KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Mon, Jun 22: Aquatic Adventure Swim Camp - The East Bay Regional Park District
Fri, Jun 26: 2026 Pride Concert - San Francisco Opera Orchestra
Wed, Jul 1: Dinos Rule! - San Francisco Zoo & Gardens
Fri, Jul 3: 3rd of July Fireworks & Celebration - City of Richmond, CA
Sat, Jul 4: 4th of July 250th Birthday of America - USS Hornet -
Sea, Air and Space Museum
Fri, Jul 10: Outdoor Movie Night - Grab N Go Edition
Mon, Jul 13: Leaders-in-Training - The
East Bay Regional Park District
Fri, Jul 17: Junior History Buffs
Mon, Jul 20: One-Off Note Taking Workshop
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: I’m a sucker for songs in 6/8 time, no matter the music style. I don’t know why that ONE-two-three-FOUR-five-six swinging rhythm so captures me whether it’s fast or slow, but there’s no denying that it does. And I might not even notice this rhythm, but for one little fact: I’m a thoroughly mediocre cellist. I took cello lessons from age 8 to age 14; during
those years, I graduated from “truly bad” to “moderately acceptable,” at least acceptable enough to play in orchestras where my individual sound would be drowned out by the better kids’ playing. But even as unskilled as I was, I know I am happier as an adult for having played: I can understand music from the inside. I hear patterns and styles and instruments with far different ears than I would have had I not studied music early in life. Understanding what makes your heart sing helps
you be on the lookout for more, and that makes your life better. Summer is the perfect season to help kids grow their ears. Yes, check out the big open-air concerts from your local orchestra, municipal band, or jazz ensemble. But also keep an active ear out for the smaller stuff: free concerts in parks, weekly community series, festivals, buskers, church lawn performances, library gigs, and whatever band happens to be playing near the funnel cakes. When you hear something,
name it: bluegrass, salsa, soul, swing, zydeco, classical, funk, folk, rock, rap, mariachi. Kids don’t have to like everything, but knowing the names of things helps them understand what they do like, and gives them handles for finding more of it later. A couple of tips: If you know you're headed in the direction of something new, play a sample of the style before you leave so kids have a hook on which to hang the experience. While you’re there, help them notice one thing: the
bass line, the drummer, the singer’s breathing, the way people move. That will help the music swirl around in their minds long after the last note fades. Remember, music isn’t only on stages. It’s in carousels, movie scores, worship services, elevators, malls, ballparks, and the ice cream truck coming around the corner. So as tour guide to your kids’ universe, don’t ignore the invisible! Point your ears toward the music, tune everyone's radar, and grow.
—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 Bay Area. 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 child the gift of a second language! Alliance Française San Francisco, a local nonprofit, offers enriching French programs for children and teens: lively After-School French classes (online), engaging Teen Classes with AP French Exam Prep (online), fun Saturday Classes for ages 4–10 (onsite), and exciting Bilingual French Summer Camps. Our expert instructors use proven communicative methods in a welcoming, multicultural environment — because learning French is more than a language, it's a passport to the world. Supporting our community since 1889. Financial aid available. Use code KIDS50 for $50 off your first registration. Enroll today at afsf.com
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Brought to you by Foodie Crew, every Thursday from February to October, enjoy great food, music and family fun at the Antioch Community Center. For weekly food truck lineups, follow @FoodieCrewSF on Instagram and Facebook.
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Every Thursday evening for thirteen weeks, starting June 4, Courthouse Square in Redwood City transforms into a vibrant open-air cinema with free double features for all ages. Start your evening with family-friendly films at 6pm or independent shorts at 8pm, then stay for a lineup of iconic classics and newly released full-length films at 8:30pm. Expect an energetic, captivating ambiance, and arrive early to claim your space or spread a blanket, then enjoy tasty take-out from nearby restaurants.
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Join us for live music from wide-ranging genres such as classic rock, Latin rock, blues, R&B, and more!
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The Junior Cadet program will challenge you mentally and physically to embrace the EBRPD Lifeguard Service's core values of Integrity, Honesty, Respect, Service, and Safety. Junior Cadets do this through developing skills in teamwork, professionalism, communication, and other soft skills that employers look for when hiring new employees. You will be training like a lifeguard. Cadets should expect daily activities to include physical fitness, swimming and rescue skill training, first aid lectures, in-depth skill sessions, practicing emergency operation procedure drills, and insider knowledge of how to become an EBRPD lifeguard. If you hope to become a lifeguard and/or prepare for any future career, this is THE program you want to be in!
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When you visit The Cherry Pit, you're not just picking cherries; you're hand-selecting the freshest, juiciest fruit straight from the tree. You cannot experience this kind of freshness from store-bought cherries. Biting into one of our large, sweet cherries will keep you coming back each year for more.
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Unlock a summer of fun, laughter, and lasting memories - all at no cost! Kids Bowl Free is a program created with families in mind, offering children a fun and safe way to stay active and engaged all summer long. Since 2007, we've partnered with bowling centers across the US, Canada and around the globe at US military bases with bowling to give kids the chance to bowl two free games every day during the summer - all at no cost to parents. Visit our website to find a participating bowling center near you today!
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Our Street Performers are multi-talented tricksters, magicians, jugglers, comedians and zany performers that have brought laughter and cheer to millions of visitors since The PIER opened. They perform daily on the Bay End Stage at PIER 39.
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Celebrate freedom, culture, and community with us at our Juneteenth celebration! Find your rhythm during a drumming workshop with Pope Flyne, Ghanaian-born performer, composer, and educator, and try your hand at some traditional African drums. Then top off the day by making your own percussion instrument!
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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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Summer of Soccer turns parks into the ultimate soccer showdown, where every Mission lets players compete, explore, and score points while repping their city. Jump into the action, take on exciting Challenges, and make your mark during this limited-time soccer event.
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Guests will experience 21 realistic, scientifically-informed dinosaur models based on fossil evidence. Each individual dinosaur uses advanced robotics to enable natural movements like blinking, breathing and tail-swaying. Themed to evolution and extinction, the dinosaurs will be grouped by era and geographic origin, and in dynamic interactions displaying behaviors like nesting, hunting and scavenging. In addition to the life-sized dinosaur displays, the exhibit will offer interactive activities such as a 5 ft. tall dinosaur egg photo op, a 6 ft.-long Sauropod footprint and a 4-ft. long Tyrannosaurus Rex footprint, a 15 ft. long climbable dinosaur sculpture, and a giant “dig pit” with dinosaur fossils.
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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 Ramon.
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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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The San Francisco Area's Pick-Your-Own Fruit Listed below are farms in and near San Francisco that offer pick your own fruits, berries, and vegetables. And... to make the most of your experience,
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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