Music lovers have a lot to celebrate this weekend: Summer Arts Weekend comes to Copley Square with dozens of live musical acts, including family favorites Steve Songs, the Gizmo Guys, and Debbie and Friends; both Lowell and Duxbury have folk festivals this weekend; and Tim Kubert performs as part of the Regattabar Kids' Series.  There are lots of movies to choose from this weekend too: The Lego Movie, My Neighbor Totoro, and Hoodwinked Too are all playing for free, plus check out a special sensory-friendly screening of Planes: Fire and Rescue.

If you are looking for live entertainment, don't miss Circus Smirkus performing in Waltham. Our parent review tells you just what these kids from Vermont can do. There are also stage performances of Finding Neverland and The Pirate, the Princess, and the Pea this weekend.

Also on Mommy Poppins this week:

• The Appalachian Mountain Club shares Five Perfect Picnic Spots around Boston.
• Roberta takes us back in time with 10 Outdoor Games from the 70s. Don't forget to share your favorite family games with us in our Summer of Play challenge!
• Tara highlights the top 25 things to do with kids in New Haven, Connecticut.

Stay cool this weekend, have fun, and don't forget to check our calendar for all the great things going on in Boston.

Whatever you do this weekend, DON'T GET OUT OF TOWN!   There’s another one of those Carmeggedon, Carpocalyse things happening, and they’re calling it … the Century Crunch. I know, I know, it doesn’t have much gloom and doom sound to it, but it’s right at the airport.  They’re knocking down a bridge, road improvements yadda yadda traffic nightmare. And probably zombies. Just stay home, play in your backyard, or if you have to, venture downtown. (They have toys.)

Think you're safe if you're heading to San Diego for Comic Con? Ha! You and half a billion other people!  Do they even have enough oxygen for all those people?  No,  you'd better stay right here in the beautiful City of Angels. And what a weekend it will be!  We have National Dance Day, the circus, and the OC Fair, Dragon Boats and Malibu Arts and Summer Fest at Venice Beach. Kids can build sand castles, run like heroes, cheer for cowfolk, boo the bullies and sing with Cinderella.  Best weekend ever!

Or you could always go to New York.

Keep reading for our conveniently located in LA picks for this weekend ....

It's looking like a lovely mid-summer weekend and there are lots of fun and FREE things to do together as a family. Try classic outdoor games at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Family Field Day, work up a sweat at the Get Up & Go Family Adventure Race on Staten Island or hit the Scholastic Store in Soho for a magical Harry Potter birthday party.

Two of our top picks of the month take place this weekend and they're both FREE. Enjoy an eclectic lineup of music and dance performances at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day and catch Theatreworks USA's brand-new musicalization of The Lightning Thief in the West Village.

However you spend the weekend, remember to share photos of your family's adventures on social media for a chance to win great prizes in our SUMMER OF PLAY CHALLENGE. If you need playtime inspiration, we have hundreds of ideas in our SUMMER OF PLAY GUIDE.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide.

Summer in the Hamptons and the North Fork is in full swing with more than a few family-friendly events happening, from Shakespeare in the Park to a Carnival. We've come up with 10 must-attend events during the weekend of July 25-27.

Be sure to check out our Long Island Calendar for more kid-friendly activities, as well as our Hamptons and North Fork Guide. And don't forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you can receive our roundup of fun things to do delivered directly to your inbox.

New Jersey offers up plenty of reasons to get going and get outdoors this July weekend! Check out the spectacular QuikCheck Festival of Ballooning with hot air balloons filling the sky, sample delicious Italian eats (zeppole anyone?) at the St. Ann’s Italian Festival in Hoboken, get up close and personal with insects during A Bug’s Life at Tenafly Nature Center or explore historical train models during Railroad Days at Historic Cold Spring Village. And if you’re up for a nighttime adventure, reserve your spot for an Evening Campfire & Hike at Valley Crest Preserve – s’mores included! Also, you can check out the full list of weekend activities on our Event Calendar and don't miss our Summer of Play Guide with 100s of ideas for a fun, playful, and tech-free summer!

Every weekend, in cities and towns across Fairfield County, you’ll find kids competing in road races and triathlons. And why not? Racing is a great way to get outdoors and keep kids busy, focused and fit. A beautiful summer morning is even better when you spend it watching your child cross a finish line past a crowd of cheering people. Most races are tied to a charity, so in addition to fitness, you have the chance to help others while teaching your kids about the importance of raising money and awareness for a particular cause. Your child doesn't have to be a future track star, either. In most cases, the distances are short enough to hop right into a race without training, especially for the youngest kids. There are plenty of opportunities for more serious athletes to try longer distances, too. No matter what, nothing beats that smile of finishing something very challenging. Here's a list of races that you and the family can participate in this summer.

Local mom and “Outdoors with Kids Boston” guidebook author, Kim Foley MacKinnon, shares her best family outing tips and picks with you as part of our guest blog series with the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Kids Outdoors Boston free online community.

Going on outdoor summer adventures with your kids often means eating on the go, maybe picking something up at a snack bar or bringing a PB&J sandwich and a piece of fruit. It can be fun to switch the focus to making a picnic the main event, and the setting is the key. Here are some outstanding picnic spots that will make your al fresco meal that much more delicious!

"Sunny day, chasing the clouds away." No matter how old your kids are now, you probably recognize those lyrics (heck you may have grown up with them, yourself). That's why we're so psyched about the new Sesame Street exhibit coming to the Performing Arts Library this fall. We've got the scoop on that plus a new urban farm on Governors Island, how you can find FREE gift cards hidden throughout the five boroughs, high-tech school lunch inspiration, no-cost craft demos, and we weigh in on the never-ending overprotected kids debate.