KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Fri, May 1: 40th Brookside Art Annual
Fri, May 1: Harry's Hay Days 2026
Sat, May 2: Historic Downtown Liberty Farmers' Market: Opening Day Celebration!
Sat, May 2: May Festival - Celebrate the
Season in Hyde Park
Sun, May 3: KC Symphony in the Park
Thu, May 7: Seussical presented by First Act Theatre Arts
Sat, May 9: MTC Kids Jam – Uncle Jumbo
Sat, May 9: Junior Craft Show at High Blue
Sat, May 9: Lenexa Art Fair 2026
Sun, May 10: Mother's Day at the Kansas City Automotive Museum |
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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Calling all animal lovers and young artists! Paws & Paint is a four-day art adventure for K–5th grade campers where creativity meets our favorite furry, feathered, and scaly friends. Each day features exciting new projects inspired by playful puppies, colorful cats, jungle creatures, and ocean animals as kids paint, draw, sculpt, and design their own masterpieces. Campers will explore painting, drawing, mixed media, and 3D art while learning about animal textures, patterns, and habitats. In a supportive, fun environment, they’ll build artistic confidence, hone their skills, and make new friends. Join us June 8–12 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM for an unforgettable, animal-themed art adventure!
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Free and open to the public, 5:30-7pm while supplies last. Third Friday each month. From Glenn Hendren Drive, turn onto Rush Creek Parkway. Follow signs to go behind the hospital. Please avoid using the hospital main entrances.
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Celebrate the season of renewal! Unity Church of Overland Park welcomes you to a vibrant spring day filled with spiritual exploration, holistic wellness, and meaningful community connection at the Spring 2026 UCOP Spirit Fair.
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Parents! Join us as we celebrate Week of the Young Child! Starting Saturday the 11th, Week of the Young Child is a fun-filled celebration of young children and their families with an entire week of dedicated programming and special activities, all age-appropriate specifically for young learners.
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Join us for Water Wonder Days: Grow with Water at Kansas Children’s Discovery Center April 18, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Exploring how water sustains life, children engage in experiments and art tied to water’s role in helping plants, animals, and people grow.
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Bring the kids to see and explore a variety of vehicles and equipment that keep our community safe and growing, including some that are used often at the KCZoo!
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- Kids & Crafts Storytime | Lawrence Public Library - Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St, Lawrence, KS 66044, United States, Friday, April 17, 2026, See website
- Storytime for Babies - Mid-Continent Public Library - Grain Valley Branch, South Buckner Tarsney Road, Grain Valley, MO, USA, Friday, April 17, 2026, 9:30 AM
- Free Arts & Crafts Day on the Farm - Hometown Olathe Family Farm, 11000 S Woodland St, Olathe, KS 66061, United States, Friday, April 17, 2026, 2 pm - 4:30 pm
- FREE Mobile Food Pantry - Liberty Hospital, Glenn Hendren Drive, Liberty, MO, USA, Friday,
April 17, 2026, 5:30 pm - 7 pm while supplies last
- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! - KC - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, USA, Saturday, April 18 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, See link for times
- Inclusive Storytime: Step into Pete's Shoes - Oak Park Library, Bluejacket Street, Overland Park, KS, USA, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 2 pm
- YMCA Healthy Kids Day - North Kansas City YMCA, Iron Street, North Kansas City, MO, USA, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9 am - 1 pm
- Passport to India at the Nelson-Atkins Musueum - The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64111, United
States, Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10am - 4pm
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Kansas City 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 KC 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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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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