Long Island Kids' Activities February 8 & 9: Valentine's Day Treats & Crafts

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Love is (almost) in the air and that means kids can ready for Valentine's Day by baking some sweet treats and getting crafty this weekend! There are also several places you can enjoy a play or even check out the Winter Animal Show on the east end.

Remember that February is American Heart Month. Jump into action Sunday at the Long Island Children's Museum with a special event that's sure to get your heart pumping!

Planning ahead for winter break? Check out our guide for camps, workshops and activities.

Here's a guide for this weekend's happenings across Long Island. Don't see your event listed here? Add it to our events calendar. And if you do not already receive this post in your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter.  

Weekend Fun for NYC Kids: Queens Lunar New Year Parade, Cool Kids' Concerts & Funky New Exhibits February 8-9

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Neither snow nor sleet nor ice can keep cool kids' culture down this weekend. So thrown on your boots and check out a pair of funky new exhibits: the graffiti-filled City as Canvas at the Museum of the City of New York and Cabinets of Wonder at the Children's Museum of the Arts. Or rock out to preschooler favorites AudraRox in Gowanus or David Weinstone and the Music for Aardvarks Band at the Jewish Museum. Is theater more your thing? Catch Bob Marley's Three Little Birds at the New Victory Theater or the Paper Bag Players' latest revue, Hiccup Help!, at Symphony Space.

Even though the Year of the Horse officially started last week, some of NYC's biggest Lunar New Year celebrations take place this weekend, including the annual parade in Flushing, Queens and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's day-long festival.

Those are just a few of the great things going this weekend. All of our best bets are below. As always, you can find more options in our Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide. Before heading out on your adventures, be sure to download our FREE Mommy Poppins Kids on the Go app so you can find the best family destinations wherever you happen to be in NYC.

Modern Pinball: NYC Kids Can Become Pinball Wizards at this Cool New Arcade

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New York City is filled with great indoor places for kids to play. However, many drop-in indoor romping spots like play spaces and kiddie gyms cater to really young kids. Now that my son is almost nine, he's aged out of most of them, which always leaves us scrambling to find age-appropriate indoor fun (we can only go to the Museum of Natural History so many times).

That's why I was so excited when Modern Pinball opened near me in Kips Bay. A massive pinball showroom, Modern Pinball doubles as an arcade where visitors of all ages can play on more than 30 different machines, both new releases and restored vintage games. It's a total nostalgia trip for parents and introduces the analog wonders of pinball to a new generation. Judging from how much my son loved going to Modern Pinball, it's particularly fun for hard-to-please tweens, who are stuck in that weird phase where they're either too old or too young for so many activities. Bonus: No quarters required. You can train to be a pinball wizard all day for a flat fee.

WeeWork Recipe: Valentine's Day Breakfast Parfaits

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Over the years, I've learned that it's the little things that make a big impression on kids. Since Valentine's Day is all about making our loved ones feel special, it's the perfect time to surprise the with an out of the ordinary breakfast treat. This super easy Valentine's Day parfait will wow your kids and you can still get your beauty rest. And it's healthy enough to become a new morning staple.

Mostly Free & Fun Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend Feb 8-9: Vintage Valentines, Chocolate Festival, Snowshoeing & More!

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Valentine’s Day might be a time for couples to celebrate their love, but in case you hadn’t noticed, kids absolutely adore this festive holiday (maybe because it’s only second to Halloween in sugar consumption!). If you’re looking for some family-friendly V-Day fun, check out the delicious Chocolate Festival at Morris Museum, get crafty with Collage Valentines at Poricy Park or sign up to make your own Valentine Chocolates at Montclair Art Museum. If you’re up for a little winter wilderness you can head to the Reeves-Reed Arboretum for a class in Backyard Birding or take a beginner’s crash course in Snowshoeing at Pyramid Mountain. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

Mommy & Me Workout Classes on Long Island

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It might seem like summer is a lifetime away, but bathing suit season will be here before we know it. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time fitting in exercise with two little ones running around, so the easiest way to workout is to include the kids in on the fun. Here are a few places on Long Island that offers mommy and me workout classes. And be sure to check out other Cool Mommy and Me Classes on Long Island.

Flushing, Queens with Kids: Best 25 Things to Do for Families Including Dim Sum, Historic Houses & Flushing Meadows Corona Park

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Primarily a residential neighborhood located in north-central Queens, Flushing has a bustling commercial center along Main Street filled with a wide variety of restaurants, chain stores and culture spots like Flushing Town Hall. The neighborhood is particularly well known for its Chinatown section around Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue, where you'll find lots of dim sum eateries, specialty shops and the borough's annual Lunar New Year Parade every winter.

But Flushing, like all of Queens, is a true melting pot with residents and businesses from a multitude of diverse backgrounds. It's also home to many lovely landmarked buildings built in different eras and architectural styles. You can walk through history at the 17th-century John Bowne House, the Victorian Voelker Orth Museum and iconic relics from two 20th-century World's Fairs held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

This month, we'll offer an in-depth look at everything Flushing, Queens has to offer families, including our favorites spots to play, explore and experience with kids. We're also highlighting the major family attractions in the Willets Point section of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, like the Queens Museum and Citi Field. For the purposes of our posts, our geographical boundaries are 20th Avenue to the north and Flushing Meadows Corona Park to the south, Grand Central Parkway to the west and Utopia Parkway to the east. We kick off our coverage with the top 25 things to do with kids in Flushing, Queens.

News: New Robotics Studio Coming to Tribeca, Sing Along with Frozen, Enter Doodle 4 Google, Social Media Rules for Teens

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Robots and contests and pre-k, oh my! One of our favorite programs for young inventors, Brooklyn Robot Foundry, is opening a Manhattan outpost in Tribeca. The annual Doodle 4 Google art competition for students just got underway. Plus, we have an update on the battle for universal pre-k, details on the sing-along version of Frozen, social media rules for teens and other cool news of interest to New York City families.

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