Weekday Event Picks for NYC Kids: Stargazing, Offbeat Theater, Earth Day Fun April 20-24

With both Earth Day and Arbor Day taking place this week, it's no surprise that there is a lot of outdoor fun on our list of top picks. Celebrate this big blue marble we call home at the Queens Botanical Garden, explore Brooklyn's only forest in honor of Arbor Day or scour the night sky with the Amateur Astronomers Association on the High Line.

Although we only highlight one event per day in this post, you can find plenty of other options in our Event Calendar and Spring Fun Guide.

Kid-Friendly Queens International Snack Crawl

Foodies know that NYC's most diverse borough is where it’s at for the best international dining delights. You can travel the globe with your kids going from neighborhood to neighborhood, exploring the different ethnic enclaves and great restaurants. After extensive research, we packed the kids in the car and set off to Queens to eat as much as we possibly could. Our Queens food crawl featured eight stops, seven nationalities and six neighborhoods. We didn't just eat great food; we had fun experiences and expanded our horizons. This is why we live in New York City, folks. If you haven’t done your share of exploring the ethnic eateries of Queens, get hoppin’.

Here’s where and what we ate:

Earth Day Outdoor Volunteering Opportunities for Westchester Families

While Earth Day officially falls on April 22, Westchester is celebrating through the end of the month. This is a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to get their hands dirty and help keep Westchester clean and beautiful. Earth Day, along with I Love My Park Day on Saturday, May 2, are great times to come together with your community, and make a difference in our parks and outdoor spaces.

Children love to help, so in honor of Earth Day and I Love My Park Day, we've rounded up opportunities for kids of all ages to volunteer their time to improve the planet. You'll find some of these events (and many more) in our Event Calendar and April GoList. From planting and weeding in local parks and nature centers, to collecting trash and other cleanup, everyone can pitch in and do their share.

This Week: Free Tribeca Drive-in Family Movies, Thomas the Tank Engine & Patriots' Day

It's been a busy week for public school students in third through eighth grades, with the ELA tests wrapping up this Thursday. Whether your kids took them or opted out, they're going to want to let loose this weekend. Luckily, it's going to be a nice one; Saturday is expected to be in the 70s!

We've got lots of outdoor fun on tap with the Tribeca Film Festival's FREE drive-in outdoor movies, the Tenafly Street Fair in nearby New Jersey and the Suffern Street Fair in Westchester. Or head over to Benner's Farm on Long Island, where kids can meet the newest barnyard babies. It's also the kickoff weekend of the Day Out with Thomas Celebration Tour in Connecticut. Enjoy carnival rides, a magic show and, of course, everyone preschooler's favorite friendly engine.

If you're looking to take a quick weekend trip, the Shad Festival takes place in Philly on Saturday, where kids can learn basic fishing techniques and make colorful fish rubbings. Or celebrate Patriots' Day in Boston, commemorating the opening battle of the American Revolution.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

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