Your NJ Weekend Sept. 24-25: Cider, Superheros, Campfires, Fests, Fluxus and Fairies–Mostly FREE!

And you thought the end of summer meant the end of fun? Forget that! This weekend’s jam-packed with picks for everyone.  There’s a small-town harvest fest in Tewksbury; a family campfire in Tenafly; Superheroes in Florham Park; Fairies in Camden; a Fungus Fest in Morristown; cider-making; an open-air musical; a monster garage-sale and more.  Dig those jackets out of the closet, dust off the boots, and hit the road–the fun has just begun.

Fun and Free Things to Do in CT this Weekend with Kids: Norwalk Boat Show, CT Renaissance Faire, Free Museum Day

This weekend we've listed loads of fun things to do with the kids here in CT. The weather looks iffy so check the forecast before you head out. If some activities get rained out there's still plenty of indoor options for you such as Free Museum Day, Kent Library story time, an open skate session, “What To Do When a Bully Bothers You” performance,  as well as the SkippyJon Jones musical. Stepping Stones Museum will debut its new CyberChase Math exhibit on Saturday. You can also refer to our indoor playspace guide. But dear readers, we really hope the sun shines through because we have quite the roster of incredible fairs, shows, festivals and celebrations. The CT Renaissance Fair opens it's doors this Saturday, as does the Norwalk Boat Show, Durham Ag Fair and the CT Antique & Machinery Festival (just to name a few)!

This week we listed 13 Fun Things to Do this Fall with Kids in Litchfield County. We also posted about After School Activities and Classes for Tweens and Teens in Fairfield County. Fairfield Library has a great FREE tutoring program it is offering to students of all ages so we did a post of Free tutoring resources. Hope it helps!

Have you heard? Parents magazine has nominated Mommy Poppins for Best Local Blog! Please take a minute to vote for us. We'd REALLY appreciate it. Now, back to this upcoming weekend. Read more to see the extensive listing we've corralled for you. You can find even more events on our events calendar. Share the love and friend us on facebook and twitter to get daily insider scoops. Have a great weekend!

Free and Fun Things to Do this Weekend for NYC Kids: Dumbo Arts Festival, Apple Festival, Museum Day September 24-25

Are you ready to do the anti-rain dance with me? There are so many wonderful outdoor activities this weekend—like the Dumbo Arts Festival, Battery Park's Harmony on the Hudson Family Music Festival, the Apple Festival at the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum and the last few days of the Feast of San Gennaro—we will be really bummed out if it continues to pour.

Luckily, even if Mother Nature doesn't cooperate, there's plenty of fun to be had indoors, too. Visit one of our city's wonderful cultural institutions at no cost courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day, groove to a free concert by Trout Fishing in America at Symphony Space or celebrate Jim Henson's birthday at the Museum of the Moving Image.

As we say hello to fall we bid goodbye to many summer favorites, including Governors Island and the Children's Museum of Manhattan's Curious George exhibit, which both close this weekend, and the Bronx Zoo's Great Summer Zoofari: A Lego Wildlife Expedition, which comes down on September 30.

And that's just a sampling of the great things going on this weekend. Read on for all of our picks and remember, you can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Fall Fun Guide.

Free Trout Fishing in America Concert Kicks Off Symphony Space's Just Kidding Series

When we rounded up the best children's concerts this fall, we neglected to include anything on Symphony Space's Just Kidding lineup. That's because we wanted to write an entire post about our favorite offerings in this awesome family performance series, like this Sunday's kickoff event: a free concert by Trout Fishing in America in honor of the kids' band's forthcoming CD-picture book Chicken Joe Forgets Something Important.

Symphony Space's Just Kidding series runs most weekend through the end of April. Although most of the offerings are concerts, there are also a few children's shows and dance performances. Admittedly, tickets aren't cheap: The average price is $20 for adults and $13 for kids, but the talent is stellar, and you get a break if you buy tickets to four or more events in advance. As a dad and avid kids' music lover, I don't think there is a finer collection of youth-focused events at any single location anywhere else in the city.

Here are the details on this Sunday's no-cost Trout Fishing in America concert, and our picks for Symphony Space's best Just Kidding offerings throughout the season.

Free Tutoring and Homework Help Resources for Connecticut Kids

Many families are searching for ways to cut back on expenditures in order to stay within the family budget. Tutoring is one of those things that some children absolutely need yet it can be quite expensive. Parents should check into their local library to see if they offer services of some kind. For example, The New Milford Library has a homework help page that includes coverage of most topics including math, science, history and music. They even have a long list of homework help links. At the New Haven Free Public Library they provide reference assistance, homework help and readers advisory at the Young Adult desk weekdays after school. Call Sunnie at (203) 946-8130 ext. 234 for assistance.

The Fairfield Public Library launched a new program this Fall for students of all ages: live, one-to-one help from certified tutors online 24/7. Any patron with a valid Fairfield Public Library card can access the online services from the library or right from home.  A resume writing service is also available. The service is completely free for the Fairfield community.

Life is good Festival - Two Days of Music, Fun and Fundraising

Families who head to the Life is good Festival on Saturday and Sunday (9/24-9/25) can enjoy great music for kids and adults, an array of games and activities, diverse local food, and hands-on art projects. Performers include nationally known musical talent and popular children’s performers.

The festival aims to raise $1 million to benefit the Life is Good Playmakers, the action arm of the Life is good Kids Foundation, whose mission is to help children overcome life-threatening challenges, including violence, illness and extreme poverty.

Kids' Knitting, Sewing, Ceramics and More

Now that the kids are back in school, it’s time to start driving them all over the place for swimming, soccer, and pogo-stick practice, or if your kid is artsy, ceramics, beading and sewing. A recent rise in the popularity of crafting — knitting, it’s not just for Great Aunt Bertha anymore — means many kids are a part of the trend and NJ has no shortage of captivating shops. Some are drop-ins, some are multi-week courses, and they aren’t cheap, but then neither are Junior’s sword-swallowing lessons.

Moms' Night Out: Love, Loss, and What I Wore and a Great Babysitting Deal

You know how sometimes a piece of clothing can bring back a past conversation or experience? From a white wedding veil to a black funeral dress to a sequined dance recital leotard, our wardrobes and our memories are intertwined. It's a girl thing and it unites women everywhere.

That's what makes the show Love, Loss, and What I Wore such a great way to spend a moms' night out. A series of vignettes about the ups and downs of various women using clothing as the connecting thread, the hit Off Broadway show will celebrate its two-year anniversary on October 1, and it doesn't look like it's going out of style anytime soon.

While my previous moms' night out suggestions, like cool dance and art classes, and a downtown scavenger hunt, were more interactive, Love, Loss, and What I Wore is really engaging and moving, and inspires meaningful post-show conversations. Plus, at select performances, you can add on childcare for just $15 per kid. So gather your girlfriends, put on something fabulous and get ready to bond.

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