For local families with curious kids, the Connecticut Science Center is one of the best places to spend a chilly or rainy day. Kidspace, the Engineering Lab, Invention Dimension, and Our Changing Earth are just some of the exhibits and activities that simultaneously entertain and educate youth of all ages. Also, there are traveling exhibits that change regularly, making it worthwhile to come back to the Connecticut Science Center more than once during the year. Add in take-home projects and school vacation enrichment programs, and it's no wonder that a visit to this brainy museum is one of our favorite things to do in Hartford with kids.

Read on for our 10 favorite things to do at the Connecticut Science Center—including the new dinosaur exhibit—and don't miss our Connecticut Museum Guide for more enriching outings with kids.

Adapting to our new homeschool way of life requires flexibility, perseverance, and patience, but a great big list of reading, spelling, and writing apps is helpful, too! With children facing at-home learning for the foreseeable future and parents eager to keep them on track academically, we'll need some creative teaching tools to get us through. So, we've collected 19 reading, spelling, and writing apps to lend a hand in your kitchen table classroom.

If you need more help with the 123s than the ABCs, we've also culled the internet for the best math apps for kids. And, when you're feeling truly overwhelmed, be sure to check out our Realistic Guide to Homeschooling for Busy Parents.

Normally, our job at Mommy Poppins is to clue parents in to where to have fun with kids around Connecticut. But as coronavirus spreads through our community, we're also here to tell you where not to go. Here are the schools, museums, zoos, indoor play spaces, libraries, and stages we know to be temporarily closed around Connecticut. Please visit and comment on our Facebook page to let us know what other closures we are missing and should know about. 

Stuck at home? Look to our Mommy Poppins Coronavirus Guide for Parents for hundreds of ideas for games, crafts, and activities, as well insider tips and takes for keeping kids safe and healthy at home and beyond. All the best from our families to yours.