When summer comes, smart Chicago parents make sure they've always got a sprinkler "go bag" packed and ready in the trunk, stroller, or tote: towel, sunscreen, water shoes, swim diaper (if you've got a really little mermaid), and spare clothes. Because in a city with this many awesome water playgrounds, splash parks, and spraygrounds, it pays to be prepared.

Our favorite water play zones in Chicago and the suburbs feature interactive sprinklers, sprayers, cannons, and gushers so everybody can get good and soaked—and some spots offer extra-wet bonuses like waterslides and pools. Chicago Park District water playgrounds turn on in June and keep the fun flowing through Labor Day weekend, although most water parks in the suburbs open Memorial Day weekend, and a few water parks remain open on weekends through the end of September.

Read on for 16 great water playgrounds that are as wet as they can get.

If you've got a child in public school, you live by the school calendar. Many local NYC preschools follow the public school schedule too. The New York City Department of Education's calendar for the 2019-2020 school year was (finally!) just released, and you'll want to bookmark it now, for next year's family vacation plans and, if you're really on the ball, to help with advance planning for school break camp coverage. 

With the exception of the occasional unplanned snow day or case of the sniffles, these are all of the dates you can count on your kiddos being out of school during the 2019-2020 school year.

Spring festivities are kicking into high gear, so get your calendars ready! We've rounded up the best things to do in New York City with kids in April—many of them FREE.

Families can finally get outdoors: Don't miss the annual Children’s Carnival at the Queens County Farm Museum, the spectacular Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival, the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Street Games in East Harlem, and Sakura Matsuri in Brooklyn and more bloom sightings.

If you're looking for a few more indoor activities (Northeast weather is unpredictable in April), EarthFest at the American Museum of Natural History features an incredible lineup of performances and parties, and there are a number of can't-miss children's shows this spring, including a page-to-stage adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, and the further adventures of the four-legged heroes of Nick Jr.'s Paw Patrol.

For more outing ideas, see our Event Calendar, our list of FREE events in NYC in April, and our Spring Break Guide. And get a jump on planning the summer school break with our Summer Camp Guide, which includes FREE and low-cost camps as well as brand-new camps for the 2019 season.