KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: For much of the country this year, March simultaneously is bringing hope that spring may in fact return to North America AND the awareness that every car is at risk for the foreseeable future. All winter long, water seeps into asphalt cracks, freezes, expands, melts, and freezes again, and bit by bit the driving experience becomes a game called Avoid the
Crater. But lately I’ve started seeing the repair trucks out there again, their bright-vested workers moving methodically from hole to hole with their shovels. Every time I pass them, it gives me a lift, not just because it means someday soon I'll start seeing flowers out in the real world, but also because potholes are one of those perfect reminders of what humans do. Playrooms, projects, and paperwork start out neat, but over time, weather, wear, gravity, and
procrastination take their toll. No matter how strict the system, order gradually slides toward chaos. And then humans step in and make it right again. I saw the cycle in action at the KidsOutAndAbout office last week: Our storage room had slowly become a museum of random supplies, half-filled bins, and Christmas decorations that had been tossed in with a hopeful Future Us will deal with this someday. Fortunately, my colleague Michelle, who works in our data department,
is also a genius organizer. A few hours after Future Michelle stepped in and applied logic and elbow grease, the little room had transformed from a cluttered cave into a serene space. The quickening of the seasons seems to bring that same energy into our homes: Closets get sorted, garages get swept, junk drawers finally meet their match. It feels good, not just because the space looks better, but because fixing things reminds us of something important: Disorder is normal, but
it’s not permanent. Humans can step in and bring brightness back. So here’s to spring cleaning, organized shelves, and freshly patched roads. Our tires, and our spirits, roll much more smoothly because humans fill potholes.
—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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Join us for a special storytime in the Wonder Cabinet Forest.
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The Walt Disney Family Museum continues its celebration of the 70th anniversary of Disneyland with the debut of Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story, an original special exhibition curated by award-winning producer and Disney Legend Don Hahn with
museum Director of Collections and Exhibitions Marina Villar Delgado. Inspired by the 2025 book, The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland, published by Disney Editions and written by Hahn and historian Christopher Merritt, this treasure trove of Disney history will take guests behind the scenes of one of the most groundbreaking endeavors of the 20th century—the creation and opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland
Story will be on view beginning Friday, November 14 in the museum’s Lower Lobby and Theater Galleries.
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Experience the Emerald Isle with no passports required! Come to the City of Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival to find three stages of Irish music and dance; authentic Irish food and beverages; more than 250 fine arts and commercial vendors, including an
Irish Marketplace; roaming leprechauns and bagpipers; carnival rides; and an Irish Tea Cottage.
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Every month we produce a 2nd Saturday on the Farm, a family event that focuses on a particular area of agriculture. Visitors can participate in the regular activities of the Ag History Project plus others related to the day’s special focus. We host over
2,500 visitors each year at 2nd Saturday on the Farm.
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Join Luna and her friends for an exploration of the sky which includes phases of the Moon, seasons, constellations and planets. This is Our Sky! is a general astronomy show that contains elements of interest spanning a wide range of audiences.
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Students learn a variety of introductory skills in each workshop, with subjects ranging from creating characters to writing stories to creating their own comic strips in a playful format. Enroll your kid in a single workshop session or in the whole season.
Plus register with a membership option and instantly save!
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Bay FC is a San Francisco Bay Area-based professional women’s soccer team competing in the NWSL since 2024, playing home matches at PayPal Park in San Jose.
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Discover the power of the spoken word. Delight to the sights and sounds of Drumming and Puppetry! Craft workshops related to the stories and music presented.
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Open Cockpit is when the museum’s visitors can view our famous aircraft including A-3 Skywarrior, A-4 Skyhawk, A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair, Harrier jump-Jet and a Mig-15.
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Learn about California's own Coastal Redwood Forest, aboard a 100 year old steam train. Along the journey, hear fascinating information about the coastal redwoods and their ecosystems from docent specialists.
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- Toddler Plus Storytime - Main Library - Children's Department, Main
Library - Children's Department, Saturday, March 13, 10:30am
- Family Storytime - Alameda Free Library - West End Library, 788 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501, Saturday, March 14, 10:30am
- Family Storytime - Main Library - Children's Department, Main Library - Children's Department, Saturday, March 14, 10:30am
- Free Kids Soccer Trial Class –
Mill Valley | March 14 - Super Soccer Stars - Mill Valley Community Center, Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA, Saturday, March 14, Times Vary by Age- Check info
- Family Storytime - Main Library, Main Library, Sunday, March 15, 12:30pm
- Junior Rangers:
Refuge Track Detectives - US Fish & Wildlife Service - Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Environmental Education Center, Grand Boulevard, San Jose, CA, Sunday, March 15,
10:30am-12:00pm
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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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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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