KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter
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Sat, Mar 14: Goldfish Swim School- Morrisville: Grand Opening Celebration Sat, Mar 14: Fayetteville Marksmen Home Game at Crown Complex Sat, Mar 14: St Patrick’s Day “Paddy on the Green” Festival at Lafayette Village Wed, Mar 18: Harlem Globetrotters: The 100 Year Tour at
Bojangles Coliseum Sat, Mar 21: Budding Explorers: Tree-mendous Discoveries at JC Raulston Arboretum Sat, Mar 21: Lebanese Festival 2026 at Triangle Lebanese American Center Sat, Apr 4: The Comedy, Magic & Mentalism Show Featuring Gary Goodman at Holly Springs Cultural Center Sat, Apr 11: Holly Springs Festival - SpringsFest at NC Vibes Sat, Apr 11: Raleigh Geek and Grub Market: Anime Edition at Mordecai Historic
Park
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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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Our weekly art classes inspire creativity and confidence in children ages 3 and up through a structured, studio-based program that grows with your child year after year. Students build real artistic skills while exploring their imagination through our
award-winning curriculum, which introduces more than 40 art techniques and mediums, including drawing, painting, and sculpture. Small class sizes and personalized instruction nurture focus, self-expression, and a strong creative foundation in a warm, supportive environment. We offer trial classes every Saturday.
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The Wake Forest Film Festival will spotlight passionate creative and thought-provoking movies by some of today's most promising and accomplished local, national, and international filmmakers. Intended for both the general public and film professionals, the
WFFF is an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their films in a unique location to a discerning audience.
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Join us for a free screening of KPop Demon Hunters (1h 36m), a vibrant animated film celebrating creativity within the Asian diaspora. Families are invited to enjoy the film along with a themed, family-friendly tour of Dis/orient: Contemporary Art of the
Asian Diaspora before and after the screening. Cosplay is welcomed and encouraged!
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This gentle, sensory-based walk invites you to slow down, connect with the trees, and tend to yourself during this changing of time.
Guided experiences will help you drop into your body, awaken your senses, and reconnect with the natural world—embracing as a time to go within, rest, and restore.
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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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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Triangle 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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CSAs are becoming more popular each year! Farm-to-table fresh weekly produce is a wonderful option for families, to connect kids with what they eat and the wider community.This is KidsOutAndAbout's big list of local community-supported agriculture.
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Parents have an abundance of choices when it comes to PreK and day care options in the Triangle 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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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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Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Triangle? 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 Researvh Triangle 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 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, based on KidsOutAndAbout's annual reader survey. Of course, there is LOTS more to do around the Triangle...Get great ideas here at KidsOutAndAbout.com! What is listed below are just the
starting point: Browse through our site and calendar to find lots more, and be sure to click on Everything That's Free.
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com Mom of Madison and Ella
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