While mandatory kindergarten for New York City five-year-olds doesn't go into effect until 2013, the Department of Education's sweeping Special Education Reform starts this fall. Come September, public schools will be required to integrate most students with special education needs into their general-education classrooms. (Kids with severe challenges may still be taught separately, although the details on what constitutes "severe" are still unclear.)

Even the DOE has admitted the transition may be a difficult one, which has many parents concerned. In order to allay fears, the DOE has set up a hotline to answer questions.

So we’ve covered museums and outdoor birthday party sites in the Hartford County area. But where can you celebrate a birthday for your little one who is an aspiring Picasso? These creative locations will be sure to delight your budding artist allowing them to discover and nurture their inner imaginative abilities.

We've been having a wonderful NYC staycation. That photo may look like it was taken in the country, but it's actually the Arthur Ross Pinetum, one of many hidden treasures in Central Park. This week we also spent some time exploring our neighborhood of the month, Long Island City in Queens, and we shared our favorite places to see incredible views of New York City.

On our Travel site, we featured some great family destinations in Southern Vermont including 40 Things to Do in Brattleboro with Kids, Brattleboro's Retreat Farm where kids can get up close and personal with the animals, and Bromley Adventure Park, which recently opened a brand-new Aerial Adventure section.

Closer to home, our Long Island site has a fantastic profile of Shelter Island, while our New Jersey site's got the scoop on Shark Fest at Camden's Adventure Aquarium. You can also head to the Delaware Water Gap for fishing, boating, swimming, hiking and camping. Or you can plan your own local adventure with our NYC Summer Fun Guide.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

Long Island is celebrating its diversity this weekend, with the India Day Parade on Saturday and IndiaFest on Sunday, and BACCA's Paumanauke Pow Wow. There's also critters, critters everywhere: Reptiles Rule at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, Butterflies Abound! a Bug Safari at the Old Westbury Gardens, and a Bat Safari at the Connetquot River State Park Preserve. Oh my! Round out your weekend with the Sag Harbor Firemen's Carnival. Take a look at our events calendar for more fun activities this weekend and all week long.

So the summer’s about halfway through now and, wait, what? Back to school already? You’ve got to be kidding me! We were just getting started. We’ve only scratched the surface of all those free summer kids movies; we were just setting up our picnics for the many free outdoor concerts, and we're still brushing up our Shakespeare for the different renditions of the Bard in the Park. You can’t send us back now!

Pretty much the only saving grace of back to school is the chance to buy new clothes. (If you’re a kid. If you’re a mom the best thing is everything.) We’ve got some pointers on where to go in LA to for the best combination of style and value. (There’s a fashion show at the Grove this weekend that can give you a few ideas, too).

And if school starts for you and yours next week, I say go out with a bang. Party like it’s the first day of summer. Build a sandcastle, play in the park, ride a choo choo or  hunt for faeries, dance like nobody’s watching, and take your Shakespeare with a dose of Wookie. It ain’t over til it’s over, and this summer has just begun!

Keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend...

Families can savor this mid-August weekend in and around Boston with festivals like the Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade Music Festival at the Prudential Center. And animals take center stage during weekend activities, from a screening of The Zookeeper at the Hatch Shell and the August Moon Festival at the Stone Zoo to a visit with Jef Czekai (“Oddanimalogist”) at the Harvard Museum of Natural History and creatures of the sea at the New England Aquarium. Read on for our weekend highlights, and remember you can find additional options in our Event Calendar.

Try as we might to forget that September and the start of school is just around the corner, this tax-free holiday weekend might just be the motivation we need. We’d love to know your favorite places to buy kids’ clothes and fun school stuff to include in an upcoming post.

And if you’re looking for ideas for that last final summer memory, we have more than 15 summer day trips to consider. Lastly, Tara blogs about her experience as “Camp Mommy” director this summer - sound familiar?

Enjoy!