Notable openings and one sweet move The folks behind Queens' Fantasy Forest at the Flushing Meadows Carousel are opening a similar mini-amusement park at Staten Island's Midland Beach. Fantasy Shore Amusement Park is currently under construction but once it opens (date to be determined) tots will be able to hop on a train, a tame roller coaster, spinning tea cups and more.

Speaking of Fantasy Forest, it's got a brand-new ride, the Queens Motor Speedway race car attraction, and a great new deal: On Friday evenings from 5 to 7pm, you can ride the historic Flushing Meadows Carousel at the retro rate of .50 cents in honor of the anniversary of the World's Fair.

Prospect Park's highly anticipated water play area at Lakeside has opened! Located right next to the brand-new roller rink, the cool-off spot features 41 jets shooting water in every direction. It's open daily from 10am to 7pm (weather and temperature permitting) through Labor Day weekend.

There's a hip new tot spot in (where else?) Williamsburg: Edamama Cute Cuts & More. In addition to offering cool new 'dos (complete with feathers and color streaks), this sea-themed salon has a cozy library for storytime and kid-lit author readings, a play area for sing-alongs and a cafe for parents.

Now that the 9/11 Museum and its controversial gift shop are open, you no longer need a ticket to visit the 9/11 Memorial Plaza. Consequently, we updated our post about visiting the 9/11 Memorial with kids and we plan to do a new post on the museum in a few weeks. If you want to check it out right away, take note: On Tuesdays from 5 to 8pm admission is FREE assuming you manage to snag an online reservation or one of the few tickets given out day of.

Two of Vital Children's Theatre's tastiest kid-lit-inspired hits are moving. Starting in mid-June, Peace, Love and Cupcakes and Pinkalicious will perform at alternating times at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater inside the West Side YMCA through the end of August. The latter is best for preschool fans of the picture book but Broadway-show-tune-loving school-age kids should enjoy Peace, Love and Cupcakes whether or not they're familiar with the chapter book it's based on. Snag $20 to both shows with the discount code MPSS20 if you order by June 14.

FREE summer sports for kids The CityParks Foundation just posted the schedule for its no-cost kids' sports programs this summer. For tennis, and track & field, all you have to do is show up the first day to snag a spot. But for golf you need to register in advance. The online form is supposed to go up the first week of June so keep an eye out.

Or is football more your kid's thing? The Chris Canty Foundation, founded by the NFL Super Bowl XLVI champion, is hosting a FREE two-day no-contact football camp in Harlem for children ages 8 to 16 on Monday, June 30 and Tuesday, July 1. No experience is necessary and admission is first-come, first-served. Just fill out this form. Busy on those dates? Check out our post about NYC football classes for kids.

Help others and help yourself One of our favorite places to play in Tribeca, the Church Street School for Music and Art, suffered a fire in March which destroyed its administrative offices. Consider donating to the school's crowdfunding campaign to help with the necessary renovations. The rewards range from cute (your name in a song) to cool (art and performance classes).

Finally, for kids who are passionate about something, be it music, art, sports or baking, the Michael Perelstein Memorial Scholarship Fund is now accepting applications for its second annual Discover Your Passion Competition. Open to NYC kids in second to eighth grades, winners receive grants to help fund new opportunities in their chosen field. My son came in second last year and the prize money made it possible for him to attend computer camp this summer, as well as fly to England for a junior tech conference. There's no cost to enter, but several short essays (from parent and child), a nomination letter from a teacher, a portfolio of completed work and a sample budget are required.