KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Austin Newsletter |
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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: One summer afternoon during a family camping trip in New Jersey when I was about 6 or 7 years old, a horse fly suddenly appeared next to my ear and started following me everywhere I went. I’m sure that, from its own perspective, it was just going about its business doing ordinary horse fly things, but to me it felt enormous, ominous, and purposeful. I can't remember if it
actually bit me, but I can still summon the hot panic of not being able to get away from its threatening buzz. To my small self, that fly wasn't a little distraction, it was a crisis with wings. The memory surfaced recently when my daughter Ella sent me the above photo, taken in Quintana Beach County Park, near Houston. The point was clear: Proceed, and you will be under attack, and not by any adorable Northeastern bugs you might be used to. No, these bugs were born in Texas. Beware. Sometimes that is exactly
how challenges feel, especially to kids: Problems loom much larger to them than they do to adults with decades of experience. A broken toy, a skinned knee, a mistake in front of the class, or a slight misunderstanding with a friend may be a fly in the ointment to us, but a Texas-sized monster to a child. The trick is to validate the feeling without validating helplessness. We stand beside them and say, Yes, I know, this feels huge. The bugs, even if they're not as large as they
think, are real. They watch us shoo them away and learn gradually to do it for themselves. If I had seen the sign above, my first instinct would have been to flee back to the safety of the car. And Ella said it was not exaggerating, at least not by much: The moment she stepped onto the property, giant mosquitoes descended, and they were hungry; even leggings soaked with OFF Deep Woods did not deter them. She assures me that the photo she got of the Bay-breasted Warbler was
worth all the bites on the backs of her knees. She knew better than to show me the damage. Clearly, the script has flipped.
—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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Our summer class schedule is designed for children who are out of school for the summer and need a daily swim lesson. Swimmers can enroll in classes for one week (Monday – Friday, 1 lesson per day, 5 lessons per week) or into multiple weeks. Our summer class swim students meet Monday through Friday at the same time every day. Lessons run from early June through mid-August. While the core of our program is still perpetual lessons that let swimmers swim year-round, summer lessons have their place too. These classes are a nice way to get your swimmer out to burn off some energy and are also beneficial to the learning process.
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Join us on Saturday, June 6 from 10 am-2pm for the grand opening of Waterloo Greenway Phase II: The Confluence! This transformative addition to Austin’s urban landscape represents years of collaboration, community input, innovative design, and environmental restoration. The celebration will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, family-friendly activities, music, self-guided exploration, scavenger hunts, face painting, art, and more! Free and open to the public. Event parking will be available for $5 at the Austin Convention Center 5th St. Garage at 601 E. 5th St. Ridesharing and public transit are encouraged. We can’t wait to see you for this historic, exciting moment!
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Join Maestro Pablo Zamora Mata and the Austin Symphony Orchestra for Video Games Live!, an electrifying fusion of iconic game scores, stunning visuals, and symphonic power featuring music from Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, Kingdom Hearts, and more.
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The Wildflower Center will soon be transformed into an Ice Age landscape! Travel back in time and meet 15 gigantic mammals – including a 17,500-pound woolly mammoth – that have come out of extinction to stomp around our gardens. It’s been thousands of years since these massive creatures roamed the earth. As you move through the gardens, you’ll get a glimpse of what that world was like.
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Acres of Sunflowers and unicorns featuring over 12 different varieties of single branching sunflowers. Every turn reveals another moment of wonder where magic roams free.
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Rev up for summer with a truckload of fun for all ages! See vehicles of all shapes and sizes at the library for one morning only. Get up-close and hands-on with awesome trucks from City of San Marcos Public Works, Fire Department, Police Department, San Marcos Electric Utility, and more! And don’t forget to pick up a reading log, because you can win fantastic prizes for reading this summer. Adventure starts at your library with Big Rigs!
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In recognition of Memorial Day May 25th, This week, come into the Wondershop to put together a paper plate flag. Come make a craft in honor of all of our military who have died while serving our country.
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Our flowers are flowering! Get your tickets and come on out! Over 25 activities: - $1 a Stem / $20 for a Large Mason Jar(Fit as many as you can!) - Free Parking
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The Greater Austin YMCA is hosting Splash Day, the largest free pool party in Travis and Hays Counties with six participating locations on Saturday, May 30, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
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Summer Movie Mornings are back and bigger than ever! Beat the summer heat with 10 fun-filled weeks of $1 family films at EVO! We'll show a different film each week, with showtimes at 10am EVERY DAY.
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Start your summer with a screening of Mabel in the Wildflower Center Auditorium. The film follows Callie, a lonely girl whose closest companion is a potted plant named Mabel. While Callie finds comfort and connection in the world of plants, the people around her struggle to understand her fascination with the natural world.
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Come beat the heat with your Austin Symphony Orchestra (ASO) as they begin their annual Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park in the spring! All ages, including pets, enjoy relaxing Sunday evenings with different musical ensembles presented by the ASO. In its 24th season, these FREE ensemble concerts take place at the Hartman Concert Lawn on Sunday evenings. Thanks to a generous gift from the Hartman Family Foundation, these informal concerts for the Austin community continue to be funded each season, allowing Austinites to become acquainted or reacquainted with the classical music experience. Performing music ranging from jazz and light classical to pops selections and film scores, concertgoers are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner and blanket to make it a group outing.
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The beloved Austin tradition returns! We’re excited to reveal the full lineup of the 2026 Paramount Summer Classic Film Series, featuring 14 35mm prints, special guests, and - for the first time - IMAX presentations on the biggest screen in Texas: the Bullock Museum IMAX Theatre! Film Fan Club members get an exclusive presale window for IMAX screenings, along with discounted tickets, free popcorn at Paramount and State screenings, and more.
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Goldfish Swim School - South Austin turns 2! Celebrate with open swim, food photo booth & a special surprise! Come make a splash with us!
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- Greater Austin YMCA Splash Day - Greater Austin YMCA - Six Greater Austin Y locations, Saturday, May 30, 2026, 10am to 1pm
- Lives Remembered: Black History in Pease Park - Pease District Park - Kingsbury Street, Austin, TX, USA, Saturday, May 30, 2026, 10:00
- Heritage Center Open
House - Heritage Center - Austin, TX, USA, Saturday, May 30, 2026, time not listed
- Music/ Movement Storytime - Liberty Hill Public Library - Main Street, Liberty Hill, TX, USA, Friday, May 29, 2026, 10:15 - 11 am
- FREE Make & Take: Origami - Austin Creative Reuse Center - 2005 Wheless Lane, Austin, TX 78723, United States, Friday, May 29, 2026, 12-3 pm
- Arty Party: 5 Senses! -
The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria - West 35th Street, Austin, TX, USA, Friday, May 29, 2026, 10:00AM
- Big Rigs - San Marcos Public Library - 625 E Hopkins St, San Marcos, TX 78666, United States, Friday, May 29, 2026, 9:30-11:30 am
- Texas America250 Reading Challenge - Texas State Library and Archives Commission - 1201 Brazos St, Austin, Texas 78701, United States, Friday, May 29, 2026, all day
- Hartman Foundation Concerts in The Park - The Long Center for the Performing Arts - 701 West Riverside Drive, Austin, TX, USA, Sunday, May 31, 2026, 7:30 pm
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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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