KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Sat, Jun 13: Jurassic Jamboree Sat, Jun 13: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Sun, Jun
14: Locals Days
Fri, Jun 19: Stockdale Watermelon Jubilee
Sat, Jun 20: 6th Annual SA Juneteenth Block Party & Fair
Sat, Jun 20: Father’s Day Fiesta Sat, Jun 20: Juneteenth Celebration
Sun, Jun 21: Father's Day Car Show Thu, Jun 25: World's Largest Swim Lesson
Sat, Jun 27: Pride Festival
Sat, Jun 27: DHA Brings the Black History 101 Mobile Museum
Sat, Jun 27: Pride Festival
Sun, Jun 28: Sesame Street Live Fri, Jul 3: Fireworks Fiesta
Sat, Jul 4: July 4th - Independence Day at the Alamo
Sat, Jul 4: Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular - Sponsored by H-E-B
Sat, Jul 4: San Antonio's Official July Fourth Celebration
Sat, Jul 18: Bricks Family Day
Sat, Jul 25: San Antonio Reggae Festival |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When I was homeschooling Madison and Ella, one of my favorite sanity-saving tools was the Theme of the Week. If the theme was "Birds," then yes, we'd go on a bird walk. But we'd also read my favorite-ever children's book, talk about the physics of flying and of colors, and probably also do some math and logic involving eggs and
baskets. The theme made ordinary learning feel like an adventure, but more important, it gave us a focusing tool: It helped the girls connect with what they were seeing and doing, and it helped me feel that we weren’t wandering randomly through our days. Summer planning can benefit from that same kind of gentle structure. Last week, I wrote about how summer is not supposed to be a guilt-inducing race to cram in every concert, splash pad, festival, hike,
camp, road trip, library program, ice cream stand, and sunset before the school buses roll again. Trying to grab everything is a good way to miss the point; instead, to plan the summer without overstuffing it, we need to consider the kinds of experiences that make our family feel more awake, connected, and alive. The five summer lenses I keep coming back to are: music, motion, making,
nature, and food. Music helps kids hear the world differently and live what they love. Motion lets bodies teach what words cannot. Making reminds us that we can bring something new into the universe. Nature offers perspective and wonder. And food connects us to place, culture, and each other. Over the next
few weeks, I’ll address these one at a time—not as assignments, but as invitations. Even as the days fly by, a summer seen through some useful lenses can still be lazy, loose, spontaneous, and wonderfully imperfect.
—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. |
Please click through to our 2026 survey to vote for your top 3 places to take kids... it will be used to compile our 2026 Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the San Antonioarea. Voting is live through June 20; believe me, winning a place on the Top 20 list matters to the people who
create amazing family-friendly experiences. Take 3 minutes to choose your favorites as your way of saying thank you... and use the list to build your summer bucket list at the same time! You have my personal and fervent thanks for your participation! —Deb |
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Give your kids an unforgettable summer experience at Buck & Doe’s Mercantile Summer Base Camp! Designed for ages 8–15, this 3-day camp teaches firearm and archery safety and beginner shooting skills to grow your child's confidence in a fun, supervised environment. Through our partnership with Project ChildSafe and the NSSF, campers will learn essential safety rules, hands-on range skills, situational awareness, and do fun crafts. Each day includes classroom instruction, live range activities, friendly competitions, snacks, drinks, and a camp shirt for every participant. Whether your child is new to shooting sports or eager to learn more, Summer Base Camp is the perfect adventure!
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Spend your summer with Magik Theatre and see their production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, running June 13 to August 2, 2026. The critically acclaimed production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show created by Jonathan Rockefeller features a menagerie of 75 lovable puppets. The production faithfully adapts four stories by author/illustrator Eric Carle: The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, The Very Lonely Firefly and of course, the star of the show – The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has delighted generations of readers since it was first published in 1969 selling more than 48 million copies worldwide. Grab your tickets at magiktheatre.org!
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Unleash your child’s inner rockstar this summer with School of Rock San Antonio summer camps, perfectly designed for beginners to more advanced players! From Rock 101 for ages 8-12 to our teen camps for ages 12-17, your young musician will dive into the exciting world of singing, keyboards, guitars, bass, and/or drums through the unforgettable experience of playing real songs in a band. It’s the ultimate way to build confidence and make new friends. Our summer is filled with action-packed sessions. Space is limited for all camps, so don't wait—secure your child's spot and enroll today!
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Become a paleontologist for a day at Fossil Finders: Buried in Time! Children will dig for buried fossils and uncover prehistoric surprises in this exciting hands-on excavation adventure. Put on your explorer hat and see what ancient discoveries are waiting beneath the surface!
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Super Fun Saturday at Hemisfair, presented by H-E-B, is a free, family-friendly event series held monthly from March through October. Each themed event features fun and educational activities for kids, live entertainment, hands-on crafts, community partners, and interactive experiences designed for families of all ages and abilities!
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Celebrate Juneteenth with acapella singing performances by the Cox Family Singers featuring inspiring songs of freedom.
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This craft reminds me of Tie Dying, but not Ha! This week we will personalize coffee filters and turn them into colorful butterflies. Hope to see you here in the Wondershop where creativity happens.
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Planning a kids birthday party in the San Antonio area? Here are lots of ideas for where to have it! If there is a resource that we have missed, please email us to let us know, and we'll add it
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the San Antonio 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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Fruit picking is a great activity to do together as a family. It helps little ones understand where their food actually comes from, and it's a fun tradition to share every year right through the teens. Here's where you can pick fruit with your family:
Strawberry picking, cherry picking, blueberry picking, raspberry picking, peach picking, and other pick-your-own opportunities in the San Antonio area.
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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