KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: Before I had kids, one of my colleagues told me that fundamentally, a parent’s job is to point. At first, you point physically: You point at the waterfall and say “waterfall,” at the moon and say “moon,” at the flower and say “flower.” You’re helping a child connect sounds to objects, words to concepts, language to reality. But later, and really all the way
through, the pointing becomes more metaphorical. Parenting is the ongoing work of connecting your child’s growing capacity to understand with a world that is, to them, forever expanding. As I had Madison and Ella, I came to think of this as being a tour guide to the world. A good tour guide needs to know the landscape, of course. But even more important, a good tour guide needs to know the traveler. What can this particular child see right now? What are they ready for? What do
they care about? What frightens them? What delights them? It's useful to remember that kids haven’t actually been here before: The world is brand-new to them over and over again, so what feels ordinary to us is often astonishing to a child. Tour guides who are doing their job well pay close attention to who their audience is and what they know, and that makes the pointing easier and more fun. Spring is the perfect season to practice pointing. In spring, the world changes fast
enough for kids to notice. Buds swell and burst. Birds return. Tiny green things push up through the dirt as if by magic. Day to day, the world becomes visibly more alive. If we point it out, kids can catch it happening in real time. And spring does not arrive quietly. It comes as an avalanche of the senses: color, smell, birdsong, mud, wind, sunlight, thunder, petals, pollen, rushing water. So maybe that’s part of the job, too: not just to point, but to lean into it. To stand
beside our kids in the rush of it all and say, Look! Here it comes.
—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. |
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Review of The Sound of Music at Proctors KidsOutAndAbout's Katie Beltramo reviews The Sound of Music, at Proctors this weekend. You already know that The Sound of Music is a fantastic family-friendly story with some of the most engaging songs ever written. But should you and your kids go to the show? Of course you should! Read more about the musical as well as ideas for family discussions before and after the show in our KidsOutAndAbout review. |
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Bring the family to the Palace Theatre on Tue, APRIL 7 for our Inside Out Family Fun Day! Doors open at Noon for activities: crafts, face painting, giveaways and more. Then stick around for INSIDE OUT on the big screen at 1PM. Grab your free tickets today and join us!
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Let’s Sing Taylor - A Live Band Experience - the ultimate tribute to the music of Taylor Swift. Coming to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on March 28th! We can show you incredible things, including the most faithful and lively covers of Queen Taylor’s expansive and sacred catalog. Taking the country by storm, we’re bringing the communal experience of celebrating Taylor’s music in a live setting to Swifties near and far. So, let the games begin. Calling all Swifties to sing your hearts out and sport your Taylor- inspired attire. You can show up at our party any time.
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Experience the sweetest weekends of the year! Maple Open House Weekends invite you to step onto the farm, explore New York’s rich sugarmaking traditions, and taste pure maple syrup in all its delicious forms, fresh from the source. Visit verified maple producers on March 21-22 & March 28-29, 2026, and see firsthand how maple sap transforms into liquid gold. Don’t miss this chance to savor the region’s freshest maple delights! Click here to find participating producers.
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April Break (Ages 6-8) is Here & Summer is Selling Out! Need plans for April 6th–10th? Our April Spring Break Camp still has spots open for our Beginner (Ages 6-8) "Robotics & Minecraft Engineering (Jr. Edition)" track! (Note: Intermediate/Advanced is fully sold out). Your child will build hands-on robotics and design incredible Minecraft theme parks. Looking ahead to Summer? Please do not wait. Our 2026 STEAM camps are booking at record speed, and our most popular weeks are already on waitlist status. Secure your child's April and Summer schedules right now to avoid going on the waitlist and missing out on the fun! Register now: steamwhiz.com/summer2026/
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Come join us for Maple Weekend and learn how maple syrup is crafted! During this family friendly event, you will take a short walking tour, see how sweet sap is made into high-quality syrup and enjoy complimentary samples of our delicious products.
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Get ready for an unforgettable night of music, community, and impact! Join us on March 28, from 5 pm - 8 pm at the beautiful Arts Center of the Capital Region for our second Silent Disco Fundraiser, supporting the Galactosemia Foundation. At a silent disco, everyone dances to their own beat with wireless LED headphones offering multiple music channels. Whether you're into pop, throwbacks, EDM, or slow jams — you choose your vibe! DJ Cost is back in the house—and yes, he’ll be spinning all the hits… quietly, because everyone will be dancing to their own headphones!
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Over the course of three centuries, hundreds of people worked at Clermont to keep the Livingston family comfortable. For nearly 100 years, the mansion was run by a mostly enslaved staff. By the 1830s, this staff was completely replaced by paid labor. Though many of their stories were lost, recent research has revealed new details about those who worked for the Livingston family. Join us as we uncover some of the stories of those who served.
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Join Schuyler Mansion and Johnson Hall New York State Historic Sites for a compelling exploration of women in Revolutionary New York. In the spring of 1776, a dramatic arrest and an uneasy imprisonment placed two prominent women on opposite sides of the conflict and at the heart of a growing political storm. Through two engaging talks, discover how status, loyalty, family ties, and personal conviction shaped their choices during the early days of the Revolution, and consider how their actions may have carried consequences far beyond what appears in the traditional historical record.
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It's spring, and that means some of our favorite places to go are opening for the season! Check out our list of amusement parks, ice cream shops, adventure parks, and more! Hooray for spring!
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The all-new 2026 Camp Invention® program, Spark, is coming to curious kids in your community this summer! Rising K-6 campers will collaborate with friends to tackle hands-on, open-ended challenges. They’ll team up with robotic capybaras, ride the waves of entrepreneurship, uncover the power of protecting their ideas and build a DIY space rocket! Each experience is designed to spark confidence, build persistence and create unforgettable summer memories. Visit invent.org/save/camp to secure your spot! Register using CIFUN25 by 3/31 to save $25 or CIFUN20 by 4/28 to save $20 when you register. Interest-free payment plans are available, making camp affordable for all families.
January 27, 2026
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- Wiggly Wanderers 9:30am - Moreau Lake State Park, Old Saratoga Road, Gansevoort, NY, March 27, 2026, 9:30 AM
- Bunbury Players Present: Good Thing Going - Bunbury Players, Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, 475 Moe Road, Clifton Park, NY 12065, March 27, 2026, 7:00PM-9:00PM
- Photos with the Easter Bunny at Colonie Center Shopping Mall - Colonie Center, Central Avenue, Albany, NY, March 27-29, 2026, See website for details
- Reading with Greta at Troy Public Library - Troy Public Library, 100 2nd Street,
Troy, NY 12180, March 28, 2026, 11 am to 12 pm
- "Godspell" - SGS School Musical - Saint Gregory's School - Coed Private School in Albany for Boys & Girls, Old Niskayuna Road, Albany, NY, March 28-29, 2026, 6:00pm Saturday 2:30pm Sunday
- Maple Weekend at Sugar Oak Farms - Sugar Oak Farms, 50 Atkins Rd, Malta, NY 12020, March 28-29, 2026, 10 am - 4 pm
- Kids’ Art Workshop - Opalka Gallery,
New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, March 28, 2026, 1:00 PM
- Revolutionary Women: Lady Johnson, Angelica Schuyler, and the Politics of Loyalty - New York State Museum - New York State Museum, 222 Madison Ave, Albany, NY 12230, March 28, 2026, 2
pm
- Upcycled Bird Feeders - Rensselaer Public Library, 676 East Street, Rensselaer, NY 12144, March 28, 2026, 1 PM
- Bunbury Players Present: Good Thing Going - Bunbury Players, Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, 475 Moe Road, Clifton Park, NY 12065, March 28, 2026, 7:00PM-9:00PM
- PAWS for Reading - 99 Clinton St, Schenectady, NY 12305, March 29, 2026, 2-3 pm
- Sunday School - Bethlehem Lutheran Church - Delmar, NY, 85 Elm Ave, Delmar, NY 12054, March 29, 2026, 9:45 am
- Bunbury Players Present: Good Thing
Going - Bunbury Players, Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, 475 Moe Road, Clifton Park, NY 12065, March 29, 2026, 2:00PM-4:00PM
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Albany area is back! You can search by date, age, or categories like day/overnight, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts & crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool, & more. Our
guide puts summer fun right at your fingertips!
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Parents have an abundance of choices when it comes to PreK and day care options in the Charlotte area! Use our Big List to help find the best one for your kiddos and check our events calendar to find Open Houses where you can meet teachers and tour the
schools.
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Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Capital Region? Escape rooms are interactive, puzzle-packed experiences where you and your team work together to solve clues, unlock secrets, and complete your mission-all before time runs out!
Whether you're escaping a spooky cabin, cracking a high-stakes heist, or breaking a magical curse, escape rooms offer exciting, screen-free fun for kids, teens, and adults.
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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Albany 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 of ideas!
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2025's best places to take kids in the Capital District as voted by New York parents! Parents vote, we do the math, and the result is the Top 20 Places to Take Kids! But there is LOTS more to do in Albany than even just this wonderful list: visit
KidsOutAndAbout.com to see our events calendar, find seasonal activities, get ideas for the perfect day trip and MORE.
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Have a wonderful weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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