KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter for the Ann Arbor / Detroit Metro Area |
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Fri, Apr 3: World Aquatic Animal Day Hike at Wayne County
Parks Crosswinds Marsh
Fri, Apr 3: Bunnyville at Detroit Zoo
Sat, Apr 4: Garden Egg Hunt & Natural
Dyes at For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum
Fri, Apr 10: Michigan State University Science Festival
2026
Sat, Apr 11: Eggstravaganza at Maybury Farm (Northville Community Foundation)
Sat, Apr 11: GreenFest 2026 at the Detroit Zoo
Sun, Apr 12: FestiFools 2026: Back to the FOOLture!
Sun, Apr 12: Princess Meet & Greet with Elsa at Starbright Entertainment LLC
Sat, Apr 18: Earth Day Story Time & Craft Event at Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy
Sun, Apr 19: Ann Arbor’s Earth Day Festival 2026 at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum
Sat, Apr 25: Outdoor Adventure Center - Trails Expo at DNR Outdoor Adventure Center
Sun, May 3: 24th Annual Detroit Greek Independence Day Parade
Sat, May 16: Parents Night Out - Spring Bloom & Glow at RARA (Registration begins 5/1/26)
Sat, May 16: Motor City Comic Con May 2026
Sat, May 16:
Farm Fest 2026 at Maybury Farm |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: Before I had kids, one of my colleagues told me that fundamentally, a parent’s job is to point. At first, you point physically: You point at the waterfall and say “waterfall,” at the moon and say “moon,” at the flower and say “flower.” You’re helping a child connect sounds to objects, words to concepts, language to reality. But later, and really all the way through, the
pointing becomes more metaphorical. Parenting is the ongoing work of connecting your child’s growing capacity to understand with a world that is, to them, forever expanding. As I had Madison and Ella, I came to think of this as being a tour guide to the world. A good tour guide needs to know the landscape, of course. But even more important, a good tour guide needs to know the traveler. What can this particular child see right now? What are they ready for? What do they care
about? What frightens them? What delights them? It's useful to remember that kids haven’t actually been here before: The world is brand-new to them over and over again, so what feels ordinary to us is often astonishing to a child. Tour guides who are doing their job well pay close attention to who their audience is and what they know, and that makes the pointing easier and more fun. Spring is the perfect season to practice pointing. In spring, the world changes fast enough for
kids to notice. Buds swell and burst. Birds return. Tiny green things push up through the dirt as if by magic. Day to day, the world becomes visibly more alive. If we point it out, kids can catch it happening in real time. And spring does not arrive quietly. It comes as an avalanche of the senses: color, smell, birdsong, mud, wind, sunlight, thunder, petals, pollen, rushing water. So maybe that’s part of the job, too: not just to point, but to lean into it. To stand beside our
kids in the rush of it all and say, Look! Here it comes.
—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities
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KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
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April 12, 4pm-5pm: Come help us celebrate "Back to the FOOLture", where we'll reconstruct our past, present, and FOOLture with bizarro, street-sized Puppets created and animated by U-M students and community members! Make a crazy costume, bring an old pan
to bang on, or just come as you are, to help celebrate the 20th Annual FestiFools Spectacle on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor! This not-2-B-missed one-hour only event starts at 4pm sharp!
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Join us for summer fun at the JCC's Camp Raanana and Camp Globetrotters!
Located at the Cedar Lake Outdoor Center in Chelsea, Camp Raanana features old forest paths for nature walks and outdoor sports, an archery range and, of course, the famous waterfront right on Little Cedar Lake where campers can swim, kayak, fish and more.
We're also excited to introduce Camp Globetrotters this summer! This camp will take place at the JCC facility and offers two different programs to choose from - sports and cooking!
Though our camps have Jewish roots, all are welcome, regardless of faith or background.
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Let us help your kids have the BEST. SUMMER. EVER!
At Launch, we pack every day with awesome activities, interactive games, and creative crafts into an action-filled 4–8 hour experience your child will love. We do more than just jump — our camp builds teamwork, kindness, confidence, and positive manners in a fun, supportive environment.
Kids enjoy free play time, plus interactive activities and games that blend entertainment and learning.
Camp is open to children ages 5–13.
All counselors pass background certification and maintain a 10:1 camper ratio with a dedicated camp director.
Learn more about our camps and register here: https://launchfamilyentertainment.com/annarbor/camp/
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Cedar Ridge Equestrian Center, in Ann Arbor, offers a welcoming, family‑oriented environment where riders of all levels can learn. Their popular summer camp immerses kids in daily riding lessons, horse care, and hands-on barn activities that build
confidence and horsemanship skills. Cedar Ridge also hosts Saturday fun sessions that introduce beginners to riding in a relaxed, supportive setting. With experienced instructors, well‑trained horses, and a focus on safety, the center creates a friendly space for riders to connect with horses and enjoy the outdoors. Cedar Ridge’s blend of education, community, and year‑round activities makes it a standout destination for young equestrians. Visit their website for more information.
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Have we got a Paul Bunyan-sized adventure for you! Join us for Lumberjack Days 2026, a four-day festival of fun and flannel March 26-29. Explore hands-on educational tables all four days! Visit with our partners in forestry, environmental education and
recreation on Friday and Saturday. Included with the price of admission.
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Hop on over for an EGGStra special day at the Village! Collect eggs to trade for goodies, make a craft, get your EGGSercise with our HOPstacle course, and play carnival-style games with your family! Rather than a free-for-all egg hunt, the Village egg
collection is structured with each family collecting eggs in a designated lane one at a time, so each child gets the same chance. Activities at this event are appropriate for ages 3 – 10, but we’re sure kids of all ages will find something fun!
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Let the Easter adventures begin! Gather your family and celebrate Easter with a fun-filled day at Blake’s Lyon Twp! Join us for an egg-citing adventure where kids can scramble for colorful eggs, snap a photo with the Easter Bunny, take a train ride through
the orchard, and indulge in festive treats from our Cider Mill.
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Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. This is Disney’s The Lion King, making its triumphant return to the Detroit Opera House!
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Get ready for an absolutely EGG-CELLENT time! This event guarantees a visit from the one and only Easter Bunny, thrilling games of BINGO with small prizes, and yummy refreshments to satisfy your taste buds. It’s an occasion you won’t want to miss.
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The most thrilling Easter egg hunt in Metro Detroit is BACK! Canterbury Eggstravaganza will be held on Saturday & Sunday, March 28-29 and Friday & Saturday, April 3-4. We don’t just look for eggs hiding in a field at this event – we watch them rain
from the sky! The Easter Bunny’s helicopter flies overhead and drops eggs for children to scoop up. Children can collect up to 10 bunny eggs from the drop zone and redeem them for prizes!
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The all-new 2026 Camp Invention® program, Spark, is coming to curious kids in your community this summer! Rising K-6 campers will collaborate with friends to tackle hands-on, open-ended challenges. They’ll team up with robotic capybaras, ride the waves of entrepreneurship, uncover the power…
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- Use Your Voice with Jean Alicia Elster - Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Ann Arbor, Friday, March 27, 2026, 3:30PM - 5PM
- Bunny Bash in Downtown Auburn Hills - 1827 North Squirrel Road, Auburn Hills, MI, USA, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
- Southgate
Easter Eggstravaganza - Market Center Park, Eureka Road, Southgate, MI, USA, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 12PM - 1PM
- City of Birmingham Peter Cotton Trail - City of Birmingham, Booth Park, Booth Trail, Birmingham, MI, USA, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 12PM - 2PM
- Spring Festival at Kensington Metropark - Kensington Metropark, Milford, Saturday, March 28, 2026 to Sunday, March 29, 2026, 12pm - 4pm
- Free Visits With The Easter Bunny At The Village of Rochester Hills! - The Village Of Rochester Hills, Rochester Hills, MI, USA, Saturday, March 28, 2026 to Sunday, March 29, 2026, 12PM - 5PM
- Free spring mini
photo session with Shoott! - Detroit - Ann Arbor - Shoott, See link for times
- Fool U! FoolMoon Luminary Making Workshop Series - Hathaway's Hideaway, Ann Arbor, Sunday, March 29, 2026, 10-4PM
- Celebrate Earth Day with the Meridian Waste Children’s Coloring Contest! ***Contest entry ends April 13, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT - Submit your artwork online., Any time.
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Ann Arbor - Detroit area is back! You can search by date, age, or categories like day/overnight, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts & crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool,
& more. Our guide puts summer fun right at your…
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Families purchase shares (or half-shares, or bimonthly shares) of produce that is either picked up or delivered to them, fresh from the farm, each week during the growing season. Some farms encourage pick-your-own, in some you get to help out on the farm.
What a great field-to-table lesson for the whole family!
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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Dallas area. From Arcades to Ziplines our Big List will help you think outside the box and plan the party of your kids' dreams! KidsOutAndAbout has dozens of ideas!
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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