KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Tue, Apr 21: Alfie’s Supercar Scavenger Hunt - Audrain Auto Museum
Wed, Apr 22: Project Chick at WEAVER
Thu, Apr 23: The Princess Concert - Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Fri, Apr 24: Family Field Days at Old Sturbridge Village
Sat, Apr 25: Sheep Shearing Day - At Watson Farm Sat, Apr 25: Southwick’s Spring Fest
Sun, Apr 26: SPECIAL EVENT!!! Cosplay Idols Double Feature
Sat, May 2: 2026 Weekend Event - At Smith's Castle
Sat, May 2: Springtime In New England - Coventry, RI Sun, May 3: MOTHER'S DAY TEACUP FLOWERS - At Art Box Studio Sun, May 3: School Break at LEGO Discovery Center Boston
Sun, May 10: Hatsune Miku Expo 2026 North AmericaTue, May 12: Police, Fire & EMT Week at Southwick's Zoo |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
When my kids were little, one of our favorite nature activities was also one of the simplest: We’d head out onto a trail, stop among the trees, and play the Listening Game. The rules were easy: Close your eyes. The first time you hear a sound, any sound at all, put up one finger. Then add another for each new sound you notice. After a minute or two, someone says, “Open
your eyes,” and everyone compares fingers and talks about what they heard. It’s a small exercise in attention, but it changes how kids experience the world. The invisible becomes visible... not to the eyes, exactly, but to the mind. Things that were just out of range suddenly move onto our radar. Nature is full of motion and music, and this game helps us tune ourselves to it. The free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology takes that magic one step further: Tap Sound ID, and suddenly the songs around you appear on your screen as a voiceprint and a bird name and an image that shows you what to look for. And what a moment ago was only background atmosphere becomes a Carolina Wren, or an Eastern Whip-poor-will, or the Common Yellowthroat pictured above,
singing his heart out for a girl with a camera. That’s one of the great tasks of childhood, and of the adults who love children: to help hidden things come into view. Before we know something, it is almost as if it isn’t there. But once it is named, we have a new way to see. There are suddenly new dimensions to our universe, helping us transform even more mysteries into things that are ours. And we never really experience the woods—or the field, or the river, or
the ocean, or the city, or our backyard—the same way again.
—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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Avast, me hearties, head over to Mystic Seaport Museum for Pirate Days on April 16 and 17 for a treasure trove of outdoor fun for the whole family! Storm the Seaport Village, hunt for hidden loot, meet our friendly pirates, and enjoy performances to boot! Pirate lads and lasses of all ages will love our games, crafts, and activities. Dress the part and join in a pirate parade—ye won’t want to miss it!
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Get ready to roar into an unforgettable Spring Break 2026 at The Dinosaur Place in Montville, CT! Join us for a week of fun-filled activities that will transport you back in time to the land of the dinosaurs. Lots of things to do only 20 minutes from Mystic.
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Get ready for big adventure as a tiny explorer in A Bug’s World, a new exhibit open April 11 – August 9, 2026. Experience the outdoors from an insect's perspective. Wander among supersized caterpillars and beetles, crawl through massive honeycombs, and dodge the dreaded Venus flytrap. Discover the crawling, climbing, flying critters in your own backyard while learning why they matter and how to protect them.
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Located at the Tented Events Pavilion at Southwick’s Zoo and Galliford’s Restaurant & Tavern. Join us on Saturday, April 18 (Rain Date: Sunday, April 19) for the 4th Annual Dog Adoption Event and Vendor Market, a heartwarming community celebration and part of Galliford’s Gives Back. This special event brings together local rescues, pet-friendly vendors, live entertainment, and animal lovers for an afternoon filled with fun, and maybe even a brand-new best friend. Whether you're actively looking to adopt or simply want to spend the day surrounded by wagging tails and great company, this is an event you won’t want to miss.
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Get READY for a “Bloomin’ good time” this April Brace yourselves for an explosion of floral euphoria as we gear up for the grand re-awakening of 1,500,000 daffodils during the city’s 14th Annual Newport Daffodil Days, scheduled for April 5th to 28th, 2025.
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It's going to be WILD! Young fans and their families nationwide are in store for even more adventure on the creature trail when the world-famous Kratt Brothers hit the road with an all-new stage adventure! Wild Kratts® LIVE 2.0 - Activate Creature Power®!, the theatrical production starring Martin and Chris Kratt, based on the Emmy-nominated hit PBS KIDS series, will bring audiences along on a "wild" ride with a dynamic mix of live-action and animation. In Wild Kratts LIVE 2.0, Chris and Martin take to the stage to activate new Creature Powers and go "off to the creature rescue!" With some help from the rest of the Wild Kratts team, who will be animated and on screen at the Tortuga HQ, the brothers confront a comic villain and once again save the day, sharing fascinating tidbits about some of the world's most amazing creatures along the way.
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- Friendship Bracelet Fridays! (Ages 8 +)- At Knight Memorial Library - Community Libraries of Providence: Knight Memorial Library, Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI, Friday, April 17, 2026, 2:00 pm -
5:00 pm
- Food Truck Friday Roger Williams Park 2026 - Carousel Village, Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI, Friday, April 17, 2026, 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- Free Open Houses at the Betsey Williams Cottage - Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI, Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:00 am - 3:00pm
- PRONK! in the Park - At Providence Innovation District Park - Providence Innovation District Park, 120 Peck St, Providence, Providence, RI 02903, Friday, April 17, 2026, 1:00 pm -2:00 pm
- April Vacation Earth
Celebration at the Museum of Natural History - Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI, Saturday, April 18, 2026 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10:00am-4:00pm
- Discovery Station - At Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center - Denison
Pequotsepos Nature Center, 109 Pequotsepos Road, Mystic, CT 06355, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00 am -12:00 pm
- The Winter Farmers Marketplace - At Warwick Mall - With We Be Jammin' Events - We Be Jammin Events, 1923 Post Rd, Warwick, RI 02886, Sunday, April 19,
2026, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
- The Winter Farmers Marketplace - With We Be Jammin' Events - Warwick Mall - Warwick Mall, 400 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick, RI 02886, Sunday, April 19, 2026, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
- The Farmers Marketplace - At Warwick Mall - With We Be Jammin' Events - We Be Jammin Events, 1923 Post Rd, Warwick, RI 02886, Sunday, April 19, 2026, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
- Free mini photo session with Shoott! - Providence area - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, Sunday, April 19, 2026, See link for times
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Providence 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 Providence 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 in the Providence area? 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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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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