KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Fri, May 15: Adams County & Thornton Free Food and Resource Drive-Thru
Sat, May 16: City-Wide Lemonade Day
Mon, May 25: 16th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony
Tue, May 26: Farmers Market at Center for the Arts Evergreen: Every Tuesday
Wed, May 27: Farmfest Music Evenings
Thu, May 28: FAN EXPO Denver 2026
Sat, May 30: Fairy Terrariums
Sat, May 30: Dazzle Kids' Matinee presents Alice in Wonderland, a musical interactive event
Mon, Jun 1: Aerial Summer Camps
Fri, Jun 5: Danse Etoile Ballet presents Les Contes de la Mere L’Oye (Tales of Mother Goose)
Fri, Jun 5: 60th
Annual Denver Greek Festival
Fri, Jun 5: 2026 Colorado Medieval Festival
Sat, Jun 6: Thorntonfest 2026 |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
For 25 years, one of my core missions with KidsOutAndAbout has been to make invisible things visible, to celebrate what local communities offer families. Everyone is busy, and local treasures are easy to miss. Our job is to point, spotlight, nudge, and say Look here. Try this. Bring the kids. But there’s another kind of invisibility worth fixing:
The people who create these experiences rarely get to see their full impact. They track tickets sold and kids enrolled, but may never hear that your child talked about their field trip for six months, found courage on their stage, or simply felt welcome exactly when they needed it. That’s why our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey matters. Each summer, we ask readers to vote for their favorite local places to take kids.
The results help families see what other families love. The ranking and comments help local organizations see that their work matters. So your three minutes becomes both a recommendation and a thank-you. The survey is simple: Click on your three favorite local destinations. Then also, optionally, nominate favorites in special categories—like arts, sports, and STEM education—and leave comments that we’ll pass along to the people who make these experiences
happen. So please click here to vote in the 2026 edition of the survey. Help families find the places they’ll love, and help the people behind those places know they’re making a difference. The survey will be open until June 20.
—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities
P.S. If you're interested, check out the 2025 list here to see who won last
year. |
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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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Lemonade Day Denver is your child’s chance to run their own business for a day! On May 16, kids across the city will launch lemonade stands, earn their own money, and learn real-life skills like goal-setting, budgeting, and customer service. Getting started is easy with our “Brand Your Stand” tool, which helps bring their stand to life in minutes. Every registered stand is entered to win our GRAND PRIZE: 4 tickets to a Denver Broncos preseason game in Section 108! Don’t wait—plot your stand today, and join us in painting the town yellow on May 16!
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Dazzle's musical play production camp is designed to give kids a fun, supportive environment to explore acting, singing, and performance while building confidence and creativity. With zany characters, accompanied by easy fun-filled songs and simple dance steps, this camp is the perfect vehicle for introducing young people to the joys of musical theatre. Saturday rehearsals accommodates working parents and the camp culminates with two performances open to the public. Ages 7-12Saturdays, June 13th – July 25th (no rehearsal on July 4th) 10:00am – 12:30pm Performances: August 1st and August 8th at 11:00am Tuition: $250.00
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If you want to give your little learner a head start for success in kindergarten and beyond, the Denver Preschool Program is here to help. We support Denver families like yours by reducing the cost of preschool tuition, regardless of your household income or neighborhood. And Denver Preschool Program support can be combined with Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program for even more savings! Whether you have already enrolled in a preschool or are still looking for a program that fits your needs, we can help. Learn more at dpp.org today!
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School Readiness Summer Camp 2026 for children ages 4-6. This summer camp is led by an Occupational Therapist and Child Psychologist and aims to support children through social-emotional and regulation skills in a structured, play-based environment. This camp is a fun and nurturing way to grow confidence, connect with peers, and get ready for school! Throughout the week, we focus on the following: Social skills and peer connection through play; Body-based sensory regulation strategies; Coping skills; School readiness routines. We have two camp locations: University Hills (SE Denver; July 6-10) and Central Park (NE Denver, July 13-17). Camp cost is $700/session. Email, call, or submit an inquiry to enroll!
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Every Friday at Bounce Empire, we turn the stress off and the energy up. Your ticket includes an Ultimate Bounce Pass plus all-you-can-eat food and drinks from 6 PM to 9 PM. No cooking. No cleanup. No rushing anyone out the door. Families can dive into games and challenges, explore 50,000 square feet of high-energy attractions, and stay all the way until midnight. Kids are welcome until midnight, because fun should not have a curfew.
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Colorado Movement Lab is pleased to present our annual May Festival Performances on May 15 & 16, 2026 at Cleo Parker Robinson! Our May Festival brings together dancers from all levels from A to Adult, and we are excited for our entire community to come together to celebrate a journey in dance! You will get to experience all different styles with jazz, ballet & repertoire, tap, modern, contemporary, and composition! Our dancers have worked hard for this all year, so come celebrate their amazing journey with us!
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Enjoy a full weekend of food, music, and family fun at the annual Food Truck Carnival in Northglenn. Featuring 20+ food trucks daily, live entertainment, and carnival rides, this free community event is perfect for all ages.
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Join us for an exciting local plant show & sale featuring an incredible special guest vendor Ecuagenera. Discover rare and exotic plants you won’t find anywhere else, connect with fellow plant lovers, and take home something truly special for your collection.
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- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! - Denver - Shoott, Broadway, Denver, CO, Friday, May 15, 2026 to Sunday, May 17, 2026, See link for times
- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! - Boulder - Shoott, Broadway, Boulder, CO, Saturday, May 16, 2026 to Sunday, May 17, 2026, See link for times
- City-Wide Lemonade Day - 1620 Platte St, Denver, CO 80202, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 10-4
- Northglenn Food Truck Carnival - City of Northglenn, 11701 Community Center Drive, Northglenn, CO 80233, Friday, May 15, 2026 to Sunday, May 17, 2026, 4pm-9pm
- Kids Zone: The Silk Road - Edward C. Rochette Money Museum, Denver, CO, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 11 am to 12 pm
- Mythical Storytime
with Fantasy Friends - Audacious Immersive, The Audacious Space, 1373 N Grant St, Denver, CO 80203, Sunday, May 17, 2026, 12:30pm
- Read Aloud and Photo Journey: 'Phinn's Wheelin' Adventures' | Event at Arapahoe Libraries - Arapahoe
Libraries, Smoky Hill Library, South Biscay Circle, Centennial, CO, Sunday, May 17, 2026, 9-11AM
- Wildlife Rescue - An Augmented Reality Experience - Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, North Gaylord Rockies Boulevard, Aurora, CO, Friday, May 15, 2026 to Sunday, May 17,
2026, At Your Leisure
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KidsOutAndAbout's Denver-area 2026 summer camp guide for kids! Pick the dates you want to explore on our calendar and see what summer camps are available. Hundreds of local summer camps: day camps, overnight camps, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts &
crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool, & more!
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Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Denver? 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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