I'm pretty sure the only way to get through the stress that is back-to-school time is a heaping pile of funny memes.

Whether your kids are going full online learning, hybrid, podding up, or 100% in-person, the return to school seems to be incredibly anxiety-provoking for everyone: our kids, the teachers, and parents. I have a kid headed into the school system for the first time as a kindergartner, so I feel this deeply. The only silver lining I see—OK, maybe there are a couple more if I look really close—are the incredibly funny memes this pandemic is producing. I can't be the only one distracting myself from doomsday scrolling with those coronavirus meme threads, right? 'Cause what else can we do but laugh?

So if you want to just keep cry-laughing along with me through the emotional ups and downs of this pandemic, read on for our favorite funny school memes, from laughable school picture days to all-to-true remote learning takedowns.

Governor Andrew Cuomo cleared New York's public schools to reopen this fall for in-person classes if they choose given the state's current "low viral infection rate." New York's more than 700 school districts were expected to submit reopening plans to the state by now but were awaiting the governor's final decision on in-person learning. 

"If any state can do this, we can do this," said Cuomo on Friday, August 7, 2020. "New Yorkers will decide how they want to do it, school district by school district."

A number of New York school districts also released tentative 2020-2021 school reopening plans to their communities while they awaited the state decision, including New York City, the country’s largest school district. NYC is offering a hybrid schooling model, or a full remote option, to the city’s 1.1 million students.

Just two weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to defund schools that do not open their doors for in-person learning this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new school reopening guidelines urging schools to reopen classrooms.

While the guidelines repeatedly suggest that individual districts must make reopening decisions based on their local situation, including current coronavirus transmission rates and spread, the director of the CDC made it clear he views a reopening of schools for in-person learning as essential to public health.

“It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall,” Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC director, said in a statement. “School closures have disrupted normal ways of life for children and parents, and they have had negative health consequences on our youth. CDC is prepared to work with K-12 schools to safely reopen while protecting the most vulnerable.”

Read on for the top takeaways from the CDC’s guidelines on how to reopen schools.

New Jersey's largest children's museum, Liberty Science Center, says it will reopen its doors this fall after a five-month temporary closure due to the pandemic. The Jersey City-based science center closed in mid-March, along with the rest of the state, to try to stamp out the growing coronavirus in New Jersey.

But even as the pandemic has eased in the state with cases and deaths plummeting from April highs, the massive, highly interactive science center stayed closed. A number of other New Jersey museums reopened earlier in July when Governor Phil Murphy gave them the OK to do so at a reduced capacity of 25 percent. Indoor venues are considered riskier in terms of transmission for the virus and were some of the last businesses allowed to reopen in New Jersey. (See a full list of NJ reopenings here.)

The science center will reopen September 5 to the general public (members can visit starting September 4) for Labor Day weekend with new social distancing measures in place, including online ticket reservations and some amenity closures.

Summer activities for New Jersey kids often revolve around the Shore, lakes, and fantastic summer camps and sports leagues. Yet, summer 2020 is the summer of a pandemic. There's no real way to ignore that fact.

It's a summer where families might travel less, go to fewer birthday parties, attend less camp (or none at all), and just generally stay home more. It's a summer where kids may be more underfoot or have less supervision. I'm not ready to call it the summer of boredom just yet, though. New Jersey is actually offering a ton of summer activities for kids. As we've entered Phase 2, the reopenings now include beaches, zoos, amusement parks, water parks, lakes, arcades, and playgrounds. Some NJ museums, libraries, and aquariums are reopening, too—at reduced capacities and with new rules in place.

So while it may be the summer of canceled t-ball tournaments and overseas flights, there are still plenty of fun things to do in New Jersey with kids this summer. Besides, the slowing down of summer life actually opens up new opportunities to explore those top NJ spots you've always meant to in the past. Read on to plot your NJ staycation with an abundance of outdoor summer activities, day trips, and even some at-home indoor activities.

New Jersey plans to return K-12 students to physical classrooms as much as possible this September. Governor Phil Murphy, along with Education Commissioner Dr. Lamont Repollet, released a 104-page set of guidelines Friday, June 26, aimed at reopening New Jersey schools for 2020-20201 academic year.

“Absent a shift in public health data, school buildings will open in some capacity for in-person instruction and operations in September,” said Repollet. “The reopenings of our schools will include necessary limitations to protect the health of our students and staff.”

The guidelines insist on plenty of social distancing for schools, but also the option for a hybrid education model that would combine in-person instruction with remote-learning, or possibly students attending school on alternating days or weeks. All districts, however, must create a school reopening plan that includes some in-person instruction, the governor and commissioner said Friday. “There’s no one size fits all approach,” noted Murphy.

New Jersey's amusement parks, water parks, and playgrounds can reopen on July 2 with new restrictions in place. NJ Governor Phil Murphy made the announcement Tuesday, June 23, at his daily coronavirus briefing as the state continues to reopen businesses temporarily closed due to the ongoing health crisis.

The amusement park reopenings, which come just ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend, include the Jersey Shore's popular boardwalk rides, theme parks, and water parks. Some boardwalk games and outdoor eateries had already reopened, and Governor Murphy said he expects to release guidelines on indoor amusements, such as arcades, as soon as tomorrow.

Don't let bathtime be a battle! Easier said than done, right? Try these colorful bath toys to soothe cranky kids or entertain those fearful of the dreaded water and soap in the eyes.

Bath toys are sometimes the difference between a disaster of a nighttime routine and a chill one in my home, which includes three little kids. Picking the right bath toys, or a brand-new one, has always worked to distract my kiddos, so check out these 11 tried-and-true bath toys for toddlers, big kid bubbles, and even sweet baby bath toys, such as color-changing bath books.