This Week: Ways to Cool Off, More Fireworks, Playgrounds with Shade, Summer Museum Exhibits for Kids

If one more person asks, "Is it hot enough for you?" we just may snap. (Lucky for them we're too tired to fight back.) If the heat's getting to you too, there are plenty of ways to cool off in the city, like pools, beaches and sprinklers, plus we just put together a list of playgrounds with lots of shade, which we added to our brand-new NYC Parks & Playgrounds Guide.

The Urban Park Rangers are currently holding lotteries for their free family campouts in NYC parks. If your family is lucky enough to snag a spot, our L.A. site has a great post with tips for camping with kids. Our New Jersey site shared an awesome list of mostly free apps to prevent "summer slide." Meanwhile on Long Island, we've got a roundup of 62 things to do on the East End this summer, in case you're heading that way.

If you missed Macy's spectacular sparklers on Wednesday night, don't fret: There are plenty of fireworks coming up, both in the 'burbs and right here in NYC. For example, next Wednesday the New York Philharmonic kicks off its series of free concerts in every borough, and there will be fireworks after all of the outdoor shows. There are also a couple of free family movie series starting up next week, including RiverFlicks for Kids in the West Village and Williamsburg's SummerStarz, plus Clearview Cinemas will be showing free kids' movies on Wednesday and Thursday mornings through the end of August.

You can find more info about all of these cool programs in our Summer Fun Guide. Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

We started the week with a visit to apple seeds' brand-new Upper West Side location. As you can see from our slide show, the indoor play space is a great addition to the neighborhood.

We kicked off our month-long focus on Williamsburg, Brooklyn with our list of the top 50 things to do in the area with kids.

Governors Island isn't the only isle in town. Randall's Island off East Harlem also has mini-golf, grassy hills for picnicking, public art and great views.

Another great way to cool off? Hitting an air-conditioned museum. We rounded up 10 fun exhibits for families, including live spiders at the AMNH and the Space Shuttle at the Intrepid.

Our list of shady playgrounds (as in shelter from the sun) include tree-covered spots in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

We continued our series of one-off news posts with info about a new Facebook setting that may be messing with your feed and our take on what "Obamacare" could mean for your family.

Best bets for the weekend include lots of free events, including SummerStage's Family Day in Central Park, Celebrate Brooklyn!'s Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert in Prospect Park and Williamsburg's San Gennaro-like fest Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.