KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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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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Bring the little ones to sit with The Easter Bunny and hear the story of Peter Cottontail. Happening at the Easter Bunny Set on Level 1, near Nordstrom.
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The bubbles are returning to Discovery Cube Orange County on select dates March 14 - April 12!
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Volunteer opportunity for the littles
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Join the Angel City FC faithful at BMO Stadium! Experience the electric atmosphere as we cheer on our team. Expect thrilling soccer, passionate fans, and a celebration of Los Angeles. Get your tickets now!
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Create fun, sometimes messy, art with your little one and guide their imagination by making a project together, or let them steal the show with their own personal artistic style!
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Spend an hour relaxing your mind, body, and spirit! This light-hearted yoga class is designed for all levels and will be led by Sarah Brown and her four-legged baby goat assistants! The baby goats are provided and cared for by our Barnyard and volunteers from the Togg N Tails herd. This class is a fundraiser for our Helping Farms Feed Families (501c3) and 100% of the proceeds go directly to HFFF. This class is limited to those participants 9 years and older. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You must bring your own yoga mat that you won't mind getting dirty. It is a farm, after all!
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Held every last Saturday of the month, Storytime in the Galleries includes free copies of each author’s featured book while supplies last and free General Admission to the galleries. Reading in the galleries will be followed by a simple, fun art project that kids will love.
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Enjoy free access on the first Wednesday of each month to all the Autry's exhibitions, including Imagined Wests, Art of the West, and more by reserving your spot today! Visitors will now have a full day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to enjoy everything the Autry has to offer.
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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 at Shoott! - Irvine & Orange County - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, USA, Fri 3/27 - Sun 3/29, See link for times
- Little Artists - Newton T. Bass Apple Valley Branch Library - Newton T. Bass Apple Valley Branch Library, Apple Valley, CA 92307, Friday, 3/27, 11:00am - 12:00pm PST
- Little Seedlings Story Time - Sherman Library and Gardens - Sherman Library & Gardens, Corona Del Mar, CA, Friday, 3/27, 10 am - 10:30 am
- FREE Spanish Classes for Kids ages 2-11 - LangoKids Irvine, Irvine, 3/28, Different times according to age and level
- City of Westminster Bunny Hop - City of Westminster, Westminster, CA, Saturday, 3/28, 10:00AM - 11:30AM
- Storytime in the Nature Garden - Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, Sat 3/28 - Sun 3/29, 10:30 am
- Calm Morning: My Neighbor Totoro - Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, CA 90036, Saturday, 3/28, 9AM-1PM
- Children's Opera Festival - Casa
Italiana - Casa Italiana, Los Angeles, CA, Sunday, 3/29, 1 - 4pm PDT
- Craft Corner - Newton T. Bass Apple Valley Branch Library - Newton T. Bass Apple Valley Branch Library, Apple Valley, CA 92307, Sunday, 3/29, 11:00am - 12:00pm
PST
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in The OC 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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Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Orange County? 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 Orange County 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 best places to take kids in the Orange County, CA area. Each May-June, thousands of parents vote in the KidsOutAndAbout survey of the Top 20 Places to Take Kids. Who won the top spot? An indoor play center, museum, farm, nature center, sports team?
Click through to find out!
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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