CT Summer Fun Expo: Family Fun in Connecticut This Summer

We are super excited to announce our first organized event here at Mommy Poppins CT. We've partnered with the Westfield CT Post mall to create a Summer Fun Expo for CT families. We are thrilled to be offering a one stop option for learning about places to have fun in CT this summer. The expo is Sunday, June 3rd from 11-4 pm in the food court area of the mall. If you drive past Target and Dick's Sporting Goods to the back parking lot, head up the ramp to the 2nd level for the closest parking to our event. There will be lots of fun for the kids including organized arts and crafts as well as entertainment by Lynn Lewis and Friends from 11:!5 to noon.

News: School Day Cancellations, Summer Reading Kickoff, Lemonade Day, Auditions for Kids to Sing at the U.S. Open

This week we have a few school tidbits (including one piece of news that should thrill students if not working parents), plus info on Summer Reading 2012, Lemonade Day and Dan Zanes' new line of dishware. And while we're sad one of our favorite water play areas will be dry this summer, we're psyched to see one of the South Street Seaport Museum's long-grounded historic boats back out on the water.

Family Movie Programs On Long Island

There’s nothing like a summer movie to give families refuge from the heat, a break from the beach, or the opportunity to just sit still for two whole hours. Summer schedules afford us the opportunity to catch all of the latest flicks, but let’s face it, a trip to the theater and the concession stand really adds up. We’ve rounded up Long Island movie theaters with affordable movie programs for the whole family. Whether it’s just mommy and baby or the entire family, there are baby-friendly theaters, matinees screening the biggest blockbusters of the summer, and theaters showing some oldies but goodies. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show,

Sizzling Summer Camp Sale: Huge Deals on Top NYC Summer Programs

Announcing the Sizzling Summer Camp Sale! Last year we hosted a big camp sale on our Poppins Perks site and it was so popular, many people asked us if we were going to do it again. Not only did we help hundreds of families save big on summer camps, we also raised enough money to help send five underprivileged teenagers to a week of sleepaway camp in the Catskills with Manhattan Youth.

This year's camp sale is just as great. We've got 15 summer camp programs offering deals of up to 66% off. We have lots of options, whether you're looking for a half-day preschool program, a week of full-day camp or several weeks of full-day day camp. There are even programs for those tricky weeks after school ends in June and those last few weeks of August before school starts again.

Proposition 39: How Can Charters and Other Public Schools Share Space Equitably?

Californians are always talking about this proposition or that, trying to make sense of the way we do politics out here. Proposition 39, because it has to do with school and space for all children, can elicit intense feelings of fear, competition, and defensiveness in parents - and confusion in everyone else. What is Prop 39 and why do public school parents get so worked up about it? We'll attempt to explain the whats and whys of Prop 39, in order to help readers consider how we, as adults, can address an issue we emphasize with our children: how to share and be fair.

This Week: Memorial Day Weekend Means Beaches, Governors Island and Dinosaurs; Plus Strawberry Picking and Free Summer Sports

Looks like it's going to be a monster of a holiday! The Memorial Day weekend is the main event on all of our sites. Lots of summer attractions open for the season this Saturday, including beaches, Governors Island and tri-state area amusement parks, including Victorian Gardens in Central Park.

There are some big openings outside NYC as well. Right across the Hudson in Secaucus, New Jersey, Field Station: Dinosaurs is poised to make a roar with more than 30 animatronic dino robots. Interestingly, Boston's Franklin Park Zoo is opening a similar prehistoric wonderland Zoorassic Park this holiday weekend, in case you're looking for a last-minute getaway. Other great day or weekend trips include strawberry picking at farms on Long Island, in New Jersey and Connecticut, and hitting a suburban beach. You can find even more inspiration on our Travel site.

Of course Memorial Day weekend marks summer's unofficial start. If you haven't figured out summer camp yet, you're in luck: We're running deals on a bunch of NYC summer camps. What you see is just a preview, so be sure to check back next week for additional deals.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

8 Great Yoga Studios for Kids on Long Island

(Photo courtesy of Breathe N Flow Yoga)

You can probably imagine the benefits kids receive from practicing yoga even if you have never taken a class yourself (or hijacked the kids’ Wii for some Wii Fit Yoga!). Physically, yoga improves kids’ strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, posture, and the list goes on.  Beyond the physical benefits are the mental benefits. Yoga teaches children self-awareness, self-respect, and most important in the eyes of this mom, self-relaxation skills that do not require the use of a remote control, game controller, snack, or couch.

We’ve rounded up Long Island yoga studios that offer a wide range of classes and services for kids sure to educate and entertain your children and develop skills and practices they will employ for life.

Fun and Free Things to Do with Kids in Boston - Zoorassic Park Opening, Play Date, Beauty and the Beast and More

It’s a long holiday weekend, and there are plenty of fun and free things to do with kids in and around Boston, from Discovery Day in Lexington and the Zoorasic Park Grand Opening at the Franklin Park Zoo to the Run to Remember Expo and Play Date at the ICA. And please be sure to see our special Memorial Day activities post for special events happening on Monday, including an Open House at the MFA, the Garden of Flags tribute on the Boston Common, and the Faneuil Hall Street Performer Festival. Read on for for more of our weekend picks, and be sure to visit our Events Calendar for more ideas.

And if the holiday weekend has you thinking ahead to summer activities, check out Tara’s Highland Street Foundation’s Free Fun Fridays picks plus 25 things to do in Mount Washington Valley, NH.

Enjoy!

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