KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Mon, Mar 16: Break-Out Rooms at Shawnee Library
Tue, Mar 17: St. Patrick's
Day at Westport Kansas City
Thu, Mar 19: Free Day! at Johnson County Museum
Fri, Mar 20: Lavender Dreams Weekend at Hometown Olathe Family Farm
Sat, Mar 21: What are Animal Houses Like? at Lakeside Nature
Center
Sat, Mar 21: Harlem Globetrotters at T-Mobile Center
Sat, Mar 21: Touch-A-Truck in Platte Landing Park
Mon, Mar 23: Book Discussion: The Anxious Generation at Shawnee Library
Tue, Mar 24: Operation Wildlife Presents: Tiny Raptors Big Attitude at Mid-Continent Public Library - Grain Valley Branch
Sat, Mar 28: Easter Egg Hunt at Belton Parks & Recreation |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When I was a teenager, I had a teacher who became a mentor without ever knowing he was one. He was aware I’d been going through some difficult times, and was glad to hear I was almost on the other side. “Some people aren't lucky enough to have dealt with hard things when they're young,” he told me. Then he added the phrase that has echoed in my head for decades: “Remember the
rocks.” Life, he explained, was always going to toss boulders into my path. The trick was to recognize, early, that even if it was painful or scary, I was capable of getting around, or over, or through them. Remembering how I’d managed would help me trust myself more when the next, bigger ones appeared. As a parent, I think about that often, about how the only way to become someone who does hard things is… to do hard things. It’s tempting
to rush in and smooth every unpleasant obstacle our kids encounter. When we email the teacher, mend the friendship, rescue the forgotten homework, eliminate every discomfort, we may feel helpful in the moment, but in fact we’re quietly removing the practice stones they need. Resilience doesn’t come from being told “You’re strong”; it comes from evidence that only they can gather, from working through manageable challenges and thinking, That was hard. And I handled it. We don’t need to
manufacture their challenges—being a kid is difficult enough. And we don’t abandon them to do it all on their own, either. We just learn to pause, to weigh advice against intervention, and to let them see what they can manage. The goal is that later in life, when something truly difficult lands in our children's path, they won’t just hope they can manage it, they’ll know. Now, many years later, when I encounter something daunting, I think back to my mentor and
remember the rocks. "I do hard things," I tell myself. And it works.
—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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The all-new 2026 Camp Invention® program, Spark, is coming to curious kids in your community this summer! Rising K-6 campers will collaborate with friends to tackle hands-on, open-ended challenges. They’ll team up with robotic capybaras, ride the waves of
entrepreneurship, uncover the power of protecting their ideas and build a DIY space rocket! Each experience is designed to spark confidence, build persistence and create unforgettable summer memories. Visit invent.org/save/camp to secure your spot! Register using CIFUN25 by 3/31 to save $25 or CIFUN20 by 4/28 to save $20 when you register. Interest-free payment plans are available, making camp affordable for all families.
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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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Welcome to OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark, where 404 suites, 14 food and beverage outlets, arcade, spa, and more await you. Located in Downtown OKC, OKANA curates experiences just for you, we’re far enough away from home to feel like a real escape but
close enough to home to be accessible, affordable, and almost certainly your new favorite weekend getaway ;-). Switch it Up and spend Spring Break at OKANA: Use promo code SPRING when you book and save an extra 20% on your stay. And since we recently eliminated resort fees from our bookings, too, there’s never been a more affordable time to visit. Make your Spring Break iconic - make it OKANA.
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Come hang out with us at Harris Park Community Center and play video games, trade cards, and more! LSPR will even hook up our Nintendo Switch to have even more ways to come and play. Open to everyone, no matter the level of experience! All trades must be
approved by the event manager. This event is $5 per person and is for ages 5 and up.
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As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, visitors have the opportunity to see a curated selection of original records from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)’s collection on display together for the very
first time.
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Join us for the 2026 Downtown Overland Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade— rain or shine— on Saturday, March 7th! The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. and will start at 79th and Floyd, head west on 79th Street to Santa Fe Drive. It will then head south on Santa Fe
Drive, concluding at Conser (The Roundabout).
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A Divi Roxx Kids live show is a celebration of self-love and positivity for kids and families. Two-time Grammy-nominated Divinity Roxx made a splashy entrance into the family music scene in 2021 and instantly gained attention with her infectious bass beats
and unique approach to meaningful music for families.
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- Storytime for Babies - Mid-Continent Public Library, Grain Valley, MO, Friday, March 6, 9:30 AM
- Free Arts & Crafts Day on the Farm - Hometown Olathe Family Farm, Olathe, KS, Friday, March 6, 2 pm - 4:30 pm
- Crafternoon Olathe Library Indian Creek - Olathe Indian Creek Library,
Olathe, KS, Friday, March 6, 4:30pm
- Teen Zone Indian Creek - Olathe Indian Creek Library, Olathe, KS, Friday, March 6, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
- Kids & Crafts
Storytime - Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence, KS, Friday, March 6, See website
- Dinosaurs:
Land of Fire and Ice, Kansas City, MO, Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 8, 10:00am - 6:00pm
- MTC Kids Jam – Divinity Roxx - Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Saturday, March 7, 11:00AM
- Mother Nature Reads - Lakeside Nature Center, Kansas City, MO, Saturday, March 7, See website
- The Itty Bitty Monsters Show with Dinosaur O’Dell - Mid-Continent Public Library, Grain Valley, MO, Saturday, March 7, 10:30AM
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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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Winter is here and fun options for families just keep getting better! Whether you stick with what you love or decide to try something new, KidsOutAndAbout has plenty of ideas. From Ice skating, kid-friendly museums, indoor play centers, and outdoor
activities to thinking ahead to next year's school options - we've got you covered.
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EXPERIENCES create memories much more than stuff does. As you're considering gifts for family and friends, consider giving the gift of a family membership to one of our local attractions in and around Kansas City. Here are local organizations that offer
memberships.
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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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2025's Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Kansas City Area, as voted by thousands of parents! Our Top 20 results page includes a list of your top picks, including winners in special categories like Top Arts Educator, Top Sports Educator, and Top STEM
Educator!
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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