I admit it, I complained a lot about the end of summer; but I'm starting to get onboard with this whole school thing. Think about it: someone else is taking it upon themselves to make your kid smarter. And as if that weren't enough, there are even afterschool programs to make your kids even more accomplished, and many of them are cheap or even free! (Have I mentioned how much I love free?) Why, with your smart and now skillful children, you'll have no choice but to set them free into the world. (Just be sure to pack them a healthy snack).

But that's just Monday to Friday, the 9-to-3 grind. On the weekend they're all yours. Whatever will you do with them? (Are you sensing the ace up my sleeve?) Why yes, we might have a thing or two to amuse them. Like, I don't know, large as life dinosaurs!  Really big ships! Nom nom lobster and fried-anything-you-can-conceivably-fry. Free family fests at the Hammer, the Bowers, and CAAM. Chalk and bugs and howling at the moon....

It's a good thing there's school on Monday, because you're going to need a break after this weekend.

Keep reading to get schooled on our favorite picks for this weekend....

Ah, school.  It's kind of good, isn't it? I mean because of all the learnin' and edumacating, of course. My state of near-bliss would have nothing to do with a small but meaningful number of hours during which my kid may or may not be in someone else's care under someone else's tutelage. Nope, it's all about the smartifying.

Once the homework's done, we still have time to play. This weekend offers plenty of opportunity, what with a really big rubber duck, a chance to make use of all those Frozen lyrics you've memorized, and, if you're of a certain generation, a chance to make use of all those Beatles lyrics you've memorized. You can watch dogs play in the snow (because that's totally a summer thing), or enjoy a regatta of boats made out of cardboard. (Would they even float? Because I think I just learned something. Hello, edumacating!)
 
You can also watch planes fly, get your fiesta on in Culver City, catch a bunch of outdoor movies and concerts (better hurry, the season on those is drawing to a close), learn how to talk about art, and make some art of your own. School may be in session, but you can still keep the summer fun going!

Keep reading for our most brain-expanding picks this weekend....

Now more than ever, the world needs to play.  Whether you're already in academic mode or eking every last ounce of freedom out of summer vacation, the weekend is all yours.  Some of you have been working the Summer of Play from the get go,  but it's never too late to start.  And I can think of no better way than the ultimate pop-up play attraction designed by Disney Imagineers, (perhaps  you're familiar with some of their other work, such as a little spot called Disneyland.)

Whatever your back to school date, summer won't last forever. Like sands in the hourglass, so are the castles on our beach, so you best get to building. The Great Annual Sand Sculpture Contest lets you show your skill with a plastic shovel and bucket. Sand castles in the sand, baby; it's going to be legendary!

Need more inspiration?  How about sea-faring robots? Scooby's birthday? A soul icon? We've got rocket revelry and mud madness, a hoe-down, a cleanup and music that goes boom. So much to do, and only two days to squeeze it into.

Keep reading for our most playful picks this weekend ....

This weekend you have two options: Take the red pill and it’s hasta la vista summer, hello school. Pop the blue one and your summer never ends. Red pill and this weekend is your last hurrah (better watch that bedtime; you need to be bright and early on Monday and/or Tuesday). Blue pill and you can sleep in all you want (unless you want to catch some killer waves).

Some choices are made for you, but others are yours alone to make. How will you decide between the closing weekend of the Ventura County Fair and the closing weekend of the Orange County Fair?  Between the free My Little Pony Shakespeare in Culver City, and the free Grimm-inspired comedy in Culver City? Between the Natsumatsuri Festival at the Japanese American National Museum, Shark Week at the Natural History Museum, Shine and the Moonbeams at the Getty, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band at the LevittLA Concert series, the celebrity-filled Annual Children’s Festival of the Arts, Gladys Knight and Kool & the Gang at the Hollywood Bowl, or a meet-and-greet with PBS Kids' Arthur … which free screening will you attend? Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? A Star Trek double feature? Field of Dreams? The Wizard of Oz or Despicable Me?

Whatever choice you make, we hope you do so with curiosity and joy. Because whether you spend it in the classroom or out in the endless bounty of the So Cal outdoors, this season is still the Summer of Play.

Keep reading for the many, many choices available to you this weekend ....

Oh, August. On one hand, you mark the beginning of some of our favorite summer events: The Getty Center and its free Garden Concerts for Kids. The Actors Gang with free Shakespeare in the park made accessible for kids.  (How accessible? Try this year's My Little Pony theme!)

But oh, August. August which used to mean halfway through summer. You now put us in a short countdown for Back-to-School. If you haven't yet, I suggest you check out our round-up of Academic Year Calendars, and try not to weep when you discover your district's first day of instruction. (Spoiler alert: for some it is as early as August 11!)

No matter how much time you have left, there's plenty of fun to be had. County Fairs in Ventura and the OC, festivals for Surfing and Crawfish, a legendary circus, a princess sing-a-long and Hair with an all-star cast (including Kristen "Princess Anna" Bell!). There are still lots of under-the-stars screenings and oodles of outdoor concerts. It ain't over 'til the school bell rings.

Keep reading for our it's-still-summer picks for this weekend ....

Princess and Pirates Sing-a-long, the new show from Lythgoe Family productions has everything you could hope for in a children’s theater event:  princess after princess (as well princes and pirates), high-spirited dance numbers, fun, silly comedy, and rousing sing-a-longs. If you're wondering whether this summer show is the right one for your family, read on!

The first day of school has been creeping farther and farther back in recent years, cutting deeper and deeper into summer. For many schools, August is part of the school year now, while other districts still cling to the time-honored "never before Labor Day" approach. All of this can make summer camp complicated to maneuver for some families, while others are knee-deep in homework.

From Baldwin Park's August 11 start date to Torrance’s September 4, don't just assume you know when school starts based on last year! Check our list of start and finish dates for the 2014-2015 school year (and all days off in between) in and around LA County...

Whatever you do this weekend, DON'T GET OUT OF TOWN!   There’s another one of those Carmeggedon, Carpocalyse things happening, and they’re calling it … the Century Crunch. I know, I know, it doesn’t have much gloom and doom sound to it, but it’s right at the airport.  They’re knocking down a bridge, road improvements yadda yadda traffic nightmare. And probably zombies. Just stay home, play in your backyard, or if you have to, venture downtown. (They have toys.)

Think you're safe if you're heading to San Diego for Comic Con? Ha! You and half a billion other people!  Do they even have enough oxygen for all those people?  No,  you'd better stay right here in the beautiful City of Angels. And what a weekend it will be!  We have National Dance Day, the circus, and the OC Fair, Dragon Boats and Malibu Arts and Summer Fest at Venice Beach. Kids can build sand castles, run like heroes, cheer for cowfolk, boo the bullies and sing with Cinderella.  Best weekend ever!

Or you could always go to New York.

Keep reading for our conveniently located in LA picks for this weekend ....