If summertime means theme and water park fun and roller coaster thrills for your family, then you’ll want to check out what’s new for the 2016 season at some of our favorite amusement parks in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions.

While the recent cool spring temps along the East Coast have put a hold on opening day for some amusement parks, others are already open for junk food eating, coaster screams and arcade fun. We found two brand-new roller coasters and more little kid friendly fare like a five-slide complex and new home for Jersey dinosaurs in our search across parks in the greater New York City area, including Coney Island’s Luna Park, and a bit beyond, like Six Flags in New Jersey and Edaville’s Thomas Land in Massachusetts to round up more than a dozen new rides, features and thrills for summer 2016.

Read on for all the details, including height requirements and expected opening dates.

We've already rounded up several Earth Day celebrations happening throughout Westchester, and the fun doesn't stop there! We are going beyond the county line to explore even more ways to celebrate our planet in Lower Hudson Valley.

Earth Day, held annually on April 22, falls on a Friday this year, and there's plenty going on throughout April. These events are interactive, educational and fun for all ages—after all, it's never too early show our kids that we must love, protect and preserve the world we live in. Read on for our top picks for Earth Day events happening throughout Lower Hudson Valley. If you see something that piques your interest, click through to the event listing for all the details, including address, time and price. Also, be sure to peruse our Event Calendar for more family-friendly outings.

Whether your kid is just learning to ollie or is an advanced skater perfecting her frontside noseslide, there are plenty of skateboarding masters around NYC ready to teach the next generation.

We rounded up six great skateboarding classes where kids ages 4 and up can hone their skills from Manhattan to Staten Island, and of course, Brooklyn. Worried about this new sport involving possible asphalt face-plants that your kid is hounding you about? Well, it’s also a great workout, building strength, flexibility and coordination—oh, and a decent mode of transportation!

Find more NYC classes in our Classes Guide and Directory Listings.

Our children grow quickly and leave behind bags of barely worn clothes and gear. Instead of throwing those non-essentials out, why not let someone less fortunate get more use from them and clear out your closet at the same time? Brooklyn families have a number of options for donating gently used children's items, so you can contribute to a good cause instead of wasting good items.

Read on for eight organizations accepting your donations in Brooklyn.

More and more families are going the vegetarian, and even the vegan, route, so we’ve rounded up the best NJ family-friendly options for meatless (and eggless and other-less) fare. And even if you don't necessarily identify as "veg", everyone should give these yummy places a try– your kids may surprise you and probably won't even realize they're eating "healthy." Some venues on the list are not strictly vegetarian/vegan, but offer many vegetarian or vegan options for kids, plus crayons, toys to play with, entertainment and more.

A new indoor play gym launched in Philadelphia this year! East Falls is now home to Kids at Play, a bright, shiny, 7,000 foot indoor playground and seriously cool entertainment zone that is easy on the eyes (specifically designed for children with sensory issues in mind), and invites creative play and exploration. We got a chance to check it out, and let me tell you, it is worth the trip! Read on for a full review (and check out other reviews of awesome spaces in Philadelphia).

Do automatic-flush toilets scare your preschooler? Do you always forget to put a spare onesie in the diaper bag? Do you go crazy trying to get the crumbs out of your car’s cup holders? These are the types of real problems parents face every day. Who would know the solutions better than other parents? The just released book Parent Hacks: 134 Genius Shortcuts for Life with Kids written by Asha Dornfest, founder of the Parent Hacks website, and her community of parent hackers has the answer to these issues and, well, 131 more.

Parent Hacks is a decade of the cumulative knowledge of sleep-deprived parents. What I love about it is its down-to-earth take on everyday frustrations and issues. Because the advice comes from real parents, many of the solutions rely on clever tricks using everyday things you find around the house, rather than pricey products. It's frugal, real advice—and often hilarious, including the fun illustrations by Craighton Berman. There are a lot of hacks dealing with poop and other gross situations parents find themselves in, making it a great choice for those with babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

We love this book so much that Mommy Poppins is helping to throw it a party. Read on to find out more about probably the most useful new parenting book around and how you can join us for a fun celebration if you are in NYC.