Saturday April 21st

Family Day - Kimmy Schwimmy in Concert (Westwood, NJ)
Bring the whole family out to this FREE and fun concert at Veteran's Memorial park at 11am. This is the Finale Concert of the Three-Day Event to benefit the charity of St. Jude’s North Jersey Chapter "Angels of Hope Committee". Great kids' music, family fun and other promotions and a great cause! The perfect way to spend a Spring morning with the family.

Record Store Day Celebration - They Might Be Giants in Concert (Princeton, NJ)
Records, remember them?!?  This event has something for everyone: history lesson for the kids ("No, it's not a black plastic CD, children"), record shopping for the 'rents, and a FREE (WOOOOHOOO!) concert for all. One of our all-time favorites, TMBG, will be helping celebrate National Record Store Day with a fabulous concert at Hinds Plaza at 6pm followed by a signing at the Princeton Record Exchange from 7-8pm. Get to the concert early to get a good view and commence the kiddie-mosh pit. 609-921-0881.

Children's Garden Center and Family Activity Center (Morristown, NJ)
Nothing says 'springtime' like spending time in the garden! Visit Fosterfields Farm with your family for this great family event to get that gardening experience if you don't have your own. From 10:30 - 11:30am participants will be assigned their special plot to plant a few potatoes and a tomato plant. Farmers will be there to provide tools and instruction. Later, families can make a sheep toy  and play games that were popular long ago from 1:30-3:30pm. $6 for adults; $5 for seniors (ages 65 and over); $4 for ages 4 – 16; and Free for children under age 2. 973-631-5343.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012 (Livingston, NJ)
As a past participant with my youngest daughter I am thrilled to see that for the 2nd year in a row, moms and babies will try to break the Guinness World Record for the most cloth diapers changed globally at the same time. In this year's expanded event, event non-cloth diapering families will also find things helpful and fun, as they can join in at this this event. In addition to the Change, attendees can participate in a baby-signing class, a cloth diaper swap, NJ CHIPS registration, car-seat checks and more. For more information and to pre-register, visit here.  FREE. 10:30am check-in.

Joetta Clark Diggs’ Financial & Fitness Expo II (East Orange, NJ)
Joetta Clark Diggs, track and field Olympian, entrepreneur, and author has partnered with East Orange Hospital to provide the Joetta Clark Diggs’ Financial & Fitness Expo II at East Orange Campus High School from 8:30am-2:00pm. This FREE event is designed for anyone who wants to take control of their lives and learn more about healthy living resources in their area – for both their financial and physical fitness. Expo activities will include free health screenings, fun workout activities, nutrition workshops and savvy wealth management advice. There will also be informative vendor demonstrations, games, prizes and FREE lunch for all registered Expo participants.  Registration required - go here to register.

Spring Bee Keeping (Lambertville, NJ)
Stop by Howell Farm today from 10am-3pm for their annual visit from the Beekeeper as he opens the hives to give the bees a complete health check, medicate the colony and make sure that all the bees are up for the important task of manufacturing honey. Visitors to the Farm can watch the inspection from 1:30-2:00pm at the hives, and at 2:30pm join him for an hour-long presentation, "Life of a Bee Colony.” Children are invited to help beekeepers assemble beehives from 10:30am until 12:30pm. Program is FREE. $3 for optional craft. 609-737-3299.

Villain: Deblanks (Jersey City, NJ)
Join the Attic Ensemble for their children's series at 1pm, which includes a 25 minute hands-on educational talk-back after the performance. This is a classic, comic whodunit, with a twist. It begins are Mad-Libs® style, where the audience provides key nouns, verbs and adjectives — all of which the cast then incorporates in the telling of the story. $5 per child, adults free. 201-413-9200.

Sunday April 22nd

Bloomfest: Cherry Blossom Festival (Newark, NJ) - UPDATE due to the predicted inclement weather, this event has been CANCELED.
The whole family will enjoy this festival, which is a part of the Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival, at Branch Brook Park, from 11 am-5pm. Bloomfest is a family-friendly event filled with a marketplace, food, stage performances, cultural demonstrations, and many children's activities such as trampoline, walk-about hot air balloon, and kites throughout the day. FREE. 973-268-3500.

Party for the Planet (West Orange, NJ)
Bring your crew to celebrate Earth Day at Turtle Back Zoo from 11am-4pm.  Bring in a reusable mug to get free fountain drinks at the zoo cafe!  Also they will be celebrating Disneynature’s new release, “CHIMPANZEE” with a Party for the Planet! Disneynature and the Turtle Back Zoo will have on-site activities including CHIMPANZEE trivia, throughout the day, as well as prizes and giveaways. Free with zoo admission of $10 Adults/ $7 Children. 973-731-5800.

Daffodil Day (Summit, NJ)
For those who aren't into the whole cherry blossom thing, there's another great floral celebration option today at Reeves-Reed Arboretum from 1-4pm. The family will enjoy all the earth day festivities such as green crafts and games, endangered species parade, food and entertainment. $10 per person; $25 max per family Children under 3 are free. 908-273-8787.

National Park Week - Free Admission to National Parks (Throughout the US)
Have you always wanted to visit one of the US National Parks, but never got around to going? Head over on during National Park Week (April 21-29) for free admission with the family and explore one of the nine NJ National Parks (might I suggest the Thomas Edison National Historic Park in West Orange), or venture out of state to see one of the other amazing and beautiful parks. Go HERE to find a National Park near (or far from) you.

Take out the Trash (Chatham, NJ)
Although this may sound like chore day for the kids, this program at the Great Swamp actually will teach children about the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) and how they can turn trash into treasures! Enjoy an Earth Day hike to see how nature uses the 3 R’s, then play games and make a “trash” craft to take home! Pre-registration is required, please call 973-635-6629. $5 per child.
 

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.

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