KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Fri, Jun 12: Downtown Overland Park Art Fair
Fri, Jun 12: Sugar Creek Slavic
Festival 2026
Fri, Jun 12: Arts in the Park
Sat, Jun 13: St. John's Annual Mexican Fiesta! Sun, Jun 14: Second Sunday: Free Day at the National Museum of Toys & Miniatures
Sun, Jun 14: KidZfest starts for 2026 at Worlds of Fun
Sun, Jun 14: Second Sunday: Free Days at the Museum - June
Tue, Jun 16: Heart of America Shakespeare Festival 2026 presents Macbeth
Wed, Jun 17: Mobile Music Box: Gillham Park
Thu, Jun 18: Azura Credit Union Free Family Fun Nights at Kansas Children's Discovery Center -
June
Thu, Jun 18: Celebrate Americana 250
Fri, Jun 19: Juneteenth Celebration 2026 at Harmon Park
Sat, Jun 20: Cars, Coffee, and Pancakes at the Museum
Sun, Jun 21: Dog Days at Powell Gardens
Sun, Jun 21: Father's Day 2026 at Gardner Aquatic Center Mon, Jun 22: Art of the Imagination: Teen Workshop with Coti Meier
Wed, Jun 24: Story Hour: Harold and the Purple Crayon | The Rabbit hOle
Fri, Jun 26: North Kansas City Parks & Recreation presents Movies at Macken
Fri, Jun 26:
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle
Fri, Jun 26: Waterfest 2026 Sat, Jun 27: Family Craft: Clay Pot Gnome House | Powell Gardens
Sat, Jun 27: Ollie's American Backyard BBQ
Fri, Jul 3: Bomb Pop Weekend! | Hometown Olathe Family Farm
Fri, Jul 3: Liberty Fest
Sat, Jul 4: Freedom Run 2026 |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When I was homeschooling Madison and Ella, one of my favorite sanity-saving tools was the Theme of the Week. If the theme was "Birds," then yes, we'd go on a bird walk. But we'd also read my favorite-ever children's book, talk about the physics of flying and of colors, and probably also do some math and logic involving eggs and
baskets. The theme made ordinary learning feel like an adventure, but more important, it gave us a focusing tool: It helped the girls connect with what they were seeing and doing, and it helped me feel that we weren’t wandering randomly through our days. Summer planning can benefit from that same kind of gentle structure. Last week, I wrote about how summer is not supposed to be a guilt-inducing race to cram in every concert, splash pad, festival, hike,
camp, road trip, library program, ice cream stand, and sunset before the school buses roll again. Trying to grab everything is a good way to miss the point; instead, to plan the summer without overstuffing it, we need to consider the kinds of experiences that make our family feel more awake, connected, and alive. The five summer lenses I keep coming back to are: music, motion, making,
nature, and food. Music helps kids hear the world differently and live what they love. Motion lets bodies teach what words cannot. Making reminds us that we can bring something new into the universe. Nature offers perspective and wonder. And food connects us to place, culture, and each other. Over the next
few weeks, I’ll address these one at a time—not as assignments, but as invitations. Even as the days fly by, a summer seen through some useful lenses can still be lazy, loose, spontaneous, and wonderfully imperfect.
—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. |
Please click through to our 2026 survey to vote for your top 3 places to take kids... it will be used to compile our 2026 Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the KC area. Voting is live through June 20; believe me, winning a place on the Top 20 list matters to the people who
create amazing family-friendly experiences. Take 3 minutes to choose your favorites as your way of saying thank you... and use the list to build your summer bucket list at the same time! |
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Saturday, June 14 - Thursday, June 25: Experience the joy of endless smiles and giggles at KidZfest, the ultimate event for family-friendly summer fun! Join in on the exciting dance parties, feast on delicious treats, enjoy our kid-friendly rides and check out our interactive games and activities. With live entertainment that captivates both young hearts and the young at heart, KidZfest promises a day full of laughter and fun.
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Adventure awaits! Every Friday from noon–3 PM, join us for a FREE interactive scavenger hunt across the farm. Perfect for parents and kids to explore together!
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Arts in the Park showcases art from fine artists and makers at Macken Park in North Kansas City, Missouri. The festival prides itself on promoting local artists from Kansas and Missouri. This accessible two-day festival will feature over 60 local artists and makers, live music, roaming performances, Beer Garden, local food trucks, a kid’s area with a petting zoo, bounce houses, and more.
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Experience Kansas City's rich Slavic heritage with two days of music, food, dance, folk art, fashion, and more. It’s the 40th Anniversary Sugar Creek Slavic Festival, featuring Grammy nominee Alex Meixner and fun soccer filled activities as part of Kansas City’s World Cup celebration.
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As Kansas City welcomes the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, football (soccer) fans from every corner of the globe will discover The Beautiful Game, an extraordinary exhibition revealing the profound connections between the world's most beloved sport and the Great War.
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Don't forget to bring your lawn chair, find a comfy spot, and immerse yourself in a complimentary movie in the park with Mission Parks + Recreation. We're kicking off our celebration of the decades for Mission's 75th Birthday with Princess Diaries. The movie begins at dusk!
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Fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, baked goods, flowers, body care products and more! The Lenexa Farmers Market sells only products that are locally grown, raised or made within 250 miles or throughout Kansas. Each Saturday and Tuesday during the Market season, you can expect a great selection of products from vendors who care about providing you the very best.
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20+ Dinosaurs, 20+ Unicorns and 60+ Farm Adventures KC Pumpkin Patch transforms into a playground of roaring dinos and shimmering unicorns. Dive into a day full of discovery, imagination, photo ops and adventure. This one-of-a-kind adventure brings prehistoric giants and mythical magic together for a day of immersive fun on the farm! See over 20 life-sized dinosaurs and 20 massive unicorns come to life for the ultimate family experience in Kansas City.
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The St. John's Mexican Fiesta is a cherished tradition in Lawrence, celebrating Mexican culture and heritage with a vibrant evening of music, dance, food, and community.
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Crown Center will become “The Center of Summer Soccer” with FREE activities on Crown Center Square to provide family entertainment beyond the global games.
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Some of our most prolific literary voices came out of the Harlem Renaissance like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Adapted from their writings, this evening of spoken word accompanied by live music will reintroduce audiences to some of their works and the truths of the time in which they lived, all with a contemporary twist. One actor and one musician bring the Harlem Renaissance to life!
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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Kansas City area. From Arcades to Ziplines our Big List will help you think outside the box and plan the party of your kids' dreams! KidsOutAndAbout has dozens of ideas!
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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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The Kansas City Area's Pick-Your-Own Fruit A list of farms in and near Kansas City that offer pick your own fruits and berries. And... to make the most of your experience, check out our article 10
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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