Laurie R

Laurie Rein is thrilled to have made a career of digging up activities (especially free ones!) for her twin daughters. Prior to working with Mommy Poppins NJ, Laurie wore many hats in the television industry including gigs as an NBC page, NBC copywriter, affiliate liaison for The Rosie O'Donnell Show and research manager for CBS. She is currently the Events Editor for Mommy Poppins NJ and can be reached at njevents@mommypoppins.com

Latest posts by Laurie

Activities To Get You Out of the House This Weekend in NJ

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Wed, 04/21/2021 - 5:50pm

Climb high at Clayton Park, where Monmouth County Parks pulls out its portable 25-foot climbing wall for visitors to scale.

Happy Earth Day, New Jersey. This weekend features a slew of ways to celebrate Mother Nature. Enjoy an Earth Day walk in Monmouth County Parks, make furry friends at Grayrock Farm, and witness sheep shearing at Longstreet Farm.

For a less-structured outing, you can get outdoors for nature-focused fun at New Jersey's botanical gardens and arboretums or explore the Pine Barrens.

Of course, you should bookmark our always-updated Event Calendar, which includes a roster of upcoming spring festivals for New Jersey families. Last, don't forget to book those summer camps. You can learn more about local and virtual options with our upcoming Online Camp Fair, where you're invited to visit virtual booths and watch live camp demos.

Lakefront Summer Camps for New Jersey Kids

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Sun, 04/04/2021 - 5:29pm

Jeff Lake Day Camp, located in beautiful Sussex County, New Jersey, offers an exciting, creative, summer day camp experience for children. Photo courtesy of the camp

New Jersey's traditional summer camps offer a well-rounded roster of fun-in-the-sun activities, like sports, crafts, swimming and more. Adding a lake into the mix opens the door to an array of aquatic activities, so we've rounded up 18 lakefront summer camps for New Jersey kids.

With day camp and summer camp options, these scenic, waterfront campuses feature activities like paddle boating, kayaking, fishing, tubing, floating on inflatables, and even chilling at a lakefront beach. So, dive into our list of lakefront summer camps.

As always, you can find even more summer camp options in our Guide to Summer Camp for New Jersey Kids. You can also learn more about local and virtual summer camps with our upcoming Online Camp Fair where you can visit virtual booths and watch live camp demos.

Activities To Get You Out of the House this Weekend in New Jersey

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Wed, 03/24/2021 - 2:38pm

Hit the shore to enjoy opening weekend and boardwalk fun as Jenkinson's Amusement Park hosts its season opening this weekend. Photo by the author

This weekend is hopping with Easter Bunny visits and springtime fun galore. You can catch up with the Easter Bunny at Alstede's annual Easter and Springtime Family Festival, local egg hunts, like the one on the Ocean City boardwalk, or train rides, like the Easter Bunny Express.

Amusement park season springs into action this weekend as well. Don't miss the season openings at Jenkinson's and Six Flags Great Adventure, among others.

If you're staying in, check out our Poppins@Home site, where kids can pick up new dance moves with a virtual hip-hop class and a children's ballet class.

For even more fun, bookmark our always-updated Event Calendar, which is full of ways to stay busy during your upcoming spring break staycation.

Hop on a Giant Seesaw at Glo Downtown in Westfield

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Tue, 03/09/2021 - 12:39pm

Light-up, musical seesaws are the main draw at Glo Downtown but businesses are offering special offers during their run.

One New Jersey town has found a unique way to give its businesses a little lift. Giant, light-up seesaws have been installed in Westfield as part of its Glo Downtown promotion, and organizers hope these whimsical playthings attract visitors to its streets.

The seesaws are part of the touring public art installation dubbed Impulse, which features 15 illuminated, sound-producing seesaws, each holding up to four riders at a time. It's been installed in the North Avenue Westfield Train Station parking lot. The Impulse seesaws, which previously appeared in New York City, Montreal, Australia, London, and Boston, are FREE to ride and available daily through Sunday, March 21.

Summer Camps with Transportation to and from New Jersey

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Sun, 03/07/2021 - 12:00pm

Kids from various northern New Jersey towns can get a ride to Nature Place Day Camp in Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. Photo courtesy of the camp

There are so many factors to consider when choosing a summer camp: Should you choose STEM or sports? Do you want to sign up for half-days or full-days? A huge factor is often how are you going to get your child to and from camp? While we don't have all the answers, we do have half a dozen camps in New York and New Jersey that offer the convenience of daily transportation for New Jersey kids.

You'll find these summer camps with transportation and many more in our Camp Guide and Directory. You can also learn more about local and virtual summer camps with our upcoming Online Camp Fair where you can visit virtual booths and watch live camp demos.

Read on to find the best options with transportation for New Jersey campers.

Things To Do in New Jersey This Weekend & Beyond: Purim Drive-by, PJ Party, Search For Spring

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Wed, 02/24/2021 - 12:32pm

Explore the beautiful Watchung Reservation during Trailside Nature Center's Back to Nature Series this Saturday. Photo by Margaret Hargrove

Bundle up, and take a hike through this last weekend of February. Brave the chill, and embark on family-friendly outings at Great Swamp OEC and Cavern Point Beach. You can also choose to stay in your warm car at drive-thru events like a wildlife baby shower and a Purim celebration.

You can find plenty of any time fun in our roundup of what's open in New Jersey right now, plus our curated lists of winter fun and where to play outside.

If you're staying in, check out our Poppins@Home site, where kids can explore their favorite hobbies, from Harry Potter-inspired wizards to Legos and more.

For even more fun, bookmark our always-updated Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide, which is filled with seasonal happenings.

What's Open Now in New Jersey For Families

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Fri, 02/12/2021 - 2:05pm

Try to Solve a giant Rubik's Cube at the Liberty Science Center. Photo courtesy of LSC

It's a challenge to stay on top of what's open now in New Jersey for families, but we're here to help. Many of our favorite destinations, from indoor play spaces to outdoor skating rinks, family-friendly restaurants, and more, have reopened to the public with safety protocols in place. While things may look a little different at these popular attractions, it's nice to have a reason to step out of the house and feel a sense of normalcy.

Read on for our list of what's open now in New Jersey, and be sure to bookmark this post; we'll update it as changes warrant. As always, you can find tons of things to do in our Event Calendar.

Outdoor Dining in New Jersey: Igloos, Tents, and More Alfresco Restaurant Setups

Submitted by Laurie Rein on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 5:44pm

Dine on a scrumptious Greek dinner in a heated plexiglass tent at It's Greek to Me in Ridgewood.

You might feel like you've been living in a bubble during the pandemic, but now you can actually dine in one. New Jersey restaurant owners have been thinking outside the box to keep businesses afloat during the winter months, which have been especially hard on outdoor dining.

Creative outdoor dining structures—from igloos to tents, greenhouses, and fire pits—are popping up at eateries throughout the state, providing customers with warm, safe alfresco dining opportunities. These outdoor seating options are heated, private, or socially distanced and disinfected between parties. Some ultra-cool spots even feature Bluetooth speakers and outdoor TVs, so you can enjoy your favorite restaurants and plenty of creature comforts, no matter the weather, all while supporting local New Jersey restaurant.

We've found more great ways to get outside this season and plenty of seasonal, family-approved fun in our Winter Fun Guide.