This Week: New Park Slope Playground, Kid-Friendly Chelsea Restaurants, It's My Park Day

We were all about cool new destinations and attractions this week. Cooper-Hewitt opened its brand-new Design Center in Harlem, where kids can take free art workshops. After a one-year renovation, Park Slope's J. J. Byrne Playground reopened with state-of-the-art equipment and a Colonial theme. And the Metropolitan Museum of Art debuted an out-of-this-world rooftop installation.

If you're looking for a fun Memorial Day weekend getaway, how about going fruit or vegetable picking? We've updated our pick-your-own guide with roundups of fruit and vegetable farms on Long Island and berry picking spots in Connecticut. Meanwhile our Travel site can help you plan your big summer vacation. We have new posts about things to do with kids in Virginia Beach and a rave review of Disney's new cruise ship, the Fantasy.

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

Long Island Kids' Activities May 19 and 20: Bugs Bonanza, Kids Fest at 300 Bowling, Raptors & S'mores, and More

(Photo: Hallockville Museum Farm)

Happy weekend to you! I think we’ve finally hit or spring-into-summer stride with the weather, and it looks like it’s gonna be a good one! As always, Long Island has lots to offer this weekend, both indoors and out. There’s a boaters’ safety event at Tanner Park in Copiague, Maccabiah Youth Sports Day in Port Washington, and several camps are having open houses. Plus 300 Long Island is having a Kids Fest this weekend, where kids get to bowl for free, there’s a Bug Bonanza going on at the Long Island Children’s Museum, and “Raptors & S’mores” at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center.

Have a great weekend!

Little Lions: Best Kids' Books About New Siblings from The New York Public Library

Having a second child, as joyous as it is, can be seriously stressful—especially for your first born, who up until now was the center of attention. Even if your kid is excited about becoming a big sister or brother, mixed emotions may set in once the baby actually arrives. Sharing toys at school is one thing; sharing mom and dad and toys at home? Cue a tantrum.

Although the siblings will inevitably bond, you can jump-start the process by sharing books about new brothers and sisters, even while you're still pregnant. So for this month's Little Lions post, we asked Katie Crook, the senior librarian at the Francis Martin Library in the Bronx, to share her favorite children's titles about families welcoming new arrivals.

Mostly Free and Fun Things To Do With NJ Kids This Weekend May 19-20

With Memorial Day weekend around the corner, the countdown to summer is on! NJ is hopping with great family activities around the entire state to keep your crew entertained, educated, and hopefully, exhausted. There's the Great Swamp Scavenger Hunt, Garden Party, Mayfest, Bluegrass and BBQ Festival as well as Free Admission to Morris County Museums just to name a few of the great events.  And you can also find a listing of all NJ activities for kids in our Event Calendar.

Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Bugs, Banjos and a Solar Eclipse, May 19 - 20

From Bugs to Banjos, Los Angeles has it all this weekend.

Reminding us that LA is just a collection of small towns, locals can celebrate at neighborhood festivals in Santa Monica and Hollywood.

Think you’re alone in your hobby?  Not in this town! We’ve got festivals this weekend that celebrate interests of all kinds!  Whether you’ve got a bee in your bonnet for bugs, or you’re silly for strawberries, there are tons of other eccentrics folks who think they're swell, too. There are hoedowns for those who sing the praises of strings, both the fiddling and puppet-wielding variety.  And if you’re all about getting out and moving, you can find like-minded folk traveling by foot and by sea.

Think your hobby eclipses them all? You might be right, if you’re gazing skyward. We’ve got two places to view this weekend's solar eclipse, (just don’t look directly at it!)

Keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend.

Fun and Free Things to Do this Weekend with Kids in Boston - Hot Dogs, Kites, and More 5/19 - 5/20

There’s plenty of fun and free things to do in and around Boston this weekend. From EarthFest at the Hatch Shell, the Franklin Park Kite Festival, and the Hot Dog Safari on Saturday to the Mystic River Herring Run and Paddle on Sunday, the weekend is filled with festivals and celebrations. Read on for more of our weekend picks, and be sure to check our Events Calendar for more ideas.

Looking for more things to do? We have plenty of ways to keep your kids busy outside: cycling trails, routes and tours; some of our favorite farmers markets in town, and al fresco dining options that are also kid-friendly. And we’d love your feedback for an upcoming post on stroller-friendly places to take little ones for a walk - email, post on Facebook, or comment below.

Enjoy!

Free and Fun Things to Do this Weekend with Kids in CT: Robin Hood Festival, Pet Parades, Carnivals

This week our calendar of events is FULL of great events all over the state. Lucky for us it is suppose to be sunny and beautiful all weekend! Beardsley Zoo celebrates its 90th birthday this weekend with fun surprises for visitors all day long. Lyman Orchards is hosting Connecticut Day in Middlefield. CT-made treats, family activities as well as jam making demonstrations are sure to make this a fun foodie event. In Stamford head out to the Spring on the Farm Festival Weekend at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center. In West Hartford its Farm Day at Westmoor Park. Baby animals, hayrides, games and more will make this a fun outing.

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