!

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Check out our round-up of St. Patrick's Day parades and events.

St. Patrick's Day at NJ Children's Museum (Paramus)
Search for the hidden pots of Gold hidden throughout the museum--if you find them all, you win a prize (a rainbow, maybe?) Make a Leprechaun hat to take home during craft time and enter to win four tickets to either a Super Hero Pizza Party or a Royal Princess Ball. All this, plus museum time? The luck of the Irish, obviously. Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17 from 10am to 6pm. Free with museum admission. 201-262-5151.

Saturday, March 16

Make It/Take It Saturday: Nano Day (Newark)
Explore the science of the "super small" with fun activities for all ages such as" Twisted and Bent: The Properties of 'Memory Wire'”, "Nano Fabrics: Learn how stains are repelled", and "Liquid Crystal Diodes: examine how the display on your calculator works". Saturday March 16, from 12noon to 4:30pm.

Dinosaur Day (Roseland)
Be a Paleontologist for the day! Touch a real dinosaur egg, teeth and bones, help rebuild "Little Al" the Allosaurus and other dinosaurs and take home a surprise. For children ages 4 and up. Saturday, March 16 at 11am and 12:10pm. $7/child per program and $9/adult per program. Advance registration and payment are required. For information, call 973-228-8776.

Where's Curious George? Contest (Jersey City)
We've already told you how much we loved the Curious George exhibit at Liberty Science Center, but this is a little extra added bonus. On Saturday, March 16 from 11am to 1pm, Curious George will appear in person at a "secret" site. Can you figure out where he'll be? It's one of NJ's favorite spots! (Hint – it's not at Liberty Science Center.) Your family can meet him there, say "hi," and maybe win a pack of 4 LSC tickets. Starting TODAY, March 13 at noon, follow daily clues at LSC.org/wheres-george, and get the final solution Friday evening. Then drop by on Saturday and don't forget your camera! Free with admission to the museum. 201-253-1310.

Sunday, March 17

Family Winter Hike (Ringwood)
If you're not into the St. Patrick's Day scene, why not take a nice, calm, free family hike through the lovely Skylands New Jersey Botanical Garden? Sunday, March 17 at 1pm. For more information, check out their website.

Children's Book Author Deborah Goldman Reading and Signing (Englewood)
Deborah Goodman Davis, author of Speeding Down The Spiral: An Artful Adventure (A Life In Print Publishing) will be doing a reading and signing of her newly released children’s book for young readers and their parents at One River School’s upcoming open house on Sunday, March 17. "Speeding Down The Spiral", which is a top-rated reader selection on Amazon.com, tells the tale of two young children who visit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City with their father. One River’s open house will also offer info sessions about summer camps for kids and teens, a pre-college portfolio development presentation, and a teen workshop in electronic music production. Sunday, March 17 from 11am to 4pm, with Davis’ reading and signing scheduled for noon. Admission is free, but space is limited. To RSVP, call One River Gallery at (201) 266-5244.

ENTER TO WIN a week of Pony Camp at the wonderful Dapple Hill Farm in Whitehouse Station, NJ! Check out our brand new GIVEAWAYS page.

Check out our March GO List for our top picks for the entire month!

And don't forget: We have additional activity listings in our Event Calendar. And if you are heading into NYC for the weekend make sure you visit the New York City Mommy Poppins events calendar to get the latest on all the fun to be had NYC-style.

Planning an event? Submit it to our calendar.

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