Submitted by Rachael Cherry on
Ready to get a jump on all of your holiday shopping, but don't want to frequent the same tired stores you always visit? A holiday craft market and fair is the perfect answer. You'll find an assortment of handmade treasures crafted by local artisans that will make unique gifts for everyone on your list. Check out these markets around town.
Submitted by Laurie Rein on
November has arrived, and there’s so much to be thankful for—including free events happening throughout NJ! Enjoy some outdoor time early in the month at admission-free festivals like St. Anthony International Festival, Day of the Dead 2019, and the Short Hills-Millburn Street Fair. Get in the Thanksgiving spirit at Early 19th Century Thanksgiving and Alstede Farms' Pie Tasting Event, both free.
Later in the month, Santa Claus is coming to town! Kick off the holiday season at no-cost celebrations in Princeton, Nutley, Blairstown, and Red Bank. Plus, seasonal light shows make their debut, including Smithville's Holiday Light Show, Turtle Back Zoo Holiday Lights, and Atlantic City's Holiday Musical Light Show.
Read on for this month's picks! For more free and low-cost fun, check out our Event Calendar, as well as our Fall Fun Guide for New Jersey Kids.
Submitted by Caitlin Dowling on
While Boston has many kid-friendly museums and attractions, crowds and noises at these busy spots can sometimes overwhelm children with autism and sensory sensitivities. Many museums, zoos, and aquariums are working to change that, and are developing sensory-friendly hours, exhibit adaptations, and programs for these children. Here are places in the Boston area where highly sensitive or special-needs children can better enjoy enriching nature, science, animals, and the arts. For more inclusive fun, check out a list of special needs kids' classes and our favorite accessible playgrounds.
Submitted by Jessica Laird on
Fairfield County’s King School has a big mission: to set better standards for both the experience and outcomes of education. And the top-rated PreK to 12th grade private school is working to embody that mission holistically at its 34-acre North Stamford campus complete with designated Lower School facilities, including visual and performing arts’ rooms, a gym and library, computer and science labs, a sustainable garden, age-appropriate playgrounds, and classrooms designed to encourage opportunities for small group work, student-led learning, and discovery.
I connected with Head of Lower School and elementary expert Amy Vorenberg to learn more about King School’s preschool and elementary programs, along with their other offerings, and to find out how interested families can start the application process.
Submitted by Siobhan Adcock on
When the weather doesn't cooperate on Halloween night in NYC, you have options. You can shrug your hunched-up Frankenstein shoulders and head inside to make your own Halloween treats and watch a spooky movie, brave the elements to trick-or-treat under umbrellas (or winter coats), or—because you're a resourceful New Yorker who never gives up but also hates shivering in wet socks—find a place to trick or treat indoors.
Many buildings large and small have trick-or-treating up and down the hallways for Halloween, of course—it's a true NYC kid rite of passage. But if you live in a smaller building or your neighbors aren't the candy-bowl type, you might need to venture out for treats at one of NYC's many indoor Halloween events. We've rounded up some options for those Halloween nights where the weather is monstrous enough to keep even intrepid little ghouls indoors.
Submitted by Donald Eng on
With trick-or-treating behind them, kids are ready to talk turkey—and the famous colored turkeys at Gozzi's Farm, making their seasonal debut this weekend, are sure to get them excited about Thanksgiving. But before we plunge head-long into the two-month holiday season, why not spend a November weekend participating in some family activities like a fall foliage hike or scarecrow celebration? Or, celebrate multiculturalism with a traditional bilingual Day of the Dead celebration or a Diwali party?
This busy time of year, make sure that you subscribe to our free weekly newsletters and follow us on Facebook and Instagram so that you won't miss any of the fun. Have a great weekend!
Submitted by Jackie Jones on
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley doesn't seem like your typical destination for the under 10 crowd. After all, there's no bouncy house on campus, no playground, and no ball pit. And some of the material contained within this museum dedicated to our 40th president is pretty serious and likely to go over your little one's head. So why do my 4-year-old and 7-year-old love coming here so much? It turns out, there are plenty of hands-on activities for kids at the Reagan Library, as well as exhibits to pique a child's curiosity. Plus the grounds at the 100-acre museum are expansive and beautiful, and the Reagan Library is a great place to visit when the grandparents are in town. Here are 10 things my family especially enjoys at this SoCal institution.
Submitted by Siobhan Adcock on
Chicago parents, these are indeed the times that try men's souls. On this slushy and cold week that has both kids and parents obsessively hitting "refresh" on teacher's strike news and Halloween trick-or-treat forecasts, we're all looking forward to a brighter weekend ahead.
The Chicago International Children's Festival brings 250 new films for kids of all ages to Lincoln Park, and for really little ones (and Washington Nationals fans) there's the sing-along extravaganza that is Baby Shark Live! Pups are welcome to trot the trails at the Morton Arboretum's Dog Admission Day on Saturday, while kids can meet their favorite Paw Patrol pups at the new Toys R Us Adventure on the Magnificent Mile.
At the Chicago Children's Museum (which is free on Sunday), this weekend sees the grand opening of Cloud Buster, a huge, multi-level climbable structure for kids. There's more immersive artwork to explore at the newly-opened Nevermore Park in Pilsen, where kids can enter a world of graphic arts superheroes. And Day of the Dead celebrations continue this weekend with a Frida Kahlo-inspired bash in Wheaton, free sugar skull workshops in North Riverside, and a Dia de los Muertos festival in Dvorak Park.
Just in case you're still planning for Halloween while you're reading this (and that weather forecast is turning your jack o'lantern's grin upside down), we've also pulled together a list of indoor trick-or-treating options for Halloween.
Hang in there, parents—you got this.
