KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter for the Austin area |
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Sat, Jun 6: 5th Annual Midsummer Festival
Sun, Jun 14: Family Day: Garden of Rainbows
Sun, Jun 14: Summer Kickoff Party @ Indigo Play!!
Fri, Jun 19: Juneteeth Celebration in
Manor
Sat, Jun 20: Juneteenth Festival Round Rock
Sun, Jun 21: Austin Symphonic Band: Father's Day Concert
Thu, Jun 25: Western Days Festival
Sun, Jun 28: Sesame Street Live
Sat, Jul 11: Dinosaur Day
Sun, Jul 19: Under the Sea
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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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Janel Nansenn, MA, is an educational therapist and the founder of Read-A-Rific®, a reading comprehension program and Texas PDSES vendor. Nansenn's work has transformed the lives of struggling readers. Over the course of her career, she has helped thousands
of struggling learners achieve success both academically and personally.
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Get ready for a slice of fun at the Friday Fun Nights: Pizza Party, on May 22nd, at the new Lakeview Pavilion and Stage! Bring your friends and family for a tasty, fun-filled evening, including: Games and Activities , Giant Pizzas from Dirt Road Cookers, Live Entertainment by the B-Flat Dueling Pianos And MORE!
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Jump to new heights with a night of AirMat Madness! Kids will build muscle strength and boost their tumbling skills with the extra spring of the AirMat. You’ll find all of your favorite AirMat activities in one place and jump for joy with this awesome PSN!
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Watch them burn bright! Illuminate is an annual student showcase presented by Zach's Pre-Professional Company. This revue-style show is a culmination of rigorous training and a year of students’ hard work, artistic growth, and dedication to their craft. Featuring classic and contemporary Broadway hits, this showcase celebrate the future of musical theater and the singers, dancers, and storytellers bringing it to life.
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In Messina, everyone is an expert on love and a complete disaster at it. Austin Shakespeare brings William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing to Zilker Hillside Theatre from May 7–24, 2026. Admission is free, although donations will be accepted.
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Help Honor our nation’s Vietnam Veterans, many of whom joined the Guard after their regular Army service, and remember the true meaning of Memorial Day with this look back at the Vietnam War. The free program features members of the Texas Military Forces Living History Detachment exhibiting the uniform and equipment worn by the American soldiers and their Viet Cong and NVA opponents.
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Kids on Bikes in Parks is a free cycling event presented by Violet Crown, The LeadOut Foundation, and The Trail Conservancy. We have a closed course of 1000 ft of grassy parkland for children ages 5-15 to ride their bikes on. We will have open track time with experienced cyclists present to teach lessons and at the top of every hour, we will have timed laps for kids to test themselves and track their progress.
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Get ready to dive into the spirit of the islands at our Aloha Pool Party at the Lakeway Swim Center! Join us for an unforgettable evening of tropical fun, exciting performances, and lively entertainment for all ages.
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The Kerrville Folk Festival was founded by the late Rod Kennedy in 1972. For 18 straight days and nights, the Festival offers concerts and activities for all ages that are focused on nurturing and developing artistic expression, especially the art of songwriting. Our mission is to promote public appreciation and support for songwriters, the songwriting craft, and the gift folk music offers the world.
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Enjoy FREE museum admission all day during H-E-B Free Fourth Sundays, held the fourth Sunday of every month.
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Get ready to chase the storm—no rain boots required. Join us for Storms & STEAM: Extreme Weather, where science meets the wild side of nature. From towering thunderstorms to powerful tornadoes and hurricanes, discover what drives extreme weather through hands-on activities, live demos, and real-world science.
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Step aboard the Hill Country Flyer, our signature excursion and a cherished tradition for families, friends, and neighbors across Central Texas! This full-day adventure invites you to experience railroading the way it used to be, inside fully restored vintage railcars that have been carefully preserved by the Austin Steam Train Association and its dedicated volunteers.
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The Annual Jaycees’ Fredericksburg Crawfish Festival returns to Downtown Marktplatz, Fredericksburg, Texas, Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-24, 2026. The Festival will feature activities for the whole family including lots of great Cajun food, live music, shopping, and fun for the young and young at heart!
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- Close Assault 1968 Vietnam War Living History Program - Camp Mabry - West 35th Street, Austin, TX, May 23-24, 2026, Showtimes are at 11 am and 2 pm on Saturday and 1 pm on Sunday
- Kids on Bikes in Parks - Austin - Chicano Park, Jesse E. Segovia St, Austin, TX, May 23, 2026, 8-11 am
- Well-derness in Motion Family Fun
Day - 201 San Marcos Springs Drive - San Marcos, TX 78666, May 23, 2026, 11:00AM-3:00PM
- Friday Fun Nights at Lakeview - Round Rock - Lakeview Pavilion at Old Settlers Park, Harrell Parkway, Round Rock, TX, May 22, 2026, 7:30-10 pm
- FREE Make & Take: Origami - Austin Creative Reuse Center - 2005 Wheless Lane, Austin, TX 78723, May 22, 2026, 12-3 pm
- H-E-B Free Fourth Sunday - Texas Science
& Natural History Museum - Trinity Street, Austin, TX, May 24, 2026, 1-5PM
- National Memorial Day Concert - LIVE STREAM - ONLINE ONLY - ONLINE ONLY, May 24, 2026, 8pm EDT / 7pm CDT / 6pm MDT / 5pm PDT / 4pm AKDT
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Planning a kids birthday party in the Austin area? Here are lots of ideas for where to have it! If there is a resource that we have missed, please email us to let us know, and we'll add it promptly.
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Austin 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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Enjoy the weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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