Mostly Free & Fun Things to Do with Westchester Kids: Fall Crafts, Festivals, Pow Wow & More, Sept. 21 & 22

This weekend we officially welcome fall and there are lots of great seasonal events to enjoy. Westchester has something to satisfy every taste, from history buff to horse fanatic, foodie to crafty. Events happening all weekend include Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst, the Peekskill Rotary Horse Show and Country Fair and the FDR Pow Wow. The New York Renaissance Faire and Bear Mountain Oktoberfest continue this weekend as well.

On Saturday head to Fieldhome's Annual Fall Festival or check out the Armonk Cider and Donut Festival. Sunday is the Southern Westchester Food and Wine Festival and the Washington-Rochambeau Regatta. Also on Sunday, take to the water with Mommy Poppins for the NY Harbor Ecology & Science Cruise With Mommy Poppins & Manhattan By Sail. Tickets are still available but selling fast!

Read on for our top weekend picks. If you see something interesting, click through to the event listing to view full details. Looking for more options? Be sure to check our Event Calendar for more fun happening this weekend and beyond.

Free & Fun Things to Do this Weekend for NYC Kids: Maker Faire, Morningiside Lights, Queens County Fair September 21-22

On Sunday, we officially welcome fall and the weekend is packed with seasonal fun like the Queens County Farm Museum's annual County Fair, the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum's Breukelen Country Fair and the opening of the New York Botanical Garden's Haunted Pumpkin Garden.

This weekend also brings one of our absolute favorite annual events: the super-creative World Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science. Three Mommy Poppins bloggers are going with their families, including me, so if you see us be sure to say hello!

Another great place to catch the Mommy Poppins gang? On Sunday's eco-themed family cruise on Manhattan by Sail's Clipper City Tall Ship. Enjoy hands-on nature activities, sailor skills, face painting and stunning New York Harbor views. Tickets are selling fast so get yours today.

There's also a lot of FREE fun this weekend including no-cost kids' concerts at the South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Book Festival and the illuminated Morningside Lights procession through Morningside Park.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Fall Fun Guide.

Fall Festivals & Fall Fairs For Long Island Kids

It’s fall festival time. It's time to paint pumpkins, feast on apples and roasted corn, drink cider, jump on bouncers, ride on carnival rides, and stock up on handmade crafts. All across Long Island, communities are celebrating the abundant harvest from local farms. There are festivals taking place until Halloween. Here is a roundup of the fairs and festivals that we found.

Mostly Free & Fun Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend September 21-22: Autumn Campfire, Moon Festival, Downtown Fair & More!

Is that a chill in the air? Cooler September evenings are upon us and some great autumn events are starting to pop up on our radar. Take a hay ride during Fall Family Weekends at Horse Sleigh Farm, cozy up to a campfire after an Autumn Night Hike at Tenafly Nature Center or learn about Chinese culture at the Mid Autumn Moon Festival at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum. And remember, you can find a full list of weekend activities in our Event Calendar.

Minecraft Clubs for NYC Kids

My son is mad about Minecraft, the video game that lets players break apart virtual blocks and use the cubes to build anything they can imagine. While normally I am a bit of a screen-time stickler, I don't mind him playing Minecraft. Unlike some other popular video games, it isn't gory or even realistic (the graphics are intentionally crude), and it's about creating not winning or losing.

Minecraft came out in 2011 and quickly became an obsession for many kids (and adults too—my husband plays all the time!). But as addictive video games go, it's pretty enriching. You need to read and use math to build these intricate virtual worlds, and collaborating with other players online encourages cooperation, teamwork and community. There are so many educational aspects to Minecraft that some teachers are using it in their classrooms.

While our suburban neighbors have lots of organized Minecraft clubs where kids can play together, surprisingly, there isn't a lot of that in NYC. But a few places are starting to host Minecraft events for kids like Brooklyn maker space Pixel Academy, Staten Island MakerSpace and RoboFun on the Upper West Side. We've got the scoop on where NYC kids can play Minecraft (besides your living room) and tips for forming your own Minecraft club.

News: The Little Mermaid Goes High Tech, Dinosaur Safari Extends at the Bronx Zoo, NYC is No. 1 and That's Not Good

In this edition of our biweekly links roundup, we've got the scoop on a brilliant new service aimed at the parents of Lego-obsessed kids, a new high-tech way to apply to kindergarten, the extension of a super-popular family attraction and why audiences will be leaving their iPads on at Disney's rerelease of The Little Mermaid. Plus, some improvements are coming to the South Street Seaport and Randall's Island, and why New York City's latest No. 1 status isn't a compliment.

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