KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Fri, Apr 17: Pirate Days - At Mystic Seaport Museum
Fri, Apr 17: Family Field Days at Old Sturbridge Village
Sat, Apr 18: BATS COUNT! Evening Bat Count at the Green Barn with Gerri Griswold at White Memorial Conservation Center
Mon, Apr 20: Children’s Free Week in the Museum at White Memorial Conservation Center 4/20-
4/26
Wed, Apr 22: Earth Day at Oak Grove Nature Center
Sat, Apr 25: Day Out with Thomas: Let’s Rock, Let’s Roll Tour at Essex Steam Train and Riverboat
Sun, Apr 26: Build Your Own Bat House at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens
Sat, May 2: Woodbury Parks & Recreation Mother~Son Spring Dance
Sat, May 2: Free First Saturday at Lyman Allyn Art Museum
Thu, May 7: SHEN YUN 2026 in Stamford
Sat, May 9: Opening Day at Lake Compounce
Tue, May 12: Once Upon A Time: Cinderella & Jack and the Beanstalk at The Bushnell
Sat, Jun 6: 17th Annual Robin Hood’s Medieval Faire
Sat, Jun 13: Historic Garden Tours - Life on the Webster Farm at Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: One of the best things about spring is that it turns all of us into treasure hunters. After a long winter, we adults start scanning the world for signs that life is returning: We notice the first mist of green in a forest's understory, the first brave crocus, the first daffodil. If we point out loud, kids catch on quickly, drawn by the thrill of seeking what
winter was hiding even just a few weeks ago, and they're ready to find magic behind every tree. Of course, in our part of North America, spring can be stingy in early April: The calendar may insist it’s here, but the yard is still beige, the trees are still bare, and the only things blooming outside are spreading patches of mud. But there’s no rule that says spring surprises have to come only from Mother Nature! That’s one reason I’m such a fan of egg
hunts. Last year, I wrote an extremely popular step-by-step article showing how to Turn Easter Into a Treasure Hunt, complete with a printable PDF of rhyming clues. It’s right there waiting for you, ready to make you look like a genius with practically zero effort. And if you want to kick it up a notch and invite a crowd, our article Easter Egg Hunts: Tips and Tricks for a Great Party lays out the
strategies for what may be the easiest, fastest, best-bang-for-the-buck kids’ party on Earth. Sure, egg hunts feature prominently in our culture's Easter traditions, but they needn't belong only to Easter, they're a wonderful diversion anytime, in any context. Spring is a season that proves there’s treasure everywhere. Sometimes the universe provides the fun for us. And sometimes we create it ourselves.
—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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We will be hosting two separate age group hunts! Go at your own pace with our spin on the classic Easter egg hunt at Brown’s Harvest. The Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt returns April 3rd and 4th, designed for kids ages 3 – 12 to explore the farm while collecting eggs and then trade them in for a prize. After the hunt, families can meet the Easter Bunny and enjoy a light snack. Tickets are available online only, and walk-ins will not be accepted.
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Come to KTM&HC for free site admission, which includes a tour of our historic museum and access to all current exhibits. And head to the Garden House for fun, free activities for visitors of all ages - this month, build a kite to celebrate the return of warmer months and sunny activities!
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Eggstravaganza is a family-friendly event at The Zoo in Forest Park. Taking place the Saturday before Easter, this event features a Bunny Trail around The Zoo with goodies for the kids, a visit from the Easter Bunny, face painting, crafts and of course - animal encounters.
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Admission is FREE all day, and from 11 am – 1 pm you can participate in a special project. April 4: Black & White - Photographer Dorothea Lange captured compelling people, moments, and spaces of mid-century American history through her black and white photography. See what you can create with a limited color palette of black and white!
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In colonial Connecticut, taverns served people and horses, offering a place to rest at night while traveling long distances. Explore the Fairfield Museum and drop in to create your own horse puppet using paper.
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iD Tech: The World's #1 STEM Summer Camp! BattleBots® Camp? You can only get it here. Roblox Camp? We've got that and more in our Summer '26 lineup. Register today at the top-rated tech camp for 25 years and counting! iD Tech is the very best experience built around your child—their interests, their skill level, their goals for the future. Trusted by 75+ of the world’s top universities and over 1,000,000 parents, iD Tech is where kids and teens learn from the best—coding, game dev, robotics, and more. The future starts at iD Tech! Click here for more information about your local iD Tech opportunities! Virtual camps are also available!
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- Drop & Craft: Paper Horse Puppet - Fairfield Museum & History Center - 370 Beach Rd, Fairfield, CT, Friday, April 3, 2026, 10 am - 1 pm
- Family Programs - Yale Peabody Museum - 170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511, Friday, April 3, 2026, See website for specific program times
- Free Spring Mini Photo Session with Shoott - Saturday, April 4, 2026, See link for times
- Free International Call for Art 6x6 - Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) - 137 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14604, Saturday, April 4, 2026, 12pm - 5pm
- Free First Saturday at Lyman Allyn Art Museum - April - Lyman Allyn Art Museum - 625 Williams Street, New London, CT 06320, Saturday, April 4, 2026, Admission is FREE all day, and from 11 am – 1 pm you can participate in a special project
- Free Photos with the Easter Bunny - Lyman Orchards - Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
- Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt -
Westminster Presbyterian Church - 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT, Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10:00 AM
- Family Programs - Yale Peabody Museum - 170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511, Sunday, April 5, 2026, See website for specific program times
- First Sunday - April - Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center - 152 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Sunday, April 5, 2026, 11 am - 4 pm
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Hartford 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 Hartford 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 Hartford 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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