In the past we've told you about the fun-filled Parents' Night Out/Kids' Night In pajama parties hosted by child care service Project Playdate. Now that school's out for the summer, Project Playdate is launching a brand-new series of drop-off daytime field trips, so parents can run errands, hit the gym or just enjoy a little me time while kids experience cool New York City culture.

At Summer Playdates with Project Playdate outings, children ages 1 to 7 get to see kids' concert at Madison Square Park, spend time with the animals at the Central Park Zoo, visit the American Museum of Natural History and the Children's Museum of the Arts, and much more. Parents will be happy, too, since Project Playdate is known for its experienced and caring staff, low child-to-sitter ratio, affordable rates and donates a portion of its proceeds to charity.

As moms ourselves, we known firsthand how hard it is to tackle everything on our long to-do lists, especially with kids underfoot, so we think these Summer Playdates with Project Playdate sound wonderful. In fact, we like the idea so much, Mommy Poppins is sponsoring the program along with UrbanSitter. The first field trip is coming up this Thursday, July 11 and Summer Playdates continue on select dates through the end of August. Read on for all the details and for registration information.

So your child wants to be a Jedi Master? My Star Wars-loving kids certainly do. In fact, one of my sons is so obsessed, last year he took a demo class with New York Jedi: The Light Saber Enthusiasts Collective, a group of cosplayers and martial artists who specialize in stage combat based on a mash-up of fencing, kendo and the world of Star Wars.

Since the New York Jedi have primarily worked only with adults, they made an exception for my son to take their Jedi training class, but apparently, my son wasn't the only underage aspiring Jedi in NYC. Demand for kids' classes was so great, New York Jedi is set to debut Saber Kids!, the first-ever five-week light saber stage combat training program aimed specifically at children ages 7 to 13. May the course be with you!

In our book, FREE is good. It's not always easy finding free stuff to do with the kids! Low and behold, I’ve found several low cost – and even FREE! – family friendly opportunities here in southern CT that include submarines, bowling, movies, story times, free museum days and free passes to state beaches and state parks like Gillette Castle. If you are in Hartford County, we've got a great list of free things to do there too.

You know the worst thing you can do to someone right in the middle of a four-day holiday weekend? Give them a really long post to read. But don't worry: We'll be brief today since it's been a pretty quiet week for all of us at Mommy Poppins as we transition from school to summer, and enjoy our four-day 4th of July weekend.

Since it's a new month, we posted a new NYC Go List, highlighting the absolute best things to do with kids throughout July, including three awesome picks for this weekend. If you're going out of town for the holiday, be sure to visit our regional sites since Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut and Westchester all published July Go Lists, too. Even if you're planning a 4th of July holiday staycation, you may want to check the posts out: After reading about the Hudson Valley Balloon Festival on our Westchester site, I'm thinking of taking a last-minute day trip with my family. And if you're on the hunt for a proper vacation, our Travel site rounded up a bunch of midsummer getaway deals.

We're also giving away four tickets to one of our July Go List recommendations: Monkey: Journey to the West. The multimedia show is best for tweens and up so consider your child's age before you enter.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

In my olden days (mid-'90s post-college), planning a road trip went something like this: "Friday night and nothing to do.  Hmm... Let's go to Vegas!" And within thirty minutes my friends and I would be on our way. Now I travel with a posse of children, so Vegas is not the first place that comes to mind when I'm considering a family-friendly weekend. Still, I love a good road trip, and LA is, as always, a fantastic base from which to branch out. Much more care is involved in my planning process these days, and it's a plus if the chaos of larger cities, theme parks, water parks, and too-trendy anything can be avoided. Are you like me - interested in taking the road less traveled, and perhaps a little more family-oriented? See if any of these strike your fancy.

If you’ve decided to stick around Jersey for 4th of July weekend, you’ll find plenty of summer fun! Family-friendly festivals are a great way to keep the whole gang entertained, so check out the annual Blueberry Bash at Terhune Orchards or the Front Porch Bluegrass Festival in Chester. If you’re craving some adventure, hop aboard Thomas the Tank Engine on the Delaware River Railroad with your little train lover or take a hike through Maggie’s Point Trail at Plainsboro Preserve. Read on for our top picks and find a listing of all NJ activities in our Event Calendar.

Fourth of July activities overtake the city this week, as Boston Harborfest celebrations run through July 7. As a reminder, we’ve pulled together a list of our favorite Boston Harborfest events, including "America's Biggest July 4th Celebration" on the Esplanade. There are also plenty of smaller-scale alternatives around Boston, just right for families.

We’ve also published our July Go Boston list - check out our picks for some of the best and biggest events happening this month. And Tara explored Foxboro with her family this past week - they found 15 things to do there this summer, including a visit to the Hall at Patriot Place. And fast on the heels of strawberry picking (the season isn’t over yet!) comes the you-pick blueberries season - we’ve rounded up some options for picking (and included our favorite blueberry recipe).

Read on for Harborfest highlights and other special events taking place this week. As always, you can visit our Events Calendar for even more things to do.

Enjoy, and have a happy and safe 4th!

When I was young, the dazzle of summer included my Auntie Grace's homemade coffee ice cream and the thrill of helping to make it. Oh, the delicious anticipation of taking a turn hand-cranking the ancient ice cream maker, lifting the top, and hoping the cream inside had thickened enough to be scooped and swallowed. There's nothing quite like hand-crafted ice cream. But, of course, there's also nothing like summer laziness and letting someone else make the ice cream for you. Read on, hammock dwellers, for we've got the inside scoop on the most delectable ice cream (and gelato) on the Westside, most of which is made in-house. Come on in and have a lick.