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Skip the candy and the plastic that ends up in a landfill with these creative goody bag and party favor ideas. Photo courtesy of Hannah Rodrigo/Unsplash
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These questions to ask grandparents help kids get to know their favorite people a little better.
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It's time to plan the ultimate Bluey birthday party!
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Adorable? Yes. Useful? No way. Babies don't need shoes.
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Starface's star-shaped pimple patches make kids look and feel awesome while dealing with pimples.
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Kudos diapers use four times more plant-based materials than competing brands. Photo courtesy of Shark Tank Products
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There are so many fun ways to reuse your Imperfect Foods boxes. Photo courtesy of Imperfect Foods
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Grab your list and head out for a scavenger hunt with the kids!
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Now we can send you articles about things to do in your neighborhood that match your interests!
Mommy Poppins' New Web App and Notifications Are the Easiest Way To Find Fun Things To Do
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One top tip is getting kids involved from the planning stage, and they'll want to help cook! Photo by Brooke Lark, via Pexels
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When kids are bored, bored, bored, it's handy to have a whole list of fun things to do. Photo by Mommy Poppins
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How about a birthday celebration at a local park for free! Photo by Antonius Ferret vis Pexels
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It's easier than you'd think to turn a simple paper lunch bag into a festive piñata!
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Learn some random fun facts that will leave your kids laughing. Photo by Sara Marentette
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Trader Joe's how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: for being inexpensive, gourmet and friendly.
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Snuggle up with one of these beloved bedtime stories for kids.
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Screen time doesn't have to be a solo activity with these fun, free online games for kids to play with friends.
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Take a spin around the lazy river at Mandalay Bay.
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Las Vegas, Nevada: 50 Awesome Things To Do in Vegas with Kids
SingleCare offers major savings on more than 10,000 prescription drugs through its free app.
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The outdoors are a natural playground for curious kids.
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Are you brave enough for some of these spooky ghost stories?
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A perfectly packed lunchbox helps kick the school blues. Photo courtesy of www.YumboxLunch.com
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Jump rope solo, skip with siblings, or round up the whole gang for double dutch.
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Revel in the dirty hands! Outdoor activities help kids sleep better and jumpstarts their imaginations.
30 Outdoor Activities in Nature for Kids for Hands-on Outdoor Learning
Rent a gorgeous backyard pool like this for your family for an hour or a day. Photo courtesy of Swimply
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Alphabet Soup. Photo courtesy of foodwithfeeling
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Gather 'round the campfire and sing some fun songs. Photo courtesy of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
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These funny jokes for kids will have them laughing in no time!
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Timber Ridge Lodge in Geneva, Wisconsin features both an indoor water park and outdoor pools.
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Things like having a children's museum with a view like this make it easy to leave your heart in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of the Bay Area Discovery Museum
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Kids can give parents tickets if they forget to turn off the water to soap hands or brush teeth!
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A zip line and more await at Portland's Eagle's Nest Treehouse. Photo courtesy of julian@hipcamp
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Did you know a pillow fight is a great way to get proprioceptive input? Photo by Mommy Poppins
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Find a bare patch of soil to place your seed bomb. Spread them far and wide! Photo by the author
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The Outdoor Play Plaza at Greensboro Children's Museum in North Carolina.
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Enjoy stunning views of the Thames River.
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Taco Tuesday makes meal planning easy and dinner kid-pleasing.
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Enjoy the clear turquoise waters of Turks and Caicos.
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Watch as kids become entranced by a live show. Photo by Alexis Buatti Ramos, courtesy of the New Victory Theater
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Our guide to living a more earth-friendly life.
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A water park, beach activities, and more await at Coconut Bay's all-inclusive resort in St. Lucia.
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We found plenty of things to do in Paris to fill our days and nights!
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Create colorful storm clouds out of shaving cream and food coloring.
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The outdoors are a natural playground for curious kids.
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Even the pickiest toddler will want to literally eat a rainbow.
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strawberry popsicle
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Need a kids' music playlist that will get you dancing, eating, and even learning state capitals? We found a playlist for every occasion.
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This Week: Columbus Day Weekend Events and Day Trips, More Early Halloween Fun, Focus on Greenpoint

10/4/12 - By Raven Snook

If you were following our Facebook page last weekend, then you know the Mommy Poppins gang had a pretty jam-packed schedule. We posted pictures from our adventures at the Dumbo Arts Festival, Maker Faire and the Morningside Lights illuminated cityscape parade (see the attached photo). And we're not slowing down this Columbus Day weekend: OpenHouseNewYork, the Historic House Festival and the Blessing of the Animals are all on our must-do list.

Halloween festivities are picking up, too. The New York Botanical Garden opens its annual Haunted Pumpkin Garden this weekend—we're giving away tickets to the jack-o'-lantern display in our newsletter this week so make sure you're subscribed. And of course pumpkin picking is in full swing at pumpkin patches near NYC and even a few right here in the city.

The three-day weekend is the perfect time to take a day trip and our Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut sites all highlight the best things going on in their respective regions. Columbus Day weekend is also a great time to plan your next big out-of-town vacation (or just fantasize about one). Over on our Travel site we just finished a series of posts about Clearwater Beach, Florida, including our visits to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the nearby Dali Museum, a review of the Hilton Clearwater Beach and our list of the best things to do with kids in the resort town .

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Park Slope is already overflowing with toy stores, and yet two more just opened: the eco-friendly Norman & Jules and a second Little Things Toy Store location.

If your kids are begging for a pet, enroll them in one of these animal care classes so they find out what taking care of creatures entails.

We're psyched to see the new Discovering Columbus installation in Columbus Circle.

The annual OpenHouseNewYork is one of Columbus Day week's biggest events. Explore our city's historic and architectural treasures, all for FREE.

Our biweekly links post includes details on auditions for TADA! Youth Theater's Resident Youth Ensemble, the giant Ferris wheel coming to Staten Island and a slew of new Brooklyn play spaces

Greenpoint is our neighborhood of the month and we kicked off our coverage with a list of the top 40 things to do with kids in the area.

Sick of doling out candy corn at Halloween? These five international sweet shops sell exotic treats from other countries like Japan, England and Sweden.

For this month's New York Public Library book list, our librarian rounded up her favorite science books for kids.

Best bets for the weekend include the Little Red Lighthouse Festival, the opening of the Toy Museum of NY's new Cobble Hill location and the Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.