One of the main reasons we're willing to deal with the challenges of raising kids in NYC (the crazy rent, the stressful school searches, the closets for apartments) is our easy access to enriching cultural activities like world-class theater and spectacular museums. But, when it's time for some good old-fashioned outdoor fun, New York can be equally enriching. The city offers a range of bucolic parks and outdoor destinations where kids can get busy playing outside, all without leaving the five boroughs.

From fishing to hiking to exploring off-the-beaten-path parks, here are 25 outdoor activities for your summer 2020 staycation. Some are FREE, most are accessible by public transportation, and we guarantee that they are all tons of fun.

Bring your little animal lover to meet the animals at Philly zoos and nearby animal farms. Kids will thrill to get one-on-one time with animals whether by seeing them, feeding them, or even petting them.

The zoos near Philadelphia, including the popular Philadelphia Zoo, have all reopened but with new coronavirus-related restrictions in place. Some Philly petting zoos have kept animals on display but removed feeding opportunities. Read on to find out what has reopened near you, but be sure to check individual websites for the latest info before heading out the door.

Camping is a great way to explore and enjoy nature with kids, especially in a summer when families want to maximize time outdoors. But when everyone returns to the campsite from the day's adventures, camping games can help keep children entertained (no screens needed!). Here are 17 camping activities for kids to play with parents or with one another, whether they're sheltering from the rain or settling in by the campfire for the evening.

For more old-fashioned games to pass the time, introduce kids to these outdoor games from the 70s and 80s.

You don’t need a fancy ice cream machine to make delicious homemade ice cream. We can show you how to make ice cream at home in a plastic bag, or a mason jar if you want to be a little extra. 

These two homemade ice cream recipes take just 5 to 10 minutes and in just a few steps. Homemade ice cream is one of our favorite edible science experiments for kids, and the perfect anytime activity in our humble opinions, but especially fun during the summer.

Use these recipes as a base to add other flavors and ingredients. Experiment with mint, chocolate chips, or fresh cut fruit like strawberries. 

With NYC slowly reopening, families are stepping out to explore favorite playgrounds, and now Brooklyn Bridge Park offers a brand new place to play. Three acres of parkland debuted last week with the opening of the Pier 2 Uplands.

The Uplands include a brand new sprayground, adding to Brooklyn Bridge Park's already spectacular playground scene and are a worthy addition to our summer staycation bucket list.

"While the new school year will begin in August, it will not start with students at school facilities," announced Superintendent Austin Buetner today, allowing the families of 735,00 students to stop speculating. "There is a public health imperative to keep schools from becoming a petrie dish."

Citing the recommendations of the WHO and health experts from around the globe, the rising rates of COVID cases in the Los Angeles area, and funding challenges that have yet to be addressed, Buetner said that to avoid compromising the health and safety of the school community and all those connected to it, on-campus learning will simply not be possible in August. San Diego Unified School District made a similar announcement today; whether other regional school districts follow suit remains to be seen.

Buetner's broad strokes for how LAUSD plans to make off-campus learning successful, and for how students could return to LAUSD campuses in the near future, follow.

We all know that summer camp 2020 looks a little different, but the fun doesn't have to be canceled. If you're hosting "summer camp" for the kids at home or in your backyard this year—also sometimes known as mom-camp or dad-camp—we've got some hacks for you so everyone enjoys it and parents don't drive themselves mad.

Although it may look like all fun and games, the best summer camps allow time and the space for children to explore personal interests and build confidence while providing a loose routine. With a few simple guidelines, you can hack your way to a fun summer camp schedule with camp games, arts and crafts, and even a cool name for your brand-new camp.

And if you're still searching for a week or two of in-person or virtual summer camps in 2020, check out our chock-full Camp Guides.

I am an optimist by nature, but this pandemic has thrown me off my glass-half-full, always-look-on-the-bright-side stride in short order. On Wednesday, March 11, I was a NYC mom about town, enjoying a rare trip to Broadway with my oldest kids courtesy of tickets gifted by a friend. By the time the curtain closed and I exited the theater with two kids in tow, I was hit from all angles with breaking news alerts as I flicked on my phone. An NBA player had tested positive for the coronavirus; the season was off. Tom Hanks and his wife were positive, too.

By noon the next day, I learned my son's high school was shutting down indefinitely. By the time I went to pick up my two daughters from their school that afternoon, my husband and I had already had the "are we stupid/irresponsible/bad parents to keep sending them to school" conversation, and I was spiraling out of control with worry.

The hits kept coming. One by one, the things we relied on to enrich our all-too-cramped New York City way of life were taken away. No school. No museums. No libraries, No playgrounds. No ballfields. No safe escape from our Harlem apartment, where the virus had stricken neighbors one-by-one and our zip code quickly ranked among the hardest hit in the city, which was the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. We don't have a car, relying on public transit to get around. It suddenly felt like a surefire way to invite the virus into our home.