KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter
|
|
|
|
Sat, Apr 25: Earth Day Celebration at Grapevine Botanical Gardens
Sat, Apr 25: Earth Day Mansfield at Chris W. Burkett Service Cente
Sat, May 2: Highland Village Art Festival
Sat, May 2: Music Alley Festival
Fri, May 8: “Gracias Mamá” A Mother’s Day Concert
Sat, May 9: Super Safety Saturday
Sun, May 10: Mother’s Day Brunch at Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
Sun, May 10: Mother's Day Brunch at the Fort Worth Zoo
Thu, May 14: Watauga Fest
Fri, May 15: 42nd Annual Main Street Fest
Fri, Jun 5: Puppy Pals Live
Sat, Jun 13: Champion’s Day Celebration at Hawaiian Falls |
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
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
Get ready to rock the red bricks of Downtown Fort Worth! MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival is back, bringing you more incredible Art than ever before – plus fantastic Music and delicious Food for all tastes. So join us in celebrating artistry as we take over Main Street one brick at a time!
|
|
|
|
Grab your friends and join us at the City Hall Plaza for some FREE concerts! In 2026, we will be focusing on all tribute bands! All concerts are BYOB- no glass.
|
|
|
|
Prepare for Adventure and Step Back in Time for the Time of Your Life into the 16th century world of the iconic Scarborough Renaissance Festival filled with lively entertainment, amazing artisanship, and interactive fun for everyone!
|
|
|
|
Don’t miss the opportunity to see the largest exhibit of live, exotic butterflies in North Central Texas. Exhibit visitors will have the chance to see a diverse collection of butterflies from various parts of the world, including Central, North and South America, Africa, and Asia. The Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides), known for its striking beauty, is one of the most popular butterflies on display. Additionally, local favorites will also be showcased.
|
|
|
|
Celebrating iconic musical moments from favorite films released over the last decade, this melodic journey explores Disney Animation’s latest stories through unforgettable film clips and scores performed live by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. This thrilling performance includes music from Moana (2016), Academy Award®-winning Zootopia (2016), Academy Award-winning Big Hero 6 (2014), Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010), Princess and the Frog (2009), and more.
|
|
|
|
Join us for hands-on experiments ans activities that will ROCK your Earth Day! Discover animal and plant life cylces, learn about weather and water, and even explore how new technologies are helping to make our planet a greener and healthier place for us to live!
|
|
|
|
In this class, K–5th graders will learn what it takes to care for baby farm animals! Kids will get hands-on experience helping with daily care, learning about animal needs, and discovering how farmers keep their littlest animals healthy and happy. *NOT INCLUDED IN SATURDAY DAY PASS*
|
|
|
|
Celebrate Texas history at the 37th Annual Burton Cotton Gin Festival on April 18, 2026! This FREE, family-friendly event features a parade, live music, food, arts & crafts, contests, antique tractors, engines, and classic cars. Enjoy guided gin tours from 11 AM–2 PM and watch the 1914 Burton Farmers Gin process a bale of cotton at 3 PM at the Texas Cotton Gin Museum.
|
|
|
|
Learn how you can help save the planet by making jewelry out of water bottles! Instead of tossing them into the trash, upcycle those plastic water bottles into something beautiful.
|
|
|
|
Our popular Movies in the Park series offers an unforgettable experience for families and film enthusiasts alike. Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and loved ones to enjoy a diverse selection of movies under the night sky on the lawn outside the Quakertown Civic Center. Each event will feature games, trivia, food trucks, and refreshments.
|
|
|
|
Homeschool students ages 6-18 are welcome to our monthly meetings the third Friday of the months of September - May. Bring a sack lunch to our activity room at 11:30 and visit with friends. Or, come after lunch when the activity begins at 12:15. We'll have bottled water. Wrap up is at 1:00. ALL homeschool students are welcome to join us.
|
|
|
|
Children have a blast at My Gym (3 action-packed hours My Gym fun) while parents enjoy an evening out! Perfect for children ages 2.5 - 10 years old.
|
|
|
- Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival - Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., Taylor Street, Fort Worth, TX, 04/16/2026 - 04/18/2026, see website
- Free Spring Mini Photo Session with Shoott! - Dallas - Fort Worth - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, USA, 04/17/2026 - 04/19/2026, See link for times
- 37th Annual Burton Cotton Gin Festival - Texas Cotton Gin Museum, 307 North Main Street, Burton, TX 77835, 04/18/2026, 10 am - 6pm
- Log Cabin Village's 60th Birthday Party - Log Cabin Village, 2100 Log Cabin Village Lane, Fort Worth, TX, 04/18/2026,
9:30AM
- Trash Bash - Warren Park, Southwest Johnson Avenue, Burleson, TX, 04/18/2026, 8 am- 12 pm
- Earth Day Bracelets -
Wedgwood - Fort Worth Public Library - Wedgwood, 3816 Kimberly Lane, Fort Worth, TX 76133, 04/17/2026, 4-5 pm
- Movies in the Park - Quakertown Park, Oakland Street, Denton, TX, 04/17/2026, 6 pm
- Concert in the Plaza Series - City of Colleyville, Main Street, Colleyville, Texas, 04/19/2026, 4:30-6 pm
|
|
|
|
Parents have an abundance of choices when it comes to PreK and day care options in the Fort Worth 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Fort Worth 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.
|
|
|
Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
|
|
