Festival season has begun! From the Harvard ArtsFirst Festival to the Boston College Arts Festival, the Sheepshearing Festival at Gore Place to the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts at Brandeis, our calendar is filling up with this sure sign of spring. We also have performances of the Catskill Puppet Theater’s The Town that Fought Hate, an Earth Day celebration in Concord, a children’s opera by the Boston Conservatory, and more. Read on for this weekend’s highlights.

Early results from our recent survey (didn’t get a chance to take it? there’s still time!) indicate that our readers are interested in knowing about day trips and weekend getaways. In that vein, we continue our coverage with some insights into the East Bay RI towns of Bristol and Warren. We also recognize National Bike Month in May with our Cycling with Kids post that covers local trails and routes, tours, and special bike-related events.

And with Mother’s Day just over two weeks away, we’ve highlighted some special kid-friendly Mother’s Day brunches - reservations required!

Be sure to check our Events calendar for more things to do, and please stay tuned for an announcement about a very special festival being planned to benefit The One Fund Boston - The One Family Music Festival. Details coming soon.

Until then, enjoy!

It doesn't start until Monday and I’m already stressing. I speak of course of Screen Free Week, in which parents are encouraged to turn off (TVs, Blackberries, iPads) and tune in (to the great big world out there).  Surviving a week without screens, is that even possible?

Here’s my suggestion: get as much screen time in as you can this weekend. To get you started, may I suggest the Los Angeles Children's Film Festival?  We caught a few of the films last weekend and there is much to amuse and inspire young film-goers.  To give you an idea of what you’re in for, check out the reviews from our kid critics, (they say it much better than we ever could!)  And be sure to buy your festival tickets through our links - a hefty chunk of change will be donated to the school of your choice!

There’s one screen usage even the most avowed Luddite couldn’t begrudge, and that’s logging onto Mommy Poppins. (How else are you going to find the ultimate scoop on fun activities for your family?) So friend us on Facebook, sign up for emails and tweets, or go old school and type in our URL; Mommy Poppins is here to help you through. To get you started, keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend…

Two of Rhode Island’s East Bay towns, Warren and Bristol, make a perfect day trip or weekend getaway. When we visit them, we feel like we’re worlds away from everyday city life. Classic New England, these neighboring towns have it all: Natural beauty, history, arts, culture, and plenty of activities for families. Looking for great shopping and dining? They have that too. Read on for our top 15 things to do with kids in Bristol and Warren. 

Are you good at making tough decisions? We hope so, because there's a slew of amazing activities to choose from this weekend, including three picks from our April NYC Go List: the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Sakura Matsuri: Cherry Blossom Festival, the Parks Department's no-cost celebration of Street Games in East Harlem and the Tribeca Film Festival's free Family Street Fair.

While those three annual family favorites promise to be super-cool, they'll also be super-crowded. So you might want to try hitting an event that's a bit more under the radar like Park Slope's Fifth Avenue Family Fest, the Queens Botanical Garden's Arbor Festival or your local YMCA for Healthy Kids Day. If you just feel like hanging out at a local green space, check out our Parks and Playgrounds Guide for the scoop on NYC's best outdoor play spots.

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 Spring Fun Guide.

This weekend, head on over to the Merrick Chamber Of Commerce Annual Kids Fest at the Merrick LIRR Train Station, where you'll enjoy crafts, rides, games, and festival foods.  At the Heckscher State Park Spring Festival in East Islip, you'll learn about water and boating safety from The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.  The festival also features environmental displays, animals, arts and crafts, and more.  In Garden City at the Long Island Children's Museum, McCarter Theatre Center Presents Sunjata Kamalenya, one of the greatest legends of West African Mandé tradition brought to the stage with traditional music, costumes, and scenery.  Ballet Long Island in Ronkonkoma is hosting their Princess Tea Party where you'll see performances of Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and more.  After the show you'll meet the characters and enjoy a tea party.  Also on tap: Ready, Set, Grow at Benner's Farm in East Setauket, and the World's Softest Teddy Bear Challenge at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City.  As always, check out our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family!

In the past we've touted Staten Island as a great place to find a birthday party bargain. But there are so many fun Staten Island party spots, we thought it was time to do a new roundup.

Not only do Staten Island parties tend to be some of the least expensive options in NYC, they often offer the kind of fun you usually only find in the 'burbs, like bumper cars, go-karts and massive video game arcades. So in addition to our original list of Staten Island party places, here are 10 more spots where you can throw a memorable birthday bash. You can find even more options in our Party Guide.