Free & Fun Things to Do this Weekend for NYC Kids: Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, Museum Family Days February 9-10

Due to the snowstorm, many venues are canceling their events on Saturday. We're doing our best to keep this post updated but before you head out to an event, please check the official website to confirm it's still happening. Or check out our post about the best things to do on your snow day, including the scoop on awesome sledding hills, special snow sculpting contests and free hot chocolate courtesy of the Parks Department.

Happy Lunar New Year! The Year of the Snake officially kicks off on Sunday, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate throughout New York City. This weekend's big to-do is Chinatown's free Firecracker Ceremony and Festival but there are also fun celebrations at the main branch of the Brooklyn Library, Queens' Flushing Town Hall and Asia Society on the Upper East Side.

There are also lots of great arts and culture events this weekend, including the debut of two awesome sounding kids' shows, The Mark of Zorro at the New Victory Theater and the musical Bunnicula!, and cool concerts by David Weinstone and Music tor Aardvarks and Father Goose.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. As always, you can find additional choices in our Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide.

Poppins Parents: Funny Yogi Mom, Kristin Quinn

It’s the February edition of our new series, “Poppins Parents”! Last month, we met fitness dad, Ryan T. Debin. This time, we’re featuring funny gal, brand marketer, and yoga studio owner, Kristin Quinn (KQ). When she’s not playing with her toddler, she helps local families achieve peace and good health through yoga at her studio, Charlestown Yoga. She also writes a blog, “Misadventures in Mommyhood”, where she uses laughter as the best medicine for new parents who are feeling isolated and overwhelmed.

Read on to find out the secrets to Kristin’s success, which of her jobs has proven most challenging (it wasn’t when she worked for Martha Stewart), and the reason her daughter has a stuffed dog named Marchand.

Long Island Kids' Activities February 9 & 10: Pre-Valentine's Day Events, Winter Quest 2013, & Charlotte's Web

This weekend, there's an abundance of Valentine's Day–related activities for kids to get into the holiday spirit! At Not Just Art, design valentine sculptures and projects with fancy trimmings. Calling all chocolate lovers: Head on over to the Chocolate-Making Workshop at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center where you'll learn facts about this confection and make your own chocolate. Painting takes on a whole new twist at the Children's Museum of the East End's Get Creative: Homemade Puff Paint Hearts workshop, where you'll make puff paint with shaving cream and then decorate valentine hearts.  Maritime Explorium's Super Science Focus: Celebrate Valentine's Day with Heartfelt Messages workshop will give you the opportunity to design and create your own nautical valentine for a message in a bottle.  If you enjoy decorating sugar cookies, attend the Valentine’s Day Cookie Decorating Workshop at Guild Hall where you'll get plenty of hands-on experience with a Citarella pastry chef. For those who would prefer to brave the cold and explore nature, the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center is hosting Winter Quest 2013, where you'll get to go on an outdoor scavenger hunt with GPS units and make a natural winter shelter. Enjoy warm beverages and a bonfire afterward. And much more! As always, please check out our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family!

Winter Break Camps for NYC Kids: Sports Programs for Presidents' Day Break 2013

Earlier this week we posted about six awesome NYC day trips perfect for a quick February break getaway. However, we realize that even though public school students are looking at a four-day Presidents' Day weekend, many parents will need to work one (or more) of those days and need to find school holiday activities.

Since winter is a season when kids start bouncing off the walls from spending way too much time trapped indoors, we figured it was a great opportunity to highlight some of the city's best athletic camps for children. So instead of doing our usual massive roundup of winter break programs, we picked out seven sporty spots, all offering drop-off camps on Monday, February 18 and Tuesday, February 19. One even offers coverage the entire week for those few kids (like my son in parochial school) who still get the entire winter break off. Best of all, most of these camps let you register for just a day at a time, so if Tuesday's the only day you need, that's all you pay for.

Mostly Free & Fun Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend Feb 9-10: Chocolate Festival, Nature Valentines, Boat Show & More!

Love is definitely in the air, whether you’re up for a full-on dose of sugar at the Morris Museum Chocolate Festival or the Sweetheart Teddy Bear parade at the NJ Children’s Museum. Looking for some off beat fun? Check out a flick at the Kidz Film Festival or listen to the songs of folksy favorite Swingset Mamas. And if winter’s got you down, head to the Atlantic City Boat show for a dose of summer fun. Read on for our top picks and you can find a listing of all NJ activities in our Event Calendar.

News: Free Skylanders Giants, NYCIFF Tickets on Sale, Beethoven for a Buck, Parkour and Capoeira for Brooklyn Kids

Although we usually promote upcoming events in our jam-packed calendar, a few—like the annual New York International Children's Film Festival and Japan Society's Doll Fest—get booked up so fast we want to make sure we tell you about them way in advance, like today. Others we only hear about at the last minute and we don't want you to miss them, like the free Skylanders Giant Ninjini figure giveaway, which happens today. In more enjoy-at-your-leisure news, Williamsburg gets yet another kiddie boutique, school-age children can snag $1 tickets to a series of classical concerts and a brand-new Brooklyn gym brings parkour and capoeira to kids.

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