We've been having a great time hanging out in Red Hook, Brooklyn lately. The neighborhood has become quite the destination what with Ikea, Fairway, a new pier park and beach, lots of yummy food, and, of course, the free Ikea Water Taxi and buses make it even easier to get there.

Whether you are anchoring your trip to Red Hook around a pragmatic trip to Fairway for groceries or Ikea for household goods, or just heading to the neighborhood for fun, there's tons to do that's fun for kids and parents alike. Here are the top spots in Red Hook for family fun:

Things to do with kids in Red Hook, Brooklyn:

I've been watching this new site Groupon for a little while. It's an interesting idea. It's free to sign up and each morning you get a daily deal emailed to you. If you want to take advantage of the deal, you buy it right there and then and then can print your coupons to use later. The deals are for local NYC businesses and activities and are generally 50% off or even a little bit more. Each deal is only available that day.

While you may be reminiscing about your misspent youth and favorite teen films due to the death of John Hughes, you can enjoy more childhood movie memories like The Wiz and The Muppet Movie as free outdoor movies this weekend. But we recommend you try to get to the Dragon Boat Festival or enjoy the first weekend of Summer Streets too. There's lots more free activities to do this weekend too form street fairs to dance performances and some great nature activities right here in the city. Enjoy!

Also New Jersey Events or Long Island Events for more things to do this weekend.

[UPDATED: September 11, 2012]

If you're heading to the beaches of Long Island, there's a great new site to check out. KidMontauk.com gives parents the inside skinny in everything you need to know to have a blast on and off the beach in Montauk, NY. Heather D'Agostino, the site's founder, offered to fill us in on her Top Ten Things to Do with Kids in Montauk. Thanks, Heather!

About a month ago we relaunched this site with lots of new updates, a new look and features (all of which are summarized here). While resting on our laurels has been fun, we're itching to a) find out what people think of all the changes and b) start working on the next set of improvements.

We've put together a really short reader survey to get your input. This is your chance to tell us what you think of the site and how you think it could be better. We're all ears and would love to hear your complaints, brilliant ideas, whims and fetishes...we'll even take praise.

Best of all, if you answer the survey you get entered to win one of the 10 dinner parties for 10 we're giving away thanks to Susie's Supper Club.

The survey will take you less than five minutes. I hope you'll take the time to give us your input. Click here to take the survey. Thanks!

Oh, PS. We added one new feature today. Now on our Area Guides (the Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, etc tabs) you'll find recommendations and reviews for kid-friendly restaurants in that area thanks to TimeOut Kids. Hope that makes planning your day that much easier.

PPS. That's all there is in this post, don't click on the "read more" which shows up there automatically.

Some kids love summer because it means day camp and sports and running around all day. But for other kids, even the thought of that makes them break out into a cold sweat, which in turn makes parents panic about what to do with kids all summer when they are not "typical" camp kids.

I happen to have a boy who is completely disinterested in a regular day camp and I can only imagine the torture (for both of us) that would follow if I signed him up for such a program. Instead we tried RoboFun, which offers after-school classes, summer camps and school break camps that teach kids robotics, animation and video game design.

Is it August already? We may say this every year, but this year it really feels like the summer is just passing us by. If you haven't already, start (or continue!) taking advantage of all the free, fun and only-in-NYC unique activities that are going on in all of the five boroughs, every day. And with a free performance of Willy Wonka, African and Caribbean dance, an evolutionary adventure and animal discoveries, this weekend is as good as any to get out there and start exploring.

They don't call it The Garden State for nothing. New Jersey is a great place to go to pick your own summer fruit and veggies. Whether it is strawberries, peaches, or peas, you can find plenty of u-pick farms in New Jersey.  Picking your own produce is great thing to do, especially with kids. Not only does it help you eat locally with farm fresh produce, but it's important for kids to learn about where their food comes from and make that connection with the farm. Plus it's lots of fun.

The NJ picking season starts end of May for strawberries with other berries and peaches coming in season end of June through end of July and apples, pumpkins and other vegetables available through the Fall.  Here are some of our favorite farms close to New York City for picking your own fruits and vegetables. Click through to each u-pick farm to find out what they have ripe for u-pick now, plus hours and directions, but also call ahead before you go to make sure they aren't picked out.