With social distancing measures in place, most of us are keeping in touch with friends and relatives via virtual hangouts on Zoom, HouseParty, FaceTime, and other video apps. While nothing can replace real face time with friends and family, video conferencing can bring its own unique brand of fun. From virtual backgrounds to interactive games to special guests (who knew goats had such screen presence?), these tips and tricks will add some pizzazz to your next online gathering.

For more creative ways to connect while keeping socially distant, check out our ideas for car parades, neighborhood scavenger hunts, and more.

When it comes to where to buy a face mask or how to make a face mask, we’ve got the whole family covered—literally! Disney, Old Navy, and other retailers are making super-cute kids' face masks that are comfortable, affordable, and now essential for coronavirus protection. Or, with as little as a single sock and a pair of scissors, you can make a mask for kids yourself! The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that people ages two and older who don't have cognitive or respiratory impairments wear face coverings when in public, especially in situations where it's hard to stay 6 feet away from other people.

Remember: parents are the most influential people in kids' lives, so grab (or make) a family pack of these stylish face masks and practice wearing them together before you head out. These doctor's tips for social distancing with kids include more helpful ideas for keeping your family and community safe, as many parts of the country begin to reopen.

The arrival of June means it's Pride month, a vibrant, rainbow-filled celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community that is marked by over-the-top parades, jam-packed rallies, and marches in cities across the country.

Whether you're a member of the Queer community or consider yourself an ally, here are 24 ways to celebrate Pride Month this June with your kids. For local parades and rallies, be sure to check your area's calendar of events.

For further reading for kids of all ages, check out our list of the Best LGBTQ Books for Kids To Celebrate Pride Month.

Governor J.B. Pritzker has rolled out the Illinois reopening plan, while Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced a separate framework for the Chicago metro area. After two months of lockdown, only seeing each other in car parades and during 8pm howls, giving our kids quarantine haircuts, and throwing virtual birthday parties, we finally have an Illinois reopening plan. We will (eventually!) be able to get out and enjoy some of the long-awaited warm weather.

The Restore Illinois plan divides the state into four regions and includes five phases. May 1 saw the beginning of Phase 2, a mostly stay-home-phase, with the reopening of some state parks. Locally, the Protecting Chicago plan also has five phases and is also currently in Phase 2. In positive news, Illinois regions beyond the metro area continue to flatten the curve and are on track to enter Phase 3 of reopening May 29. Chicago is close behind and expected to start reopening sometime in June. Read on to find out what this means for families, schools, and local businesses, as well as what outdoor spaces we can now visit, those reopening soon, and those that are still closed.

To enter Phase 3, we need to keep meeting certain milestones, which means continuing to socially distance and wear face masks. If you develop symptoms, find out how to get tested, and be sure to steer clear of close contact, particularly with vulnerable populations.

If coronavirus lockdown has everyone climbing the walls, help is on the way. Governor Charlie Baker is rolling out the state's reopening plans, offering gradual relief to families and businesses. After two months of stay-at-home orders, only seeing each other in car parades and 8pm howls, and throwing virtual birthday parties, we can start enjoying beaches, parks, drive-in movies, and haircuts by Memorial Day, and playgrounds, spray decks, and summer camps in a few weeks. Getting outside has never sounded so thrilling! If we do it responsibly, we should be able to enjoy some fresh air without putting people's lives at risk.

The plan to reopen Massachusetts has four phases, with Phase 1 beginning now and Phase 2 unfolding around the week of June 8. Read on to find out what that means for schools and stores, as well as the outdoor spaces we can now visit—as long as we adhere to social-distancing protocol and cover up with face masks.

If Coronavirus quarantine has got you down, help is on the way. Governor Abbott's "Open Texas" plan is off and running, granting families and businesses gradual relief after months of Stay-at-Home orders. Getting out of the house has never sounded as appealing, and Houstonians are embracing the ability to frequent local hotspots again, even if it's not under quite the same circumstances as it was pre-quarantine. After two months of lockdown, only seeing each other in car parades and 8pm howls, giving our kids quarantine haircuts and virtual birthday parties, we finally have the beginnings of a plan to get out and enjoy the beaches, hiking trails, and more. If we do it responsibly, we should be able to enjoy some fresh air without putting people's lives at risk.

The plan to reopen Texas has three phases, and we are currently in Phase 2. Read on to find out what that means for schools and businesses, as well as trails, beaches, farms, and more that we can now visit—as long as we adhere to social distancing protocol and cover up with face masks.

After weeks of coronavirus lockdown, only seeing each other in car parades and 8pm howls, giving our kids at-home haircuts for virtual birthday parties, and only buying gifts via pick-up or delivery, Georgia paved the way as one of the first states to allow businesses to slowly open doors. Phase one of the reopening began May 1, with more restrictions removed each week since. Governor Kemp's decision has been met with mixed feelings; while some patrons and businesses are eager to restart something that resembles pre-pandemic life, others still weigh the risks and choose to remain mostly at home. Whichever your perspective, there are options now for getting out of the house, and we've pulled together some that interest families most.

Like summers past, Memorial Day weekend brings with it the opening of beaches across much of the tri-state area. Though NYC beaches remain shuttered for the foreseeable future, city-dwellers won't be left to sweat it out, because, from the Jersey Shore to Long Island beaches, and the sands of Connecticut, there are plenty of family-friendly beaches nearby where the sun and the surf await.

While many local shorelines are reopening, beachgoers can expect the summer beach season of 2020 to look a little different than years past, with limits to crowd size and fewer amenities, but we're doing our best to break it all down for area families, so you can enjoy some traditional summer fun. At popular state-run beaches like Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park, capacity will be limited by putting caps on available parking spots. Elsewhere, at local Long Island, Connecticut, and Jersey Shore beaches, the sale of beach tags will be restricted and be forewarned: Some spots will be limited to residents only.

This means families must plan beach outings days in advance, and arrive early to beat the crowds and heed closures. Rules and regulations are likely to change throughout the season, so be sure to click through to your favorite shoreline's local home page for details on its current status before you head out.