Harry Potter: The Exhibition is open and ready for Muggles, wizards and Potterheads everywhere. I'm a Harry Potter fanatic: I fully admit to lining up at midnight for book releases, hitting the theater on opening day for the movies and, yes, owning a pair of plastic Potter specs. I tried to control my giddiness—which can rival that of any 12-year-old Potter geek—while exploring the exhibit at Discovery Times Square last weekend. If there's someone in your abode who dreams of studying at Hogwarts and knows the name of Ginny Weasley's first boyfriend (answer: Michael Corner), this display of props and costumes used in all eight films—including the soon-to-be-released Deathly Hallows: Part II—is an unbelievable treat.

There's Harry's invisibility cloak, beds from the Gryffindor dorm, a larger-than-life Dementor and a lot more. But before you don your cape and fly off with your brood to the exhibit, here are eight things you should know.

Break out the bikes! Springtime is the best weather for bike riding. Now that my kids have lost the training wheels and are able to ride the distance, we are ready to do some serious biking… starting this weekend with the Branchbrook Park Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Newark! If you would rather keep both feet on the ground, there is also a nice offering of kid-only mountain biking events throughout New Jersey that you won’t want to miss. Don’t forget to wear your helmets!

There's never a dull moment in NYC and now that it's spring, great things to do are sprouting up everywhere! On Saturday, baseball fans can cheer on their favorite Little Leaguer at various opening day celebrations, in particular a huge Brooklyn parade. Or head over to the Morgan Library to participate in a cool interactive family workshop exploring the connection between Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. You can also hit up a fun outdoor festival; there are three of them scheduled this weekend, including the popular annual Children’s Carnival at the Queens County Farm Museum and the self-explanatory Touch-a-Truck fest in Brooklyn. If you're in the mood to take in a show, Boom Town opens at the New Victory, and two one-offs, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Junie B. Jones, play in Brooklyn and on the Upper West Side, respectively. And the first Easter egg hunt of the season happens at the Staten Island Zoo on Sunday.

Read on for the our best bets for the weekend, and remember, The Mommy Poppins Events Calendar is chock-full of storytimes, theater, arts and crafts programs, and lots of other fun activities for families.

Have a great weekend!

Is it possible to see rabbits, eat cotton candy, fish and watch a damsel flee to freedom all in one weekend? Well, it is, and you’ve come to right place! Whether you’ve got a thrill for adventure or a sweet tooth, we have some awesome, amazing and astounding events listed here for you this weekend!

You know how we love alliteration here at Mommy Poppins and this weekend is full of it--Bees, Bingo, Borneo... yeah, you get it. There is so much fun stuff to do in early spring, so take advantage of the might-be-warm weather or all the indoor possibilities in case of more rain (or snow--could be, it's been a weird spring so far, right?) Have fun!

I received a request for summer sports camps near Washington, CT for a 6 year old. WIth a bit of research I came up with the following options that are not too far of a drive for anyone in the southern portion of Litchfield County. Of course, many of the camps will accept younger and older children as well. You'll have to read their fine print for details. Not every camp accepts 6  year olds so I appreciated the inquiry. Hopefully this list will help your young sport get his/her fix. TIp: It's always good to start with your local parks and rec to see what they are offering (so I've included Washington's info here). Please post any additional options I may have missed in the comments section below. And by all means, share with your friends!

The FDA announced last week that it will investigate whether there is sufficient evidence to link the consumption of synthetic color additives in food with hyperactivity in children. This comes after studies released last year showed that kids with the highest levels of pesticides in their urine also had the highest incidence of ADHD.

I find these studies to be really upsetting, and yet part of me is relieved to have this information. On the one hand, it is incredibly depressing that our food culture has gotten so off track that we are literally poisoning ourselves. On the other hand, I'm glad that we are starting to figure out the causes for the greatly increased levels of ADHD, cancer and other ailments that plague us.

Armed with this information, we can make educated decisions and changes to protect our families and our health.

Last week we told you about 11 great stage shows for families. Today, our spring culture roundup continues with six new exhibits that kids will love. (In a couple of cases, they may actually beg you to bring them!) 

From Harry Potter relics to an in-depth look at how Dinosaurs lived to ancient brain teasers from China, these half dozen museum shows will educate and entertain your family.