KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Austin Newsletter |
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
When I was a kid, a giant azalea bush stretched across our backyard, exploding into glorious pink blossoms in early May. In summer, it became something even better: a secret hideout that my sister and I named the Humble Abode. We hollowed out the dead branches behind the bush and dragged in little chairs and treasures and our dollhouse family. The Humble Abode barely qualified as
a fort, and it wasn't even secret; I'm sure my parents knew when we were back there. But it was a great kids-only space. A few weeks ago, I wrote about five summer lenses through which to plan summer: music, motion, making, nature, and food. Making—the lens for this week—reminds kids that they are not merely consumers of the world, but contributors to it. They can push value into existence. They can turn sticks, cardboard, fabric, tape, mud, blocks, gears,
sand, and flour into something that wasn’t there before. Especially for younger kids, making with the hands gives the brain evidence. I did that. I made that. I can make things happen. Summer is perfect for this because summer has time and room for mess. Pull out the science kits, the rocket kits, the LEGO bins, the soap-making sets that arrived at Christmas and then sat politely in the closet. "Upcycle" old boxes, fabric, toys, crayons, paint, buttons.
Let your kids build backyard forts, fairy houses, marble runs, cardboard cities, obstacle courses, blanket tents, museum towers, and whatever else the day and their imagination suggest. Of course, glue will drip. Sand will migrate. The kitchen table may briefly disappear under invention. (If the clutter gets overwhelming, consider a trip or two to your local science museum or maker space to save your sanity.) After all, you can’t make omelets without breaking eggs. And
you can’t make a maker without giving a child some space, some tools, some trust, and permission to begin.
—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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Join Texas Science & Natural History Museum to celebrate all things dino! Enjoy family-friendly educational activities, explore the museum’s interactive Discovery Center and newly updated Paleontology Gallery, and bring fossils for in-person identification by a paleontologist. Check out a 33-foot cast replica of a full tyrannosaur skeleton and see a wide assortment of paleontology specimens. Plus, get 20% off select dinosaur-themed merchandise in the Museum Store! All activities included with admission.
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Join us at Liberty Hill’s Independence Day Spectacular to celebrate our freedom! Neighbors and friends will gather at Liberty Hill Middle School on July 3rd to celebrate freedom in the most patriotic way. Residents engage in friendly competition for the coveted blue ribbon in challenges like the Homemade Apple Pie contest, Watermelon Seed Spitting contest and the Hot Dog Eating contest. Children play in the Radical Run Obstacle Course, ride the trackless train and jump on the Velcro wall. The activities pause mid-evening for the REAL snowball fight, just before the headliner band kicks off. The evening’s festivities conclude with a spectacular fireworks show.
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Looking for the best 4th of July event in Cedar Park? Join us at The Fieldhouse for our America 250 Celebration, a two-day Independence Day weekend festival featuring live country music, family-friendly activities, food vendors, drinks, and patriotic fun for all ages. Celebrate America's 250th birthday with a full weekend of entertainment, including live music performances, a giant two-story water slide, our crowd-favorite Hot Dog Eating Contest, local food vendors, and more. Whether you're looking for a family outing, a place to enjoy live music near Austin, or a fun way to spend the holiday weekend, The Fieldhouse has something for everyone.
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Celebrate Independence Day in Cedar Park! The festivities will include live music, carnival rides, inflatable attractions, food vendors, a fireworks display, and a movie in the park immediately after the fireworks. This is one of the most spectacular celebrations in Cedar Park, and it’s an event you won't want to miss!
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250 years of history in the making, step back in time with a vintage ride through the historical hill country. During the layover, don't miss the Burnet County Veterans Memorial, located next to our 1912 Bertram Depot. Ride the Independence Day Express and experience railroading history firsthand! This train ride follows our Bertram Flyer route from Cedar Park through the Texas Hill Country. Venture over Short Creek Canyon and cross the 300-foot South San Gabriel trestle bridge before returning back to Cedar Park aboard beautifully restored vintage railcars from the 1930's through the 1950's pulled by diesel locomotive.
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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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You decide where the show goes! Come out and enjoy a show that you help create! Every Sunday at Hideout Kids, improvisors act silly, kids laugh loudly, and parents watch happily as a new and unique story unfolds biased on the suggestions of the kids in the audience. Hideout Kids (formerly The Flying Theater Machine) has been tickling the funny bones of Austin Children since 2006. “I created [the show] as a way to bring improvisation to kids in Austin,” says Hideout Owner Jessica Arjet. “Kids gain confidence from jumping on stage, and parents get to see their children in a positive light. Laughter brings people together, so what could be better than offering a way for families to laugh together?”
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ColdTowne's Youth Program, Excused Absence Comedy, invites you to Story Starts, our weekly Improv show for kids and families. Interactive, high-energy, and hilarious, each show is a brand new story inspired by our audience!
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It’s the 250th birthday of the United States of America, but history has been thrown into chaos! The notorious time-traveling thief Victor Vandal Timewright has gone back through history and stolen important artifacts tied to America’s founding, hoping to sell them to the highest bidder. Now the future of American history is at risk! Your mission: search the museum, uncover the missing historical items, and return them to the past before it’s too late and history is changed forever. Along the way, you’ll solve clues, explore exhibits, and discover fascinating stories from America’s past. Historical costumes and patriotic outfits are highly encouraged, so come dressed for epic adventure and help save history!
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Happy Birthday, America! Come celebrate America’s Birthday in Downtown New Braunfels as we present an old-fashioned, small-town parade followed by a short patriotic musical program provided by the New Braunfels Community Band on Main plaza. Parade kicks off at 9:15 a.m. Wear your most star-spangled attire, bring the family and lawn chairs for a grand old flag-waving celebration. Parade route begins at Castell and Bridge, on to San Antonio, around the Plaza and disbands at Seguin and Zink.
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Nothing says SUMMER like an amusement park! Austin parents have lots of options! If there is a resource that we have missed, please email us to let us know, and we'll add it promptly. Thank you!
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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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Fruit picking is a great activity to do together as a family. It helps little ones understand where their food actually comes from, and it's a fun tradition to share every year right through the teens. Here's where you can go around Austin for strawberry
picking, cherry picking, blueberry picking, raspberry picking, peach picking, and other pick-your-own opportunities for fruit.
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Enjoy the weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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