Grab & Go Kids Planner - Mother's Day Weekend

It’s Grab & Go Kids Planner time!  Stuck for ideas to entertain the kids this weekend?  We’ve got you covered! 

This week we’ve got hula hooping at a yoga studio, a chance to check out the night sky at Trailside Nature & Science Center, Animal Artwork at Jenkinson's Aquarium, and lots of Mother's Day crafts and activities!

As always, be sure to tell us if you think we forgot something.  And if you know of an event that deserves a mention in this planner in the future, be sure to add it to the calendar!

• Astronomy Day at Trailside Nature & Science Center; 452 New Providence Rd., Mountainside; 908-789-3670; Price: donation-based; Saturday, 1:30-5PM and 8-10 PM.

Family-friendly presentations on space and astronomy are featured in the early session this Saturday at Trailside.  Come back for the night session for presentations on the night sky, and a chance to observe the sky above using binoculars and telescopes provided by Amateur Astronomers, Inc.

• Animal Artwork at Jenkinson’s Aquarium; 300 Ocean Ave., Point Pleasant Beach; 732-892-0600; Price: Contact Jenkinson’s (pre-registration required); Saturday, 9:30-11 AM

Swing by the Jenkinson’s Aquarium at Point Pleasant Beach Saturday to check out some animal artists!  Kids will also have the opportunity to create a masterpiece of their own.  If art’s not your thing, come back on Sunday instead, where the aquarium will celebrate Mother’s Day by offering a deal where moms get into the aquarium free with the purchase of a kid’s ticket.

• Mother’s Day Floral Craft at Liberty Hall Museum; 1003 Morris Ave., Union; 908-527-0400; Price: Contact Liberty Hall Museum (pre-registration required);  Saturday, 10 AM-1 PM

Mother’s Day is just around the bend, so why not head up to Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University for a fun craft?  Learn how to make beautiful crepe flowers and flower arrangements that’ll be sure to please mom.  And the best part is, crepe flowers don’t need to be watered!  (Ages 7-12)

• Hoola Hooping Workshops at Mia Yoga; 116 Greenwood Ave., Montclair; 973-752-8232; Price: $25; Saturday, 12:30-2 PM (Ages 6-12), 2:30-4 PM (12 and up)

Kids and adults alike can get a great cardiovascular workout just by hoola-hooping at Mia Yoga in Montclair.  Learn tricks, dance moves, and games as you hoop to music and have a great time, all while burning upwards of 900 calories in just an hour of exercise!

• Kids’ Tulip Planter Workshop at Home Depot, Various locations, including 373 Route 9 South, Woodbridge; 732-750-9890; Price: FREE; Saturday, 9 AM-12 PM

If you don’t feel like heading up to Union for make a mother’s day craft, head over to Home Depot in Woodbridge or Rahway.  This free workshop allows parents and children to work together to build a tulip planter for mom, while teaching about tool safety and helping kids to learn do-it-yourself skills.  A great chance for dad and child to bond while making a gift together for mom!