Spotlight On…

Blooming flowers, Easter Bunny sightings, egg hunts, Passover celebrations & other springtime fun

Whether you’re celebrating Easter, Passover or simply the arrival of warm weather after a cold and snowy winter, here are kid-friendly activities to start off spring!

Flower Power

Nothing else marks the arrival of spring like blooming flowers. You can see them at the Philadelphia International Flower Show, through Sun., March 7 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Phila. A giant hot air balloon made from flowers, a Beatles-inspired yellow submarine garden and a glass house of butterflies will wow kids and parents. $13-23 per person or $65 for Family Fun Pak.

The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia presents the 2010 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia, a citywide celebration of spring and Japanese culture that runs March 5-April 17. Listen to Japanese stories at local libraries, participate in traditional tea ceremonies, try crafts & cooking workshops and enjoy more family fun.

Sesame Street goes green at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ, Thurs., March 4-Sun., March 7. The live show Elmo’s Green Thumb follows Elmo on a gardening adventure as he helps find Sunny the sunflower a new home.

See the lovely flowers at Winterthur Museum & Country Estate and at nearby Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA for a special $20 per person admission price. The two Brandywine attractions offer admission to both sites for only $20 during a Twice As Nice promotion, March 9-April 30. Visit www.winterthur.org to download the coupon.

Easter Bunny Sightings, Egg Hunts & Workshops

The Easter Bunny hops through the Delaware Valley in March & early April!

Families can go on spring hayrides & hunt for eggs with the Easter Bunny at local farms. Visit Bunnyland at Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA for stories, face painting & free photos with the Easter Bunny, Sat., March 20-Sat., April 3. Egghunt hayrides & Easter cookie decorating are all part of the festivities at Johnson's Farm in Medford, NJ, Sat., March 20-Sat., April 3. At Duffield’s Farm in Washington Twp., NJ, take a hayride to "Bunny Egg-cres" and search for colored eggs, Sat., March 27-Sat., April 3.

Get photos with the Easter Bunny the weekend of March 27-28 at the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, PA; at the Philadelphia Zoo and Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, PA; and at the Radnor Hotel’s Saturday Afternoon Tea. Other Easter fun that weekend includes Egg Hunts in Hatfield, PA (at School Road Park) & Philadelphia (American Swedish Historical Museum), a natural egg-dyeing workshop at Bowman’s Hill in New Hope, PA, and scavenger hunts to find Peter Rabbit at the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, DE, Sun., March 28.

Peter Cottontail will also be on board the Easter Bunny Express on the West Chester Railroad & on the Wilmington & Western Railroad, Sat., March 27-Sat., April 3, as well as on the Strasburg RailRoad in Lancaster County, Fri., April 2-Sun., April 4.

Earlier in the month, Moorestown Mall in South Jersey hosts Easter fun for kids. Tots can craft bunny ears & dance the bunny hop at Just Mom & Me: Easter Bunny Fun, Thurs., March 11 or enjoy free Easter games, crafts & contests in the Bunny Zone during Family Fun Day, Sat., March 13.

Other Easter fun in South Jersey: Make crafts & get photos with the Easter Bunny at All Fired Up! in Collingswood, Sat., March 20; make cascarones, traditional Mexican Easter eggs, at Appel Farm Arts & Music Center in Elmer on Sun., March 21; and join in an egg hunt at Holy Eucharist Catholic Church in Cherry Hill, Sun., March 28.

Passover Celebrations

Before Passover, local families can celebrate Jewish heritage at LimmudPhilly, a series of workshops and performances relating to culture and practice at the Gershman Y in Phila., March 6-7. Young Limmud offers opportunities for kids ages 3-10 to learn through hands-on activities and presentations.

Preschoolers can learn about Passover through stories, music and crafts at Congregation M’Kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ on Sat., March 13 or at Congregation Beth Tikvah in Marlton, NJ on Sun., March 21.

Walk through a giant Passover experience, “Honey I Shrunk the Seder Guests!” during the Passover Prep School Family Extravaganza at the Katz JCC in Cherry Hill, Sun., March 14. Bring your American Girl dolls for a Seder, play games, complete in a Passover trivia challenge & enjoy other family fun.

Stephanie Halinski is calendar editor of MetroKids.