If your kids are like my kid they are likely getting a little antsy after the two rainy days this week, so make sure you plan something extra fun for them this weekend.  How about the 63rd annual Macy’s fishing contest in Prospect Park that is running through the weekend?  Another retail giant, Target, is not only paying your families admission at a bunch of New York City’s best museums and performance spaces but they are also offering special family programming at many of them, too, as part of the Target: Arts and Wonder weekend.  Also going on around town this weekend you will find a  cool DYI program at The NY Hall of Science, family day at the Jewish Museum, shopping for cool indie kicks for your little one, arts at the zoo and a whole lot more.

This week we told you about some new museum exhibits that the kids will really dig, where to cool down at some of the best ice cream spots for the picky eater set and what to do for a day of fun in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park - all great weekend activities. 

Don’t forget our post on 100 free things to do this summer, The Mommy Poppins Summer Fun Guide and our Events Calendar with new and improved search capabilities -- useful tools to keep the kids happy, enriched and busy all summer. 

Have a great weekend.  Keep cool (and dry!)

Ronald Reagan developed National Ice Cream Day in 1984 as a national holiday?! Who knew?! Well, we can’t imagine what else you would want to be doing this weekend except eating ice cream in honor of your country, but we’ll give you a few other options, you know, in case you’re lactose intolerant or something. You could also enjoy a live butterfly release or even venture into Manhattan for the mother of all family festivals, Global Family Day. Or maybe you could do all of these, ice cream cone in hand. Enjoy!

You may be familiar with many of the free museum times that Target sponsors throughout the city on a regular basis, but this week Target is ramping it up with three days of fun—and FREE—cultural offerings at museums and performing arts institutions around the city during theTarget Arts & Wonder Free Family Event, Friday, July 16 through Sunday, July 18.

Highlights include a Kids Design Festival at the Cooper Hewitt, Family Arts Weekend on the High Line, a block party with El Museo del Barrio, and much more:

One of the best things about summer, in our humble opinion, is being able to party hardy in the great outdoors. So save your pretty plates and table linens for Christmas, and take your fiesta outside with the help of one of New Jersey’s numerous party planning companies. We’ve got everything from children’s birthday bashes to block parties to neighborhood movie nights, and it’s their job to help you enjoy your gala under a big blue sky.

Are the hot and sweaty trips to the beach, playground and pool getting to you yet? Is it time to look for some entertaining and enriching indoor activities for the kids? Well, if you haven’t seen the inside of a New York City museum since May, you may want to check out one these four exhibits that have recently been unveiled that the kids will just love – and maybe you will too.  Read on for the scoop.

We've asked our readers to share their awesome outings with us this summer. We'll be posting the best ones on the blog and one lucky winner will win a Flip Video Camera. Find out more details in our Summer Fun Activity Guide.
Read this submission by Bernadette Rivera and Chazz Rivera about their fun day playing in the fountain Washington Square Park.

Yup, it’s hot – scorching hot. But that is still no reason to skip out on the city this weekend. There is a ton of cool, free and fun stuff going on all around town, like car-free Weekend Walks, canoeing and nature programs in the parks, interesting science presentations, and I can’t forget the live music, magic and animal shows.  Or how about trying out a tour of the Little Red Lighthouse, a family friendly performance of the Rochester City Ballet or the special educational workshops for tweens with The Public Theater?

My son and I stopped by to add our brick to the Lego Big Apple last week at the grand opening of the Lego store in Rock Center and it was really fun. There is another NYC Lego store opening this weekend in the Queens Center Mall. Don’t miss it.  Or try a new park or playground this weekend.  We recently wrote about the new playground in Brooklyn Bridge Park, great picnicking spots around town and where to go fishing with kids.

If you are still looking for something to do this weekend be sure to try the recently improved search function on the events calendar. You can drill right down to the perfect event in or out of New York City for your family.

Read on to plan a great weekend and hope you can keep cool!

Have you checked out the new playgrounds in Jersey City, Union City and Hoboken?  Hamilton Park in Jersey City and Washington Park in Union City are completely redone, open to the public, and are prime summer destinations for the kids.  That is if you like mini-golf, barbecuing, tennis, and brand new spraygrounds, jungle gyms, & swings!  If you haven't visited them yet, pack your bags (and swimsuits, and tennis rackets, and portable grills) and make it a day at the park!