Summer solstice means more time outside to have fun and we like that here at CT Mommy Poppins! This weekend you can celebrate summer with luscious strawberries at a Strawberry Festival in Bethlehem. Enjoy a magical fireworks show over Candlewood Lake. Camp out at The New Canaan Nature Center's Great American Camp Out and have fun at an old fashioned Carnival and Car Show in Washington.

When you're living with a future zookeeper/artist/paleontologist/restaurant owner, almost all your excursions turn into research trips. Fortunately, my son's current passion for zoos can be easily indulged with a trip to the Cape May County Zoo. We've gone three times this year, and I'm confident more trips are in our future. I'm sure you're thinking, "Wow. They must have a lot of money if they can afford to attend the zoo that often." Want to know our secret? The reason we can indulge our future zookeeper so easily is that admission to the Cape May County Zoo is 100% free! Although the zoo is primarily funded by the county, donations are critical to its survival and growth. We usually donate at least $20 on each visit but, if money is tight, you can enjoy the zoo for free. As my husband says "Zoo for the price of none." (OK...that was a bad pun. We'll leave him out of the rest of the story.)

Everyone knows that if you plan to spend anytime outdoors under the burning sun, you better slather on the sunblock. (Your skin will thank you for it for years to come.) However, infants have extra-special needs when it comes to sun protection, particularly New York City babies, who are invariably out and about all day in strollers or slings on shadeless streets.

So where's an SPF-obsessed parent to start? As a mommy who's currently shuttling around a newborn babe, here are the five sun-care products I won't leave home without.

*NOTE: This play space has closed.*

Imagine this scene, sipping a warm cup of coffee, relaxing in swanky comfortable couches all while watching your son and daughter play dragons and princess in a castle. You find yourself being able to enjoy your coffee while reading a book, meeting new moms or catching up on news and events while reading a newspaper and watching TV. Sounds lovely right? Too good to be true? Not so, this scene happens everyday at Le Play Cafe! Read on for more info on this fabulous new spot, and how you can save over 50% through Poppins Perks.

This week, we were all about dear old dad. We highlighted fun things to do on Father's Day, shared one daddy blogger's take on a new documentary about fatherhood and rounded up a bunch of daddy and me swim classes. OK, yes, we called them mommy and me, but we were quick to point out that fathers are also welcome. Because anything moms can do, dads can do, too—except give birth (you guys got off lucky there!).

Of course, we also wrote about lots of stuff kids can enjoy with or without dad in tow, including two new interactive exhibits and fabulous frozen treats.

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.

It’s Father’s Day weekend, and we’ve got the goods on family fun for all types of dads!  Outdoorsy types can go fishing for free, welcome butterflies at a nature center, or celebrate the start of firefly season at a family fest.  Sporty dads should head out on a challenging 3-hour mountain hike.  Handy dads’ll like building a birdhouse for the family home. Artsy dads will enjoy a 24-hour art-packed event. Dad’s a history buff? The Whippany excursion train ride’s for him.  And when you return home? Guide him to the couch, hand him the remote, and quietly recede to the far reaches of the house for an hour or so.  It IS Father’s Day, after all.

Yes, this weekend is all about Dads. but we have some great activities to get you out and about! Exploring science, becoming a spy, getting messy or partying with a 80 year old. (Yes, just keep reading.) We’ve got some fun events to kick off your weekend! For Father's Day fun, check out our Father's Day Fun on Long Island suggestions.

Note to readers, if you haven't already, it is time to check out Poppins Perks. We are starting to run Poppins Perks for Long Island. Sign up to get 50% off fun things to do and great deals for families at poppinsperks.com. And sign up for NYC deals to get great deals on fun things to do in NYC this summer worth traveling into the city for.

Since Sunday is Father's Day, I know what I'll be doing: Hanging out with my wife and sons, hoping I can convince them to see Green Lantern instead of Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Being a dad means even Father's Day is a bit of a compromise. But if you need a reminder that these days will end sooner than you think, watch the moving documentary The Kids Grow Up by Doug Block, which premieres on HBO on Father's Day.

Like me, Block is a NYC dad, and his film chronicles the life of his only child, Lucy, who's about to leave for college. My sons are still in elementary school, so the movie examined uncharted territory for me. Here's how I felt about the flick.