New Jersey

Einstein definitely was NOT Irish, but this weekend is a cause to celebrate both Einstein’s birthday, the number pi, and St. Patrick’s Day!  And with weatherpeople forecasting wind and rain, you may just decide to opt for indoor entertainment like the circus, plenty of fun theatrical performances, a crafts festival, or a reptile and turtle demonstration.  And Easter is just around the corner with the Easter Bunny making early visits to some local malls…

As Easter and Mother’s Day quickly draw near, you’re facing the age-old “what to give to Grandma/Grandpa/Aunts/Uncles and various other relatives” quandary. But really, how many “#1 Grandma” mugs can a cupboard hold?  You know they truly treasure the handmade gifts from the heart (and little hands) than a trinket from the mall.  But before you pull out the playdough, paints and glitter, consider a trip to one of these Create-Your-Own Studios where kids can make blown glass ornaments, a fused glass dish, a hand painted bowl, silver or beaded jewelry, and more.  Not only will you wow the crowds, but mom doesn’t have to worry about cleaning paint off the furniture or getting glitter out of the rug!

Forget “There’s no place like home.”  The mom mantra now reads, “It’s two weeks ‘til Spring!  It’s two weeks ‘til Spring!” Spend the last of the nasty weather this weekend getting a jump start on the coming seasons by imagining you are at a summer folk festival, or step dancing in Ireland, or hunting wild animals at the circus. The “tamer crowd” can celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday, enjoy a carnival atmosphere at JCC Metrowest, or learn something new at our fabulous museums. Close your eyes, click your heels, and before you know it, those gloves, mittens, hats and snowpants’ll be packed away!

If your couch regularly turns into a trampoline, curbs become balance beams, and chairs become vaults, get your kid into gymnastics!  Whether or not your child continues on to the Olympics or moves into another sport, gymnastics builds confidence, burns copious amounts of energy, and provides skills that translate across the spectrum of sporting activities.  We’ve rounded up a range of great New Jersey gymnastics studios and academies for you to consider–check ‘em out, then get your kids cartwheeling! (NOTE: Enrollment in gymnastics may actually increase amount of flips, jumps and spins executed in your home!)

Feeling a little stir-crazy after all this snow?  Then put on your parka, pack up the crew and head out to a host of cool kids activities!  This weekend, kids can dress up, clown around, and celebrate everything from the Widget the Beaver’s birthday to the Winter weather and maple trees.  At the Newark Museum kids can try tightrope walking and see clowns. At the Morven Museum spend a dinosaur inspired “night at the museum.”    Make a recycled kaleidoscope at the Hoboken Historical Museum and see a LEGO sculpture of the Taj Mahal at the Cotsen Children’s Library.  Celebrate Purim with carnivals at Congregation Shomrei Emunah and the Garden State Discovery Museum.  Finally enjoy maple sugaring and other outdoor winter events at Reeves Reed Arboretum and Van Vleck House and Gardens. So grab that shovel and start digging your way out! (But remember to call first--with this crazy weather, cancellations can happen at a moment's notice!)
 

Sledding down my parent’s front lawn is one of my best childhood memories. All the kids would come, sled in hand, since we had the steepest hill on the block. The skies were blue, the snow was plentiful and we never got cold.  The worst part of the day was dragging my sled back up the hill and nightfall when it would end. Snow days were magical. 

I have tried to recreate those magical days for my son in New York City, but the logistics of sledding in NYC can be hard. And just where am I supposed to keep a sled in my apartment, anyway? Snow tubing is the perfect way to relive the magic of a day sledding down your parent’s hill and a perfect day trip.

A boy named Sue?  Maybe.  But then again, maybe not. No one knows for sure the gender of any of the 22 T-Rex fossils found to date.  There simply aren’t enough of them for scientists to study this trait.  This is just one of the many interesting tidbits we uncovered at the Liberty Science Center's special return engagement of the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found.

The exhibit, “A T rex Named Sue”, is particularly good at presenting aspects of these pre-historic animals in a child friendly, easy to understand, way by using interactive, hands-on displays. In fact, the displays are so cool and there are quite a lot of them, that the kids might actually overlook the massive, 42 foot long dinosaur skeleton in the room.

Choices, choices, choices:  This weekend, you can shake it, sculpt it, juggle it, watch it, swap it or tap it! Experience a dizzying array of dance styles at the Bickford Theatre, dig the African drumbeat at Discovery Museum, or sculpt a personal masterpiece at Grounds for Sculpture (c’mon, you KNOW you love that scene in “Ghost!”)  Seeking something more sedate? Catch a master juggler, a puppet show or an all-time favorite book-turned-musical. For a more educational time, give your kids a head start on heart health or recycle some fun at a toy swap.  Take a family vote and head out–with all of this going on, if you don’t choose, you lose!