Long Island KidsOutAndAbout Newsletter
April 23, 2026

Local in-person events this weekend

FREE events this weekend

Local in-person events next weekend

2026 Summer Camps

Earth Day

Fun On the Farm

Local spring hikes

Family Photographs

Post your organization and events to our site (It's all FREE!)

Sat, May 2: Storybook Stroll: Little People Big Dreams by Isabel Sanchez Vergara at Old Westbury Gardens
Sun, May 3: Lindenhurst Annual Springfest
Sat, May 9: Baby Animal Day at Suffolk County Farm & Education Center
Sat, May 9: Harbes Mother’s Day Festival
Sun, May 10: Mother's Day Brunch at Long Island Aquarium
Sat, May 16: Sheep Shearing Festival at Queens County Farm Museum
Sun, May 17: Jimbo’s Birthday Bash at Long Island Aquarium
Fri, May 22: Foodie Fest Memorial Day Weekend - Tanger Outlets Deer Park
Mon, May 25: Foodie Fest Memorial Day Weekend - Tanger Outlets Riverhead
Fri, Jun 5: Rainbow Scavenger Hunt

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.

• Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! - Long Island - Broadway, New York, NY, April 24-26, 2026, See link for times
• Astronomy Night: April 24 - Intrepid Museum - Pier 86 at Hudson River Park, New York, NY, April 24, 2026, 5:30pm - 9pm
• 6th Annual Kite Festival at Overlook Beach "Go Fly a Kite over Babylon" - Ocean Parkway, Babylon, NY, April 25, 2026, 10am - 5pm
• Arbor Day Celebration at Bayard Cutting Arboretum - 440 Montauk Hwy, Great River, NY 11739, April 25, 2026, 10AM - 1PM
• Town of Oyster Bay Free Family Fun Spring Festival - Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury, NY, April 25, 2026, 1PM - 4PM
• Earth Day Barnyard Bash at Tanger Outlets Deer Park - 152 The Arches Circle, Deer Park, NY 11729, April 25, 2026, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
• Access Family Program: Fly By Design (Children) - Intrepid Museum - Pier 86 at Hudson River Park, New York, NY, April 26, 2026, 11am - 1pm
• Access Family Program: Fly By Design (Teens and Adults) - Intrepid Museum - Pier 86 at Hudson River Park, New York, NY, April 26, 2026, 2pm - 4pm