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The countdown begins for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse! On August 21, 2017, the St. Louis region will experience a total solar eclipse when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, blocking the Sun for more than two minutes. 

You and your kids can learn about the upcoming eclipse now and get ready for one of nature's most amazing events.

Kids love Captain Underpants! Come meet the author of the wildly successful  Captain Underpants book series at the St. Louis County Library on Aug. 30. Kids can wear their super hero capes for this special night of storytelling, games, giveaways and wild fun.

6:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Seating is limited and early arrival is recommended. 

See thousands of colorful and ornate lanterns light up the night sky when this ancient Chinese tradition returns to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the summer season. The Lantern Festival features 22 all-new sets of lanterns crafted from silk and steel, offering visitors the opportunity to experience an event rarely staged outside of Asia.

Bring blankets, chairs and an appetite for Brentwood's outdoor movie series, complete with food trucks! Enjoy a fun family Saturday night in the park and a free movie.

Movies begin at sundown (about 7:45 p.m.) and food trucks will arrive approximately 45 minutes prior. The movie schedule includes:

August 22: The LEGO Movie

Sept. 12: Frozen

At Brentwood Park. More information: brentwoodmo.org

Bring your appetites to The Magic House for a brunch fit for a Very Hungry Caterpillar! Kids will munch on delicious foods just like the Very Hungry Caterpillar, enjoy hands-on activities inspired by the book collection, create their own Eric Carle insect and have the Magic House all to themselves as they enjoy some private playtime in the Very Eric Carle exhibit.

You and your kids can step back in time, explore, discover and play in some favorite St. Louis places in a welcoming environment where nothing is hands-off.

Celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year with a fun back-to-school event at the library. There will be crafts and games for ages 7-11.

7 to 8 p.m. Free.

At the St. Louis County Library, Daniel Boone Branch.

Challenge your family members to some good old-fashioned fun at this free event at the library. You'll go outdoors if weather permits. Otherwise, you'll take the fun indoors. For all ages.

Free. 10 a.m. At the St. Louis County Library, Daniel Boone Branch.

Learn about the science behind NASA's New Horizons spacecraft as it probes the dwarf planet and its moons at the August First Friday at the Saint Louis Science Center. First Friday will feature free hands-on activities, presentations, sci-fi trivia, sci-fi films and more.

Your family can enjoy live music, face painting, balloon art, free bike helmets and helmet fittings and lots more to start the school year off right at Taubman Prestige Outlets in Chesterfield. This free event will be held during the Missouri Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Weekend, Aug. 7-9.

Support breastmilk donation in the St. Louis area by participating in the Milk Donor Dash, a 5K, 1 mile and kids race to raise money for the Milk Bank. The organizers hope to make it easier for St. Louis-area families with extra milk to know they can share the milk with other babies, especially those who are critically ill, who are given priority.

Girls ages 14 to 18 can bring out their inner Katniss and learn some of the archery skills this character used in the popular book series and movie The Hunger Games. Participants will rotate between three activities throughout the day: archery, fire/water/shelter skills and camouflage.

Participants should dress for the weather and bring a water bottle and snack. 

Badgers digging in the prairies, otters playing in the rivers, minks hunting in the lowlands - what do they all have in common? Kids will learn how these interesting predators are related and are all considered members of the weasel family. 

9:30 to 11 a.m. 

At Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood, near the intersection of I-44 and I-270. Call 314-301-1500 for reservations. Free but reservations are required.

Ike Day, a former librarian for the City of Edwardsville, will lead preschoolers through a wonderful story telling time in the treehouse at the Watershed Nature Center in Edwardsville. The stories are focused on teaching children about nature through storytelling and exploration.

Take leisurely two-hour hike through the oak hickory forest to see what kind of nature is in the woods at the World Bird Sanctuary. An expert naturalist will lead you on your hike-where you may see birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

To guide kids and parents alike through the causes and effects of sports injuries as well as their prevention, Washington University and the St.