Spicy or robust, fruit-flavored or floral, a hot cup of tea can set the right tone for time with anyone special, but especially with one of your own children! Are you looking to spend some special time with a tween or teen? Or trying to occupy a rainy afternoon?  Take them out for a cup of tea in one of these Connecticut tea rooms and see how the conversation flows.

For most kids, Halloween is all about the candy. Buckets and buckets full of sticky, sweet treats. Not to mention the candy coma that comes after. There might even be some new cavities as well. Yikes!

But for parents (and some kids), the thought of so much candy coming home only causes a headache. All that sugar can lead to too many belly aches and too many toothaches. Besides using the leftover candy for arts-and-crafts and decorations, there are several spots around Long Island where you can donate candy to a good cause. So instead of sighing in frustration at the amount of candy your children schlep home this Halloween, check out the below for a list of places happy and willing to take that candy off your hands.

Have a young robot fan or STEM-minded kid with a birthday coming up? Sure, you could host a Minecraft party at your home with all of the kids fixated on their individual screens in a haze. But why not fuel his or her creativity with a robotics party at a high-tech hub?

We've gathered several ways you can help your child celebrate with science and robotics, either on location or in your home. Looking for more birthday ideas? Consult our Kids' Party Planner Guide! 

With November upon us, so too are some magnificent holiday traditions. In the Bronx, the New York Botanical Garden team is busy behind the scenes getting ready to open the 25th anniversary edition of its beloved Holiday Train Show. Opening day is Saturday, November 19.

The humble cider donut. They are, without a doubt, not only an autumn tradition but a necessity here in the northeast. We in Fairfield County could not be luckier because we live in a major epicenter of cider donut greatness and just because apple picking season ends, this does not mean cider donuts go with it. Whether you prefer them moist or cakey, and whether you spell it donut or doughnut, here is a round-up of the very best places around to score one. Or a dozen. 

The beach isn't just for swimming and sunbathing anymore: Soon you can add ice skating to your list of things to do down the Jersey Shore. It all starts Sunday, November 27, when Ice at the Pier opens at Pier Village in Long Branch, New Jersey.

It's never too late to organize a super simple Halloween Party. This year I hosted our annual neighborhood party and tested out some frighteningly easy Halloween snack recipes. They must have been a hit, because my little ghosts and goblins didn’t let out a single boo in protest. Now that I have my fifth party under my (witch's) hat, here are a few tricks for how to host your own Halloween Party.

For more Halloween fun, from the best kids Halloween movies to 75 fun Halloween activities for kids—and more—check out our Halloween Activities Guide for Families.

And for Halloween activities near you, check out our Local Halloween Fun & Activities Guide!

Twix, Milky Ways, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles! It seems like kids collect enough Halloween candy to last a lifetime. Instead of saving your surplus supply of Kit Kats or having your children consume it all in one night (or worse, you consume it all in one night), take a look at our alternate ideas for using up your little ones' leftover candy haul – whether you donate it, bake with it, make money from it (!), or make others smile with it. Hope you have a great Halloween, New Jersey!