The lineup of cool activities going on as part of ArtWeek Boston is enough to keep our calendars full this weekend. With all kinds of exhibits and performances, including some specially designed for kids, families can make a day of it in and around town. Whether your little ones like to rock to great music, listen to a storyteller, or explore performing arts, you can find it this weekend.

If you're looking to get the family outdoors, Sunday's full moon or an afternoon at a harvest hoedown might offer the perfect respite from the back-in-school craziness. 

Also on Mommy Poppins Boston this week:

• One of these local theater classes might be the perfect thing for any budding thespians in the house.
• Fall is here, and the season brings with it plenty of fun things to do!
• It's time for one of our favorite fall traditions: Pick your family's perfect pumpkin at one of these pumpkin patches.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to check out the full Event Calendar!

Fall is in full swing with a number of outdoor carnivals, rides, fare and family fun. Be sure to check out our complete roundup of Fall Fairs and Festivals. And with October fast approaching, you'll also want to check out our Halloween Guide for plenty of spooky (and not so spooky) fun with the kids.

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A family vacation may sound idyllic, but once travel plans involve crossing oceans and international borders, bringing a two-year-old with you may make the hassles of travel feel even more daunting. What do you need to bring in your carry-on to make a ten or twenty hour flight with a toddler bearable?

We recently took our two-year-old to Kenya to spend some time with his grandparents who live on the Mombasa coast. In the course of three flights and twenty-seven hours in transit, we learned a lot about how to prepare for the next trip. While in-flight entertainment or kids shows streaming through the Wi-Fi will help pass the time, toddlers have a short attention span. We planned to switch activities every 20 minutes. Here are 20 things to keep a kid entertained, plus supplies to get through the literal and figurative turbulence.

With so many fantastic family programs occurring this time of year in Westchester and the Hudson Valley, we at Mommy Poppins have been extra busy culling it all together for our readers. In addition to several fall festivals this weekend (Garlic Festival, anyone?), there’s an eclectic assortment of one-of-a-kind happenings.

The arts are alive in Westchester, with a performance by Yo-Yo Ma and the chance to hop aboard the “Culture Trolley,” which wends its way to more than 30 venues across two towns at Arts Fest. Kids can get hands-on at the Printing Press Children's Program or at Touch-A-Truck (which also includes a helicopter). Wee ones can delight in mingling with fairies and elves at Legends & Lore of the Little People. 

This weekend offers a bonanza of entertaining and enriching events (not to mention apple picking), so you’ll definitely want to visit our Events Calendar to see the extensive fun beyond our top picks below. Enjoy!

Connecticut is a perfect place to celebrate fall: the warm days, the crisp nights, and the slowly turning leaves. We have so many picturesque spots to enjoy the season while building scarecrows or getting lost in corn mazes, or even learning about beekeeping and local honey.

We have tracked down some of our favorite fall fairs in Hartford and Fairfield, and we're constantly updating our CT Halloween and Fall Fun Guide with the latest and greatest scary (and not so scary) adventures. Make sure that you subscribe to our weekly newsletters and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest so that you won't miss any of the Halloween fun! 

Have a great weekend!

Recently my eight-year old daughter was invited to a laser tag party. I was admittedly apprehensive at first -- my little girl, battling with lasers? But she wanted to try it and I’m glad we gave it a shot. If you aren’t aware of how it works, the kids wear packs on their bodies that track if they are struck by a laser beam shot by another kid. Most places have obstacles to hide behind as well as for sneaking up on opponents. Kids work in teams so that they are not alone. Different places have varying themes and special effects. If your child likes high adventure and is looking for a thrill, check out the following places in the Hartford and New Haven areas for his or her next birthday party. For more birthday party ideas, check out our Connecticut Kids' Birthday Party Guide. 

Fall is officially here and you can savor the first weekend of the season with some awesome fresh-air activities: get a head start picking out an orange beauty during Heaven Hill Farm’s Great Pumpkin Festival, sample local eats and let the kids get their faces painted at Hoboken’s annual Fall Arts & Music Festival or test your outdoor knowledge during The Great Nature Quest at Echo Hill Park. And if you need a few more ways to keep the kiddos entertained, check out Open Cockpit Weekend at the Aviation Museum, Insect Insanity at Cora Hartshorn Arboretum or Batman Day Storytime at Watchung Booksellers. Whatever you decide to do this weekend, we hope you enjoy it with family and friends. For even more activity options, check out our Event Calendar .

There's nothing like fall in New England. The crisp air ushers in many time-honored traditions -- foliage hikes, apple picking, hay rides to pumpkin patches, and the start of the fall fair and festival season. Connecticut offers some of the best fairs in New England, filled with family fun and activities. Nothing is better than fried dough, midway games, rides, kettle corn, and the sweet stickiness of caramel apples and apple cider. Check out the options below along with our Halloween and Fall Fun Guide; with the variety of fairs offered in greater Hartford, there is something for everyone!