Coding, movie making, and robotics are all the rage these days, and there are plenty of great STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) camps in and around Boston for kids to learn those skills. But what if you just want your child to get a taste before committing to a full week of summer camp, or those camps don't fit your budget? The solution is here, in this roundup of free summer camps and workshops where kids to learn how to design video games, combine electronics with everyday crafts, make movies, use iBooks, become makers, and more.

This post is currently being updated with information for 2016.

The summer is here and that means plenty of sunny days to spend out on a boat on Long Island's waters. For kids that love the water and enjoy the open ocean, sailing lessons might be in order. And Long Island has five premier sailing schools that teach children to hoist sails, tie knots and steer a sailboat. For more activities and classes this season, check out our Summer Fun Guide.

Cool ways to beat the heat seemed to be the theme across all of our sites this week. (Perhaps it had something to do with how much we've been shvitzing.) In NYC, we rounded up our top 50 places to cool off with kids, both indoors and out. Our Long Island site highlighted five water slides worth the day trip and did a whole post on Splish Splash Waterpark, which is just 90 minutes by car from NYC.

Connecticut, meanwhile, is filled with pristine public beaches to explore as well as many cool isles situated o the Long Island Sound. And in New Jersey, you can go swimming in lakes and watering holes.

If you're looking for more than just a day trip, our Travel site just wrapped up its series of posts about Richmond, Virginia with a list of the best outdoor activities for kids. Or you could hit the amusement park, waterpark and green spaces on Southern NJ's gorgeous Long Beach Island.

Whether you opt to go away this weekend or stick close to home, remember to share your family's playful pics on social media for a chance to win great prizes in our SUMMER OF PLAY CHALLENGE. We've been getting some amazing entries and we love seeing how our readers are enjoying themselves this summer.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

It can be all too easy to start complaining about 90-degree temps and through-the-roof humidity with July upon us, but now is the time to savor the warm and lazy days of the season before it’s over! For some classic summer fun, head down the shore to the Ocean County Fair, take a guided tour of the NJ Botanical Gardens, or sign up for a Family Campfire & Moon Watch at Stony Brook-Millstone Reserve. And if you’re looking to duck inside away from the heat for a few hours, we’ve got you covered there too: take in a kid-friendly performance of Beauty and the Beast Jr. at Surflight Theatre or belt out "Let It Go" for the hundredth time during the Frozen Sing-a-Long at the Kelsey Theatre. Also, you can check out the full list of weekend activities on our Event Calendar.

With Independence Day behind us and summer in full force, there's no shortage of fun activities for families in Westchester and the Hudson Valley! As part of this Summer of Play, check out our July Go List for some of the top events for this month and read on for our suggestions for this weekend.

Celebrate 60 Years of Summer at a FREE, all-day family event that includes a "decades" fashion show, concerts and a slew of kid-friendly activities. For a special outdoor concert, venture to West Point for the FREE Kid's Night with Quintette 7 and "Instrument Petting Zoo" which entirely caters to kids; they can meet the musicians and instruments, hear music based on children's stories, sing along and march in a parade!

Two new series kick off this weekend: Puppet Shows in the Amphitheater, the first of four weeks of different puppet shows performed by regional artisans, and Arts in the Amphitheater: Movie Nights takes outdoor movies to a new level, with a different theme each week. Meanwhile, a couple fun series continue this weekend that are worth highlighting: this week's edition of the Art & Science Workshops allows families to get creative with flowers, and the Polish Heritage Celebration continues the cultural celebration series that transports attendees to a different country each week.

Our event calendar provides additional details on all the above, plus extensive listings for both mid-week and weekend—all summer long! Plus, be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter to keep current with our latest posts, news and events.

Now that the excitement of the Fourth of July has past, it is a great time to revisit the many museums in the Boston area. Whether you make your own lip-balm or record a song at the Boston Children's Museum, explore the harbor at the New England Aquarium, ride in a Fiat at the Larz Anderson Microcar show, or participate in a family basket-bombing workshop at the Fruitlands Museum you are sure to have fun and learn something new. The Boston Children's Museum also has a Morningstar Access Program this weekend, allowing children with special needs to visit the museum without the usual crowds.  Free and affordable summer movies continue this weekend with Despicable Me showing in Arlington, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory playing in Somerville, Monsters' University playing at the Prudential Center, and Field of Dreams showing at Christopher Columbus Park.  If you prefer live-action entertainment, check out the Puppet Showplace Theater's rendition of Pinocchio or enjoy a free performance of A Midsummer Nights Dream. As you can see from our event calendar, even a quiet weekend in Boston is anything but!

Also on Mommy Poppins this Week:

• Tara highlights free summer story times for Boston kids.
• Alina gives ideas for DIY Kid-Lit Summer Camp.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to keep us posted on how you are spending your Summer of Play!

A free weekly Eco Junior Program starts this weekend to get your little explorers up close and personal with nature. Also free is The Funny Man Show, being performed at The Caumsett Foundation.

Catch a flick under the stars in Long Beach or watch the night sky aglow with fireworks again in Rockville Centre or Shelter Island.

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Summer, summer, summer, so much to to do! Not only does this weekend offer the OC Fair, Ringling Brothers Circus, fútbol, and dinosaurs; we have an outrageous assortment of movies and concerts under the stars, free Shakespeare and theater for kids, drumming, and dance and the chance for your kid to become a star (or at least get tattooed like one). I know I say this every week, but we can only fit so many events in our newsletter, so be sure to check out our events calendar to make sure you don't miss anything because there is just so much going on and... 

Hello? Are you listening to me? Oh, really? Then what did I just say? Mm hmm, that's what I thought! You should.... (I'm not going to say it for you)... check out our... (you're on your own here, buddy!)... it's that thing with dates on it... (so close!)  Events calendar! Check out the events calendar! (That's it!) And what will your reward be for clicking through? Insight into kids clubs, and art projects, and kids clubs with art projects. The scoop on train rides, and fishing classes, (but no train rides that are fishing classes, though that sounds pretty cool).

And oh yeah,  there are those freebies coming up that might, say, give you a sugar-fueled brain freeze, or leave you looking like a million bucks. Those are the kinds of gems our calendar is filled with. If you like that sort of thing. (And I bet you do!)

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend ....