If your musical child is into jazz they won't want to miss the Litchfield Jazz Camp this summer. Nestled in the Litchfield Hills on the beautiful Kent School campus, the Litchfield Jazz Camp is one of the most highly regarded jazz summer programs in the nation. Its music director, saxophonist, composer and educator Don Braden, is a major figure on the jazz scene. Braden has played with jazz greats Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, and Betty Carter and composed for Bill Cosby’s projects. He has headed the program for 15 years. Camp faculty includes renowned performers.

Getting wet and staying cool seemed to be our theme this week. We launched a brand-new NYC Water Fun Guide, which included two posts we published this week: an in-depth review of Brooklyn Bridge Park's brand-new Pop-Up Pool on Pier 2 and a roundup of private pools that sell day passes. As part of our month-long focus on Williamsburg, we also took a look at the attraction-filled McCarren Park, including its recently reopened public pool.

If you're thinking about taking a weekend trip, our Long Island site has a great guide to family fun on Fire Island, while our New Jersey site rounded up the best kid-friendly restaurants at the Jersey Shore, a great companion post to our original best Jersey Shore beaches. If you're looking for day trip ideas, our NJ site also has a list of 50 free things to do this summer with kids while our Connecticut site has 15 things to do in New London, CT. And if you still need more vacation inspiration, drop by the Apple Store in Soho on Saturday morning to hear MommyPoppins' founder, Anna Fader, talk about the best travel apps for families.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

Boston families will find plenty of 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 - the largest of its kind on the East Coast, Circle the City festivities at Franklin Park, or the WGBH FunFest in Boston. Indoor events include Boston Children’s Theatre’s Legally Blonde the Musical, Jenny the Juggler’s performance at Barefoot Books in Concord, and the CBACT Festival, a full day of theater workshops and performances in Newton.

Looking for more things to do? We have some ideas of great places to play mini golf in the Boston area. And for more indoor fun, add Puppet Showplace Theatre to your list - read Tara’s review here.

Read on for more of our weekend picks, and be sure to check our Events Calendar for more ideas.

The Tractor Pull and Show, a favorite of some Mommy Poppins writers, is at Hallockville Farm this weekend. You and the kids can also enjoy a show from the National Circus Project at the Long Island Children's Museum, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at Country Fair Park in Medford, or Sharkfest at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum. For more ideas about what to do this weekend, or any time of the week, check out our events calendar all week long.

Wow. It is quiet here. The comic book store: empty. The midnight screening of the Amazing Spider-man: you could hear a web drop. The Genius Bar at the Apple Store: 30% less smart. In fact, there is nary a fanboy or girl left in the LA Metro area. It's Comic Con weekend, and fans of comics and video games and just about anything sci fi have all made the pilgrimage down to fandom's ultimate gathering. Don't plan on popping down on a whim; the thing has been sold out for months. (Though you could always claim to be Stan Lee's nephew and see where that gets you).

But don't feel bad. There's plenty of fun for the rest of us here in LA. We've got freebies to get the weekend going, wicked cool craft projects, a party on a bridge, and movies and concerts under the stars. (And don't forget our 540 ton rock: got anything like that, Comic Con? Didn't think so).

Really, isn't the greatest sci fi just the science that hasn't been discovered yet? Opening this weekend is the newest expansion (as in mind-expanding) at Kidspace Children's Museum, the Robert & Mary Galvin Physics Forest. A few hours spent tinkering among the bottle rocket, giant lever, and ball bounce may well turn your curious little explorers into tomorrow's Nobel-prize winning astrophysicists.

And speaking of curious, San Diego may be getting a few celebrities this weekend, but we've got Curious George. Game. Set. And Match.

Keep reading for some of our favorite picks for this weekend...

It's another weekend of hard choices! Will you spend Sunday celebrating La France at the free Bastille Day Festival on the Upper East Side or enjoying Wave Hill's free Mow-Down Hoedown in the Bronx? Your Saturday decision may be a little easier since two of our top picks, the annual City of Water of Day fest and the first-ever Come Out & Play Family Field Day, both take place on Governors Island (and they're also both free). Or maybe you prefer to move and groove at Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing Kids Dance or the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival’s Family Day?

If you're still planning your summer vacation, be sure to drop by the Soho Apple Store on Saturday morning to hear Mommy Poppins' founder, Anna Fader, talk about the best travel apps for families. Or you can plan the perfect staycation with our brand-new Water Fun Guide, which includes info on NYC's best beaches, pools and sprinkler playgrounds.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide.

Puppets aren’t really our thing. Well, at least I thought they weren’t. We kept hearing about the delights of the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, but we never understood the appeal. However, we’re up for almost any adventure this summer, so when a friend invited us to see Pinocchio last Friday, we said, “Sure, sounds good.” The kids were actually excited from the start, but I wasn’t sold until I heard the theater is air-conditioned. Little did I know, we were going to have the most fun we've had in ages.

As the weather really heats up, take your family into the great outdoors! If you are looking for some fun family events this weekend, Mommy Poppins New Jersey has you covered! Try a fantastic seaside seafood fest, digging for fossils, celebrate Bastille Day, go for an evening hayride on a working-farm, hop on a train or even go for a sail! Read on for our top weekend picks and remember, you can find a listing of all NJ activities for kids in our Event Calendar.