Unless you've been living under an industrial sized, air conditioned rock, you may have noticed it's a tad warm around the area. Shockingly, the hottest temperatures of last week's heat wave hit the shoreline like a ton of very hot and humid bricks.  We beach folks aren't used to 100 degree days, so on the off chance we see one or, in last week's case, several in a row, we headed for the most entertaining places that accommodate us the longest and with the best cooling system. Our Indoor Play Guide has come in handy for many trying to have fun on rainy or hot days. And, now that my twins are nearly 8, our adventures include more exciting excursions during the summer, so to beat the heat, we headed out of this world. Well, not exactly, but close. We spent the day recently at Galaxy Roller Rink in Groton, Connecticut and, to say the least, we had a blast!

Watching a movie on the big screen isn't the only way to beat the heat and to entertain the kids in the summer. For those who want to cool off inside, but also want to get the kids' blood pumping a little, take advantage of one of the bowling programs offered to kids this summer in bowling centers throughout Long Island.

It's 10am, and it's already insufferably hot outside. The kids have abandoned the back yard and are now climbing the walls, bored stiff by their "rainy day" (or should we say "indoor day") toys. What's a parent to do? If you live much east of the 405 like I do, then you have a love/hate relationship with the beach. I'm a lover at heart, but after a few continuous days of schlepping cross-town, my family and I have had it with the coast. We need other ways to get out of the home in our own sweltering neck of the woods - ways that aren't compromised by a random Sig Alert. Is our only option the nearest overly-crowded, overly-chlorinated public pool? No!

Movies and television are fine sometimes, but nothing beats live theater to spark young imaginations and to keep children mesmerized. With several top notch theater companies in the Hamptons and North Fork, there's no need to drive all the way into Manhattan to take kids to a show. From Kid Fest productions at Guild Hall in East Hampton, to national touring companies at the Westhampton Performing Arts Center, to the North Fork Community Theater, here are our top picks for live children's theater.

We’re halfway through July, which means the dogs days of summer are quickly approaching (and may already be here, judging by the temperature). To beat the heat and humidity (and keep your sanity), check out one of the special exhibits at a local museum. You know we love The Morris Museum and Liberty Science Center and their summer exhibits Mega Model Trains and Grossology will keep your little ones entertained while you stay cool!

With the city constantly texting me about heat and air quality advisories, I'm starting to feel like I have a second overbearing mother. (For the record, my mom still calls me on an almost daily basis to ask if my daughter and I are dressed appropriately for the weather.) My family and I have been attempting to keep cool by trying some of the picks in our Water Fun Guide like great public pools and popular water-filled playgrounds. If you just can't bear to be outside, our Inside Activity Guide has many fun indoor options including drop-in play spaces, and there are lots of kid-friendly exhibits in our Museum Guide.

For the most part though, we haven't let the high temperatures slow us down. This week we explored a couple of new must-experience summer attractions: the Bronx Zoo's awesome Dinosaur Safari and the absolutely magical Fête Paradiso on Governors Island. Meanwhile our Long Island peeps put together a list of the top 25 things to do on the North Fork with kids, our Connecticut bloggers shared the best places to go blueberry picking in New Haven County and New Jersey highlighted the state's best water parks and offbeat summer festivals, including next weekend's Hot Air Balloon Festival at the Warren County Farmers' Fair.

And don't forget to enter our current giveaway, which is aimed at kids and parents: a pair of OnBroadway Performing Arts Training Program master classes for four (two children and two adults). We think moms and dads deserve to win something, too.

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

We will, we will rock you, singing, we will we will… oh, I’m sorry.  Was I supposed to be writing about this weekend’s events? There are quite a few I promise you: the circus, the OC Fair, events celebrating underwater explorers and Nelson Mandela - even Comic Con is going on this weekend. It’s just that dang earworm I got going; the Wee Rock festival is this Saturday at the Americana at Brand, and every time I think of it I get that song going in my head: we will, wee will, rock you (at the Americana)…

They say the best way to knock out one of those pesky fellows is to replace it with another song. So what else do we have here? Free Lollipops at See's this weekend (on the good ship lollipop, it’s a sweet trip to my See's shop…) and  Baby Loves Disco in Long Beach (I’m hearing some Saturday Night Fever action - you should be dancing, yeah!).

We have some big names performing in free concerts this weekend: A Flock of Seagulls (and I ran, I ran so far away),  Billy Ocean  (get outta my dreams, get into my car… Hey, you, get into my car!)... The movie Big is showing at Oscars Outdoors (totally seeing that scene where they play Heart & Soul by jumping on the giant keyboard…).

Awesome, that did the trick. Earworm gone. Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend, because we will, we will rock you!