KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When my kids were little, one of our favorite nature activities was also one of the simplest: We’d head out onto a trail, stop among the trees, and play the Listening Game. The rules were easy: Close your eyes. The first time you hear a sound, any sound at all, put up one finger. Then add another for each new sound you notice. After a minute or two, someone says, “Open your
eyes,” and everyone compares fingers and talks about what they heard. It’s a small exercise in attention, but it changes how kids experience the world. The invisible becomes visible... not to the eyes, exactly, but to the mind. Things that were just out of range suddenly move onto our radar. Nature is full of motion and music, and this game helps us tune ourselves to it. The free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology takes that magic one step further: Tap Sound ID, and suddenly the songs around you appear on your screen as a voiceprint and a bird name and an image that shows you what to look for. And what a moment ago was only background atmosphere becomes a Carolina Wren, or an Eastern Whip-poor-will, or the Common Yellowthroat pictured above,
singing his heart out for a girl with a camera. That’s one of the great tasks of childhood, and of the adults who love children: to help hidden things come into view. Before we know something, it is almost as if it isn’t there. But once it is named, we have a new way to see. There are suddenly new dimensions to our universe, helping us transform even more mysteries into things that are ours. And we never really experience the woods—or the field, or the river, or
the ocean, or the city, or our backyard—the same way again.
—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 us for a celebration of dance and circus from around the globe. Festivities include performances, dance and circus workshops, and arts & craft workshops such as juggling ball creation!Saturday, April 2512pm - 4pm: Family focused programmingBerewick Recreation Center5910 Dixie River Rd, Charlotte, NC 28278Sunday, April 2612pm - 1pm: Senior focused programming1pm - 4pm: Family focused programming14008 Holbrooks Road, Huntersville While this event is FREE, space is limited. Please RSVP to reserve your spot.This event is sponsored by Culture Blocks, a community partnership funded by Mecklenburg Count
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The Anne Springs Close Greenway℠ preserves its 2,100 acres to provide accessible outdoor recreation opportunities to visitors and members. Come try our most popular recreational pastimes, such as kayaking, archery, horseback riding, hiking and more during our favorite weekend of the year, Earth Day Celebration! Everyone receives free entrance to the Greenway on Earth Day Weekend to enjoy time in nature.
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You are invited to attend the 13th Annual Charlotte African-American Festival! Join us at The Carole Hoefener Center for a day of celebration honoring the rich heritage and accomplishments of the African-American community. Don't miss out on this opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich heritage and traditions of the African-American community in Charlotte. Come and experience the spirit of unity and diversity at our festival!
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The City of Kings Mountain, in partnership with the Kings Mountain Gateway Trail, Presenting Sponsor Albemarle Corporation and Metal Recycling Services, will celebrate the 55th Anniversary of Earth Day by hosting an Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Various community organizations and vendors will provide free activities. LIVE zoo animals from Circle M Livestock and Safari Park will pay a visit. Some very cool dinosaur friends and Woody the Owl will be there, too. Other attractions include a Drum Circle, Woodworking, Food Vendors, Live Encampments, and a Music Jamboree by the Dancing Fleas. Make plans to help release 200 Painted Lady butterflies back into their natural habitat. This activity supports the national and environmental cause to save our pollinators.…
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Join us at the Carolina BBQ Festival, April 17–18, 2026, at Victoria Yards and the adjacent parking lot in Uptown Charlotte, NC — all in support of our friends at Operation BBQ Relief. In partnership with Charlotte Shout. Our 2026 pitmaster + chef lineup features 30+ friends from the Carolinas & beyond, coming together to celebrate the rich tradition of whole hog BBQ (and so much more). Your festival tickets include tasting plates from all of our friends - that’s 30+ tastings of BBQ goodness if you hang with us all weekend. Come hungry.
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Panda fest is an outdoor Asian food festival with experiential activities, tastings, and market fairs. Panda fest is one of the biggest outdoor Asian food festivals in the US with experiential activities, tastings, and market fairs that showcases the vibrant food, art and cultural traditions from Asia. We will decorate the festival with a lot of Panda decorations. And we will have Panda inflatables, Panda Dough Figurine, Panda Painting DIY, Panda Face Painting, Panda themed food. Tickets required for ages 6 and up.
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- CLT SHOUT! Free Parents Night Out - Charlotte Ballet, 701 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, Friday, April 17, 2026, 6 - 9 PM
- Free Fun Fridays at Johnston YMCA - Yscholars - Johnston YMCA, 3025 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205, Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:00am
- Film Series
at U.S. National Whitewater Center - U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28214, Friday, April 17, 2026, See website for details
- Come-See-Me Festival 2026 - Rock Hill, SC, Friday, April 17 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, See website for details
- Socrates Academy Spring Festival 2026 - 3909 Weddington Road, Matthews, NC, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10AM-2PM
- Summer Camp Open House - Kidcreate Studio South Charlotte, Orchard Stone Run, Charlotte, NC, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
- Healthy Kids Day at Johnston YMCA - Johnston YMCA, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00am-1:00pm
- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! - Charlotte - Shoott - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, Saturday, April 18 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, See link for times
- Charlotte Woodcarvers present the 43rd Showcase of Woodcarvings - Charlotte Woodcarvers - Central Piedmont Community College - WORRELL BUILDING, 1228 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28204, Saturday, April 18 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, April 18, 2026 exhibit hours 12:00 PM– 5:00 PM Doors open at 8:00AM for seminars and
vendor sales April 19, 2026 10:00AM – 4:00PM
- 13th Annual Charlotte African American Festival - The Carole Hoefener Center, East 6th Street, Charlotte, NC, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10 am – 8 pm
- Dig In! Little Explorers Mini Family Day: Spring Into the Past - Levine Museum of the New South - 1800 South Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28203, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00 AM
- Earth Day Celebration - Town of Waxhaw - Town of Waxhaw - Waxhaw Downtown Park, Givens Street, Waxhaw, NC, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 1 pm - 3 pm
- Earth Jam 2026 - Town of Cornelius - Town of Cornelius - Robbins Park, West Catawba
Avenue, Cornelius, NC, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 3 pm - 6 pm
- Earth Day Jam - Bell Tower Green, Salisbury, NC, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11 am - 10 pm
- Earth Day Celebration at Kings Mountain Gateway Trail - Kings Mountain Gateway Trail, South Battleground Avenue, Kings Mountain, NC, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11 am
- AIA Canstruction at the Charlotte Regional Farmers
Market - Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, Yorkmont Road, Charlotte, NC, Saturday, April 18 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, 12:00PM
- Free Stories Under the Stars Series - 401 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 7 p.m.
- Charlotte Nerd and Nom Market: Fantasy Edition - Sun Valley Commons, Indian Trail, NC, Sunday, April 19, 2026, 12 pm - 4 pm
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Charlotte 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 Charlotte area? Escape rooms are interactive, puzzle-packed experiences where you and your team work together to solve clues 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 great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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