Hoot with Elizabeth Mitchell

Save this date: Tuesday Aug. 28 at 6pm. April Boyle, organizer of the beloved Detroit Family Hootenanny CD and kids' concert series, recruited Liz Mitchell and teamed up with the folks at Ladels bookstore in Corktown for an outdoor kids concert.

Only one year into the mom thing, I had no idea who this Liz (or is it Elizabeth?) Mitchell is. But a few online searches later, it appears hipster parents everywhere love her folksy stuff. I took a quick listen and must admit (sheepishly?) that I thoroughly enjoyed Bob Marley's Three Little Birds cover. I like when little voices chirp in.

By the way, we're not talking about the Liz Mitchell of Boney M fame, but rather the one who was roommates with Lisa Loeb at Brown University, now covering songs for little ones by Francoise Hardy, Woodie Guthrie and Lou Reed. Of course, most of you probably already know this.

There's talk of asking Eph McNally's to open for event. That way, you and your family can have dinner in the park across the street before or afterwards.

Playground Hours: Wednesday, Aug. 8

Ugh, this heat! If it's nice out, let's meet at the Riverfront. 5:30. If it rains, see you next week.

Playground Hours: Corktown

Last week was fun, but many of us circled and circled, looking for a free meter near campus, only to eventually pay to park in a lot for the remaining 15 minutes. So this week, it's on to the Corktown playground, where free parking is plenty.

When: Wednesday, Aug. 1, 5:30
Where: the corner of Porter and Brooklyn, across the street from the original Eph McNally's.

See you there!

Playground Hours, Finally!

We finally have our act together enough to hold the next proper playground meet-up, even if we're not giving ample notice. This Wednesday, let's gather at the Wayne State playground we met at a few weeks ago (see previous post for directions). The equipment spans the right range of ages, and a gate keeps [most] the kiddies corralled, so we can chit-chat.

Wednesday, July 25, 5:30pm. We usually stick around for an hour or so.

See you then!

Hiatus

Apologies for our disappearing act. Between summer vacations and the heat, we've been out of town and feeling pretty lazy. We promise to resume playground hours--and regular posting of other fun summertime events--in two short weeks. Until then, a few of the more ambitious members of DKC will be heading over to the Wild Summer Nights concert series at the Detroit Zoo on Wednesday. It's a children's themed eve, starring James Coffey's Animal Groove. So pack a blanket and a picnic and go. It sounds fun.

Playground Meet-up: Wayne State Playground

When: Wednesday, June 20, at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Playground behind the Helen DeRoy Apartments

Please join us for another DKC playground meet-up. This time we'll gather at the playground behind the Helen DeRoy Apartments on Wayne State's campus. The Helen DeRoy apartments are located at 5200 Anthony Wayne Drive. Regular DKC-meet-up attendee Courtney (she's gets an award for coming to every one so far) reports that there is a pizza place nearby if anyone is interested in grabbing some dinner before they head home. Usually we all leave when the kids start complaining that they're hungry, so maybe this time we'll extend the playground meet-up into a pizza party.

Hope to see you there!

Playground Hours: Belle Isle!

When: Wednesday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: The big playground on Belle Isle

Please join us at Belle Isle this Wednesday. We've been moving the time around a bit and we'll shoot for 5:30 this week. We're trying to strike a balance between working parents and early bedtimes. If you can't make it until a little later, don't worry about it -- we'll still be there. I'm planning on bringing some snacks to share, since we always run into the dinner hour.

Hope to see some new faces this week! We've had a consistent group for the last two weeks, and the kids are really getting to know each other and enjoy playing together. We'd love to add a few new families into the group.

Last minute notice: Another DKC meet-up

When: TODAY, Wednesday, May 30, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: The water fountain at the Ren Cen.

Today is going to be a hot one, so we're meeting to let the kids cool themselves off in the water fountains on the riverfront. Hope you can join us!

Sorry for the late notice -- check back to see where we're going to meet next week. We'll have a post up by this Friday.

Announcing: Playground Hours!

When: Wednesday, May 23, at 4:30
Where: Corktown Playground, at the corner of Porter and Brooklyn, across the street from the original Eph McNally's.

Join us for Detroit Kid City's first playground hours! Please spread the word, and everyone is welcome. Now that the sun is out, our kids are itching to play and we're itching to meet other parents in Detroit. We're also eager to check out the new kids bookstore in Corktown across the street from the playground.

Hope to see you there!

Playground Hours TBD

A complaint we hear again and again from Detroit parents is that there are rarely other kids (or parents) at the same playgrounds at the same time. Oh joy: this is something we can fix!

Since the sun is now shining consistently, Detroit Kid City (DKC) will be hosting playground hours: a specified window of time, when you can head over to a specified playground location, and hopefully, find some other little ones crawling all over the equipment. We'll start with one day during the week, and one weekend time slot. Sound good?

Now's your chance to offer some input. Let us know if there's a playground near and dear to your heart (or your house) that you'd love to see thrown in the mix. We may not be able to please everyone, but we can do our best to accommodate the ruling majority. All five of us. (That's a joke.)

Perhaps every Friday, from 11am-2pm. Saturday: same time?

Obviously, we won't all show up every single planned playground hour, but at least this will increase the chances of bumping into a family you didn't know before--which is a perfect first step to nurturing the growing community of parents and children in Detroit, DKC's humble mission. And your kids will find someone for the other end of the teeter-totter.

Expect an update early next week.

Belle Isle: Part One

Now that it's more than two degrees above freezing (and now I'm 90% sure that the winter's last snow is behind us), Belle Isle is quickly becoming my favorite kid-friendly Detroit spot to enjoy the spring sunshine. In addition to the beautiful skyline, the fountain (which has colored light and water shows beginning at dusk after Memorial Day), and the nature center, the giant playground in the middle is well worth a trip over to the island.


Actually, there are many playgrounds on Belle Isle, ranging from modern to old and creepy. But the best one is the big, new one right in the middle of the island. It has play structures that are appropriate for new walkers to pre-teens, and I love the soft, rubber surface underneath everything. It also has some unique play equipment that I haven't seen on many other playgrounds and that is difficult to describe: giant, round swings that remind me of tire swings without the hole to fall through, slides that have tiny rolling logs and look like conveyor belts, and a big, boat like structure that you can rock and pretend you're stuck at sea in the middle of a storm. It also has all of the traditional equipment that every playground should have: baby swings, big-kid swings, and plenty of slides, bridges, and monkey bars. Our daughter loves this playground so much that she calls Belle Isle: "Playground Island."

Earth Day Gardening

In support and celebration of Earth Day, the small but mighty pro-detroit-parenting organization called Detroiters Dream for Children, will plant the seeds (oh, how i love a good double entendre!) for their community vegetable and flower garden, located in the backyard of the Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation. Ripe tomatoes, crunchy veg and hearty greens will feed Detroiters Dream families and children of the Cass Corridor. And a small plot of land, on a strip of street once representing the height of urban decay, will be transformed into a blossoming source of beauty and inspiration.

One of the founding members of the group, Jackie Victor, once told me that she believes, with a lot of hard work and passion, Detroit can be one of the best cities in the country to raise a family. I think she's right. Especially with munificent, community-minded events like this as ammunition.

So support the good cause; bring your kids and gardening tools. Everyone welcome. There will be a brief meeting at the onset (childcare provided), but the majority of time will be spent working in the dirt with your kids.

Kids love dirt. And there's a positive civic lesson to boot. Really, it doesn't get much better than this.

Details: Sunday, April 15, 2-4pm, 3535 Cass Avenue

Pre-School Storytime at the DPL

Unfortunately, the spring festival storytime series is smack in the middle of my son's morning nap. And he's not quite one yet anyway.

But for those who have kiddies 1-5 years old: stories, music and finger plays Friday mornings at the Detroit Public Library through April 27th, 10:15-11am.

Ivory D. Williams, whose name sounds lovelier than a plate of finger sandwiches, is the guest storyteller. Apparently, this is very exciting. Ivory, who goes by the "D," is a professional, traveling storyteller with his own website and an affection for stuffed animals. This strikes me as either creepy or cute, depending on my mood.

Belle Isle Easter Egg Hunt

Everyone loves Belle Isle. And Easter egg hunts. So it follows that tomorrow's Easter Fun Fest will be a smashing good time.

Despite the unseasonal blizzard in the forecast. And an ambitious, yet strangely vague, roster of events, according to the city's press release, that includes crafts, games, a parade and inflatable thingamabobs.

But the fun fest is free, so there will be tons of kids. Not counting the excellent excuse to eat gobs of Peeps, that's the most exciting part of the event anyway: lots of squealing kids, running around the park, enjoying one of the most beautiful and under-served green spaces in the city.

April 7, 11am-3pm, Belle Isle band shell

New Children's Bookstore in Detroit

This is not a typo.

Ladels is the new, adorable children's bookstore opening next to the original Eph McNally's in Corktown. The store's name, across the glass in purple script, has been taunting me for what seems like a year, but the shades are always drawn, the windows dark. While I was trying to prevent my 11-month-old from eating fistfuls of mulch at the park the other day, I spotted activity inside and immediately went knocking for info.

Here's what the owner--a delightful mother of a 5-year-old--had to say: "We should be opening in the next two weeks. I hope. Eventually, once we get everything in, we'll have vintage and wooden toys and both classic and new non-commercial books--none of that Dora or Diego stuff."

I nearly cried tears of joy.

She'll also be hosting two storytimes every day--one for the stay-at-home set in the a.m.; another, more advanced afternoon session for school-aged kids.

We'll let you know once it opens, so you can support Detroit's first children's bookstore.

Corktown's St. Patrick's Parade

It might seem a bit curious that our debut post for Detroit Kid City champions Corktown's rag-tag St. Patrick's Day Parade, considering the long-standing tradition is more notorious for excessive beer-swilling and shenanigans than imaginative, kid-friendly floats.

But hear us out. The parade is a surprisingly fitting vehicle for our overall mission: Help parents appreciate the value of the city's events and venues, so often dismissed as unfit for kids—much like the city itself. With a little myth-busting, education and creative corralling, we hope Detroit Kid City will become a source of inspiration to fellow Detroiters interested in creating an active, urban community for raising kids. Suburban folks, at the very least, can cull motivation and ideas for family-friendly adventures on a Saturday—or in this case, Sunday—afternoon.

I have a 10-month-old son, who will take his first-ever wagon nap in order to attend. I will dress him in the shamrock-green Irish garb our Corktown neighbors gave us when he was born, and we will brave the throngs of cheery drunkards, so that there will be one more kid wearing a "I May Not be Able to Talk, But I Still Have Irish Attitude" tee. We'll go every year, and maybe by the time he has officially outgrown his afternoon nap, we'll be meeting up with a gang of parents at the playground beforehand to decorate a Detroit Kid City float. Until then, here are my best recommendations.

Introduce your kids to authentic Irish fare
The pre-parade crowd at Baile Corcaigh, just two blocks off the parade route on Trumbull, should be convivial and merry, if not fairly tame. They'll host live Irish music all day long and offer an abbreviated menu with easy favorites like corned beef sandwiches and fish and chips—a slight departure from their regular white linen menu. For pickier palettes, the kitchen promises to whip up kid-friendly fare (grilled cheese, chicken strips) if necessary. Leave your car parked on a nearby neighborhood street and walk to Michigan Avenue for the parade.

Pick your viewing post strategically
The farther away you get from the Gaelic League, whose parking lot will be jam-packed full of RVs, coach buses and elaborate lawn chair operations, the less likely it is that your child will be trampled in the street by the green Dr. Suess hat-donning, bead-hurling masses. Head toward the beginning or end of the parade route and stay on the south side of the street for more room to pull your wagon. The parade ends at the corner of Michigan and 14th, next to the old train station. Your kids will love watching the marchers disband, and you can grab a decent pint at Slow's Bar BQ. The inside may be uncomfortably crammed, but from the sidewalk, you can still hear the lineup of bands, including Pogues cover band, Boys from the County Hell—for free.

Go home early!
Even though bars can't serve alcohol until noon on Sundays, parade revelers start drinking well beforehand on parade day. And once the parade trickles by, the onlookers push their way inside Michigan Avenue's drinking holes, and the general ambiance deteriorates quickly. Last year, I was 8 months pregnant, and I had to fight grown men for a water at the bar, while simultaneously warding off inebriated strangers from rubbing my belly. Save yourself.

Details: Michigan Avenue, from 6th to 14th; Sunday, March 11, 2pm