Weekly Wrap Up: Martin Luther King Day, Free Museum Times, Puppet Shows
The kids just went back to school and already we have a three-day weekend. (Not like anyone's complaining!) Of course, it's not any old holiday weekend. Since Monday is Martin Luther King Day, it's the perfect time for families to celebrate his life and legacy, and even volunteer with kids.
There will also be plenty of time for non-MLK Day fun, too. It's your last chance to catch the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show (yup, it's still chugging along) and Carsten Höller: Experience at the New Museum. As you can see from the photo, my daughter and some friends went last weekend, and those Upside Down Goggles are seriously cool (I totally lost my sense of balance and fell over, but the kids ran around without a problem).
You can also start planning some fun winter outings with your family. We rounded up family skiing and snow tubing spots in New Jersey, and indoor fun like seasonal cooking classes and puppet shows in New York City.
And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, as well as selected stories from our sites in Boston and Los Angeles.
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New York City
We continued our focus on Park Slope with posts about our favorite toy stores and playgrounds in the nabe, written by a mom who lives there.
Here's a post you'll want to bookmark: our updated list of free times at NYC museums, including the children's museums, gardens and zoos.
We must have been hungry this week: We rounded up restaurants where kids can play, and (relatively) inexpensive cooking classes.
There are six children's puppet theaters regularly mounting shows for NYC families. We've got the scoop on their seasons, which start this month.
Chinese New Year is coming up on Monday, January 23. We found 15 fabulous ways to ring in the Year of the Dragon in NYC, including three free Lunar New Year parades.
Best bets for the holiday weekend include the American Natural History Museum's SpaceFest, concerts by Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke, and the Rockdoves and many ways to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. in honor of his birthday.
New Jersey
Our NJ writers also have Martin Luther King Day on the brain, with a roundup of events and family volunteer opportunities.
Looking to dine out? Check out our post on family-friendly restaurants and bars in Jersey City.
We haven't seen any snow yet but winter is definitely here and the white stuff will come eventually. Find out where to go snow tubing in NJ.
Our NJ editor Shari visited indoor amusement park/arcade The Funplex herself and absolutely loved it.
Things to do this weekend include a winter carnival at the Summit Y, Clifford the Big Red Dog Live in Morristown and a Dragon Tales pajama party in Madison.
Long Island
Families can honor Martin Luther King, Jr. on LI, too, at various family celebrations and community projects. There are also non-MLK-related things to do on Monday, like making chocolate cottages at the Science Museum of Long Island or seeing Winnie the Pooh's Winter Tail at the Showplace at Bellmore Movies.
Things to do on Saturday and Sunday include a kids' fun skate at United Skates of America and Jack Hanna's Into the Wild at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury.
Connecticut
Over in CT, we have a roundup of indoor play spaces in Fairfield County so kids can romp all winter long.
Check out the first installment in our series on Bento Boxes.
There are many ways for families to honor Martin Luther King in CT this weekend.
Weekend events include the musical Are You My Mother? at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Roaming Robots at the Connecticut Science Center and lots of MLK activities.
Los Angeles & Boston
Since Martin Luther King Day is a national holiday, our Boston site also has a roundup of activities.
If you're in LA, check out these two great giveaways: a family four-pack to Ovo by Cirque de Soleil, which we adored in NYC, and a family four-pack to the opening performance of Auntie Angelica Root's Fairy Garden.
