While here at Mommy Poppins we pride ourselves in keeping a finger on the pulse of Long Island's event and activity scene, the Coronavirus has forced us to swim in the opposite direction of these unchartered waters. To help keep you in the know, we have created a running list of local museums, venues, attractions that are temporarily closed due to the Coronavirus. Please review our list and reach out if we have missed any.

Visit our Coronavirus Guide for Parents, for tons of resources and Boredom Busters to keep the kids busy. We've got educational science experiments, fun exercise games, remote learning resources like FREE online coding classes for kids, and more.

For more information on Coronavirus updates from around New York State, click here to read what parents should know.

Updated Monday, March 16 at 6pm.

More NJ-area museums, theaters, and other cultural and entertainment spots have closed their doors and canceled public events in response to the CDC's latest recommendation that public gathereings of 50 or more people be canceled for the next eight weeks. In addition, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Monday that all performing arts centers and movie theaters must shut down "indefinitely" beginning at 8pm Monday.

Among the many institutions and venues that have closed are Liberty Science Center, American Dream Mall, Great Wolf Lodge, Mayo Performing Arts Center, and the Montclair Art Museum.

The closures in New Jersey join a growing number of cultural and entertainment institutions closing around the country and the world, from Broadway to Disneyland to the Louvre.

We will continue to update this list, so check back often. Also check out our list of NYC-area corona virus closings, including the New York Public Library, the New York Hall of Science, and the American Museum of Natural History. And see our Coronavirus Guide for Parents for the latest on the virus, plus tons of options to keep kids busy during these unprecedented shutdowns.

It's day 1 for my family in New York's first coronavirus "containment zone," a state-mandated two-week shutdown of schools and other public-gathering points within a 1-mile radius of the state's epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in New Rochelle. With so much uncertainty—who will get sick, how long will this really last, and will I have the supplies we need—it’s hard to know how to react to this shutdown with my family, which includes two teenagers, here in Westchester County.

As recently as a week ago, "prepare for sickness" topped my to-do list in terms of what to gather and stock up on. In early March, it still all seemed like an anxious person's panic and overkill. At that point—only a few days ago—most of the local discussion among parents and neighbors centered on whether or not COVID-19 was overhyped compared with the seasonal flu. I decided to take it seriously—not as a panicked person fearing for my life, but in the interest of emergency preparedness for the sake of my family.

(Find more information, including school closings and indoor activities and games, in our Coronavirus Guide for Parents.)

OK, folks, this just got serious. I know we've all been glued to our screens tracking the inconceivable developments of this pandemic situation, watching major events cancel in real time, wondering if our kids are going to be attending school from the sofa next week, canceling trips to Europe, etc... But look out because COVID-19, aka the Coronavirus, just shut down Disneyland.

Updated Monday, March 16, at 5pm.

All of New Jersey's public and private schools—pre-K through 12, as well as colleges—will be ordered closed on Wednesday to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy announced at a press conference on Monday. It's one of many increasingly stringent steps being taken in New Jersey, where confirmed cases have risen to 178. 

Murphy also announced that he's mobilizing the National Guard, and he urged all NJ residents to stay home from 8pm to 5am each day. In addition, all New Jersey movie theaters, performing arts centers, gyms, clubs, and casinos will be closed indefinitely as of 8pm Monday.

"We do not take any of these steps lightly," Murphy said. "We know that each comes with its own set of impacts on residents, families, communities, and businesses. But at this moment, our paramount concern must be to flatten the curve of new cases so we do not overload our health care system."

With schools closed and most public places shuttered, parents are finding themselves in the position of teaching their school-age children and trying to keep little ones entertained, many while trying to work from home. Check out our Cornavirus Guide for Parents to find the latest info, including closings of other NJ institutions and venues, as well as plenty of resources to help you cope. We've got Boredom Busters to keep the kids busy, plus educational science experiments, fun exercise games, online learning resources, and more. 

Schools and universities across the greater New York metro area are also closing, including the NYC Department of Education, which announced that it will be closed at least through April 20. See more about New York school closings here.

For families, creating a pantry with enough staples that you can make several meals when you don't have time to hit the store can be a lifesaver. We're big fans of Trader Joe's recipes for easy weeknight cooking, so whenthings get busy, I turn to Trader Joe's to start stocking up. 

Kids may love going to Trader Joe’s for the free stickers, hidden stuffed animals, and lollipops. But, for me, I have always loved the number of convenience foods this specialty food store provides, aka, entire gourmet meals I can microwave or throw into a single pan from frozen—and have ready sometimes in as little as 7 minutes. The packed shelves can seem overwhelming for anyone to navigate, so we’ve created this list of 15 best meals from Trader Joe's recipes, combining veggies, proteins, whole grains, and flavor.