Now that New Jersey's in a deep freeze, is anyone itching for warm weather, beaches and swimming? While there are plenty of fun winter activities, I can’t help feeling like Olaf and dreaming of everything summer. Don’t let the cold keep you indoors and stop you from doing those summer activities you love. With warm clothing and a little imagination, there are ways to experience summer-type fun in the winter. So get out your bathing suit (perhaps covered with your winter coat), and pretend it’s summer in January.

The week kicks off with Martin Luther King Day, a day of peace and remembrance, as well as a day off from school. Keep the kids busy at Explore the Dream Through Art Workshop or a fun day of Skate & Play at Depford Skating, plus various other community events. Nature programs are popping up all over the state this week, including Awesome Animal Artists, Maple Tree Tapping and Kids and Critters Preschool Program. And get a taste of music and art at Rock Out with Mr. Ray and Fire Me Up! Studio’s Kid’s Night Out. Don’t forget to check out our event calendar for even more weekday and weekend events.

This week starts with a national holiday honoring our nation’s most important civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. Schools are closed; the kids are home, but that’s okay because there are lots of things to do. The National Parks are open for free on Monday, and who doesn’t love a Parade?

The Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles actually has more floats (though probably fewer flowers) than that other parade in Pasadena. Why not take a moment and get the kids to tell you what they know about this great American? Trust me, it’s been covered in school. Enjoy the three day weekend, and if you don’t see something in the picks that suits your fancy, check out our event calendar. There are many more possibilities…

Now that we're all back into the swing of things (the holidays are really over!), there are plenty of events and activities for the kids across Long Island. From celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to enjoying a cup of cocoa and a story, we've rounded up some of the best events happening this week. Remember, this list is just our top picks--be sure to check out our Long Island Events Calendar regularly as it is always being updated. And to receive this post right into your inbox, sign up for our newsletter, which is now going out twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays).

Earlier this month we kicked off 2015 with a new feature to help you enjoy even more fun activities with your kids. In addition to our  weekend events round-ups, every Monday we'll share weekday activity picks to enjoy Monday through Friday. We've also added an additional newsletter so our subscribers will get the new weekday events right in their inbox Monday mornings. Not a subscriber? Sign up now!

This week starts off with an extra long weekend and many events across the state to honor Martin Luther King. Then we've rounded up a toddler tour, a little Zumba, a Winter Wonderland, and more! Of course, we have loads of events listed every day in our events calendar so please check it out. If that midweek snow arrives, be sure to check out our guide to Hartford County Sledding Hills. Have fun!