Movies and television are fine sometimes, but nothing beats live theater to spark young imaginations and to keep children mesmerized. With several top notch theater companies in the Hamptons and North Fork, there's no need to drive all the way into Manhattan to take kids to a show. From Kid Fest productions at Guild Hall in East Hampton, to national touring companies at the Westhampton Performing Arts Center, to the North Fork Community Theater, here are our top picks for live children's theater.

We’re halfway through July, which means the dogs days of summer are quickly approaching (and may already be here, judging by the temperature). To beat the heat and humidity (and keep your sanity), check out one of the special exhibits at a local museum. You know we love The Morris Museum and Liberty Science Center and their summer exhibits Mega Model Trains and Grossology will keep your little ones entertained while you stay cool!

With the city constantly texting me about heat and air quality advisories, I'm starting to feel like I have a second overbearing mother. (For the record, my mom still calls me on an almost daily basis to ask if my daughter and I are dressed appropriately for the weather.) My family and I have been attempting to keep cool by trying some of the picks in our Water Fun Guide like great public pools and popular water-filled playgrounds. If you just can't bear to be outside, our Inside Activity Guide has many fun indoor options including drop-in play spaces, and there are lots of kid-friendly exhibits in our Museum Guide.

For the most part though, we haven't let the high temperatures slow us down. This week we explored a couple of new must-experience summer attractions: the Bronx Zoo's awesome Dinosaur Safari and the absolutely magical Fête Paradiso on Governors Island. Meanwhile our Long Island peeps put together a list of the top 25 things to do on the North Fork with kids, our Connecticut bloggers shared the best places to go blueberry picking in New Haven County and New Jersey highlighted the state's best water parks and offbeat summer festivals, including next weekend's Hot Air Balloon Festival at the Warren County Farmers' Fair.

And don't forget to enter our current giveaway, which is aimed at kids and parents: a pair of OnBroadway Performing Arts Training Program master classes for four (two children and two adults). We think moms and dads deserve to win something, too.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

We will, we will rock you, singing, we will we will… oh, I’m sorry.  Was I supposed to be writing about this weekend’s events? There are quite a few I promise you: the circus, the OC Fair, events celebrating underwater explorers and Nelson Mandela - even Comic Con is going on this weekend. It’s just that dang earworm I got going; the Wee Rock festival is this Saturday at the Americana at Brand, and every time I think of it I get that song going in my head: we will, wee will, rock you (at the Americana)…

They say the best way to knock out one of those pesky fellows is to replace it with another song. So what else do we have here? Free Lollipops at See's this weekend (on the good ship lollipop, it’s a sweet trip to my See's shop…) and  Baby Loves Disco in Long Beach (I’m hearing some Saturday Night Fever action - you should be dancing, yeah!).

We have some big names performing in free concerts this weekend: A Flock of Seagulls (and I ran, I ran so far away),  Billy Ocean  (get outta my dreams, get into my car… Hey, you, get into my car!)... The movie Big is showing at Oscars Outdoors (totally seeing that scene where they play Heart & Soul by jumping on the giant keyboard…).

Awesome, that did the trick. Earworm gone. Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend, because we will, we will rock you!

Boston families have plenty of options for fun and free things to do in and around town this weekend. Take advantage of the great outdoors and head to the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival, Festival Betances in Boston or Artbeat 2013 in Somerville. Indoor events include North Shore Music Theatre’s Wizard of Oz, Mural Madness at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Cambridge, and Birds of Prey at the EcoTarium.

And while there seems to finally be an end in sight to our third heatwave of the summer, we have ideas aplenty for beating the scorching heat and staying cool with the kids. Rachel shows us how to get the most out of a visit to the MFA, and our partners at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Kids Outdoors Boston have found five Boston-area playgrounds that have shade. Thinking of a weekend getaway? Peaks Island in Maine may just be the perfect place.

Read on for highlights of the weekend activities, and please visit our Events Calendar for more ideas.

Enjoy!

Despite the mid-July heat wave, there's plenty of indoor and outdoor fun on Long Island this weekend. An all teen production of Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. hits the stage at the CM Performing Arts Center. Have a daughter at home who needs to channel her inner diva? The Summer Princess Tea is the perfect setting for an afternoon of manicures and makeup application. Feeling more nostalgic? Head over to the Huntington Village Green and The Arsenal and discover what life on Long Island was like during the 18th century. The Knights Of Columbus Classic And Custom Car Show benefits The Sunrise Fund at Stony Brook for Children with Cancer. Also on tap: Summer Healthy Food Fair at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, and the Annual Hope For Warriors Pancake Breakfast at the North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company. As always, check our events calendar every day for fun activities for the family. Also check out 15 Free Things To Do On Long Island With Kids This Summer.