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.

Toys dominate the landscape in any family home, yet hardly any toys get played with for more than a few minutes before cries of, "I'm boooooored!" echo down hallways and through walls. As long as there have been families, parents have searched for the perfect toy, the one that one keeps children entertained for hours.

We've surveyed our friends and family, conferred with colleagues, and our social media audience and asked them all the same question: What toys keep your kids busy for hours? The answers probably aren't too surprising to longtime parents. All of these highly recommended picks force kids to use their imaginations and build worlds of their own, which, in turn, translates to more extended playtime, and a little more peace for parents.

We've also got parent-tested picks for the best outdoor toys to entertain kids and this great big list of 100 fun things to do when kids say "I'm bored."

This science experiment comes together so quickly you will be playing with your putty in less than 5 minutes. The smooth texture of this putty satisfies any sensory-seeking scientist in your home. One of our 64 Easy Experiments for Kids Using Household Stuff, this simple experiment uses only dish soap and cornstarch.

Read on for a fun, quick experiment to break up your day.

We are starting to see the light at the end of the quarantine tunnel. After over a month of safer-at-home restrictions, only seeing each other over Zoom gatherings or car parades, giving our kids quarantine haircuts and virtual birthday parties, we are finally able to get out and enjoy some of the places that make Central Florida a great place to live.

Thankfully, kids seem to be spared from the worst of coronavirus, mostly showing mild (if any) symptoms. But that thin silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic became fuzzier this week, as health officials report an uptick in deaths of children from a mysterious inflammatory disease similar to Kawasaki disease, with a constellation of symptoms like high fever, terrible belly pain, and even heart issues related to coronavirus. In an emergency advisory posted Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are calling it multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. (Other doctors are referring to it as pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome, or PMIS). As of Friday, more than 200 cases of suspected MIS-C or PMIS had been reported in at least 20 states, including California, Massachusetts, and New York, where up to five children have died from it in past month.

How worried should parents be about MIS-C? We reached out to doctors at two of the nation's top pediatric hospitals, and came away with some reassuring guidance about what's still (phew) a rare occurrence in kids. Still, docs say there are five things all parents should know about COVID-19 and MIS-C. For more expert tips about keeping families safe and healthy, check out our posts about social distancing with kids, getting through pregnancy and childbirth during coronavirus, and how and where to get a coronavirus or COVID-19 antibodies test.

Small businesses have been particularly hard hit by stay-at-home orders across the country, including Mommy Poppins and the many local businesses we’ve introduced you to over the years. In response, a new normal has been created as children's birthday party providers, class programs, and now camps are adjusting by going virtual. To help support these local businesses and provide a place for families to find these top programs, we created Poppins@Home, a micro-site offering free and affordable, parties, classes, and other enrichment activities for children and families. Find it at learn.mommypoppins.com. 

The website already has dozens of free programs and more are being added daily. Programs include free dance activities from Dance Theatre of Harlem, Mandarin classes, cooking classes, and preschool STEM classes, among many others. Virtual birthday parties have also been increasingly popular, and we have a variety of affordable options to choose from. We hope you’ll consider trying a few of these fun, affordable, and creative classes—and spreading the word among your friends—as yet another way to support, uplift, and get through these challenging times together!