One of my favorite things to do in Boston in the summer and fall is to browse the SoWa Open Market, New England's largest outdoor weekly bazaar.  May through October, this three-block section along Harrison Avenue (South of Washington Street = SoWa) turns into an open-air crafts and art market featuring amazingly talented local small business owners and their wares.  What better way to expose your children to the arts and the outdoors...for free?  I get it: Tightly packed toddler-height tables displaying potential breakables may not seem like the kid-friendly activity you were going for, but it can be done, and it can be fun!  Here is a top 20 list of helpful tips to browse these sought-after "mini" shops with your mini people: 

With so many opportunities for hiking, biking, boating and more, it's easy to work up an appetite exploring Yorktown. Luckily, you'll find a variety of restaurants to help you satiate that hunger.

We continue our month-long coverage of Yorktown with a look at our favorite restaurants to enjoy with kids. From kid-and-vegan-friendly cafes and family BBQs to Himalayan curries and sushi, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Read on for our top dining picks in Yorktown.

My daughter has tried everything from dance lessons to cooking classes, but the one activity that has kept her interest for the past 6 years is being a Girl Scout.  We started the scouting journey together when she was in kindergarten.  She was an adorable Daisy Scout and I became an enthusiastic troop leader.  For the past 6 years I have had the pleasure of watching a group of girls mature from wild 5 year olds, who spent meetings crafting and giggling,  to enthusiastic young ladies who have learned the values of friendship, the outdoors and community service.   Just this year, the girls in our troop earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award for creating an organic garden and donating the crop to the local food pantry.  In addition to teaching valuable lessons, Girl Scouting is just plain fun.  Who doesn't love earning patches, selling cookies and making new friends? Read on for some great information on getting involved with Girl Scouts in New Jersey.  For more great after school activities, check out our Classes and Activities Guide.

Where did the summer go?  It seems like just a few weeks ago, I was finally putting away the snowblower and shovels!  The calendar doesn't lie, and Labor Day is almost here, the unofficial, last weekend of all that summer is made of. Our events calendar is full of fun stuff to do happening each day so be sure to check it out.  Labor Day Weekend is also the unofficial kick off to some of our favorite fall activities as well as the start of a huge fair season that spans all areas of Connecticut!  So, before the leaves start changing color and we fall into autumn, let the planning begin for your family's last, big weekend of summer, and make it memorable one! We've listed some fun activities for you to do with the kids as well as some great events happening this Labor Day Weekend.

While Southern Californians needn’t worry too much about impending cold weather, as the summer of play comes to its conclusion, so will the many outdoor concerts, movies, and shows we’ve been able to enjoy these last three months. It is still possible to catch Shakespeare under the stars or a moonlight movie before sweater weather turns into “winter” (a term those of us who live here should use lightly). Here are our five picks this week for giving summer one last hurrah!

It’s that time of year -- suddenly the nights are a bit crisper, vacations are wrapping up, and school is right around the corner. Suddenly you realize that your child, who has been running around barefoot in bathing suits all summer, can’t stuff his feet into his sneakers and her pants are up to her ankles. While the idea of shopping with kids is not always appealing, luckily there are several retail establishments in the greater Hartford area that were designed with parents in mind. At the following locations, it is possible for back-to-school shopping to be both a fun experience for the kids and productive for mom! 

Growing up, brunch was something we saved for special occasions like birthdays and Mother's Day. My sister and I would get all dressed up and head to a grand ballroom or some other lovely space and enjoy an endless buffet of every possible food (we still do this from time to time with our mom!). In my early adulthood, before kids, brunch was a leisurely, late morning weekend treat where I would meet up with friends and spend hours laughing and lingering over brunch-y foods and the occasional Bloody Mary. When kids entered the picture, brunch fell off my radar right around the time dining out with the kids became more about restaurant-crisis-management and less about eating. Now that we have the whole restaurant thing under control, I've come back around to brunch. Besides taking the kids out for pizza in Fairfield County, it's the perfect dining-out solution and, once again, my favorite weekend meal. My kids are fresh and ready for the day (no witching-hour meltdowns!), we love that there's something for everyone on the menu and it's a treat to eat good food in a nice setting. You might even discover that your favorite date night restaurant offers a family-friendly brunch on weekend mornings. Even better, brunch menus often let you sample some of the restaurant's specialty, whether it's barbecue, seafood or pizza. So instead of waiting for a special occasion, check out some of our favorite Fairfield County family-friendly brunch places.

Most of us have heard something to the tune (no pun intended) of research showing that music is to the brain what physical exercise is to the body. With that in mind, it doesn’t hurt to know some local music class options for your little ones. I know my child loves music, and although old school rhetoric mentions kids should not start formal lessons in music until the age of five, one has to admit, classes are a great way to nurture children and prepare them to share and learn in a class setting at any age. Here’s a quick list of music classes available for families in and around Downtown Los Angeles.