KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Mon, May 25: Memorial Day Camp 2026 - My Gym Kent
Mon, May 25: Memorial Day Commemorative Ceremony at Library Park
Wed, May 27: Opening Day Monroe Farmers Market
Fri, May 29: Bite of Greece
2026
Fri, May 29: 2026 HONK! Fest West
Sat, Jun 6: Duvall Days 2026
Tue, Jun 9: UWB Collaboratory Repair Cafe - June
Sat, Jun 13: Youth Student Art Show | Picket Fence Art Studio
Sat, Jun 13: Baby Animals & Berries Festival
Sat, Jun 13: Summer Street Festival - Crown Hill Village |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
For 25 years, one of my core missions with KidsOutAndAbout has been to make invisible things visible, to celebrate what local communities offer families. Everyone is busy, and local treasures are easy to miss. Our job is to point, spotlight, nudge, and say Look here. Try this. Bring the kids. But there’s another kind of invisibility worth fixing:
The people who create these experiences rarely get to see their full impact. They track tickets sold and kids enrolled, but may never hear that your child talked about their field trip for six months, found courage on their stage, or simply felt welcome exactly when they needed it. That’s why our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey matters. Each summer, we ask readers to vote for their favorite local places to take kids.
The results help families see what other families love. The ranking and comments help local organizations see that their work matters. So your three minutes becomes both a recommendation and a thank-you. The survey is simple: Click on your three favorite local destinations. Then also, optionally, nominate favorites in special categories—like arts, sports, and STEM education—and leave comments that we’ll pass along to the people who make these experiences
happen. So please click here to vote in the 2026 edition of the survey. Help families find the places they’ll love, and help the people behind those places know they’re making a difference. The survey will be open until June 20.
—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities
P.S. If you're interested, check out the 2025 list here to see who
won last year. |
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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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Friday, May 29, 2026: The TACOMA, WA screening of the 15th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by James Kennedy (author of The Order of Odd-Fish and more) and Tacoma’s own Doug Mackey. At Grant Center for the Expressive Arts (2510 N 11th St). 5 pm. Get your FREE tickets at https://90secondnewbery.com/events.
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Alpengirl Camp offers unforgettable outdoor adventures for girls ages 10–17 and mother-daughter pairs across the American West, Pacific Northwest, East Coast, and Europe. Based out of Seattle, our Pacific Northwest trips highlight the breathtaking beauty of North Cascades and Olympic National Parks through backpacking, kayaking, rafting, horseback riding, climbing, and more. With small groups, experienced female guides, and a supportive community, girls build confidence, leadership, resilience, and lifelong friendships while exploring alpine lakes, rugged peaks, old-growth forests, and wild coastlines. Alpengirl creates meaningful summer experiences that inspire girls to challenge themselves, connect with nature, and grow through adventure.
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Mark your calendars for the 55th celebration of the U District Street Fair when it returns May 16 & 17, 2026! This event is unticketed and open to the public, no tickets required.
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Join us for the 18th annual Seattle Mineral Market! We will have 50+ dealers in minerals, fossils, gems, jewelry, PNW specimens & mineral art and more. Doors prizes, free rocks and admission for kids 14 & under.
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Thousands of refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia built new lives in Washington State after the war in Vietnam. In 1975, Washington invited 500 Southeast Asian refugees to make the state their home. Now, refugees and their descendants tell their stories through oral histories and photographs depicting this remarkable era. Hear about their journey in this exhibition organized in collaboration with Legacy Washington and the Washington Secretary of State.
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Cameron Mackintosh’s legendary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is back to thrill American audiences once again! A revitalized production featuring Maria Björnson’s brilliant original design, which was rapturously received by London critics when it reopened at His Majesty’s Theatre in 2021, will launch in a multi-year North American Tour in November 2025, premiering at a city near you.
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- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! Seattle-Tacoma area - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, USA, May 15-17, 2026, See link for times
- LEGO® Block Party | Shoreline Library - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, May 16, 2026, See website
- Family Story Time - Shoreline Library - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, May 15, 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, May 15, 2026, 11:30 am
- Saturday Story Time - Shoreline Library - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, May 16, 2026, 11 am
- FISW Open House on Saturday, May 16 - French Immersion School of Washington, 4211 W Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE, Bellevue, WA 98008, May 16, 2026, 10am - 12pm
- Storytime at
the Garden - Elementary - Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98005, May 17, 2026, 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
- Chess Club for Kids and Teens - Shoreline Library - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, May 17, 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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