KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Thu, Mar 12: One Hit Wonder- St. Patrick's Day Workshop at Plymouth Memorial Hall
Fri, Mar 13: Providence Ballet Theatre presents, Hansel and Gretel
Sat, Mar 14: Creatures of the Night at Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary Sun, Mar 15: Goddard Rocket Centennial Celebration at EcoTarium
Tue, Mar 17: 2026 St. Patrick's Day Bash at Carriage Inn - North Kingstown
Sat, Mar 21: 2026 Providence St. Patrick's Day Parade Sat, Mar 21: Make Your Own I-Spy Jar at FUNdamentals, LLC
Sat, Mar 21: Easter Egg Hunt 2026 at Wilcox Park
Sun, Mar 22: 21st Annual Mystic Irish Parade
Mon, Mar 23: Morning Matinee: Zootopia 2 at Barrington Public Library
Sat, Mar 28: Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks (Opening Day) at Mystic Seaport
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
When I was a teenager, I had a teacher who became a mentor without ever knowing he was one. He was aware I’d been going through some difficult times, and was glad to hear I was almost on the other side. “Some people aren't lucky enough to have dealt with hard things when they're young,” he told me. Then he added the phrase that has echoed in my head for decades: “Remember
the rocks.” Life, he explained, was always going to toss boulders into my path. The trick was to recognize, early, that even if it was painful or scary, I was capable of getting around, or over, or through them. Remembering how I’d managed would help me trust myself more when the next, bigger ones appeared. As a parent, I think about that often, about how the only way to become someone who does hard things is… to do hard things. It’s
tempting to rush in and smooth every unpleasant obstacle our kids encounter. When we email the teacher, mend the friendship, rescue the forgotten homework, eliminate every discomfort, we may feel helpful in the moment, but in fact we’re quietly removing the practice stones they need. Resilience doesn’t come from being told “You’re strong”; it comes from evidence that only they can gather, from working through manageable challenges and thinking, That was hard. And I handled it. We don’t
need to manufacture their challenges—being a kid is difficult enough. And we don’t abandon them to do it all on their own, either. We just learn to pause, to weigh advice against intervention, and to let them see what they can manage. The goal is that later in life, when something truly difficult lands in our children's path, they won’t just hope they can manage it, they’ll know. Now, many years later, when I encounter something daunting, I think back to my
mentor and remember the rocks. "I do hard things," I tell myself. And it works.
—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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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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iD Tech: The World's #1 STEM Summer Camp! BattleBots® Camp? You can only get it here. Roblox Camp? We've got that and more in our Summer '26 lineup. Register today at the top-rated tech camp for 25 years and counting! iD Tech is the very best
experience built around your child—their interests, their skill level, their goals for the future. Trusted by 75+ of the world’s top universities and over 1,000,000 parents, iD Tech is where kids and teens learn from the best—coding, game dev, robotics, and more. The future starts at iD Tech!
Click here for more information about your local iD Tech opportunities! Virtual camps are also available!
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Animal Experiences continues to be the best, most hands on Animal program for children of pre-k age and up. Whether for birthday parties, schools, libraries or camps, Animal Experiences provides an educational, fun filled hour meeting, touching and holding
reptiles as well as a few warm blooded animals. No other program allows children as much opportunity to hold and interact with animals as Animal Experiences. With over 30 years experience Dave has an ability to help even the most shy children feel comfortable with his animal friends.
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Please join us for our 44th St. Patrick's Parade on Saturday, March 7th!
The parade starts at 12:00 sharp at the corner of Division St and South Bend near Agnes Little school. The parade can be viewed from South Bend along Walcott St towards downtown to Roosevelt Ave and ending at City Hall.
Following the parade join us at the after party at the Armory on Exchange St. Armory starts at 1pm until about 5pm. Food, drinks, vendors and live Irish music.
Reminder, beer/wine is cash only and there isn't an ATM on site. Some of the food, shopping vendors are likely to be cash only as well.
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It's maple sugaring time! In this 2-hour guided program, help our farmers with the first crop of the season as you follow the trail from sap to syrup. Visit the maple grove to check the taps and taste some sap. Learn how to identify a sugar maple and
compare traditional ways of making maple syrup with how it is made today. Observe maple sap being boiled down in our sugarhouse and sample maple tea and finished maple syrup.
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Join us in the teen are to make friendship bracelets! Beads and string will be provided, just bring your creativity! Everyone is welcome to keep the bracelets they make, or they can exchange bracelets right here in the library! Registration is encouraged,
but not required.
This program is suitable for children over eight!
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Children, ages 2-4 with parent or caregiver, will investigate the world around them as they sing, dance and discover in this monthly series at the Museum of Natural History in Roger Williams Park! Each session will contain age-appropriate stories, songs,
poems and a craft related to the topic. Expose your preschool child to science in a unique and stimulating museum setting!
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Make memories in our kitchen with your child ages 2 to 8. Our caregiver & family cooking classes offer the perfect experience to learn new things, try different flavors and have fun connecting with your child.
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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, March 6, 2026, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- Discovery Tykes at the Museum of
Natural History - Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI, Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:00AM-10:30AM
- Northern Light Scrape Art (Ages 5-12) - At Framingham Public Library - McAuliffe Branch - Framingham Public Library, 746 Water Street, Framingham, MA, Friday, March 6, 2026, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Pawtucket St. Patrick's day parade - Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI, Saturday, March 7, 2026, 12:00 pm
- Inclusive Story and Play Time - East
Providence Public Library, Grove Avenue, East Providence, RI, Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10am
- The Winter Farmers Marketplace - At Warwick Mall - With We Be Jammin' Events - We Be Jammin Events, 1923 Post Rd, Warwick, RI, Sunday, March 8, 2026, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
- The Winter Farmers Marketplace - With We Be Jammin' Events - Warwick Mall - 400 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick, RI, Sunday,
March 8, 2026, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
- Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss with Mr. Mello - At Once Upon A Bookstore -SoCo Art Labs - Quequechan Street, Fall River, MA, Sunday, March 8, 2026, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
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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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Winter is here and fun options for families just keep getting better! Whether you stick with what you love or decide to try something new, KidsOutAndAbout has plenty of ideas. From Ice skating, kid-friendly museums, indoor play centers, and outdoor
activities to thinking ahead to next year's school options - we've got you covered.
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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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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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