KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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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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Join us for six weeks of exciting STEM and Arts camps on the beautiful Brandeis campus this summer! Our secular camps are for K-5th graders and are designed to engage the whole child, with a rich variety of arts, STEM, and movement activities each day. We
also take exciting field trips every Wednesday to places like Alameda Beach, Indoor Skydiving, and Tilden Farm in Berkeley. Every Friday we host fun events like bouncy houses and foam parties every Friday. This is not summer babysitting! We are the real deal! Your child will have a great time making friends bonding with our wonderful counselors and teachers, and going on weekly adventures!
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Come to Garden Party and join Farmer Emily to help us maintain a thriving edible garden. Through hands-on science and art activities, you will learn more about sustainable gardening practices you can use beyond our walls in your own home garden. There might
even be something to harvest for your next meal!
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Back by popular demand is the second annual Holi Festival. Live bands, dancers and plenty of vibrant colors await you at Cardoza park.
A huge festival of colors - Holi in Milpitas is a great great deal. It is too much fun to dance to loud Bollywood tunes and throw colors and water balloons at each other. There are so many exciting Holi 2024 events in Milpitas; be it rain dancing or a beach party on Holi, there is a lot to look forward to. Nowadays eco-friendly is the new thing; Holi with organic colors and no use of water is the whole concept. There are a bunch of Holi parties in
Milpitas that have already started the ‘no water and only organic colors’ concept and yet there as fun as you thought them to be. Apart from all the parties there are other fun Holi events; one of which being the color run in Milpitas. It is a running race but it involves colors and that’s honestly fun. Discover all the fun Holi 2024 events in Milpitas and keep the festive vibes alive.
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Join museum staff for a lively story followed by fun activities. Storytime is open to all ages, but is primarily designed for toddlers and preschoolers.
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This lap-sit program for little ones and their caregivers includes songs, nursery rhymes, knee-bounces, and movement to help develop important pre-literacy skills. This class is appropriate for infants through 2 years old.
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This fast paced lap-sit program for little ones and their caregivers includes songs, nursery rhymes, knee-bounces, and movement to help develop important pre-literacy skills. This class is appropriate for infants through 2 years old.
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Nature Explorers helps families explore the art and science of the natural world.
Join us with an experienced California Naturalist through a variety of programs with hands-on experiences from specimen exploration to “creature features” and nature hunts.
This program is held out and about in Mary’s Garden after storytime at 10:30am.
All ages welcome!
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Geared for a mix of ages, we invite families to participate as we read stories, sing songs, do fingerplays and more during this 20-30 minute program.
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The North Bay Science Discovery Day is a one-day public free science festival designed to spark children's wonder and curiosity for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With over 70 organizations and 100 hands-on interactive exhibits, explore
rockets and beehives, robots and sharks, catapults and hearts, animation, animals, and art, and more. Meet and talk to professional scientists and engineers.
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- Toddler Plus Storytime - Main Library - Children's Department, San
Francisco, Saturday, 03/06/2026, 10:30am
- Family Art Making at de Young Museum - de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA 94118, Saturday, 03/07/2026, 11:00am - 3:00pm PST
- Family Storytime - Alameda Free Library, Alameda, CA 94501, Saturday, 03/07/2026, 10:30am
- Family Storytime - Main Library - Children's Department, San Francisco, Saturday, 03/07/2026, 10:30am
- Free Kids Soccer Trial Class – Palo Alto | March 7 -
Super Soccer Stars - Super Soccer Stars, Palo Alto, CA, Saturday, 03/07/2026, Times Vary by Age- Check info
- 2025 North Bay Science Discovery Day - Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center - Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds & Event Center, Petaluma, CA, Saturday, 03/07/2026, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- FREE Kids Soccer Demo – Mar 7–8 – Ages 1–10 – Mission Bay, Presidio & Sunset – San Francisco -, San Francisco, Saturday, 03/07/2026 - Sunday, 03/08/2026, Times Vary by Age- Check info
- Family Storytime - Main Library, San Francisco, Sunday, 03/08/2026, 12:30pm
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco? 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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There are lots of places to have a birthday party in the San Francisco area! Start thinking outside the box! KidsOutAndAbout has dozens (and dozens) of ideas! In addition to venues in San Francisco, there are places in Oakland, Alameda, Pacifica, San
Leandro, Walnut Creek, Hayward, Dublin, and San…
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2025's best places to take kids in the San Francisco Bay area. Early each summer, thousands of parents vote in the KidsOutAndAbout survey of the Top 20 Places to Take Kids. Our Top 20 results page is an annotated list of the winners, both of the top 20
slots and of the three category winners: Who won for Top Arts Educator, Top Sports Educator, and Top STEM Educator?
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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