The sweltering heat is supposed to stick around through the weekend, so keeping comfortable will be your first priority. You can cool down at New York City beaches, pools, water playgrounds and nearby water parks, but even they may be too hot (and crowded) to handle. Sounds like it's the perfect time to hit an air-conditioned haven like a museum. You can explore Jim Henson’s Fantastic World at the Museum of the Moving Image and then catch a screening of The Muppet Movie. Or check out other kid-friendly exhibits like the Natural History Museum's World’s Largest Dinosaurs, Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! at the Children's Museum of Manhattan and the New York Hall of Science's Circus! Science Under The Big Top.

If you can weather the, errr, weather, there are a bunch of fantastic outdoor events this weekend, like the artsy New Museum Block Party, SummerStage’s Queens Family Day featuring Shine & the Moonbeams, Governors Island's Kite Festival and a birthday party for the baby baboons at the Prospect Park Zoo.

One word of caution in case you were thinking about taking a boat ride on the Hudson River: Due to the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant being taken offline because of a fire on Wednesday, untreated wastewater is being dumped into the river. Therefore, many Hudson River events have been canceled, including all Downtown Boathouse activities. Also, as of this writing, Riverbank State Park is closed, and the Harlem River and East River are also affected. If you're planning on doing anything on the rivers this weekend, check the activity's official website before you go!

Our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional seasonal fun in our Summer Fun Guide and our Event Calendar. Have a great weekend and stay cool!

We are in the thick of it. Summer time is showing us her hot and fiery self yet the fun doesn't stop in Connecticut. One option when it's too hot outside is to let the kids climb the walls. That is, climb the walls of a rock climbing gym! This week we rounded up Fairfield County's indoor climbing gyms and we also posted about camps that cater to the special needs child. If you are looking for things to do in Litchfield County this week check out our guide about what to do this summer in the NW hills.

This weekend is full of fun and great events for the family. In Mystic there will be an Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous all weekend that culminates into a 3 mile long parade on Sunday. In Essex: The Valley Railroad Circus Train & Big Top Show. On a vintage circus train the Ringmaster will accompany circus goers on a short train ride to the circus grounds for the thrill of an Acrobat Show in the "Big Top Tent". In Bridgeport the Vibes Concert Event ends with a Family Day and discounted tickets for CT residents. Check out our top picks for this weekend and have fun!

Last summer, a police officer told one of our writer’s kids to stop flying a kite in Prospect Park. That was the first time we heard that technically kite flying is not allowed in New York City Parks (to protect the trees and birds, we imagine).

Of course, this rule is a bit ambiguous. According to the NYC Parks & Recreation Department’s website, “no person shall engage in…kite-flying, except at such times and at such places designated or maintained therefore.” Right below that, it says the same thing about roller skating and sledding. I don't know about you, but no one I know ever looks for "official" sledding, skating or flying zones.

Central Park’s website says kite flying is permitted in “large, open landscapes away from trees,” like Sheep Meadow and the Great Lawn. Prospect Park’s site touts Long Meadow as a wonderful place to fly kites. So really, you need to use your best judgment and hope a cop won’t stop you—or you can attend a kite-flying festival.

While there are wonderful kite events for families throughout the season (Socrates Sculpture Park hosts its annual Kite Flight in early spring), there are a handful of cool and colorful fetes coming up where you can go fly a kite. Sometimes you can even snag (or make) a free flyer.

By Julie Revelant

Summertime doesn’t mean your special kid should fall back on the progress he’s made throughout the year or miss out on all the fun the other kids are having. There are a host of camps in the area who have programs and facilities specially tailored to the special needs kid. Here are a few:

It’s summertime, people, and we don't need to tell you that it's hot outside. Really hot. So we've been spending way too much time indoors glued to our computer screens, surfing, reading and gathering.

And that's great news for you, because we're passing along all of the cool info we acquired (and none of the extraneous junk) to you. Everything that made the moms at Mommy Poppins go "hmmmm" or “cool!” or “wow!"

From a Department of Education feedback form to mommy bloggers in Kenya to Harry hysteria, here's what we rounded up.

The Staten Island Ferry isn't the only free boat ride in town. The Ikea ferry also offers a (usually) no-cost tour of New York City's magnificent waterfront.

The Ikea Water Taxi departs from Slip A at Pier 11, right near South Street Seaport, and sails you to Red Hook, Brooklyn, land of funky post-industrial architecture, and trendy restaurants and shops. In addition to shuttling you right to the Swedish megastore, it's a great way to visit this cool neighborhood, which is quite a long walk from the subway.

My family and I had never taken this trip before, so this summer we decided to cross it off our bucket list. Here's how we fared during our maiden voyage.

There are lots of free outdoor summer concerts for kids where you can check out all kinds of big (and lesser known) bands on the children's music scene.

Although I enjoy seeing established stars like Dan Zanes, I love being totally blown away by a new group. And that's exactly how I felt when I caught Shine & the Moonbeams at the Kindiefest music conference this past spring.

The NYC-based quartet is playing three free concerts this month as part of SummerStage Kids. Read on for details about the gigs, and why this soulful band should be on your radar—and once the CD comes out, on your iPod!

It's hot in the city, hot in the city tonight! And we're not even talking about the weather. There's a ton of amazing things happening in NYC, and we've been running around like madwomen (more than usual) trying to cover everything.

This week we went to the Bronx to see what was growing on at the New York Botanical Garden, hit Queens for a preview of the Museum of the Moving Image's new exhibit Jim Henson's Fantastic World, caught a performance of the Berenstain Bears musical on the Upper West Side, and even chatted with Grammy winning children's music god Dan Zanes, who's playing a free concert this Saturday in Brooklyn.

Plus, we launched our amazing Hot List deal. For $4.95, you can download our ebook which features more than $1,000 in savings on the best things to do in NYC this summer.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.