New Jersey is home to some of the best bakeries in the country. There's nothing like stepping into your local bake shop and picking up a few freshly made cupcakes and cookies. Unfortunately, families with nut allergies have to be extra careful about where they buy their treats. If you or your kids have a nut allergy, don't despair. The Garden State is home to several fantastic peanut-free and nut-free bakeries. The following North Jersey shops carry everything to satisfy your family's sweet tooth, from specialty cakes to scones and pies. For even more nut-free bakeries, check out our post on Nut, Gluten and Dairy Free Bakeries in New York City.

Sure, you can fill your kids’ Easter baskets with your standard-issue foil-wrapped Cadbury eggs (and, let’s face it, they’ll still love them), but there are some bakeries and sweet shops in Westchester that let you step things up a notch. Here we’ve gathered some of our favorites from the area—all treats that will make your kids fall in love with the Easter Bunny all over again. We suggest picking up extras for the parents … 

"With tuppence for paper and strings / You can have your own set of wings..."

Okay, so the Mary Poppins tune is a bit dated; kites cost more than tuppence these days. But not much. And now that it's spring, and the sea (and mountain) breezes are tickling our cheeks, why not let them lift our kites as well? Read on for suggested places to buy (and ways to make) a kite—as well as where you and your kids can set them to soar—with your fist holding tight to the string of your kite. Come on! Let's go fly a kite!

Purim is a festive celebration that typically includes costumes, games, music, and (of course) hamantaschen, the triangular cookies filled with jam or poppy seeds.

Let's be honest. Raising a toddler is a handful, but raising a NYC toddler comes with its own unique challenges—and rewards—like trying to carry their tantruming little bodies up the subway stairs, but knowing they'll come out of it with some awesome values. It also means they develop some pretty distinctive NYC habits at an early age. Watching a toddler in NYC is both hilarious and hilariously frustrating, because they’re right at a crucial development phase in terms of language, basic skills and learning—and they’re doing it on full display of your building, block or, basically, the entire city.

Does your tyke display these quintessential NYC kid quirks?

The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems exhibit at The New-York Historical Society opens Friday, March 18 with 90 pieces of original artwork, animation cells, sculptures, an adorable reading area and an audio guide just for kids in a career retrospective of a multitalented artist and beloved children's author.

It's one of our top activity picks for the entire year, and we are big fans of Mo Willems' simple but enchanting NYC-themed kid-lit in my house, so it was exciting to attend the preview to tell you all about it. 

A must-see for fans of Knuffle Bunny, Elephant and Piggie, and the always angry Pigeon, the galleries are immersive, painted to resemble the hand-drawn cityscapes of Willems' books. But they are not kid-focused: There are no interactives to keep little hands busy. Of course, that really isn't the point. Willems said during the opening that one of his goals for the exhibit is to encourage people to draw and create characters. He wants his work to inspire adults and kids to draw and sketch. Kids can hear what else Willems has to say on an audio guide created just for them and narrated by Willems. On Saturday and Sunday (March 19 and 20), the museum is offering a slate of family activities to complement the exhibit.  

Call me crazy but I love having loads of children playing games outside while roaming our property. Bouncy houses, petting zoos and old fashioned games like potato sack races and tug of war are always a big birthday party hit. Even though I've been known to have an outdoor party even when it's freezing outside (we have a bonfire!) it might not be for everyone. In those instances, indoor entertainment will keep you sane and the kids happy. We've listed some great resources for hosting a birthday party at home in the Litchfield County area. We've also included some of our favorite bakery and catering suggestions in order to make the planning process that much easier for you! For even more great party ideas check out our Party Guide.

Bird or dinosaur? Your kid may ask that question a lot after visiting Dinosaurs Among Us, the new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, opening Monday, March 21, on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

The whole premise behind the new exhibit is that dinosaurs never really left. Instead, we can see their “evolutionary legacy” on display in the behaviors and anatomy of thousands of modern-day birds. Think of your annual turkey wishbone, birds' scaly feet with elongated toes, the aggressive, beast-like piercing call of certain species like the peacock and, of course, their egg-filled nests.

The exhibit is made up of dozens of fossils, full-scale dinosaur and bird casts, as well as display cases of eggs and nests, feathers (everywhere) and other elements to help visitors compare today's bird species with their extinct relatives, like a side-by-side display of the three-toed foot of an emu and the similar, but larger, three-toed foot of a Struthiominus altus that lived 78 million years ago in North America.