Weekly Wrap Up: Free Summer Events and Movies, Mommy Stroller Inventions
It's been a whirlwind of hellos (what's up, summer?) and goodbyes (see ya, school). Tuesday marks the last day of classes for public school students, and since most camps don't begin until after the Fourth of July, we know you'll be looking for things to do next week—and beyond. That's why we rounded up 100 free things to do this summer, with ideas for every single day through the end of August.
Next week's picks include cool concerts, no-cost admission to the Staten Island Children's Museum and the Children's Museum of Manhattan, and SummerStage's Bronx Family Day. Click here for the complete list, and start planning your summer staycation.
We also wanted to highlight two new additions to our site. We're now posting slide shows. That way when we do something extra-cool, like rock climbing at Brooklyn Boulders, you can actually see how much fun we had. Also, if you've been wondering who the mommies of Mommy Poppins are, check out our revamped About page. There you'll find links to bios for our current contributors, and other great info about the site.
And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut.
OUR LATEST VIDEOS
New York City
We started the week off with a bang with 100 free things to do this summer.
Many of our picks are outdoor movie screenings. No wonder: There are 19 free alfresco film series this summer in NYC!
We continued our Destination Playground series with a visit to one of our favorite places to romp in Manhattan: Central Park's Heckscher Playground.
Of course sometimes summer in the city gets so sticky, you can't bear being outside. So we rounded up seven cool ways to stay cool indoors.
Looking for a real fun workout for the whole family? We're big fans of Brooklyn Boulders Family Hours. See our Cool Deals section below for a great discount offer!
If you're planning a trip to our nation's capitol, don't just hit the usual tourist spots. We've got the scoop on the best things to do with kids just outside of Washington, DC, including attractions in nearby Virginia and Maryland.
Got a baby? We've got two infant-specific posts for you this week: must-have sun care products for babes and awesome stroller inventions made by local moms. We're giving one of each cool item away. See our Cool Giveaways section below.
And we shared our best weekend events for families, which include South Street Seaport's annual Children's Day and the Mermaid Parade-like Hunts Point Fish Parade in the Bronx.
New Jersey
Our Garden State moms have been busy! First we spent a great day at the Cape May County Zoo, which is always free to visit.
Next, we gave you the scoop on five of our favorite NJ ice cream spots.
Strawberry picking is so late May. Now it's time to go blueberry picking!
Weekend highlights include the State Fair Meadowlands and Dora the Explorer at Adventure Aquarium in Camden.
Long Island
On LI, we spent a day at Le Play Cafe, which caters to kids and their parents. See our Cool Deals section for a discount offer.
Things to do over the weekend include the Christopher Morley Park Summer Carnival in Rosyln-North Hills and Vintage Baseball in Sayville.
Connecticut
In CT, we took a fun-filled day trip to Kent.
Weekend events include a strawberry festival in Bethlehem and a fireworks display over Candlewood Lake.
Cool Deals and Giveaways
We've got two great giveaways this week!
Enter to win a family four-pack of tickets to the new interactive children's show The Ohmies: A Morning Wish Garden. Click here for details on how to enter.
Also, in conjunction with our post on mommy-made stroller inventions, we're giving away one of each product! To enter, just leave a comment saying one you can't live without. We'll pick winners at random on Monday.
We had so much fun at Brooklyn Boulders last weekend, we decided to run not one but two deals. Save 50% on a Family Hours package or a Kids Adventure day pass.
Big news at PoppinsPerks: We're now offering deals on Long Island. Our first one is 50% discount at Le Play Cafe in Bellmore.
