It’s the last week of summer, which means this is the last weekday roundup for a couple of months. We will be switching to the school year publication schedule next week with just a weekend roundup.

It’s the last week of summer. It’s your last chance to visit pools and water parks, and enjoy time with the kids before they head to school. Highlights of the week are the Saline Fair and Summer Games Wrapup.

Arbor Annie’s Weekday Picks

It’s the last week of summer break and a chance to wrap up the summer fun. When making your plans be sure to plan around University of Michigan move-in which is Wednesday-Friday. There will be lane closures around the dorms and extra traffic around town and in the stores.

Of course it’s also the week to plan Back to School for your own kids. Be sure to check out our Ann Arbor Back to School Guide for updated information.

This week is the Saline Fair. If you have toddlers and preschoolers, I definitely recommend Children’s Day. You can buy ride wristbands for just $5 for the kids that are valid from noon-3p. I loved taking my daughter when she was a preschooler! 

This is the last week to finish your summer reading and play the AADL Summer Game. My daughter is still working to finish her last book. She picked some long books to read this summer. We also made a trip to Traverwood, the last of the AADL branches we had not been to this summer to get the codes there. Library event highlights are Polymer Clay Balloon Animals on Monday, Ultimate Design Challenge on Tuesday, and Theater Games Workshop with Wild Swan on Wednesday.

This is the last week of outdoor swimming pools (except Fuller Park which is staying open until the 15th) and water parks. Check out our places to get wet. We had a great time at Rolling Hills Sunday afternoon. 

The weather is supposed to be a bit cooler this weekend, so it’s also a great week to find a new playground to explore. Check out our weekly Playground Profile series.

Find more fun ideas for this week in our Wednesday Activity Reviews.

Top Weekday Event Picks

Monday Picks

10:00am-4:00pm Maker Monday: Force & Simple Machines at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

10:00am-11:30am Summer 2019 Children's Garden Pop-Up at Matthaei Botanical Gardens

2:00pm-3:00pm Polymer Clay Balloon Animals at Westgate Branch of AADL

5:30pm-6:30pm Family Food Tasting: Explore the World of Chocolate at Zingerman’s Next Door

6:00pm-8:00pm Family Night at Dexter A&W

Tuesday Picks

10:00am-4:00pm Egg-pollo 11: Moon Lander Engineering at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

10:30am-4:00pm Water Cycle at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

1:00pm-2:00pm Ultimate Design Challenge at Downtown Branch of AADL

2:00pm-3:00pm Back to School Bookmarks at Pittsfield Branch Library

5:00pm-5:45pm Zero Waste with Jeanie! at The Little Seedling

6:30pm Cow Eye Dissection at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

Wednesday Picks

9:00am-11:00pm Saline Fair at Washtenaw Farm Council Fairgrounds

2:00pm-3:00pm Theater Games Workshop with Wild Swan at Downtown Branch of AADL

4:00pm-7:00pm Block Party at Washtenaw County Health Department

7:00pm Summer Classic: La La Land at Michigan Theater

Thursday Picks

9:00am-11:00pm Saline Fair at Washtenaw Farm Council Fairgrounds

10:00am-10:00pm Michigan State Fair at Suburban Collection Showplace

10:00am-11:00am Musical Playdate at Robinsongs for Kids

10:00am-1:00pm Pre-K Learning: Senses at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

11:30am-1:00pm Sonic Lunch - Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas with special guest Jacob Sigman at Liberty Plaza

2:00pm-6:00pm A2SO Taste of Music at Pittsfield Charter Township Administration Building

2:00pm-3:00pm Kid's Music Lab at Malletts Creek Branch Library

Friday Picks

9:00am-11:00pm Saline Fair at Washtenaw Farm Council Fairgrounds

10:00am-10:00pm Michigan State Fair at Suburban Collection Showplace

10:00am-4:00pm Slime Time at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

2:00pm-2:45pm Dancing Babies with Dianne Dudley at Westgate Branch of AADL

4:00pm-5:00pm LEGO Play Day at Learning Express Toys of Ann Arbor

7:00pm-10:00pm Bike-in : Ice Cream at Ann Arbor Farmers Market

Movies

The summer movie season is over with no more kid friendly releases until next month. But, there are still several options in local theaters.

Angry Birds 2 goes into its second weekend. They are certainly pushing it with TV show tie-ins. We saw a very difficult themed obstacle on American Ninja Warrior last week. And watched a Kids Baking Championship also had an Angry Birds theme this week.

Blinded by the Light might be a good choice for music-loving teens…or parents who love the music of Bruce Springsteen. I haven’t seen it so I can’t provide a review.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold opened a few weeks ago. Also new that weekend was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. It is rated PG-13, but based on a series of kids books that is aimed to grades 3-7. 

The Lion King has been in theaters since last month. I loved the original, and didn’t feel the need to rush out to see the new one.

Spider-Man Far From Home is still in theaters. Be sure to check our review if you haven’t seen it yet.

Toy Story 4 is still going strong. Be sure to check our review and make plans to see it yourself.

Other upcoming Family Friendly movies from fall until next spring:

• November 22 – Frozen 2
• November 22 – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
• December 6 – Playmobil: The Movie
• December 13 – Jumanji: The Next Level
• December 20 – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
• December 20 – Cats
• December 25 – Little Women
• December 25 – Spies in Disguise
• January 17 – The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle
• February 14 – Sonic the Hedgehog
• March 6 – Onward
• March 27 – Mulan
• March 27 – The Queen’s Corgi
• April 3 – The New Mutants
• April 17 – Trolls World Tour
• May 1 – Black Widow
• May 15 – Scoob
• May 22 – The SpongeBob Movie: It’s a Wonderful Sponge
• May 29 – Artemis Fowl
• June 5 – Wonder Woman 1984

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Looking Forward to Next Weekend

All Weekday Events