Things To Do This Weekend in New Jersey, March 5-7

Keep your family active with outdoor events like maple sugaring, nature walks and a fairy festival.

Howell Living History Farm

FRIDAY, MARCH 5

Animal Antics: Cows
Where: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, Morris Twp.
Ages 3-5 can learn all about Jersey cows, from where they live and what they eat to how fluffy they can get in the winter. Registration required.

LSC Junior Days
Where: Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Every Thursday and Friday is LSC Junior Day at Liberty Science Center, which means ages 6 and under can hit the Science Dance Party twice per day, visit the Wild About Animal exhibition and even explore more shows in the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium. This Friday, LSC will also host an additional program, Breakdancing Fun with Bboy Bgirl Lifestyle.

SATURDAY, MARCH 6

Workhorse Rides
Where: Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell Twp.
Mini equestrians ages 5-12 will learn the difference between draft, saddle and carriage horses before climbing on a workhorse for a ride. Kids will also help with barn chores like bedding stalls, filling water troughs and making feed.

Maple Sugaring Family Program
Where: Van Vleck House & Gardens, Montclair
This annual event teaches families how to identify a sugar maple tree and how to turn sap into maple syrup. Program includes an activity kit and self-guided tour through outdoor stations. Registration required.

Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Party!
Where: Liberty Hall Museum, Union
Hit the breakfast snack bar, make a Cat in the Hat-themed piece of headwear, go fishing for the iconic one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish and take pictures with props. Before you leave, sing-along at Seussical the Musical. Tickets required.

Spider-Man Performs!
Where: Imagine That!!! Museum, Florham Park
Your kids’ favorite Marvel superhero is swinging into the museum this weekend for acrobatics, climbing and dancing. Kids are welcome to wear their favorite superhero costume for this indoor meet-and-greet. Tickets required.

Make & Take: Shamrock Art
Where: Wyckoff Family YMCA, Wyckoff
Artists in grades K-5 are invited, along with an adult, to use acrylic paints on canvas to create a unique shamrock painting, plus collage a shamrock and make St. Patrick’s Day cards. Regist

Back to Nature
Where: Trailside Nature Center, Mountainside
Ages 4 and up can spend time in Union County’s largest park, the Watchung Reservation, for a “Winter Scavenger Hunt” program where they’ll hit the reservation to uncover its hidden mysteries. Ends March 20.

Maple Sugaring Demo
Where: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Blvd., Chatham Twp.
Your family can learn how to identify and tap maple trees, plus collect sap and make syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. This year’s program will be completely outdoors. Registration required. Every Saturday through March 13.

Winter Fairy Festival
Where: Watershed Institute, Pennington
Kiddos ages 2 and up can use natural materials to build winter fairy cottages, find hidden fairies, make bird feeders and snowflake ornaments, play fairy games and more. Registration required.

Fishing Creel Weaving Workshop
Where: Morven Museum & Garden, Princeton
Ages 10 and up can join master basket weaver Mary May to design a special fishing creel weave as part of the Morven’s exhibition, Nature’s Realm. Your kids will learn about the lore and NJ history behind basket weaving. Materials and tools will be provided. Registration required.

Cattus Island Nature Walks
Where: Cooper Environmental Center, Cattus Island County Park, Toms River
Take your kids on a walk at Cattus Island to learn about the island’s animal habitats from a park naturalist. No registration required. Ends March 28.

Maple Sugaring
Where: New Weis Center for Education, Ringwood
Spend your Saturday learning about the process, history and ecology of maple sap and syrup. Take a short hike and learn how to identify winter trees, the history of tapping and how sap is collected, tasted and transformed into syrup using an evaporator. Registration required. Ends March 13.

Howell Living History Farm

SUNDAY, MARCH 7

Maple Sugaring
Where: Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
Check out the nature center’s tapped trees and see how the sap is boiled down to make fresh maple syrup, plus learn how to identify a maple tree, the history behind syrup making and how technology has changed the way sap is gathered. Registration required. Ends March 28.

Rapunzel and Flynn Sing-a-Long
Where: Imagine That!!! Museum, Florham Park
Bring your little Tangled fans to the museum for a special appearance. This is an indoor sing-a-long, featuring Rapunzel and Flynn from the iconic Disney movie. Tickets required.

Live Animal Talks
Where: Nature Center, Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood
Families can get a close look at the animals of Jakes Branch County Park, plus learn about each species. Talks are about 20 minutes and only the first eight people to sign up upon arrival will be served. Sessions are at 12:30 and 1:30 pm.

Guided Nature Walk
Where: Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
Join an environmental educator for a walk along the nature center’s trails. Each month, the trails provide a new sensory experience for you and your kids. Registration required.

ALL WEEKEND

Maple Sugaring
Where: Washington Crossing State Park, Titusville
Families are invited to participate in a demonstration that’ll teach you how to make homemade maple syrup. Registration required. Event repeats on March 13-14.

Blue Cross RiverRink at Winterfest
Where: 101 South Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA
General admission Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest is free; ice skating, games and rides are pay-as-you-go.

ONGOING IN-PERSON EVENTS

Westfield Glowing Seesaws
Where: North Avenue Westfield Train Station, Westfield
Hop on one of Westfield’s giant, sound-producing seesaws meant for both kids and adults. Each seesaw can fit up to four people and there’s 15 in total. Your family can hop on them from 9 am-9 pm through March 21.

Family Photo Scavenger Hunt
Where: Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morris Twp.
Keep your family active with this scavenger hunt through the arboretum. Use your phone to snap photos of hidden clues to win a prize. This month’s hunt is “Popping Up All Over” themed. Registration required.

Big Snow Walk
Where: Thielke Arboretum, Glen Rock
Follow the story of an excited and frustrated boy who watches hopefully as wintry weather slowly develops into a big snow. The story begins at the playground entrance at the pool parking lot. This StoryWalk will be up throughout the winter.

Barnyard Zoo
Where: Abma’s Farm, Wyckoff
On Fridays and Saturdays, head to Abma’s with your little ones for a visit with goats, sheep, alpacas, donkeys, ponies, bunnies, pigs and more. Masks are required.

Elmo’s Furry Fun Fest
Where: The Sesame Place, Langhorne, PA
On weekends through March 21, the Sesame Place will offer new, limited capacity special events that include the park’s rides and characters, plus a scavenger hunt and dance party. This weekend, the park will be decked out for its Big Bird’s Pajama Party. Reservations required.

Winter Market
Where: Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown
Hit the market for fresh foods like cheese, pie, quiche, seafood, pickles, cobbler, soup and more. A number of full-time vendors will be there every week with other part-time vendors rotating their goods into the market, too.

Ulysse Lemerise / OSA; Westfield Glowing Seesaws

VIRTUAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE WEEKEND

Melt & Pour Soap Making Virtual Workshop
When: 3/5
Head online with your kids to make soap with the Eclectic Chic Boutique. These soaps will be made with the melt and pour technique, without any lye or chemicals. Materials and tools will be provided, registration required.

New York International Children’s Film Festival
When: 3/5-14
North America’s largest film festival for ages 3-18 is headed online for the first time in its 24 year history. Kids can watch short films, feature films and listen to special discussions, plus vote for their favorite films, participate in Q&As and more.

Virtual Girls in Science & Engineering Day
When: 3/6
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s annual event aims to spark curiosity in the minds of young women to conduct their own experiments and learn about projects their peers are working on. There’ll also be a live conversation with molecular biologist, Raven Baxter and other special sessions that require registration.

Stars In My Backyard
When: 3/6
Little astronauts ages 6-11 can join Captain Cara for a night in the stars. They’ll learn about the moon’s many phases, planets and stars that can be seen from the night sky in March.

Arts & Crafts Lovers’ Boutique Virtual Event
When: 3/7
Instead of perusing booths dotting downtown streets, head online to shop local artisans and craftsmen’s wares like pottery, jewelry, candles, soaps, wood designs, furniture and more.

Read Across America
When: 3/7
It’s the last day to pick up kits from the Roxbury Library, which contain a bingo card to help with your kids’ reading adventures. Once you’ve returned the card (by March 31), your kids will get a coupon for a free mini cupcake from Sweet Spot Bake Shoppe in Chester.

Milk & Cookies
When: Now-5/1
The State Theatre is offering a Milk & Cookie (ages 3-10) virtual event, which can be accessed at any point (even beyond the weekend) with a donation of at least $10. Join Aaron Nigel Smith to listen to reggae songs with the founder of 1 World Chorus, a non-profit dedicated to promoting peace through music. You can also check out indie rock star and children’s entertainer Ralph Covert will perform silly music off albums like Green Gorilla Monster & Me and The Rhyming Circus.

Check our calendar for more events. 

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