Pre-K admissions update If you didn't snag a universal pre-K spot, all hope is not lost. Mayor de Blasio is urging parents to apply for pre-K at community-based early childhood center as an alternative, and the city hopes to open even more pre-K seats this summer. If your child was lucky enough to be accepted at a school you want, be sure to register by June 20.

Openings & one delay (no closings!) There's a brand-new outdoor play space in Park Slope. After months of fundraising and hard work, the owners of toy store Norman & Jules have turned their formerly muddy backyard into a preschooler paradise with a sandbox, playhouse and other attractions fashioned primarily out of recycled materials. There's a full schedule of programming including storytime, sing-alongs and playtime for various fees.

Meanwhile brand-new tot shop Teich Toys & Books just debuted on Hudson Street in the West Village. Opened by a local couple with a three-year-old son, the store doesn't carry high-tech or electronic playthings. Instead, the carefully curated selection includes eco-friendly, handmade and classic toys, tomes and clothes for ages newborn to 12. While grown-ups shop, youngsters can climb into the life-size wooden toy engine, flip through a book in the train depot reading area or catch a performance at the puppet theater.

The online little kids' clothing shop Lollipop Moon recently opened a brick-and-mortar store at 189 Front Street at the South Street Seaport overflowing with sequin and bow-encrusted duds. If you drop in, use the code mommy15 to save 15% on your purchases. The spot will also host kids' classes like Karma Kids Yoga and Music Together. You can find the schedule on the Facebook page.

While there are a slew of cool new attractions on Governors Island this season, we were bummed to hear that the vintage carousels of Fête Paradiso aren't returning this year. The good news? According to the organizers, they'll be back turning in NYC in 2015! Is it too early to start counting down to next summer?

Fun opportunities for little smarties Got a kid who'd rather work for Time for Kids than read it? The magazine is currently holding a kid reporter contest for ages 13 and under. Apply by Saturday, June 14 to vie for one of the 10 slots nationwide. You'll find entry info on the website.

Expecting lots of As (or even Bs or Cs) on your kid's report card? Remember to bring it to Coney Island's Luna Park where students can earn FREE ride credits for good grades (A=5, B=4 and C=3). This promotion only lasts through June so the timing isn't great for public school kids since report cards come out toward the end of the month. But once you have it in hand, hightail it out to Coney!

We frequently post about the benefits of kids learning how to code. This summer, select Queens Library branches will offer video game design labs for children plus a bunch of other enriching programs and even meals, all for FREE. No application necessary, just show up and enjoy.

Random tidbits Though it's not as cheap as the Kids Bowl Free program, Bowlmor Lanes is offering a summer games deal at its Chelsea Piers outpost. For $29.95 for ages 15 and under, and $34.95 for adults, you can purchases passes that allow you to bowl up to three games every weekday until 6pm through Labor Day. Shoe rental is even included! The only downside: You can't reserve lanes so it's subject to availability.

Fantasia, NYC's beloved albino Burmese python who recently relocated from the Brooklyn Children's Museum to the Staten Island Zoo, has died. She was 20-years-old and nearly 20-feel long and will be missed by countless young admirers.

This sounds super-cool: the world's first-ever Surprise House. What's that you ask? Well, it's like a haunted house but instead of chills you get fun thrills. There's currently a Kickstarter campaign to turn an abandoned building on Governors Island into the Surprise House, which will be open for FREE on weekends in August and September.

And speaking of Kickstarter, we were impressed by LeVar Burton's amazingly successful (and still ongoing) crowdfunding campaign to bring Reading Rainbow to the web. Stay tuned for brand-new content online and on your phone. Though the app currently requires a subscription to access, Burton's hopes to make it FREE to 7,500 disadvantaged classrooms assuming he makes his $5 million goal.