All Weekend

Earth Day and Arbor Day Festival (Camden, NJ)
If you're all about streamlining celebrations (like me!), this event at the Camden Children's Garden will be the perfect addition to your weekend activities! Your family will celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day amid the beauty of 4.5-acres of children's themed gardens and the  Four Seasons Butterfly House. This festival includes planting activities, a ladybug release, crafts and educational activities to learn about and to help celebrate Mother Earth. $6 per person and free for children two and younger. 856-365-8733.

Wool Days & Sheep Shearing (Holmdel, NJ)
From 12-3pm this weekend at Longstreet Farm, it's sheep shearing time and you can experience all the excitement at their FREE event. Additional activities include a demonstration of collies showing their herding skills and a wool spinning and weaving demo at the Monmouth County Historical Association's Holmes Hendrickson house. Wagons rides will be provided between the two living history sites. 732-946-3758.

Saturday April 28th

Big Truck Day (Nutley, NJ)
This FREE event is quite the family favorite (in our area it's called "Touch-a-Truck").  Bring your whole crew out to the Nutley Municipal Parking Lot #1 (off William Street) to see AND touch a slew of trucks and equipment of all shapes and sizes. Kids will love climbing aboard and touching all those buttons, which actually do make noise, unlike those battery-operated trucks in our house that somehow 'broke'. Make sure to bring along your camera (and your earplugs). There will also be giveaways and snacks to make the event even more kid-friendly. FREE. 12-4pm. 973-284-4959.

Communiversity of The Arts (Princeton, NJ)
This FREE event in Downtown Princeton, which is presented by the Arts Council of Princeton and the students of Princeton University, features more than 200 artists, crafters, and merchants from around the tri-state area; continuous live entertainment on five stages; children’s activities and games; a wide array of delicious food from around the globe; and a broad representation of the many businesses and organizations that play a prominent role in the vibrant life of the Princeton community. 12-5pm. Palmer Square - Witherspoon & Nassau Street.

Dino Day (Morristown, NJ)
It's an prehistoric celebration at the Morris Museum from 12-4pm at their Dino Day. Kids and parents will both enjoy learning about prehistoric life in New Jersey and our state Dinosaur (who knew we even HAD one of those!?!?), participating in dinosaur crafts, and meeting a baby T-Rex. There will also be a special visit from Field Station: Dinosaurs at the museum’s Bickford Theatre at 12:30 and 2:30 pm with performances by the Dinosaur Troubadour and the fifteen-foot long Mighty T-Rex. All Dino activities are included with museum admission: $7/child; $10/adult; children under 3 free.

Milk and Cookies Performance Theater for Children (New Brunswick, NJ)
This FREE monthly series at the State Theater provides children ages 3-8 (and their families) with a unique opportunity to watch, listen and interact with the arts. In this final program of the season you'll see "Beatles & Bubblegum," which is a high-energy, interactive show that celebrates the music of the Beatles and the bubblegum artists of the 60s and 70s such as The Monkees and The Archies. Get ready to hear some great music, learn some 60s dances, and test your knowledge of Beatles trivia. And of course, there's free milk and cookies for the kids!  This free event is offered at both 10am and 12pm, however advanced registration is required (contact Jennifer Cunha at 732-246-7469, ext. 545 or jcunha@statetheatrenj.org).

Morris County Earth Day Celebration (Morris Township, NJ)
Green your weekend with this celebration at Lewis Morris Park from 11am-4pm which includes live animal shows, great food, lively music, games and crafts, and fun for the entire family! There will be nearly 100 booths providing interactive hands-on activities, guided nature walks, and demonstrations on everything from solar power, to electric cars, and useful recycled products. $3 for adults, $2 for children 12 and under, children under 2 FREE. (973) 829-8257.

Rutgers Day 2012  (New Brunswick, NJ)
Holy Moly! There is just so much going on to entertain, educate and inspire you and your kids at this HUGE (and FREE) event at three Rutgers campuses, that you will definitely need to plan your day in advance here. At College Avenue Campus there will be storybook readings, puppet shows, scavenger hunts, and arts and crafts projects to celebrate the power of imagination through the arts and humanities. The Busch Campus features  fabulous science programming along with a carnival. In addition, there will be athletic events and games for spectators, including a collegiate swim meet. Cook/Douglass is the will be hosting Agriculture Field Day and the NJ Folk Festival, with baby animals, plant sales, food, music, and crafts.

Sunday April 29th

Vernon Earth Fest (Vernon, NJ)
Stop by Heaven Hill Farm from 11am-4pm for a day filled with activities paying homage to the earth, plus vendors, entertainment and family friendly activities. Children's activities include live animal presentations (birds of prey, python, 7 foot alligator), fire trucks, police cars and ambulances on display for kids to explore, free seed planting and gem mining while supplies last and a 25 foot double slide! FREE. 973-764-5144.

New Jersey Ballet - Cinderella (Englewood, NJ)
The NJ Ballet's kid-friendly productions are a huge family favorite of ours, and we are thrilled to see that the Bergen Performing Arts Center is having two performances of Cinderella at 1pm and 4pm. Even the littlest theatergoers can keep up with this familiar story as of the girl who loses her dancing slipper and finds her Prince. $20-35 per ticket. Call 201-227-1030 for tickets or more information.

Kite Workshop (Middletown, NJ)
Bring your family to Poricy Park to learn about kite flying history and safety; and then participate in making (and decorating, of course) your very own kite! The event will conclude with launching your creation on the Nature Center lawn. (Weather permitting.) Please email sharong@poricypark.org to register in advance. $5 for members and $7 for non-members; maximum per family $20 members and $25 non-members.

Behind the Scenes Tour of Jenkinson's Aquarium (Point Pleasant, NJ)
Join the staff at Jenkinson's Aquarium from 9:30-11:00am to discover what goes on behind the scenes at this Mommy Poppin's favorite destination while you tour the building top to bottom! This event is for children five and up and sneakers are required. Preregistration required: $14 Adults. $10 Children. Call 732-899-1659.
 

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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