KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
|
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: One day last week, I was driving home around 7 pm when I glanced out the passenger's window and saw a stunning rainbow stretched fully across the sky, glowing in front of dark gray storm clouds that were rushing away to the east. I was approaching a stop light. Left was the way home, where various chores awaited... but right was the way to the rainbow. My husband was driving
behind me, and I knew that if I turned right, he was going to think I had lost my mind. For a split second, practicality made its case: Don’t be silly; go home, you have stuff to do. But then another question darted into my mind: Am I a person who chases rainbows, or am I not? Once I framed it that way, the answer was easy. For kids and grownups alike, this can actually be a helpful way to make all kinds of decisions. When the moment
comes to act, it helps to ask not just What do I feel like doing? but Who am I? Am I a person who tells the truth? Am I a person who helps? Am I a person who persists when times are hard? Am I a person who stops to notice the beautiful things around me? We build identity one choice at a time for our entire lives. The clearer we are about who we want to be, the easier it becomes to know what to do in the moment, to give ourselves evidence that we are, in fact, that sort of
person. I hope the kids in your world grow up thinking of themselves as people who seek what is bright and good and full of wonder. It’s our job to show them that delight is often worth the detour.
—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. |
|
|
|
Take part in Earth Week with hands-on engineering challenges designed for curious, creative kids!
|
|
|
|
Help a Horse Day is your chance to step onto the farm, meet our incredible rescued horses, and see firsthand how compassion changes lives for both horses and people. Every horse here has a story of resilience, second chances, and new purpose, and this special day celebrates the power of giving horses the safe futures they deserve.
|
|
|
|
A vibrant, family-friendly outdoor community celebration filled with creativity and fun for all ages! The annual PKX festival is a symbol of community, unity, and a celebration of the creativity and talent residing in Poughkeepsie, NY. The PKX Festival is truly created by youth, FOR EVERYONE.
|
|
|
|
Sponsored by LaGrange Sunrise Rotary along with Royal Carting and Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency, a wonderful Earth Day activity to join your friends, neighbors, and co-workers in sprucing up the community by picking up litter on LaGrange roads. Groups and individuals welcome! Participants will meet at LaGrange Town Hall and receive road assignments as well as bags, vests, and pickers to be returned by noon at Town Hall where LaGrange Sunrise Rotary will provide hot dogs, chips, and water. A great event for team building or to earn community service hours!
|
|
|
|
Stroll, explore, and soak up the best of spring in the Hudson Valley! Browse unique finds from local makers, wander Boscobel’s blooming landscapes, hike the woodland trail, shop the Farmers’ Market, and enjoy a picnic on the Great Lawn. Thanks to generous support from our funders, admission to Boscobel’s grounds, Visitor Center, and Exhibition Galleries is FREE! Meet local organizations and discover hands-on ways to care for the planet from pollinator gardens, to composting tips, zero-waste hacks, lending libraries, thrift shopping, electric vehicles, Climate Smart Community programs, and more. Plus, step inside Boscobel’s Historic House Museum in a relaxed “open house” style—explore the rooms at your own pace and uncover the stories behind this 19th century icon.
|
|
|
|
Party for the Planet is an Earth Day celebration that features a variety of fun, eco-friendly activities at the Zoo. This year, Party for the Planet will be celebrated on April 25, 2026, and will feature a volunteer river cleanup in Beardsley Park, an Energy in Action Mobile Exhibit, DIY seed ball station, where visitors can create seed balls using a special mix of soil, seeds, and clay, and an E-Waste Recycling Event hosted by Junkluggers!
|
|
|
|
Celebrate a decade of growing food and growing change at the 10th Annual Newburgh Urban Farming Fair! This free, family-friendly festival at the Downing Park Urban Farm features live music and performances, free seedlings and gardening demos, guided farm tours, kids' activities, local food vendors, raffles, and more. For a decade, the Urban Farming Fair has brought people together to learn about growing food in urban spaces and connect with local growers and vendors.
|
|
|
|
Get ready to race at this exclusive LEGO® F1® - themed ‘Build the Thrill Event’ only at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Westchester from April 16 - May 25! Grab your drivers briefing and choose your team. Get hands-on with LEGO® bricks to create a minifigure driver and build an ultimate race car, before putting them through their paces! Will you take pole position?
|
|
|
- PKX Festival: Teen Art Exhibit & Film Showcase - The Art Effect, Poughkeepsie, NY, Friday, April 24, 2026, 5:30-8pm
- Community Craft Night - Marsh Sanctuary, Mount Kisco, NY, Friday, April 24, 2026, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
- Youth and Precollege Programs in the Arts - OPEN
HOUSE - Purchase College, Purchase, NY, Friday, April 25, 2026, 10am - 12pm
- Safe Harbors of the Hudson Newburgh Winter Farmers Market - Safe Harbors of the Hudson & The Cornerstone Residence, Newburgh, NY, Friday, April 25, 2026, 10 am - 2 pm
- Pitch in for Parks - Glen Island Park, New Rochelle, NY, Friday, April 25, 2026, 10:00-2:00
- World Cup's Fairytale Open
House! - World Cup Gymnastics, Chappaqua, NY, Friday, April 25, 2026, 1:15 pm --- 3:15 pm
- LaGrange Trash Bash - 120 Stringham Road, Lagrangeville, NY, Friday, April 25, 2026, 8 am - 12 pm
- PKX Festival: Community Celebration - The Art Effect, Poughkeepsie, NY, Friday, April 25, 2026, 1-5pm
- World Cup Nursery School &
Kindergarten Open House - 160 Hunts Lane, Chappaqua, NY, Saturday, April 26, 2026, 1 pm - 3 pm
- Chess A2Z April Webinar: WGM Zoey Tang - Think Pawn Structures & Key Positional Ideas You Must... - Chess A2Z, Portland,
OR, Saturday, April 26, 2026, 7PM to 8PM PDT
- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! - Hudson Valley - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, Saturday, April 25, 2026 - Sunday, April 26, 2026, See link for times
|
|
|
|
The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Hudson Valley 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…
|
|
|
|
|
Parents have an abundance of choices when it comes to PreK and day care options in the Hudson Valley 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 Hudson Valley? 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 |
|
|
