(Photo courtesy of Bayside Clam Bar and Grill)

Last year we gave you a list of great places to eat outdoors with your kids. Here are still more great places:

One of the great pleasures of summer is eating alfresco, and Long Island has a plethora of options to fulfill that desire. I started out thinking I would include five of my favorite locations, but as I began talking with some of my mom friends, they all had suggestions that I felt deserved inclusion as well. All of these restaurants are family-friendly, and several also offer entertainment nearby or on site. The water is a common theme for most of these selections, as they feature gorgeous views, allowing you to feel like you’re on vacation, without having to travel.  

There's plenty of family fun this weekend, both indoors and out in case storms or sweltering heat drive you inside. Head to Rockaway Beach to build your best sandcastle at the spot's annual competition or soak up some outdoor culture at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day and SummerStage Queens Family Day.

If you've got to stay inside, there are two cool new museum exhibits opening this weekend: Spiders Alive! at the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art's Century of the Child: Growing by Design, a retrospective of 100 years of designs for kids.

Our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide, which is jam-packed with seasonal fun including roundups of the best NYC beaches, pools, water playgrounds and other ways to cool off.

If your kids love trains like mine do, take them to the Long Island Steamers' Open House this weekend. There's also a fair in East Hampton, Rapunzel, sponsored by Kids Club 13, in Northport, the National Circus Project at the Long Island Children's Museum, and "The Dirt about Dirt"--a fun investigation of soil--at the Center for Science Teaching and Learning, among so many other activities going on this weekend. For more ideas for what to do this weekend, check out our events calendar here.

There's been an update to this law. We've got the info here.


Kindergarten used to be optional for NYC students. Parents who wanted to keep their kids home or delay school until first grade were allowed to do so. Not anymore. Governor Cuomo recently signed legislation that makes kindergarten mandatory for all New York City five-year-olds. There are certainly benefits to this change, but some big questions, too.

Last Sunday I took my 4-year-old son to the Greater Hartford Jazz Festival, where we enjoyed seeing the Destiny Africa Children's Choir. He loved the drums, dancing and voices, and studies have shown that creativity increases in people who are exposed to different cultures. Connecticut is a diverse state with many ethnicities represented. How about introducing your family to something new this weekend?

This week we have news of one museum closing, another one being built and a change of location for a beloved geek store. Other stories include the death of Daffy's (it was one of our favorite places to pick up discounted kids' clothes!), word of a new Upper West Side spot selling sporty children's wear, an awesome new Long Island City water spot and a revamped rat mascot. Yes, in NYC even the rodents get work.

Summertime and the livin' is easy! That certainly rings true this weekend with all the AMAZING (and many FREE) activities happening in NJ. What to do first? (And second and third?) There's a a Farmers Fair, two Balloon Festivals, Family Fun Day at a winery, a 4H fair, Construction Weekend at Liberty Science Center, and a whole lot more.  Read on for all our top picks and remember, you can find a listing of all NJ activities for kids in our Event Calendar.