KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter
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Sat, Dec 6: Frosty Festival at the EcoTarium
Sun, Dec 7: Westerly Light Parade
Sat, Dec 13: Providence Artisans Holiday Premiere at WaterFire Arts Center
Sat, Dec 13: Meet Santa in the Meeting House - Olde Mistick Village
Sun, Dec 14: A Very Merry Marketplace - Crowne Plaza Hotel
Tue, Dec 16: The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight - Boch Center
Sat, Dec 20: The Nutcracker at the VETS - Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Sat, Dec 20: Cultural Survival Bazaar – A Festival of Indigenous Arts and Culture - WaterFire Arts Center
Mon, Dec 22: Monday Matinee: Muppets Treasure Island - All Ages - At Framingham Public Library - Main Branch
Fri, Dec 26: Wild About Winter Vacation Week at EcoTarium
Mon, Dec 29: Holiday Ho-Ho-Hocus Pocus Magic Show at East Providence Public Library- Weaver Library
Mon, Dec 29: Movie: Smurfs (2025) - All Ages - At Framingham Public Library - Main Branch
Wed, Dec 31: Providence
New Year’s Eve Celebration and Illuminate PVD Fireworks Display
Wed, Dec 31: New Year’s Eve Noon Celebration - At Boston Public Library - Hyde Park Branch |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
It's often said that parenting is a "thankless" job. In one sense, that's undeniably true, because it will likely be many years before the young humans you're raising—the ones who actually have a stake in the outcome of the excellent job you're doing—are in a position to thank you. So you don't hear that phrase often during the first couple of decades of parenthood.
My fervent wish
for the future is to live in a world filled with engaged, culturally literate, productive, happy people. This means that what I said above isn't precisely accurate: It's not only your kids who have a stake in your parenting success, we ALL do, because the path to that future starts NOW for the young people in your orbit. So I'm grateful that you care about getting them "out and about" to the wide variety of experiences available in your community: It will make all
the difference.
Our job here at KidsOutAndAbout.com is to help you do that as easily as possible. In 2001, I created the original version of this web platform that now connects 15 million people each year with their area's activities and resources. My team gets to see it all up-close and personal as local businesses post to KidsOutAndAbout through their free listings, and then we get to turn around and shout about them to y'all, bringing your community closer to you.
So I want to
step in for the rest of the world that's not (yet) thanking you, and say it to you today: Thank you so much for what you're doing. Raising kids is hard in any era, but no one could have anticipated all the roadblocks that a pandemic would toss onto our path.
As anyone who knows me knows, I'm endlessly looking for reasons to celebrate. So today, I'm celebrating YOU with my digital megaphone and pom-poms. You're doing a great job. Future Deb sends her thanks,
too.
—Debra Ross, publisher
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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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Just a minute of your time could make a big impact. KidsOutAndAbout.com is conducting a short survey to better understand how families are navigating the fast-changing world of AI. We're asking all parents, grandparents, and caregivers-whether you're
tech-savvy or not-to weigh in.
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Private and alternative schools in the Providence area cater to every educational need and parent philosophy. This is KidsOutAndAbout's education highlight page, containing specially featured schools and also our master list of local schools. If your school is not on our list but should be, please email us at ross@kidsoutandabout.com.
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Private Schools in the Providence, RI area: Try it before you buy it... and even before you visit! This is KidsOutAndAbout.com's video sneak peek into local private school experiences. If your school should have a video on this page, please send a link to the school's video on YouTube or Vimeo to ross@kidsoutandabout.com.
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Now in its sixth season, Sparkling Lights at The Breakers brings the magic of the holidays inside and outside this landmark Gilded Age mansion! You’ll stroll along a half-mile-long path glittering with hundreds of thousands of holiday lights while music fills the winter air. See illuminated displays and sparkling surprises along the way. Tour the opulent interior of The Breakers decorated in holiday splendor. Enjoy holiday treats and adult beverages for purchase at the back terrace and The Breakers Welcome Center.
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Join the elves this holiday season for Santa’s Brickmas Adventure, a new festive event filled with creativity, kindness, and holiday cheer making its global debut at LEGO® Discovery Center Boston in Assembly Row!
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Santa Claus, “Winter Lady”, and other holiday characters will be making their debut in Dixon Square via fire trucks to bring in the Holiday Season on Friday, November 28th. Free coloring books, crayons and lollipops will be handed out to all the children in attendance. Santa arrives promptly at 6 pm! Free Family event. Incase of inclement weather, the event will take place indoors at a location TBD.
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Join us for a new tradition - Thanksgiving Day dinner at Massimo. Let us do the shopping, cooking and cleaning while you enjoy a 4-course Italian-style spread with your family and friends. We will accept reservations from 12pm - 6:30pm and we will have a limited dinner menu available in addition to our Thanksgiving Dinner Menu. Celebrate Thanksgiving in true Massimo style with a traditional turkey feast and a limited à la carte menu of your Italian favorites. Enjoy a cozy, elegant evening filled with the flavors of the season.
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Join us on Black Friday and get into the holiday spirit! There will be a variety of artisan vendors, a few food trucks, kids activities and of course Santa! Please bring an unwrapped toy to donate to those less fortunate kids in our area! And this grants you a free visit with Santa! Don't forget your camera!
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Day After Thanksgiving Nature Activities: Give thanks for all that nature has given us. The day after Thanksgiving is for leftovers, but at Audubon it is also a day to rediscover why nature matters. Join fun nature and animal themed activities for the whole family. No registration is needed. Activities included with admission.
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Community Tree Lighting at 6:00pm at Mystic River Park before the Lighted Boat Parade! Saturday, November 29, 2025 | 6:15 PM Spectators and passersby line both sides of the Mystic River to watch as decorated boats pass by in the 22nd Annual Holiday Lighted Boat Parade. Interested in showcasing your boat for the Lighted Boat Parade. Participation is open to the public and only requires a toy donation to the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center which will be on site the day of. Come and see as decorated vessels parade down the Mystic River just after 6PM and return to the Mystic River Park, where spectators and judges gather. Boats are judged on creativity and team spirit, with prizes offered in five categories: 'Most Charismatic Crew', 'Innovative Vessel', 'Best Dressed Vessel', 'Most Holiday Spirit' and 'Miss Mystic Vessel of Grandeur'. Is your boat still in the water through the holiday season? Decorate your vessel and participate in the 2024 Holiday Lighted Boat Parade. Email…
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The Providence area offers a delightful selection of Christmas tree farms that bring the magic of the holiday season to life. Families can enjoy the cherished tradition of selecting the perfect tree while exploring picturesque landscapes and engaging in
festive activities.
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Providence's big list of holiday events for 2025: Christmas concerts, lights, trees, nativities, and more. . . plus activities for Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve. The activities we've listed
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- A Brush with Trees at Blithewold Paintings by Paul Olson - Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, 101 Ferry Rd, Bristol, RI 02809, Friday, November 28, 2025, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- November StoryWalk® at WEAVER - Weaver Library-East
Providence Public Library, 41 Grove Avenue, East Providence, RI 02914, Friday, November 28, 2025, 8am-8pm
- Holiday Markets - The Providence Flea - The Providence Flea, 10 Sims Avenue, Providence, RI, Friday, November 28, 2025, 5-9 pm
- Santa's Arrival 2025 - Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce -Westerly, RI - Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce, 25 Broad Street, Westerly, RI,
Friday, November 28, 2025, 6 pm – 7 pm
- Drop-In Gaming Time (All Ages) - At Boston Public Library - Chinatown Branch - Boston Public Library, 2 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116, Friday, November 28, 2025, 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Friendship Bracelet Fridays! (Ages 8 +)- At Knight Memorial Library - Knight Memorial Library, Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI, Friday, November 28, 2025, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- Santa Claus visit at Mall of Monroe - Mall of Monroe, 2121 N Monroe St, Monroe, MI 48162, Friday, November 28, 2025, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Letters to Santa - At Garden City Center - Garden City Center, Midway Road, Cranston, RI, Friday, November 28, 2025, Mall
Hours
- Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony - Ocean House - Ocean House, Bluff Avenue, Westerly, RI,
Saturday, November 29, 2025, 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
- Holiday Markets - The Providence Flea - The Providence Flea, 10 Sims Avenue,
Providence, RI, Sunday, November 30, 2025, 11-3 pm
- Light Up Garden City Center Presented by Citizens - At Garden City Center - Citizens, Midway Road, Cranston, RI, Sunday, November 30, 2025, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Providence 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 and around Providence, based on KidsOutAndAbout's annual reader survey. This list provides some great ideas, but there is LOTS more to do in Providence, all year round: Our Top 20 results page only scratches the
surface!
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Here's to seizing opportunities to learn wherever they appear!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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