KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Sat, Jun 13: Boston PMC Kids Ride
Sat, Jun 13: 2026 Strawberry Festival - At
Cider Hill Farm
Sat, Jun 13: City of Quincy’s 75th Annual Flag Day Celebration, Parade, & Fireworks
Sun, Jun 14: 2026 Boston Dragon Boat Festival
Sat, Jun 20: Father's Day Weekend - At Southwick's Zoo
Sat, Jun 20: Pride in Nature Festival - At Boston Nature Center & Wildlife Sanctuary
Sat, Jun 20: 2026 Community Summer Safety Event - At Lupa zoo
Sun, Jun 21: Summer Solstice Celebration on the Drumlin - At Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
Mon, Jun 22: Pollinator Festival - At Cider Hill Farm
Sat, Jun 27:
Acton-Westford PrideFest at NARA Park
Sun, Jun 28: Dirtopia!
Tue, Jun 30: K-Pop Icons - The Cabot
Wed, Jul 1: America’s 250th Anniversary Celebration - Franklin Park Zoo
Fri, Jul 3: Boston Harborfest 2026
Fri, Jul 10: Animals - A Maroon 5 Sat, Jul 11: 2026 Boston Jerkfest
Sat, Jul 18: City Shorebird Festival - At Carson Beach
Tue, Jul 21: 2026 Barnstable County Fair
Fri, Jul 24: Lowell Folk Festival 2026
Thu, Aug 13: Scallopalooza 2026 at FHC - New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center
Sat, Sep 12: Apple Honey Harvest - At Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When I was homeschooling Madison and Ella, one of my favorite sanity-saving tools was the Theme of the Week. If the theme was "Birds," then yes, we'd go on a bird walk. But we'd also read my favorite-ever children's book, talk about the physics of flying and of colors, and probably also do some math and logic involving eggs and
baskets. The theme made ordinary learning feel like an adventure, but more important, it gave us a focusing tool: It helped the girls connect with what they were seeing and doing, and it helped me feel that we weren’t wandering randomly through our days. Summer planning can benefit from that same kind of gentle structure. Last week, I wrote about how summer is not supposed to be a guilt-inducing race to cram in every concert, splash pad, festival, hike,
camp, road trip, library program, ice cream stand, and sunset before the school buses roll again. Trying to grab everything is a good way to miss the point; instead, to plan the summer without overstuffing it, we need to consider the kinds of experiences that make our family feel more awake, connected, and alive. The five summer lenses I keep coming back to are: music, motion, making,
nature, and food. Music helps kids hear the world differently and live what they love. Motion lets bodies teach what words cannot. Making reminds us that we can bring something new into the universe. Nature offers perspective and wonder. And food connects us to place, culture, and each other. Over the next
few weeks, I’ll address these one at a time—not as assignments, but as invitations. Even as the days fly by, a summer seen through some useful lenses can still be lazy, loose, spontaneous, and wonderfully imperfect.
—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong
Communities
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KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes
from Deb" section of our site. |
Please click through to our 2026 survey to vote for your top 3 places to take kids... it will be used to compile our 2026 Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Boston area. Voting is live through June 20; believe me, winning a place on the Top 20 list matters to the people who
create amazing family-friendly experiences. Take 3 minutes to choose your favorites as your way of saying thank you... and use the list to build your summer bucket list at the same time! |
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BattleBots® Camp? You can only get it here. Roblox Camp? We've got that and more in our Summer '26 lineup. Register today at the top-rated tech camp for 25 years and counting! iD Tech is the very best experience built around your child—their interests, their skill level, their goals for the future. Trusted by 75+ of the world’s top universities and over 1,000,000 parents, iD Tech is where kids and teens learn from the best—coding, game dev, robotics, and more. The future starts at iD Tech! Click here for more information about your local iD Tech opportunities! Virtual camps are also available!
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Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum for families that blends science, nature, and play. The fully accessible campus provides indoor STEM-based exhibits and a nature playscape and giant treehouse for open-ended learning explorations.
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Enjoy summer in the Blue Hills on this guided hike with our knowledgeable educators. Explore different trails around the Trailside Museum as we look for critters and learn about nature. Each hike will be around 2 miles and may include familiar favorites like the Red Dot Loop, Wolcott Path, Puddle Path, and More! Perfect for families looking to get out and immerse themselves in the natural world.
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The Boston PMC Kids Ride returns to South Boston this spring to once again raise funds for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute while teaching kids about volunteerism. The Boston PMC Kids Ride is Saturday, June 13, from 8 to 11 AM, and starts at Carson Beach. The PMC Kids Rides Program is a spoke in the wheel of the Pan-Mass Challenge’s yearly fundraising campaign, featuring mini bike-a-thons throughout New England that involve children ages 2 to 15 in the PMC mission.
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The Braintree Farmers Market is proud of our local farmers and artisan food vendors that are curated and provide the highest quality products to our market visitors. The BFM provides a healthy and wholesome event for our community every Saturday from 9 to 1 during the market season. Our market guests enjoy purchasing their local foods for the week, meet friends for lunch, listen to great music, and stroll the Braintree Town Hall Green.
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Celebrate all things strawberries! The multi-weekend event feature free live music, outdoor hard cider bar, family-friendly activities, hayrides, food trucks, homemade strawberries treats and PYO strawberries. Dates may be shift per weather & fruit readiness.
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This year’s parade will step off at 7 p.m. at the corner of Hancock Street and Coddington St. in Quincy Center and head north along Hancock Street, turning onto Merrymount Parkway and wrap-up at Vietnam Veterans Drive and Adams Field. A flag-raising ceremony and musical performance at Pageant Field will follow the completion of the parade. The night will culminate with fireworks over Black’s Creek at approximately 9:00 PM This year’s parade will feature floats celebrating America 250, specialty units, public safety and veterans’ color guards, a fleet of classic cars, and more than 1,000 flag-waving youngsters. This year’s parade marks the 75th anniversary of the parade that carries on the tradition of the Koch Club. Adding to the parade excitement, former Richard J. and Simone N Koch Youth Service Award winners will return to join in this commemorative year. Bands performing include the Quincy/North Quincy Marching Band, Crusaders Senior Corp., North Star Alumni Drum and…
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The Boston Dragon Boat Festival is the oldest dragon boat festival in the United States. Hosting over 70 teams and 60,000+ festival attendees and athletes in 2025, it is one of the largest dragon boat festivals on the east coast. Festival day includes arts and crafts, performances, food trucks, and racing. It is a fun event where families and friends can enjoy the summer weather and be part of the community.
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Spend your Sunday waterfront shopping at our upcoming Pop Up Market at The Anchor Boston! Pop Up Gallery is popping up at The Anchor for an afternoon filled with local creativity, delicious cocktails, a full kitchen, and great energy on the waterfront. Browse a curated selection of local artists, makers, and small businesses offering everything from art and handmade goods to unique finds you won’t see anywhere else. Grab a drink, enjoy the harbor views, and settle in for a relaxed, feel-good afternoon.
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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Boston area. From Arcades to Ziplines our Big List will help you think outside the box and plan the party of your kids' dreams. KidsOutAndAbout has dozens (and dozens) of ideas!
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View our local Boston area 2026 summer camp guide for kids! Pick the dates you want to explore on our calendar and see what summer camps are available. Hundreds of local summer camps: day camps, overnight camps, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts &
crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool, & more!
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Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Boston area? Escape rooms are interactive, puzzle-packed experiences where you and your team work together to solve clues and complete your mission-all before time runs out! Whether you're escaping a
spooky cabin, cracking a high-stakes heist,…
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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