July 16-18 is sidewalk sales in downtown Rochester. In the afternoons they will have kids activities. The theme is circus...there will be crafts, face-painting and entertainment.

Also- there are free movies during the week downtown (outside). Check out the website...www.downtownrochestermi.com

Also- there are free outdoor movies at Parisian (Rochester Village) during the summer.

We are heading to Metro Beach this weekend. $4 per car to get in . Beach and slash park are free. $3 per person to enter the pool and they also have mini golf $3 adults, 2$ kids 3-11.

Can't wait to plan for this stuff.

Bear Creek Nature Preserve on Snell Rd. in Oakland Twp (just about .5 miles West of Rochester Rd.) has a great play structure and hiking trails (and a bathroom) and picnic shelter.

Dinosaur Hill in Rochester Hills has great hiking trails too.

Rochester Hills library has a summer reading program.

Detroit Zoo- the dinosaur exhibit is AMAZING! Zoo has concerts on Wed nights too.

Spencer Park-- the beach is a little rocky...but the kids don't seem to mind.

I read about a nationwide summer program that allows children 15 and under to bowl up to two games free each day not including shoe rental. The ad states all you have to do is register online at KidsBowlFree.com. The site requires your name, address, email, phone #, names and birthdates of children. The offer for a family pass is made for a one-time fee of $23.95. Once info is input, two emails will be sent to you. The first gives account info and the second gives a link that you must access which completes the process. Apparently each Sunday bowling coupons will be emailed to you for use during that week.

I need cheap activities for a 6 year old this summer.

Some of our favorite summer activities are water-balloons, painting, sidewalk chalk, picnic, bike riding, and any water activity. My kids absolutely love for me to feel up empty tubs or buckets with water and they sit in them and play boats and have a great time. Of course you only want to do that with kids old enough to get them selfs out of tubs, or with kids that know how to swim, or are not smaller than the tub or bucket.