Welcome in Spring with a Live Show at The Palace Theatre

This post is sponsored by The Palace Theatre.

Many Connecticut families already know that seeing a show at The Palace Theatre in Stamford is a unique and memorable experience. A one-time vaudeville house, it has been restored with plush red seats and gold decorative work that frames the bigger-than-Broadway stage. But while its décor might be reminiscent of old Hollywood, the line up is fresh and sure to please youngsters. In fact, kids truly rule at The Palace this spring, with family favorites you won't want to miss that include fun with both Disney and Sesame Street.

New Jersey Theater Alliance Stages Festival: Your Guide to Kid-Friendly Shows

If you'd like to introduce your kids to the magic of theater, check out the performances and theater-related activities that are a part of the 2016 New Jersey Theatre Alliance Stages Festival. With over 80 kid-friendly performances, workshops, classes, and camp samplers offered throughout New Jersey free or at low-cost, The Stages Festival is the perfect introduction to professional theater for children of all ages.  All events are produced by the professional theaters of New Jersey. According to Ruth Zamoyta, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance Stages' Development & Communications Director, parents love live performances because "they get the kids off the computer, off the phone, and even away from the screens that you find on the TV or in the movie theater."  She adds,  when it comes to the workshops, mini-camps, and classes, "kids get to express themselves freely and creatively. In all Stages events, participants come away with a feeling of togetherness--live theatre is a shared experience, and the workshops and classes are collaborative."

Comic and Cartoon Drawing Classes for Creative NJ Kids

Do you have stacks of stories your kids have drawn for you? Does the spelling in all the thought bubbles make you fear for your child's future? (Maybe that last part is just at my house.) If you have a budding Stan Lee, Hayao Miyazaki or Becky Cloonan, there are loads of classes in New Jersey at great studios and arts centers that will teach your youngster the basics of cartoon, comic book and even picture book illustrations and storytelling. Maybe they'll even learn how to spell 'mwah, ha, ha, ha!!" correctly.

25 Things to Do in Berlin with Kids

Yes, it's ultra-hip and loaded with cool nightclubs, but the city of Berlin surprises as a great family vacation destination with impressive museums, wide-open green spaces, affordable hotels—and even a Legoland. Berlin never tries to hide its brutal past; reminders of the Holocaust are everywhere, making a visit part history lesson, so be prepared for frank questions from your kids regarding Germany’s complicated legacy. A tolerant spirit pervades, so families of every configuration should feel at home.

Making spring break or summer travel plans? Check our U.S. regional travel guides for more family travel planning or some of our recent family resort reviews.

Yoga Classes for Boston Moms and Babies

Pregnancy and the weeks after birth are a special time in the life of a mom and her baby. Many local yoga studios offer classes tailored specifically to new and expectant moms to exercise, relax, and connect with other women who are pregnant or have recently given birth. Classes are offered all over the Boston area, which means there’s likely a studio nearby. And if you have older children (anywhere from toddlers to teens) looking to get in on the yoga action, check out our guide to yoga classes and birthday parties just for them.

Hippo Encounter at the LA Zoo: Happy Hungry Hippos

Normally, we encourage you to play it safe: no running with scissors, wait half an hour after eating before going for a swim, that sort of thing. But now we’re telling you throw caution to the wind and go poke a wild animal. Heck, say cheese and take a selfie with it. The Los Angeles Zoo is offering a new and unique experience that allows kids to have an up close and personal interaction with the wildest of creatures: a 1500 pound hippo. And her mother.

Ten Things My Tween and Teen Love about the California Science Center

Photo courtesy of the California Science Center

I have a son and a daughter with four years between them, which means they don’t always want to do the same thing in the same place at the same time. Siblings! That said, one destination they can always agree on is the California Science Center in Exposition Park. This immersive, interactive exhibition space engages all ages, preschool to high school, and we rarely leave without the feeling that there was more to see and to do. As a parent I love this museum, because, while science is a universal topic, the California Science Center finds many ways to connect us with our own state of California and has exhibits highlighting our ecosystems, earthquakes, and industry.

Space belongs to everyone, but much of the Aerospace Industry is housed here in California. LA's free science museum recently acquired the Space Shuttle Endeavor, currently displayed in a temporary location but ultimately planned as the centerpiece of the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. As thrilling as that big ticket item is, there are many smaller permanent installations that my kids love to revisit—and believe you me they know how to find them. Rotating exhibits also capture their attention: my daughter was so eager to get to last year’s Pompeii that she ended up going without me. I won’t make that mistake again!

Here is a too short list of ten things you gotta love about the California Science Center.

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