Children learning about science.

Everyone tells me to enjoy my kids while they’re young. Some days that’s easier than others. But I know they’re right.

With my oldest daughter starting kindergarten in the fall, I’m realizing that I don’t have much time before she and her two-year-old sister will be making plans of their own. Or they’ll just be plain embarrassed to be seen with me.

So, in an effort to make the most of the time I have, I’ve put together a Parental Bucket List. Things in and around The D that I — and parents like me — can do with the kids before they graduate from high school.

They’re adventures that don’t take a lot of time or money — and that’s the point. It’s all about creating memories.

What comes to mind when you think of art? A museum? A painting? A sculpture? Tyree Guyton, founder and artistic director of the Heidelberg Project, is working to broaden the concept of art by using everyday, discarded objects to create an open-air art environment on Detroit’s east side.

We aren’t the only creatures awaiting the sun’s shining rays. The animals at the Detroit Zoo are ready to come out of hibernation for area families, so plan a springtime adventure today.

The Detroit Zoo, based in Royal Oak, is the perfect spot for some much-needed “Vitamin Z,” after a long Michigan winter. With fewer crowds, more animal activity and less sunscreen needed, springtime is ideal for a zoo adventure — whether as a family or with a date.

There’s something about vinyl that is intoxicating. Maybe it’s the sleeve art, big and beautiful. Or, it could be the warm sound from the speakers, or perchance it’s the physicality of the thing, where there are literal grooves that contain the sound, not just bits and bytes.

For me, it’s also the memories. We had one of those large console cabinets where you opened the top and there was the record player, as well as storage for the records, and the big speakers were built in. Dad would rifle through his collection that ranged from Hendrix to Haydn, and you’d hear the “Aha!” when he found what he was looking for.

Neighborhood Profile: Greektown

What do you get when you douse Kasseri cheese with brandy and light it on fire? Saganaki — the most popular appetizer in all of Greektown.  Waiters flambé the dish tableside and yell “OPA!” as a giant flame leaps to life from the small serving skillet. Watching the surprised reactions on the faces of diners unfamiliar with the custom never gets old.

That’s just one of the many reasons that Detroit’s Greektown remains a top destination for locals and visitors alike.