Weekday Picks for Boston Kids: Faneuil Hall Fun & Harborfest, June 29-July 3

As we turn the calendar page to July, the MDC pools are now open for business every day of the week! While waiting for our local pool's opening day, my family definitely hit the beach, but we also used the time to take advantage of some other fun summer activities in town. One of our favorite stops in the past few days was the new Lounge space at Faneuil Hall (pictured). With structured activities and entertainment for kids, along with well-stocked drop-in art and game areas, it's a great place to keep kids busy.

We're also leading up to the big Fourth of July celebrations here in Boston, both with fireworks and without, so be sure to check out all the offerings popping up at the end of the week and into the weekend. Whatever you choose, have a great week, and don't forget to check out the full Event Calendar!

Weekday Picks for Connecticut Kids: Ice Cream Social, Family Concert, and Free Movies, June 29 - July 3

Summer is now in full swing and if the kids aren't busy in camp this week our weekly round up can help you out. We have lots of special fun on tap, including a magic show, free movies, and an Ice Cream Social. Check out our guides for beaches to comb, daytrips to take,  and museums to investigate with the kids this summer.

Highlighting just one activity per day in this post, you can find many other options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide. Be sure to join us on Facebook where you can keep up with everything happening for families in CT.

Places to Play in Little Neck, Queens: Nature Preserves, a Farm & Indoor Fun

We wrap up our month-long focus on Little Neck, Queens with a roundup of the best places to play in the bucolic neighborhood. As a Queens native, I frequently take my kids to the area to explore the attraction-packed Alley Pond Park and to feed the animals at the Queens County Farm Museum. If you're looking to get a taste of country life without leaving the city limits, Little Neck is a great day trip filled with lots of wonderful, green places to explore. You won't believe you're in NYC!

The Science Behind Pixar: Museum of Science's Coolest Exhibit Ever for Kids?

My children and I were lucky enough to attend the press preview of the new Pixar exhibit at the Museum of Science, and boy, do I mean lucky, because everything about it exceeded our expectations. From the moment we walked in, the dazzling lighting made us feel like we were walking right onto a movie set. After a short film featuring Pixar employees and the creative challenges they've overcome in some of the films we know and love, we opened the doors to an amazing scene.

Read on for some of the exhibit's highlights, as well as a few tips to get the most out of your visit.

Kids Can Become S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents at the Marvel Experience, an Interactive Virtual Attraction

Unfortunately, on July 5 the company announced that The Marvel Experience tour has been suspended until further notice, so Philadelphia was its last stop. It will not be coming to NYC in August. It's hard to escape Marvel superheroes. With the Avengers movies, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show (and its Agent Carter spin-off) and real-world branded experiences like the Marvel Universe Live! arena show, chances are your kids (and you) know all about Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Coulson and all the other characters that make up this multifaceted and high-tech fictional universe. Now there's a new immersive attraction that invites audiences to become part of the action. At The Marvel Experience, you don't just watch these heroes, you join them as you're recruited to help save the world. My kids and I decided we were up to the challenge. Here's what we thought of our virtual Marvel adventure, plus important tips for families who plan to go.

More After School Activities in Fairfield County, CT

Our schedule last weekend: a Friday night soccer party.  Saturday,  soccer game # 1 at 8:00,  soccer game #2 at 10:00 and soccer game #3 at 10:15.  And yes, the soccer games were all in different towns.  Sunday: Soccer games at 9:30, 11:00, 1:30, 2:00, 3:30 and 4:00.  By Sunday afternoon I’d forgotten what my husband looked like, I was faint from the stench of shin guards (who knew little girls could create such stink!?) and I’d nearly left one child in Wilton.  Taken together, these seem to be signs that soccer season needs to be over.  And soon. Yup, three more weeks of soccer, and then we are off to start some NON-SOCCER related after school activities! Choosing those can be overwhelming too but we can help with that. Below you'll find some great after school activities in Fairfield County. The motherload can be found in our After School Classes Guide which is filled with even more options.

Film Classes for NYC Kids

These days, kids can make movies using their cell phones. One look at YouTube is proof enough, but my older son's really into cinema and has sent me searching for film classes.

I'm well aware he may not turn out to be the next Scorsese, but he can learn lots of interesting skills in these programs. Many of them go way beyond the camera; he'll also get to try his hand at auditioning, storyboarding, editing and maybe even animation depending on which class he takes.

If nothing else, once he finishes, he can help me go through that hard drive of family footage I've amassed. Here are seven places that offer kids' film classes. Ready ... Set ... Action!

EverWonder Children's Museum in Newtown: Hands-on Science Fun for CT Kids

If you've been to Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk or the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport, you know the hands-on science for kids niche is filled in Fairfield County. Unless, that is, you live in a town north of Bridgeport. Up here, these museums—great as they are—are a schlep. That's why the addition of Newtown's EverWonder Children's Museum is so welcome. Launched in 2011 in mobile form, the museum hoped to fill the STEM void between Bridgeport and Hartford's stellar Science Center. Now that it has a brick-and-mortar location, the EverWonder Children's Museum is well on its way to achieving its goal.

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