Weekend Events Round-Up: June 1-3

After today's rain, this weekend would be an excellent time to go Strawberry picking at Rowe's (10570 Martz Rd., Ypsilanti) I like to take the kids at this time of the year so that we can make our own strawberry jam for my husband. It's the only kind he'll eat and strawberry jam makes an excellent Father's Day gift! If that doesn't sound exciting then check out the Friday night fireworks in Milan during the Milan Fair, head to the Waterloo Farm Museum to see how tintypes were made or even heard out to the many sub-wide garage sales happening this weekend. My kids LOVE "shopping" garage sales.

Whatever ideas you have, I hope the Weekend Events Round-Up helps give more ideas on what to do with the kids in and around Ann Arbor!

The Milan Fair is in town with fantastic fireworks and Kids Day on Saturday!

Friday, June 1: 

5:00-9:00 p.m. Friday Fun Night at the The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History (1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor). Families can enjoy $3 planetarium shows hourly starting at 5:30, free dinosaur tours hourly starting at 6:00 p.m. and a a free DNA demo at 6:00 p.m. The event will also have storytime for the youngest family members. The book Stellaluna will be read at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. with images from the book projected projected onto the planetarium dome. That's a great way to spend a night at the museum!

7:00-10:00 p.m. The 63rd Annual Milan Fair (Wilson Park - Wabash St., Milan) is in town through June 2 with a whopping Wild West theme. A co-worker told me too, that the Friday night fireworks (at 10:00 p.m.) shouldn't be missed! The fair will also host midway rides and typical fair vendors to wander. You're kids will LOVE to go!


Saturday, June 2: 

7:30 a.m. Bring your entire family to  Hudson Mills Metropark to observe the birds for an early morning bird hike. Check out the many species in the park at this time of the year, record their location, and better understand their migratory trends from year to year. Families will get to explore a variety of habitats and bird species throughout the park. If you have them, bring binoculars and a field guide. Cost for this event is $3 plus a vehicle entry fee.

9:00 a.m. - noon Get an early start on Father's Day by taking your child to Home Depot (3300 Carpenter Rd., Ypsilanti) so they can build Dad his own organizer! Projects take 30-45 minutes to complete and dad will surely like the gift!

11:00 a.m. Kids Fly Tying at Schultz Outfitters (4 East Cross St., Ypsilanti). Kids learn to make their own bait, which when considering the amount of bait we go through when fishing, is priceless!

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Tour The Rentschler Farm & Saline Railroad Depot Museums.

Noon-midnight - Milan Fair. Kids Day happens from noon-5:00 p.m. too! The tractor show happens on Saturday too.

1:00-5:00 p.m. Head to the Waterloo Farm Museum (13493 Waterloo-Munith Rd., Grass Lake) to see a group of re-enactors as the grounds become a 19th century portrait studio. Your family can get a better understanding of early photography viewing the making of wetplate collodion photographs or "tintypes". Watch as photos are taken on Victorian cameras then developed before your eyes! Admission is $5 Adults, $2 children age 5-12. Children under 5 receive free admission.

2:00-3:30 p.m. The Fly Children's Art Center (32 N. Washington, Ypsilanti) posted the Duct Tape Art event on the Ann Arbor Mom Facebook page the other day - The duct tape flowers sure look like a fun craft project! Make a purse, flowers or a wallet for Father's Day. The event is only $15 per child.



Sunday June 3:

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Tour The Rentschler Farm & Saline Railroad Depot Museums.

1:00-5:00 p.m. Waterloo Farm Museum Victorian photography day.

2:00-4:00 p.m. Does your child enjoy getting wet and muddy while exploring outdoors? Then

Crossing the Marsh with Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation will be right up your alley. Wear old shoes and long pants to explore at Independence Lake Park. Families should meet at
lot across from construction work at Gamble Group Center for this free nature program.

FREE Family Adventure Passes

In 2009...

As it was a rainy, dreary day in Ypsilanti Township yesterday, I decided to take my kids to the 1:30 PM story time. Typically we like to linger in the library for a while after the stories. We'll check things out, look at new books and movies, and we always look at opportunities for the family - I'll say it, I like inexpensive or (ah-hem) preferably FREE activities, and our public library often offers up great resources!

On our way out, I noticed a small, colorful booklet laying on the counter. I was intrigued so I picked it up. It said "CHECK OUT A MUSEUM" - OK I'll bite, what was did it mean...
Reading further I found that my family could get FREE passes to many local museums around Metro Detroit allowing for two to four admissions! That's right, take a deep breath, it read FREE - And the way to get your passes, is to check them out at your local library!

Now back for it's final year starting May 25, 2012..

We have used the Museum Adventure Pass several times since 2009. It's an amazing free resource for families. You can check passes out May 25-September 1, 2012 for admission to many amazing museum's throughout the Metro-Detroi area and even some in Ann Arbor.

The program is run a little different this year. Instead of walking into the  local libraries to check out the passes, you need to choose your library online, then choose the pass. There are many area libraries participating though the library network though: Ypsilanti District Library, Saline District Library, Chelsea District Library and the Dexter District Library so passes are easily accessible. This year too, several theaters are offering passes where families can buy deeply discounted theater tickets.

Some of the great museums and theaters included in the 2012 program are:

Anton Art Center - Mt. Clemens

Arab American National Museum - Detroit

Arts & Scraps - Detroit

Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History 

Detroit Artists Market 

Detroit Institute of Arts 

Dossin Great Lakes Museum - Detroit

Edsel & Eleanor Ford House - Grosse Point Shores

Full Impact Theatre (formerly known as Michigan Youth Theater) - Rochester 

Grosse Pointe Historical Society 

Holocaust Memorial Center - Farmington Hills

Howell Nature Center

Huron Valley Council for the Arts 

Michigan Philharmonic - Plymouth

Monroe County Historical Society

Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) - Detroit

Pewabic Pottery - Detroit

Purple Rose Theatre - Chelsea

Shalom Street Museum - West Bloomfield

The Art Experience - Pontiac

The Scarab Club - Detroit

Tipping Point Theatre - Northville

University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History - Ann Arbor

Weekend Events Round-Up: Memorial Day Weekend

There are so many great events and activities happening this weekend. Pools are opening, BBQ's are rocking, plus there are event many Memorial Day parades, processions and ceremonies. What's on your planner? Have you got the calendar filled with things to do with kids? Family events? Fun activities?

This weekend surely has lots happening, as the Ann Arbor Mom Blog presents the "Weekend Events Planner for Memorial Day Weekend"... Hold tight, it's surely going to be a whirlwind weekend!

Head to the Sumpter County Fest this weekend for some
fun at the carnival!

Friday, May 25:

It's time for one of the season's very first carnival! Stop by the Belleville Square (NW corner of Belleville Rd. and the North I-94 Service Drive) for all day ride fun for only $20!  The Sumpter Country Fest (Sumpter Fairgrounds south of Belleville on Sumpter and Dunn Rd.) happenis this weekend (May 24-28). The festival is host to free children's entertainment, pony rides, a petting zoo, crafts, and a car show.

Spend a few minutes understanding Summer on the Farm with 'The Farm Lady' at Dexter District Library (3255 Alpine St., Dexter) at 1:00 p.m. Hear stories about life on a farm, especially in the summer, sing farm songs and meet some live ducks and chickens!

Take the family out for an early morning bird walk
with the Washtenaw Audubon Society.

Saturday, May 26:


Get out early with a bird walk with the Washtenaw Audubon Society at 8:00 a.m. Meet at the Nichols Arboretum (1800 N. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor) for this free event.

Get the kids making something unique during the Grange Jr. Makers program at 10:00 a.m. at the Pittsfield Grange.

Teens do get a kick out of the Amigurumi Club at the Ypsilanti District Library, so be sure to stop in at 11:00 a.m. so they can learn something new!

If you haven't registered your child (age 5-12) for Camp Skills Rock, you might want to check the program out. The one-day, high-energy program will surely be enjoyable while building your child's self-confidence!

Ewe and the kids will be happy to see the baby
sheep grow at the Rentshler Farm!  

Take the family to explore the many historic buildings in the area including the Rentshler Farm Museum when they are open Saturday's throughout the summer. The kids will enjoy the young farm animals on display too!

Enjoy classic, sporty, unusual and rare collectible cars on display at the third annual City Car Show at Ann Arbor City Club (1830 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor) also from noon- 4:00 p.m. The free show, refreshments for sale, free admission, enter your own favorite vehicle.

Start your Memorial Day family weekend off with a bang with a FREE outdoor pops concert at Riverside Park (100 W. Cross St., Ypsilanti). At 2:00 p.m. the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra will perform popular music from Broadway and Hollywood as well known music and from family favorites.  Park in Depot Town and bring your blankets, chairs and coolers across the street to spend the day, under shaded trees, on a blanket, watching children of all ages dance and enjoy orchestral music.  In the event of rain clouds, the concert will be on Sunday May 27 at 2:00 p.m.


Have you ever wondered what makes our eyes work or how we see? Then the Eye Dissection at University of Michigan Museum of Natural History (1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor) may be right up your child's alley! Children and adult ages 5 and up can get a closer look at a dissection of a cow’s eye to see how the organ that helps us see the world. There is something for everyone during this interactive and fascinating demonstration! Hands-on demos are 20-30 minute interactive programs combining brief presentations highlighting university research with engaging activities. Check it out at 3:00 p.m.


Sunday, May 27:


Hands-On Demo: Eye Dissection at University of Michigan Museum of Natural History (1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor) at 3:00 p.m.


Monday, May 28:


Be sure to check out the many great ceremonies and parades happening throughout the area.

Hiking, Mills and Wildflowers: Grand Opening at Rolling Hills

Are you looking for something fun to do this weekend? Consider taking the family to the grand opening of the newest trails in Rolling Hills on Sunday, May 20. Get outdoors and enjoy a picnic, or even just spend some time fishing or enjoying the playground. Everyone gets in free on Sunday too, while the vehicle entry fee is waived!

Earlier this year, the kids and I enjoy the trails - I let them ride their scooters ahead while the dog and I languished behind. We've even hiked the trails with the Cub Scouts! Basically there is a trail for every ability throughout the park, so you will not be disappointed.

When you come to the park, expect fun throughout the day. From 1:00-4:00 p.m., check out the trails and the ribbon cutting on the new expansion too. Looking for a good hike? Then a nature hike through Sassafras Woods at 2:00 p.m. may be what the doctor ordered - Participants should plan to meet near playground by the sledding hill.

No matter what you choose, just be sure to get out there and get active. You'll be glad you did!

Kissing Toads: My Daughter's Obsession

You'd have to know my daughter to really get this story, but it makes for fun re-telling and certainly will be food for fodder as she grows and I tease her about it.

Yesterday afternoon as I was spending some quality garden therapy – i.e. weeding – I found a toad. Not just any toad, but a toad large enough to handle what I knew was bound to happen. I called to the kids to come over and see it. They immediately did and began squealing with delight at my find, my daughter grabbing it and clutching it in her little hands and running happily away.

The next thing I knew, my children and two friends were running around the back yard with it, playing with it in the playhouse. Playing with it in the sandbox. Playing with it down the slide. The next thing I knew they had a small box, “Toady’s house" and swimming pool made from a bowl from the kitchen. Or should I saw using a bowl that is now formerly from my kitchen.

I certainly worried that the toad might expire from exhaustion, too much “playing” or possibly just from being “loved” too much from my daughter, but the kids seemed to be dong OK with the poor thing.

An hour later I called everyone in for dinner. My daughter of course excitedly ran in, toad in hand.

“Mom can I keep Toady?”

“No honey.”

“Can I keep him for just a little while?”

“No honey. Toady has had enough fun for the day.”

“But I can set him free after dinner.”

“No honey, Toady needs to be put outdoors with his other toad friends.”

“But mom. I can set him free at the soccer field. I have seen lots of toads there.”

“No honey, Toady needs to go back where we found him.”

“Moooom, I would take good care of him though.”

“I know honey, but Toady needs to eat the bugs from our garden. He helps keep spiders and mosquitoes from getting to us.”

I thought that last bit might be an incentive as my daughter hates mosquitoes and spiders. Turns out I was right. My daughter then gave in, carrying the toad outside, to be set free. Or so I thought.

My daughter ran in ahead of my son, quickly washing up and coming to the kitchen, making a quick retreat to close her bedroom door when she saw her brother. It was the shrieking, screaming and yelling that tipped me off that something else might be happening altogether.

It must have been my daughter’s actions that tipped my son off. After he washed his hands he went to enter my daughter’s bedroom. She however was hovering nearby, standing guard and fighting to keep him out. This was when my husband intervened.

He pulled the kids apart and methodically went through my daughter’s bedroom. Toady wasn’t in the Hexbug Hive. He wasn’t in the LPS Treehouse either. He wasn’t even tucked into the Zhu Zhu Pet bed. He was however hidden carefully in my daughter’s pink, frilly “treasure box” covered with a blanket to keep him warm.

My poor pitiful daughter cried hysterically as my husband left her room, taking Toady back into the garden to live. We are now the “worst parents ever” or at least we will be until my daughter finds some new creature to love, play with and give a home!