[UPDATED: July 12,2012]

Kids today get to do way better stuff than I ever did when I was a child.  When I was a kid, after school programs consisted of sports or scouts with maybe a piano lesson thrown in for good measure, a far cry from the opportunities available to my son.  Unique and enriching classes are abound in New York City:  rugby, veterinary school and stand up comedy are just a few of the classes available nowadays.

Some of the coolest enrichment classes for kids in NYC:

There’s something new at the zoo! (Besides the new face painting and glitter tattoo artist, of course). The charming Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange has been around since 1963, but it’s always re-inventing itself. In late September (date to be determined) Turtle Back will open its newest exhibit, “Worlds of Water” aquarium. Here I'll share details with you about the aquarium that will definitely be on your must visit list.

Cooking with your child is a great way to spend some quality time together. The hands-on exploration of cooking is not just a great sensory experience, but can also help to get junior interested in what he eats, and might just tempt him out of his hot dog and applesauce comfort zone into the wilds of more exotic flavors. Plus, it's fun. Family cooking activities abound this fall, and we've found some great parent-child cooking workshops and classes for you. Here are a few options.

This evening my 7 year old unloaded the dishwasher, swept the kitchen floor, made his bed, picked up his toys, and expressed gratitude in the form of a polite "Thank you for making dinner." I kid you not...and I'm not trying to impress you with my uber mothering either. In fact, this is the first time he ever did some of those things.

The magic behind this household chore windfall was a new app I installed on my iPhone and my son's iPod Touch,

If the only concerts you’ve seen recently involved singing dogs, dinosaurs or puppets, maybe it’s time to check out a cool music festival that you will enjoy as much as your kids will. On September 11^th, the 3^rd Annual Hastings-on-the-Hudson “Take Me To The River” Grassroots Festival hits Draper Park in Westchester. It is an all day event and in addition to the musical grooves celebrating local and nationally acclaimed blues, folk, jazz and alternative musicians, it is also a festival showcasing an array of art, various art installations, and art activities for the kids. And you don’t need a car to get there.

We've asked our readers to share their awesome outings with us this summer. We'll be posting the best ones on the blog and one lucky winner will win a Flip Video Camera. Find out more details in our Summer Fun Activity Guide. Summer is coming to a close and so is the contest. We will accept submissions until Labor Day and then announce a winner the following week. So send in your story. We want to know about your awesome day.

Read this submission by Susan Atkinson about her fun day on Goveror's Island.

How can it be Labor Day weekend already? Seems like we were writing about what to do for Memorial Day Weekend! There is still time to wring the last few drops out of summer before back to school become a reality. There is plenty of fun to be had in The Big Apple and beyond – arts and crafts, a celebration of the new Cat in the Hat cartoon, storytimes, a huge parade and even a unicycle festival.

It is the first weekend of September which means there are a bunch of museum freebies to take advantage of – The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, The Brooklyn Museum and The Queens Museum are among them.  Plus as a Labor Day gift Cooper Hewitt is offering free admission all weekend, too.

I am actually looking forward to back to school. By the end of summer I am usually exhausted from running around for eight weeks and long for a return to a less hectic routine.  If you are planning your child's re-entry to the school year you may be thinking of after school activities like soccer, free after school classes, or programs for special needs kids.  And don’t miss our newly revamped and updated After School Classes Guide to find the best for your little scholar.

Read on to plan a great Labor Day Weekend.  We hope it is a great one.

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, an excuse for a big barbecue party, and the day you stop wearing white. But originally it was a creation of the labor movement and dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers who have contributed to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. However you wish to honor it, we’ve got some suggestions on how to spend your first Monday of September. Have fun and Hello, Fall!