It’s a long holiday weekend, and there are plenty of fun and free things to do with kids in and around Boston, from Lexington's Discovery Day and the Run to Remember Expo to Play Date at the ICA. And please be sure to see our special Memorial Day activities post for special events happening all weekend long, including an Open House at the MFA, the Garden of Flags tribute on the Boston Common, and the Remembrance Concert at Christopher Columbus Park. 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 Family Friendly Tent Camping, the first post in our new series of guest blog posts on getting outdoors as a family, in partnership with the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Kids Outdoors Boston. We also introduce you to five local children's book authors you might live near, from our newest contributor, Rachel. And the Mommy Poppins App is coming! You can help us launch it and win cool rewards.

Enjoy!

What could be better than the Mommy Poppins Boston website, where you go to find cool things to do with your kids? Having access to everything on the website when you’re at your computer – plus an app for your phone when you’re on the go!  We’re working on developing an app for NYC to launch in June, and with your help, we could have Boston content following almost immediately. Read on to find out answers to your questions about the app, how you can help make it happen, and the super-cool incentives you can get for helping. 

Weather isn't look great this weekend and some of our outdoor event picks may be canceled, rescheduled or move inside. We're doing our best to keep this post updated, but if it does rain on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, be sure to check the events' official websites before going to find out if anything has changed. Memorial Day began as a day of remembrance for the men and women who have died serving our country in the United States Armed Forces.  We mark this day with parades honoring those lost, historical presentations and educational events.  Over the years Memorial Day has also taken on meaning for many as the unofficial start of summer, celebrating with barbecues, beach openings and fairs.  However you choose to observe Memorial Day we've rounded up events happening throughout the state for you to enjoy with your family. 

What could be better than the Mommy Poppins LA website, where you go to find cool things to do with your kids? Having access to everything on the website when you’re at your computer – plus an app for your phone when you’re on the go!  We’re working on developing an app for NYC to launch in June, and with your help, we could have LA content following almost immediately. Read on to find out answers to your questions about the app, how you can help make it happen, and the super-cool incentives you can get for helping. 

Flip flops? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Beach towels? Check. Hmmm, this list sounds like a lot of the things one brings to the beach. We hate to brag, but Long Island is home to many of the nation’s most beautiful and serene beaches. Despite Superstorm Sandy, most Long Island beaches are open and are in full swing. Read on to find out which beaches to check out with the family this summer. Enjoy!

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. It also symbolizes the unofficial beginning of summer. This weekend, throughout Connecticut, streets will be lined in red, white, and blue, wreaths will be laid at memorial sites, and the smell of charcoal will be in the air. Many towns across New Haven County have scheduled family-friendly events to celebrate this national holiday. We've listed some of them here along with the parades happening in your town. We've also written about parades in Litchfield County and others happening around the state in our weekend round up.

Mommy Poppins Boston and the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Kids Outdoors Boston are excited to bring you a new series of guest blog posts on getting outdoors as a family. Kids Outdoors is a free online community for families filled with ideas on close-to-home outdoor activities in the Boston area and expert advice on how to get started. Each month “Outdoors with Kids Boston” author and local mom, Kim Foley MacKinnon, will have new tips and picks for you – enjoy!

Camping out is one of summer’s greatest pleasures. Finding a campsite, setting up the tent, roasting marshmallows, snuggling down in sleeping bags—it’s all a wonderful family adventure. But when you’re a parent with young kids who haven’t camped before or you’ve only got the weekend, you may want to stick close to home.

(Photo courtesy Long Island Live Steamers)

All aboard! Long Island is a great place for little train lovers. You can learn about the Long Island Railroad Theodore Roosevelt road into Manhattan, at the Oyster Bay Rail Road Museum's preview center and how the Viriginia Railway changed America's landscape at the All Aboard! exhibit at Planting Fields Arboretum. Long Island Live Steamers welcomes families to ride the steam, diesel, and electric trains at Southaven County Park on the second and last Sunday of each month beginning May 19th. Families can also ride the World's Fair Long Island Railroad Park Train at the Railroad Museum of Long Island's Riverhead location. At the Wantagh Museum you can tour the Jamaica Railroad Car, the Wantagh Station, which has been restored to its 1904 appearance and the original Wantagh Post Office.  Most of these locations are accessible by train, so why not climb aboard the good ol' LIRR and experience Long Island trains both past and present. The LIRR offers a family fare on weekends which allows up to 4 children to ride for 75 cents when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. Children under 5 always ride free.