KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: A tumble is not a verdict; it's information. And kids are natural data analysts. That's what a mom half a generation older than me told me when I was getting ready to have kids, and I took it to heart. So I was secretly a little thrilled the summer my daughter Madison was almost 4, when she took her first big splash off a slippery log into a
creek. Here's why: To succeed in life, everyone needs to learn to stretch to the edge of their abilities... to gather courage from their toes, to calculate, to balance, to wobble, to slide... and eventually to succeed. Kids can learn this early if the grownups in their orbit help them see the mud and bruises that come from a tumble as badges to be worn proudly: a fail-until-we-succeed philosophy in action. That's how personal fulfillment happens, and it's how human progress happens,
too. Summer is childhood's best laboratory, where sensory experiences stick as lifelong learning. School has grades and rubrics and consequences; summer has grass stains and do-overs. An amusement park ride can teach the difference between fear and danger. A hands-on museum can teach that when your tower collapses, you simply vow to rebuild it taller. A farm can teach that maybe you don’t like strawberries from the grocery store, but
you do like the ones you picked yourself, still warm from the sun. A climbing gym can teach your muscles that “I can’t” really means “I can’t yet.” And summer camps are entire worlds built around trying something new with no transcript following you home. Last week, the KidsOutAndAbout.com team launched our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey. It's a way to thank the people who make your community a great place to raise kids. Equally important, it’s a giant menu of local opportunities for your kids to stretch their legs, their minds, and their bravery this summer. Use it to create your summer bucket list! Then step back and set your family’s summer dial to “safe to fail.” Watch your kids climb, build, stumble, and try again.
Let them splash.
—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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Skip the boring birthday party this year. At NYzipline, kids celebrate high above the trees with soaring ziplines, aerial ropes courses, laughs, challenges, and unforgettable memories with friends. Our guided birthday adventures are exciting, confidence-building, and completely different from the usual party experience. We use advanced belay safety technology so parents can relax on the ground while kids focus on the fun. Parents love the easy planning. Kids love the adventure. Located just 30 minutes from Albany and Saratoga, NYzipline is the perfect destination for birthdays kids will still be talking about months later. Weekend party dates fill quickly — book your birthday adventure today at NYzipline.com.
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Unplug. Connect. Embrace Summer at Pok-O-MacCready. Our small, co-ed, overnight camp in the Adirondacks gives children opportunities for success, challenge, and growth by giving them the independence to choose their classes and be active members of our community. This child-centered approach encourages campers with a variety of interests and personalities to find their niche in our 400-acre, screen-free environment. Whether they gravitate towards sports like basketball, street hockey, and volleyball, or creative arts programs like ceramics, theater, and blacksmithing, there are multiple avenues for success and joy each day. Join us for a 2, 3, 4, or even 7-week session!
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Join us for an outdoor book exchange as we celebrate Little Free Library Week (May 18-24). Bring your boxes of exchangeable books to share with others, swap out some of your most treasured literary works for new undiscovered favorites! A great way to re-stock Little Free Libraries, introduce new authors, share hand me ups/hand me downs for children’s books, and socialize with others. This program will be held outside under the tent at the Visitor Center and Museum. Downpours/bad weather will push us into the Enders House, adjacent to the Visitor Center. Free, open to the public.
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Join us to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our waterwheel! The Hanfords installed the waterwheel in the mill in 1926 and it still generates power for the mill today. Watch the wheel come to life and power an interconnected system that was at the heart of a truly innovative milling business and is a key to unlocking the power of the past. This day will also include a 2:00 pm concert by the Cooperstown based Small Town Big Band, a ribbon cutting ceremony, and other festivities.
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Join us for the annual Memorial Day Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026 to honor those who dedicate their lives to keeping our country's citizens safe. The parade will begin at the EG Bowling Center on Columbia Turnpike at 10 am and end at the VFW Post on Hays Road.
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The winner of four 2024 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, is THE OUTSIDERS. Adapted from S.E. HINTON’s seminal novel and FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’s iconic film, this thrilling new musical features a book by ADAM RAPP with JUSTIN LEVINE, music and lyrics by JAMESTOWN REVIVAL (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and JUSTIN LEVINE, music supervision, orchestration, and arrangements by JUSTIN LEVINE, choreography by RICK KUPERMAN & JEFF KUPERMAN, and direction by Tony Award® winner DANYA TAYMOR. Entertainment Weekly says, “It has the power to inspire an entire generation.” In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser family of ‘outsiders’ battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs. THE OUTSIDERS navigates the complexities of self-discovery as the Greasers dream about who they want to become in a world that may never accept them. With a dynamic original score, THE OUTSIDERS is a story of friendship, family, belonging…and the realization that…
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The Outsiders national tour begins at Proctors in Schenectady and continues through many of KidsOutAndAbout's regions. This young adult classic book and movie comes alive on stage with music and plenty of dancing. This classic coming-of-age tale set in 1967 Tulsa has a great deal to say about chosen family, finding yourself, and persevering against the odds. Anyone familiar with the story knows that the violence between the "greasers" and the "socs" (pronounced to rhyme gauche, short for socialites) is integral to the plot, so sensitive viewers might be troubled by the portrayals of violence, domestic abuse, and suicide. If you have a student who has read this book as a school assignment, this is a great opportunity to see the same story in a new light.
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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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Pitch in for Parks - - Thacher State Park, Thacher Park Road, Voorheesville, NY, USA, Friday, May 22, 2026, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm Total Teen Takeover - Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area - 21 Delaware Ave, Albany, NY 12210, Friday, May 22, 2026, 4:00PM-8:30pm 2026 South Glens Falls Memorial Day Parade - - South St, Glens Falls, NY, USA, Friday,
May 22, 2026, 6 pm Memorial Day Ceremony at Cortlandt Town Hall - - Cortlandt Town Hall, Heady Street, Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA, Friday, May 22, 2026, 1 pm Wiggly Wanderers 9:30am - - Moreau Lake State Park, Old Saratoga Road, Gansevoort, NY, USA, Friday, May 22, 2026, 9:30 AM Farmers Market in Menands - - Menands Market Pavilion, Broadway, Menands, NY, USA, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 10 am to 2
pm Bookganza - Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site - - Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069, United States, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 11 am - 2 pm Drawing and Painting Spring Plants - - Emma Treadwell Thacher Ntr Ct, Nature Center Way, Voorheesville, NY, USA, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 11:00 am - 3:30 pm Pinkster Celebration at Schuyler Mansion - - Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Catherine Street, Albany, NY, USA, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 11am-4pm STEAM @ Ten Broeck Mansion: History-Based STEAM Programs for Families - Albany
County Historical Association - Albany County Historical Association, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 10:30 am - 11:30 am Family Flight Lab - - American Mural Project, Winsted CT, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 10am Kinderhook Farmers Market - - Village Square, Kinderhook, NY 12106, United States, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm Music At The Market - Delmar Farmers
Market - - Bethlehem Central Middle School, Kenwood Avenue, Delmar, NY, USA, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 9 am - 1 pm Troy Waterfront Market - - 2nd Street and River Street, Troy, NY 12180, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 9 am to 2 pm Saratoga Outdoor Markets at High Rock Park - - Saratoga Farmers' Market, High Rock Park, High Rock Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA, Saturday, May 23, 2026, See website for details Spa City Farmers' Market - - The Warming Hut, Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA, Sunday, May 24, 2026, 10 am to 2 pm National Memorial Day Concert Live Stream - - ONLINE ONLY, Sunday, May 24, 2026, 8pm EDT / 7pm CDT / 6pm MDT / 5pm PDT /
4pm AKDT Sunday School - Bethlehem Lutheran Church - Delmar, NY - 85 Elm Ave, Delmar, NY 12054, Sunday, May 24, 2026, 9:45 am History
Stroll - - Park Office at 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, NY., Sunday, May 24, 2026, 12:00 PM Free Buddhist Temple Tours Upstate New York in Sullivan County Catskills - - Kadampa Meditation Center New York, Sweeney Rd, Glen Spey, NY, USA,
Sunday, May 24, 2026, 1:30PM Mineral Springs Tour - - Saratoga Spa State Park, Creekside Classroom, Geyser Loop Rd, Saratoga Springs, NY, Sunday, May 24, 2026, 11:00 AM |
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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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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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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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Have a wonderful weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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