There are few parent-approved pastimes more loved than science experiments, but once summer hits, we naturally want kids (and their sticky creations) outdoors. With these 15 backyard science experiments for kids, all that measuring, mixing, and tinkering can take place on the grass, driveway, or a stretch of sidewalk.

Kids can learn to harness the power of sun or water in these science experiments, learning concepts ranging from molecular chemistry to basic physics. Several experiments are easy enough for even young children to do independently, but parents might want to get in on the (re)action, too! Find more science experiments for kids in our STEM Guide for Kids and loads more summer fun on our Ultimate Summer Bucket List Ideas with 100 (Mostly) Free Outdoor Games and Activities for Kids.

New York parents breathed a collective sigh of relief last Thursday, June 11, when Governor Andrew Cuomo announced public pools, spraygrounds, and playgrounds are allowed to reopen statewide at local governments' discretion.

The governor noted that local municipalities must use their discretion in opening play areas to the public, "Everybody wants to swim, I understand," Cuomo said. "Everybody doesn't want to see a spike in COVID again. So, use your judgment. Sometimes yes is not the right answer. It's the easy answer."

Read on for the details on how the decree has been received locally and what that means for families anxious for summer fun in Long Island, Westchester, and New York City's five boroughs. Stay tuned to our Summer Fun Guide for the latest reopenings for area kids.

With a summer at home ahead us, Strawtown Studio's new summer camp in a box provides a creative nature program for families to do on their own schedule. While the educational non-profit's summer program typically includes outdoor exploration, botanical and wildlife study, and creating art with natural materials on-site at the base of Hook Mountain on the Hudson River, this year, families can bring the fun and exploration home with the Strawtown NatureArt Adventure Box Program for ages 5 to 13. This paid program includes a scheduled series of Zoom workshops, but free at-home activities will also be available online throughout the summer.

As you stare down the bottom of empty glue bottles and paint jars after months in quarantine, the Strawtown NatureArt Adventure Box Program will be a welcome sigh of relief. As the name suggests, all families participating in the at-home summer camp receive a travel-friendly, water- and impact-resistant art box to guide their summer learning. The box is packed with more than 25 high-quality items (valued over $150), including watercolors and brushes, pencils and paper, modeling clay and colorful beeswax, strings and craft wire, plant ID cards and a magnifying glass, plus a few more surprises you can bust out as needed. A list of the materials with helpful tips and an illustrated activity booklet for hands-on nature art experiences are conveniently included for on-the-go inspiration.

Zoom became popular during the pandemic, but the video chat platform—and others like FaceTime and Skype—is great for more than just quarantine times. For families like mine, with grandparents spread across the country, a Zoom date is an easy, satisfying way to foster face-to-face connections between generations. While a casual chat is fun in itself, sometimes we like to up the ante and incorporate some fun activities into the video session. Here are our 10 favorite activities and games that kids can do with grandparents over Zoom.

For more fun Zoom tips, be sure to read our roundups of ways to make virtual hangouts more awesome and the best games to play with friends virtually.

There is a ton of inflatable and pool fun to be had this summer right in your backyard. Climb, splash, and slide in these bounces houses, kiddie pools, and water slides. These inflatables will take backyard fun to the next level and provide hours of outdoor entertainment during a summer of mostly staying at home. And no, they haven't all sold out—yet!

For more backyard fun, check out these 25 Water Games for Kids to cool everyone down. Still need some summer activities? You'll never be bored if you keep handy our Ultimate Summer Bucket List Ideas with 100 (Mostly) Free Outdoor Games and Activities for Kids.

Play is front and center in every way at Play Together NYC, a close-knit Manhattan preschool dedicated to individual attention, small class sizes, and a rich varied curriculum that preps young minds for Kindergarten and beyond. Right now, the school is accepting applications for their 3s Program, as well as their new Alternative 4s Program, which offers a part-time option to families that have chosen not to apply to UPK or whose placement was unsatisfactory. Play Together NYC also offers in Pre-K for All, and while all of the 2020-2021 seats in the city's free program are filled up, incoming 3s students will have first-priority for next year—and what a relief for parents that is.

Philly families, rejoice! In what might be some of the best news of the season, playgrounds, spraygrounds, and splash pads around Philadelphia have been given the green light to reopen. Philadelphia officials announced the upcoming reopening of the area's spraygrounds on Monday, June 8.

The city's public swimming pools won't reopen in 2020 due to precautions over the coronavirus health crisis, but spraygrounds can reopen July 6, offering a spot for kids to cool down during summer's heat. Philly playgrounds are already open under the city's Safer-at-Home phase yellow. Read on for details and check out what else is reopening in the Philly area.

Here in Los Angeles, art is everywhere—and you can enjoy it even when our fabulous museums are closed. LA has plenty of beautiful and inspiring street art, from giant wall murals to painted utility boxes.  Seemingly everywhere you look, there's a street display that's colorful and thought-provoking, not to mention Instagram-worthy. And in this time of so much uncertainty, the messages street art conveys can be uplifting. In fact, in the aftermath of some of the damage that occurred when looters hijacked recent protests and demonstrations, street art has helped communities heal.

Here are some of our favorite photo op street murals for LA families.