Ellyce Field's Best Bets

Halloween is full of treats for family fun

It's the weekend of Halloween and there are still more events because Halloween falls on Saturday this year. Treat your little princesses and Thomas the Tank Engines to a spooky concert, take a walk through the woods or treat older kids to "Wild World Africa," a 3-D/4-D movie that just opened at the Detroit Zoo.

"Wild World Africa": Just putting on red, oversized 3-D glasses after walking up the stairs at the Ford Education Center's new auditorium and finding your seat will thrill most kids. Then there's the 10-minute movie. Because it's a 3-D film and the animals seem to come out very close to you, I wouldn't recommend the experience for kids younger than 3, but the Detroit Zoo is selling tickets to everyone age 2 and older.

Because it's a 4-D movie, we can feel the wind in our hair and a Jeep going bump, bump, bump along the dusty path, smell rhinos, giraffe and savannah grasses, feel a poke in our back when the lions jump and water in our face when the Jeep hits a puddle or when a rhino pees. I could have experienced the movie without the peeing sequence but it's not real and is just water (I had to say this to myself; you'll have to repeat it to savvy children). Overall, the movie has wonderful views of safari animals, but the story line isn't clear to kids or adults. When you see a man shooting a zebra early in the movie, it's a veterinarian with a dart -- not a poacher. You see two poachers being caught in the act later in the action.

The movie is available for an extra $3 during Zoo Boo from 6-8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday and 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Check the zoo's Web site for other times in November. More details

Tiny Tots and Young People's concerts: The first concerts for tiny tots and young people take place Saturday at The Max Fisher Music Center. It's all Halloween, all the time so come dressed in your best costume. Tiny Tots, at 10 a.m., is geared to ages up to 6 years old and is a 50-minute, noisy, everything-goes concert. This Saturday features the Candy Band, composed of four rocking Metro Detroit moms. You and the kids can sit on pads, up close to the stage in the nonstructured Music Box and dance to songs that the Halloween-dressed band will perform. You can also feed your baby on the chairs. It's a wonderful rollicking first-time experience to live music. More details

The Young People's concert starts at 11 a.m. in Orchestra Hall. Charles Greenwell leads the orchestra and talks to the kids, reminding them about their concert manners and gives an introduction to the symphony. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will play classical pieces that are Halloween specials, such as Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique," Mussorgsky's "A Night on Bald Mountain" and John Williams' "Shark Theme from Jaws." From 9:30 a.m.-noon, kids can have fun in the atrium at KidZone with arts and crafts, a petting instrument zoo, balloons and clowns. More details

Halloween Costume Hike: If you missed your chance to mix nature with tricks and treats at the Detroit Zoo's Zoo Boo, the Madison Heights Nature Center's Deep Dark Woods or the Halloween Hoot at Dinosaur Hill, you've always got the Halloween Costume Hike at the Wint Nature Center. Nestled deep in the midst of Independence Oaks County Park in Clarkston, the Wint Nature Center gives classes almost every weekend and never misses an opportunity to turn kids on to nature. Get your tickets in advance and wear your costume to walk along the trails at the park and stop at stations to receive a treat or to learn about one of nature's tricks. You must be at least 3 to enjoy the event. More details

Ellyce Field - Metro Detroit's expert on family entertainment - offers her best bets for what's on tap for families every week. Her book, "Michigan Family Field Trips: Fun Sites for Kids," is available at all local bookstores or at www.press.umich.edu