Butterflies, dragonflies, bubbles and...tractors! Variety is definitely the theme of this weekend and we’ve got events to fit every member of the family. And if you haven't hit the golf course this summer, you can find a family golf outing in our coverage of 6 Great Mini Golf Courses on Long Island. Or if you are feeling the need to cool off, check out the Mommy Poppins NYC post on our very own Splish Splash Water Park. Have a great weekend!

Welcome to another New York City weekend jam-packed with fantastic and mostly free things to do for families. Cool vintage VW vehicles are riding onto Governors Island, Staten Island's Garibaldi-Meucci Museum throws its annual Ferragosto fest and Brooklyn Bridge Park hosts its first-ever Kite Festival. The New York International Fringe Festival also kicks off this weekend, and while most of the offerings aren't for kids, its FringeJr shows are specifically aimed at families.

My family and I plan to hit the second Saturday of Summer Streets and then head to Flushing Meadows Corona Park for the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival with a quick stop at the New York Hall of Science's Circus! Science Under the Big Top. If we manage to do it all, I suspect we'll spend Sunday sleeping.

And that's just a bit of what's going on. All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional seasonal fun in our Summer Fun Guide and our Event Calendar.

From sailing and canoeing on the Charles River to whale watching and sightseeing cruises in the Harbor, Boston offers plenty of opportunities to get out on the water.

And for those who want to find a piece of the great outdoors within sight of the city skyline, the Boston Harbor Islands offer plenty of choices for families, from easy hikes on Spectacle Island, Peddocks Island, or Worlds End and overnight camping on Bumpkin Island, Grape Island, or Lovells Island to visiting historical landmarks like Fort Warren on Georges Island and tours, performances, demonstrations and kid-friendly activities all spring, summer, and fall.

Did you know that New Jersey is home to one of the largest and best areas in the country for late Cretaceous period fossils? And you don’t
even have to be a fancy archaeologist with special permits to search for fossils! So if your kids are like mine and get excited about walking in knee high water in search of 40-million-year-old treasure, just keep on reading…

With the stock market crashing and... well, the stock market crashing (that really is all anyone's talking about this week, right?), we decided to do a links roundup on the lighter side.

We've got info on an addictive new smartphone game, a smelly NYC children's book (yup, we said smelly!) and an Upper East Side mom who was banned from Fairway for life. Yikes! Plus a few other stories that should have you smiling not crying.

Even though we're raising our families in the urban jungle, there are a multitude of ways to keep New York City kids connected to nature.

We've already written about many great outdoor activities you can do in the five boroughs, like bird-watching, hiking and gardening, and many items on our list of 100 Things to Do in NYC with Kids Before They Grow Up involve communing with Mother Nature.

Now we've rounded up our top 20 places in (or near) New York City where your family can marvel at, learn about and connect with nature. So before you plan your next trip to the country, check out our list. You may not need to rent a car after all.

[UPDATED: July 18, 2012]

Preparing your child for back to school should be simple.  Buy them some clothes, let them pick out a cool new backpack, and the best part of all – shop for new school supplies (I loved my Trapper Keeper back in the day). But as a parent of special needs children, feelings of joy and anticipation of successes in the new school year can sometimes be replaced with anxiety.  Have they regressed over the summer? How they will function socially with a new teacher and different classmates?

[UPDATED: August 1, 2012]


Cooling off in local sprinklers or pools is a rite of summer in the city. But nothing beats the fun of taking a day trip to a nearby water theme park, where families can spend the whole day getting wet and wild.

There are many water theme parks within driving distance of NYC. In fact, Splish Splash on Long Island—which is considered by many folks (including my son) to be one of the best water parks in the country—is just a 90-minute drive from midtown Manhattan. Bonus: You can see it from the the Long Island Expressway, so you can't get lost on the way there! 

The 96-acre park has two dozen rides, ranging from tame kiddie pools to dark tunnels of terror. Plus there are other attractions like two wave pools and a bird show.

In addition to being super-cool (in both senses of the word), Splish Splash is immaculately clean and comfortable. The water is pristine and there's a surprising amount of shade. My son and I recently went on our first trip there with a bunch of his friends, and to say we were impressed is an understatement. We closed the park, and my six-year-old and his pals have been begging to go back again before the season ends.