Desiree's blog

It’s almost Turkey Time!  This weekend, get an early start on Thanksgiving festivities by experiencing an 1836 Thanksgiving celebration at an historic village and learning more about the Lenape Native Americans.  In keeping with the season, enjoy a smorgasbord of fun craft workshops, including candle and ornament making, decoupage candle holder making, recycled crafts, mini-furniture making, and even a workshop on how to build an owl house.

Enough worrying about holiday pageants, shopping, parties and what-the-heck-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-kid-over-break. Get into the holiday spirit with a live performance in celebration of the season!  New Jersey's theaters bring you everything from ballet performances of the Nutcracker and theatrical productions of “A Christmas Carol” to Chanukah concerts and Kwanzaa fests.

There is lots of fun to be had this weekend both indoors and out!  Celebrate New Jersey's Lenape Indians both with indoor crafts at the Morris Museum or an outdoor hike at Morris Great Swamp.  Lovers of the outdoors and nature may be tempted to squeeze in a last nature walk, learn how to go bird watching, brave the cold for an evening around the campfire, take in a train show at the gardens, or enjoy a live animal presentation of reptiles.  Prefer your animals cuddly and inanimate? Grab your teddy bear and head to an indoor teddy bear picnic and celebration!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the time is right to get kids thinking about how thankful they are for what they have... and teaching them to give back to the community.  The younger the kids, the harder it seems to find meaningful, hands-on volunteer opportunities.  Here are some ideas to put a little more meaning (and some fun!) into your kids’ volunteering....

Winter may be just around the corner, but it isn't time to give up fun outdoor activities just yet!  This weekend, kids can head outdoors and get up close with all kinds of animals: watch wild ducks, learn all about horses, or attend an outdoor animal storytime.  They can also travel back in time at a historical farm and explore sausage and bacon making, or learn how to turn apples into cider.  Too chilly for you? Look for a good time indoors with a free theater series with campfire stories, a Mo Willem’s show at SOPAC, or family fun at the Newark Museum.

Happy Halloween!  There is plenty to do this weekend besides trick or treating!   There are last minute costume making sessions, live bat presentations, and old fashioned Halloween celebrations.  Once Halloween is over, there is still reason to celebrate with the Day of the Dead, a "retired jack-o-lantern" sail, laser shows, and a fabulous craft festival.
 

For those who like a good fright before Halloween night, check out some of these haunted houses.  There are plenty of night-time haunts to please the older kids, as well as scaredy cat tours and scare-free zones where kids can also trick or treat.  So pick your poison ...

With Halloween just around the corner, every child-friendly venue is bringing out their best in Halloween and Fall fun.  There are haunted gardens and forests; family Fall events at museums and movie theaters; pirate-packed aquariums; and of course, more pumpkin picking!

The Jersey Devil, ghosts, ghouls and other creepy creatures are out to get you on these haunted hayrides. Face your fears as you bump through the darkness… and if you make it out alive, take on the haunted houses and trails, too   (NOTE: Leave the little kids behind – although many hayrides recommend ages 8 and older, personal experience has led us to believe these are NOT for children under 10.)

Don’t let the bad weather put a damper on your Fall festivities and plans! This weekend you can attend a Rock and Mineral Show, a Latino Heritage Festival at the Newark Museum, “pick” a pumpkin at the Liberty Science Center, or try out your Halloween costume and trick or treating skills at the NJ Children’s Museum Halloween Spooktacular. And if the weather holds up, you may want to check out the annual Pumpkin Flying Festival in Pittstown or the Lumberjack and Hot Air Balloon Festival at Shawnee Mountain.