KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Sun, Apr 26: Grant Us Peace: Choir & Orchestra Concert with Kirkland Choral Society & Philharmonia Northwest
Sun, Apr 26: Dino Fest 2026 at the Burke Musuem
Sun, Apr 26: Pigs and Pancakes @ Plucky Palomino Petting Zoo
Sat, May 2: Spring Native Plant Festival | Oxbow
Sat, May 2: Carnation Farms Spring Market and Plant Sale
Sat, May 2: May Day at Jubilee Farm
Sun, May 3: PNW Witches' Market Beltane 2026
Sun, May 3: May Kids Craft | Route 2 Taproom
Sat, May 9: Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead: Memorial Day Poppies - Puget Sound Navy Museum
Sat, May 9: May Edible Plant Sale | Tilth Alliance |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When my kids were little, one of our favorite nature activities was also one of the simplest: We’d head out onto a trail, stop among the trees, and play the Listening Game. The rules were easy: Close your eyes. The first time you hear a sound, any sound at all, put up one finger. Then add another for each new sound you notice. After a minute or two, someone says,
“Open your eyes,” and everyone compares fingers and talks about what they heard. It’s a small exercise in attention, but it changes how kids experience the world. The invisible becomes visible... not to the eyes, exactly, but to the mind. Things that were just out of range suddenly move onto our radar. Nature is full of motion and music, and this game helps us tune ourselves to it. The free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology takes that magic one step further: Tap Sound ID, and suddenly the songs around you appear on your screen as a voiceprint and a bird name and an image that shows you what to look for. And what a moment ago was only background atmosphere becomes a Carolina Wren, or an Eastern Whip-poor-will, or the Common Yellowthroat pictured above,
singing his heart out for a girl with a camera. That’s one of the great tasks of childhood, and of the adults who love children: to help hidden things come into view. Before we know something, it is almost as if it isn’t there. But once it is named, we have a new way to see. There are suddenly new dimensions to our universe, helping us transform even more mysteries into things that are ours. And we never really experience the woods—or the field, or the river, or
the ocean, or the city, or our backyard—the same way again.
—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 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is one of the destination events for the Pacific Northwest, held from April 1-30, celebrating millions of tulips bursting into bloom. As with all things governed by Mother Nature, the tulips bloom according to their own schedule sometime during the festival. The tulips allow us to share our corner of the world and showcase Skagit Valley agriculture. Please see website for location information and further details.
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The Indoor Plant Festival is back for 2026 with even more vendors, classes, displays, and botanical goodness! Whether you're a seasoned plant enthusiast or just starting your collection, with over 25 vendors there's sure to be something for everyone! Expect to see a full slate of botanical diversity, with orchids, aroids, cacti, succulents, begonias, gesneriads, carnivorous plants, airplants, and more.
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Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music unveils the profound legacy of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul artists who shaped the soundscape of American culture and used their music as instruments of resistance, identity, and representation.
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This April come down to Magnuson Park for Seattle's greenest event! We have our 5k, 10k, 15k, half-marathon and kids dash options for you to choose from. After your race stop by our tree-hugger station where you can pot a tree to take home, or leave it to be donated to local non-profits. If you have any used running shoes you would like to donate we will be collecting them for donation to the non-profit: MORE Foundation Group. Don't let this great opportunity to support your health and our PNW environment pass you by!
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Join us for EarthFest, an annual celebration of environmental stewardship, on Saturday, April 18 at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. Learn about sustainability in Bellevue while enjoying activities ranging from garden tours to family-friendly activity booths. EarthFest is free and no advance registration is required. Drop in anytime between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to join the fun!
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- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! Seattle-Tacoma area - Shoott - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, USA, Friday, April 17, 2026 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, See link for times
- Family Story Time - Shoreline Library - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, Friday, April 17, 2026, 10 am - 10:30 am
- Hora de cuentos en español/Spanish Story Time - Shoreline Library - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, Friday, April 17, 2026, 11:30 am
- 2026 Community Garage Sale at Renton Community Center - Renton Community Center, Maple Valley Highway, Renton, WA, USA, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9 am - 1 pm
- EarthFest 2026 - Bellevue Botanical Garden, Main Street, Bellevue, WA, USA, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11 am - 3 pm
- FREE Styrofoam Recycling Collection Event - McCollum Park, Snohomish County, WA, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10 am - 12 pm
- Saturday Story Time - Shoreline Library - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, United States, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11 am
- Storytime at the Garden - Elementary - Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98005, United States, Sunday, April 19, 2026, 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
- Chess Club for Kids and Teens - Shoreline Library -
Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, United States, Sunday, April 19, 2026, 1 pm - 3 pm
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Seattle 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 Seattle 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 Seattle area? 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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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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