Summer in the city is all about free alfresco entertainment. There are complimentary concerts (for kids and grown-ups), no-cost movies and lots of free festivals.

But don't forget about free storytimes in city parks! Because you know your kids don't want to hear a tale told in a hot, crowded library. (And even if your local branch is swanky enough to have air conditioning, your children shouldn't be cooped up indoors.)

We've rounded up a dozen storytelling series for families to enjoy all summer long.

Staten Island has long been known as the "forgotten borough"—it's always last whenever the five are mentioned. Yes, you have to take a boat (or an express bus) to get here. Yes, once you arrive, the public transportation is spotty (although that's the case in "the city," too. Ever ride the M34?) And yes, we've tried to secede from time to time. But as a born and bred Staten Island girl (pronounced "Sta'nylan," thank you very much), I'm here to tell you that there's so much more to do than just ride the iconic ferry.

Mommy Poppins has written many posts about Staten Island over the years, encouraging families to explore the "greenest borough," and now's the perfect time to visit: In honor of its 350th anniversary, NYC & Company, the Big Apple's official marketing organization, has chosen Staten Island as its Culture Spot of the month. That means you can enjoy two-for-one admission to five famous SI institutions, including the Staten Island Museum and Historic Richmond Town, until the end of June.

But why stop there? I've rounded up 13 fun, family-friendly things to do on Staten Island, along with links to what we've written about each attraction.

Wouldn't your little writer love visiting Louise May Alcott's Orchard House or Walden Pond this summer? What a great road trip for your tweens and teens! This itinerary given to me by Corrine Upton over at the Mark Twain House has covered it all starting in Hartford and finishing up in Boston. Over the course of five days (or less, for those who are ambitious), visit the birthplace of Mark Twain’s most famous characters, get inspired by Edith Wharton’s landscape design, and visit the grave sites of Thoreau, Hawthorne, Emerson and Alcott at Author’s Ridge at Sleepy Hollow.  
 
Below, you'll find the full itinerary of a New England literary pilgrimage-- offering a unique, inspiring and educational summer vacation. And if you'd like even more fun literary locales check out more destinations like Dr. Seuss' Sculpture Garden, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and Emily Dickinson's house all in Western Mass.

Unlike the Curious George exhibit at the Jewish Museum last year, which focused on the creators Margret and H.A. Rey and was really aimed at adults, the Children's Museum of Manhattan's Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! is totally for little monkeys.

The brand-new interactive installation was designed by the Minnesota Children’s Museum, and uses the iconic kid-lit character as the catalyst for hands-on explorations of math, science and engineering.

It's a really fun exhibit (my kindergartner is already begging to go back) that invites kids to learn through adventure-—ust like their favorite inquisitive little primate.

Here's how my son and I spent our time at Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! at CMOM.

Dads are all different. So for Father's Day, we've rounded up eclectic ways to celebrate the particular patriarch of your family.

Whether he's sporty, artsy or an overgrown kid, we've got plenty of ideas to choose from so you can make Sunday, June 19 extra memorable.

Read on for suggestions (all free or inexpensive) to suit every kind of dad. Happy Father’s Day!

I'm not going to knock the Mister Softee truck. It's certainly kept my kids (and at times, me) cool and happy on many sticky days.

But soft-serve isn't the only sweet summer treat in town. New York City is full of delicious ways to cool down. Take your kids on an international tour of our melting pot's tastiest icy treats—that aren’t ice cream.

How many times have you waited on a long line with your kids for a bouncy house and thought, I wish there were something in this for me. Well, make your way to the northern end of the recently opened Section 2 of the High Line, and you shall be rewarded.

Although it looks like a mash up of a carnival, Candy Land and Kid Robot, the brand-new installation Rainbow City isn't specifically aimed at children—the nearby beer garden and high-end food trucks kind of give that away. Still, visitors of all ages are welcome to explore this colorful, pop-art environment, which features 40 inflatable structures to push, pull, jump on and roam within. Yes, parents are allowed to bop around the bouncy houses, too, and the entire experience is totally free.

Located in a lot on 30th Street and Tenth Avenue, Rainbow City isn't actually on the High Line, so you can access it from the street. But it's worth approaching the place from the elevated park. The view of all of the whimsical inflatables swaying about is spectacular.

Not since Ernesto Neto's anthropodino at the Park Avenue Armory has an adult art installation so captured my kid's imagination and attention, and I felt the same way. One look at the photos of her running around, and you'll see why.

Sometimes rain is the best thing that can happen to your weekend plans. There's nothing like a storm to keep the teeming masses away from an excellent event. The Figment Festival on Governors Island is one of the most fun things to do in the city every June, but it's usually jam-packed. This year, we braved a few drizzles (and one downpour) and almost had Figment completely to ourselves.

This free festival continues through Sunday, June 12, so there's still time to enjoy all of the wacky, artsy fun. What's the fest like? Check out our slide show and our list of highlights of the 2011 Figment Festival, then head to Governors Island tomorrow to see for yourself.