School is finally out for the summer and you can kick off your season of play with a bunch of awesome activities. In addition to NYC public pools opening on Friday, this weekend brings annual favorites like the ride-filled Astoria Park Festival in Queens, a pair of fishing festivals at West Harlem Piers Park and Central Park's Harlem Meer, and the Soundview Park Summer Festival in the Bronx. Plus, we're psyched for the unveiling of Rockaway!, a display of site-specific installations at the popular Queens beach.

Whatever you do this weekend, make sure you pack plenty of play into your day. To inspire you, we've launched our SUMMER OF PLAY CHALLENGE, a season-long initiative encouraging families to spend quality time playing together. Bonus: Share your playful pics on social media and you can win some great prizes.

All of our best bets for this weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide. Have fun out there!

Now that everyone is officially done with school and 80 degree weather is upon us, those lazy and fun days of summer are here! Festivals abound this time of year in Jersey so get out there and celebrate all things Italian down the shore at the Italian-American Festival in North Wildwood or get in touch with your Puerto Rican roots at Camden Children’s Garden Festival de Aibonito. For more outdoor adventure, check out the crowded, loud and fun NJ State Fair in the Meadowlands or dress up the kiddos for Hoboken’s 13th Annual Baby Parade. Check out the full list of weekend activities on our Event Calendar.

White Plains is often referred to as the heart of Westchester County for good reason. It is a city chock full of life, diversity and an abundance of family-friendly events and activities sure to keep the entire family busy and learning all year round including several dynamic parks, playgrounds and walking trails that can be enjoyed by residents and non-residents alike. Read on for more details on where Westchester kids can run, jump, play and explore in White Plains. Admission is free for all the parks and no park pass is required, except where noted for certain activities or features. 

Looking for fun beyond White Plains? Be sure to check out our Event Calendar to keep up with what's happening throughout Westchester this month.

Normally I put strict limits on my nine-year-old son's screen time, especially in summer when he should be outside playing and experiencing the world. But when I catch him playing Habitat, I make a screen-time exception. The brand-new FREE app encourages kids to go outside and explore nature (which is what I want) while simultaneously challenging them to a fun, save-the-environment game (which my son loves). No wonder he's been obsessed with Habitat since we were invited to try it out at the Central Park Zoo earlier this month.

Just in time for summer, we have lots of great seasonal news, including the addition of the first-ever water fountains on Governors Island, the reopening of a long-closed Staten Island beach and the scoop on tickets for one of summer's most sought-after concerts for kids. Plus, New York Comic Con expands, autism-friendly theater and an important heads up about hours for NYC public school students.

As a new parent I devoured books about babies, trying to understand the tiny new life in my charge. How far can he see? What is going on in his little mind when he is playing with that toy? And then I started to wonder how all these experts on babies knew anything. So when I learned that many of Boston's universities recruit parents and their kids to participate in research studies, I thought it would be fun way to engage in science with my little one.