Are you ready for the Fourth of July weekend?  There is much more going on this weekend in NJ than just the family barbecue and watching 4th of July fireworks!  On Saturday you can take a train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine, watch some early fireworks aboard the Battleship NJ, make ice cream from scratch at Howell Living Historical Farm, and decorate & sail a sailboat at the Cooper Grist Mill.  On Sunday you can celebrate July 4th with the animals at the Turtleback Zoo or sign the Declaration of Independence at the Morven Museum & Garden.  If you are lucky enough to have Monday off, spend the day at Montclair's July 5th Parade and Family picnic and the evening at the NJ State Fair at the Meadowlands or at a demolition derby at the Cumberland County Fair.

If your jogging stroller has been doing a lot more strolling than jogging lately, you might want to consider checking out some of these stroller workout classes. I strapped on my sneakers and strapped in my one-and-a-half-year-old to try them out. Here's what we learned about stroller fitness classes in the New York City, what to expect, and some tips for making these workouts work for you and your child:

Until I visited the new Lego Store that opened up in Rockefeller Center last week I never realized just how much New York City needed a store devoted to tiny plastic building bricks. This colorful showpiece of a store has so much to offer brick building kids and their parents, much more than just shopping! It is a total Lego experience from the Lego brick masterpieces throughout the store to the unique products for sale plus occasional events. So get ready for Lego fever!

It is the first weekend of summer vacation for most New York City school kids so let’s start it out with a bang!  There are some big festivals being thrown around town, like the annual Children’s Day at the Seaport with costumed characters, live entertainment and fireworks.  Up in the Bronx it is Family Day with a party featuring cool live music and dancing from BombaYo, Dan Zanes and Baby Loves Salsa, plus there is not one but two different fishing festivals uptown.  Hard to choose, huh? Families can also create their own fanzine, learn about space, check out some cool story times, dance and theater performances or ride on a brand new carousel.  You could also hit up one of the local amusement parks just right for the school aged set.

If you still can’t decide, you may want to visit our Summer Fun Guide or our recent post on 100 free things to do this summer.  And don’t forget the key to the city project. The last day to get a key is the June 27, 2010.

Saturday is a full moon which means if you dress up like a vampire (C’mon Twilight fans) you will get $2 off a ride on The Cyclone from 7 pm to close. (There is a height requirement to ride the Cyclone which means most kids can’t ride– this is for tween, teen and grown up vampires only.)

Read on to plan your great weekend. Happy Summer!

I was so saddened yesterday to read about a 12 year old girl who drowned on a class trip to Long Beach. I have been reading with dread the stories over the past few years of adults and children drowning at the beaches around NYC, frequently due to strong currents and riptides.

We can not go back in time and save this little girl or the others that have died due to rip currents, but I hope to spread the word to all parents to educate yourself and your children to know what to do in case they are carried off in a strong current. Knowing what to do in a riptide can make the difference between life and death.

Summer is one of the most exciting times on this site. I love digging up all the amazingly cool stuff to do around the city all summer long, and so much of it is free. We spend so many summer days just running around the city, checking out neighborhoods and places we don't have time to get to all year long. It's really fun and I love sharing it here with you.

Our Summer Fun Guide is where you'll find all those posts collected in one place. It's got our lists of the best beaches, swimming pools, neighborhood itineraries, music festivals, concerts, outdoor movies, sports, even places to eat and drink. And, of course, there's our list of 100 Free Things to Do this Summer with Kids in NYC (not to mention our event calendar which is jam packed with fun stuff to do too).

What more could you possibly need to have an awesome summer? How about winning a Flip Video Camcorder!

There is only so much time you can spend at the beach this summer... and when you are looking for a day of instant fun, just head to one of the many fun (and often FREE) kid-friendly festivals across New Jersey.  Who can pass up a day helping determine the best ice cream in New Jersey?  Have you ever seen a dog ride a motorcycle at the county fair?  You will be amazed at the wide variety of chickens that exist in NJ at the NJ State Fair's animal exhibits, while you kids croon over the newly hatched chicks.  And you never know, you may have a champion sand-castle builder in your household! 

We love exploring neighborhoods with our toddler.  It gives you a whole new view of NYC. My 1-and-a-half-year-old and I have been exploring every square inch from Columbus Circle up to 100th Street, coming up with itineraries in 10-block stretches for parents and toddlers. We recenly posted about 10 toddler-friendly spots in the West 60s and this week we've dug up 10 cool finds in the West 70's.

Find out what to do, where to eat and how to have fun on the Upper West Side with your tyke in tow: