KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Sat, Apr 4: Brunch with the Easter Bunny 2026 at The Roslyn, Tapestry
Collection by Hilton
Sat, Apr 4: Waterdrinker Manorville's Golden Egg Hunt
Fri, Apr 10: Nature Festival at CSTL - The Center for Science Teaching and Learning
Fri, Apr 10: Axolotl Adventures at The Whaling Museum and Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor
Sun, Apr 12: E-Waste, Textiles, and
Paint Collection With Lower East Side Ecology Center - Queens Botanical Garden
Sat, Apr 18: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical - CM Children's Theatre
Sun, Apr 19: Sunday Science: Reptile Rumble at CSTL - The Center for Science Teaching and Learning
Sun, Apr 26: Branches in Bloom: A Spring Festival Celebrating Arbor Day at Planting Fields Foundation
Sat, May 2: Camp Kenan Open House - Healthy Kids Day
Sat, May 2: Storybook Stroll: Little People Big Dreams by Isabel Sanchez Vergara at
Old Westbury Gardens
Sun, May 3: Mother’s Day Plant Sale - Queen's Botanical Garden |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: Before I had kids, one of my colleagues told me that fundamentally, a parent’s job is to point. At first, you point physically: You point at the waterfall and say “waterfall,” at the moon and say “moon,” at the flower and say “flower.” You’re helping a child connect sounds to objects, words to concepts, language to reality. But later, and really all the way through, the
pointing becomes more metaphorical. Parenting is the ongoing work of connecting your child’s growing capacity to understand with a world that is, to them, forever expanding. As I had Madison and Ella, I came to think of this as being a tour guide to the world. A good tour guide needs to know the landscape, of course. But even more important, a good tour guide needs to know the traveler. What can this particular child see right now? What are they ready for? What do they care
about? What frightens them? What delights them? It's useful to remember that kids haven’t actually been here before: The world is brand-new to them over and over again, so what feels ordinary to us is often astonishing to a child. Tour guides who are doing their job well pay close attention to who their audience is and what they know, and that makes the pointing easier and more fun. Spring is the perfect season to practice pointing. In spring, the world changes fast enough for
kids to notice. Buds swell and burst. Birds return. Tiny green things push up through the dirt as if by magic. Day to day, the world becomes visibly more alive. If we point it out, kids can catch it happening in real time. And spring does not arrive quietly. It comes as an avalanche of the senses: color, smell, birdsong, mud, wind, sunlight, thunder, petals, pollen, rushing water. So maybe that’s part of the job, too: not just to point, but to lean into it. To stand beside our
kids in the rush of it all and say, Look! Here it comes.
—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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Press Play on Summer! 2026 Camp Registration is Open! Your Best Summer is One Click Away! At the YMCA Summer Day Camp, we offer the best of Adventure, Aquatics, Creative Arts, Camp Traditions, Special Activities and Trips, and Summer Learning in a safe and welcoming environment. Step away from the school year, the screens, and the routine — and press play on a summer full of laughter, movement, and magic! Join us for our upcoming open house. REGISTER NOW!
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Get ready — Urban Air Lake Grove is leveling up the fun with an all-new Laser Tag experience, now open! Located at 3147 Middle Country Road in Lake Grove, this indoor adventure park offers 50,000 square feet of space to run, jump, climb, and compete. Step into a high-energy arena filled with glowing lights, strategic obstacles, and fast-paced gameplay that pushes your speed, skill, and teamwork to the limit. Challenge friends, team up for epic battles, and dive into the action. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.urbanairlakegrove.com by selecting Buy Tickets.
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The museum is turning 90! This month, we offer free admission for anyone named Robert or Roberta in honor of our founder, biologist Robert Cushman Murphy. (First name only, please. Adults, please show ID. Excludes special events).
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CATS the Musical is a beloved stage production composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on T.S. Eliot’s whimsical collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The story unfolds on the night of the Jellicle Ball, when a tribe of cats known as the Jellicles gather under the moonlight to celebrate and decide which one of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new life.
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Parks are for everyone – even our littlest learners! Join us for Little Learners, a fun, hands-on program designed for children ages 2 – 5 and their grown-ups. Each session introduces a new theme with nature stories, creative crafts, and outdoor play—perfect for making special memories together in the gardens and grounds of Planting Fields! Whether you join us for one class or the whole season, each visit offers something new to explore.
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Shake off that winter chill and celebrate spring with a visit from the Easter Bunny! Passengers will visit with the friendly Easter Bunny before returning to Kingston. Our train ride includes an Easter Egg Hunt for a perfect activity that’s fun for younger children and adults. Please allow 90 minutes for the complete train ride experience. ALL ABOARD THE EASTER BUNNY EXPRESS!
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Hop over to the most celebrated egg hunt in Queens! Kids and their grown-ups can delight in this classic springtime tradition. Hunt for colorful, prize-filled eggs in Queens Farm’s historic orchard, snap photos with Whiskers the Bunny, and enjoy outdoor games that make memories worth keeping!
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Join us Sunday, March 28th at 10:45AM for an Egg Hunt on Main Street Farmington! Bring your own baskets, for children ages 11 and younger.
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Egg-stra, Egg-stra! Read all about it!! The City of Long Beach Department of Parks and Recreation’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt will take place this year on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Registration will open in March. This event is for Long Beach Residents and School District Residents only and requires in-person, advanced registration at the Long Beach Recreation Center lobby. There will be NO day-of registration. Register early as space is limited. When maximum capacity is reached, we will close registration.
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Queens’ Favorite Easter Egg Hunt Join us for a fun-filled spring celebration with Whiskers the Easter Bunny and all his friends at the farm! Families are invited to enjoy a joyful day outdoors filled with laughter, discovery, and classic Easter fun. Get ready for the excitement of our outdoor Easter Egg Hunt, where children search for colorful eggs filled with treasures. The smiles, giggles, and memories made are what Easter at Green Meadows Farm is all about! Be sure to bring your Easter basket and your camera—there’s fun around every corner.
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Join The Milleridge Inn for a hippity hoppity good time at this Easter Bunny brunch with two options, a prix fixe or a buffet. Both include indoor and outdoor activities for the whole family, plus egg hunts.
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Prepare to be amazed as The Peking Acrobats® deliver a jaw-dropping performance that defies gravity and belief. This thrilling showcase blends the time-honored tradition of Chinese acrobatics with live music, bold visuals, and cutting-edge special effects—creating a high-flying experience for all ages. From daring maneuvers atop a pagoda of chairs to astonishing foot juggling, contortion, balancing feats, and precision tumbling, this high-energy production pushes the boundaries of human ability. Accompanied by live music on traditional Chinese instruments—and enhanced by vibrant costumes and stunning effects—The Peking Acrobats offer a kaleidoscope of movement, color, and cultural celebration. Whether you’re a longtime fan or discovering Chinese acrobatics for the first time, this spellbinding show will leave you amazed and asking: “How did they DO that?” Don’t miss this electrifying experience—fun for the whole family and unforgettable for all.
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For Persian Jews, the holidays of Purim and Nowruz reflect thousands of years of continuous history in the region and a vibrant diasporic culture that endures around the world today. In honor of these holidays, join us for the third annual Spring Equinox Festival, a celebration honoring Persian culture and the Spring Equinox, featuring Persian music, food, and activities, with free Museum admission!
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Spring into fun at Bunny’s Breakfast Bash! Enjoy exclusive early access to Dave & Buster’s for a family morning full of breakfast, an exciting egg hunt, games with the Bunny, and festive photo opportunities.
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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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- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! - Long Island - Shoott - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, USA, 03/28/2026 - 03/29/2026, See link for times
- Farmingdale Village Easter Egg Hunt & Meet the Easter Bunny - 361 Main Street, Farmingdale, NY, USA, 03/28/2026, 10:45AM
- Celebrate Earth Day - Meridian Waste Children’s Coloring Contest (Contest entry ends April 13) - Submit your artwork online., 03/27/2026 - 03/29/2026, Any time.
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Long Island 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 Long Island 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 on Long Island? 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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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Long Island 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 Long Island 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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