KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Sat, Jun 6: Baby Animals & Berries Festival
Sat, Jun 6: Duvall Days 2026
Sat, Jun
13: Youth Student Art Show | Picket Fence Art Studio
Sat, Jun 13: Summer Street Festival - Crown Hill
Village
Wed, Jun 17: Summer Splash! Festival of Fun
Thu, Jun 18: June Art Walk Edmonds
Sat, Jun 20: Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! Seattle-Tacoma area
Sat, Jun 20: Seattle Solstice Run - Magnuson Series
Sat, Jun 20: Fremont Fair 2026
Sat, Jun 27: Cascade Rock, Gem & Jewelry Show - FREE |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: A tumble is not a verdict; it's information. And kids are natural data analysts. That's what a mom half a generation older than me told me when I was getting ready to have kids, and I took it to heart. So I was secretly a little thrilled the summer my daughter Madison was almost 4, when she took her first big splash off a slippery log into a
creek. Here's why: To succeed in life, everyone needs to learn to stretch to the edge of their abilities... to gather courage from their toes, to calculate, to balance, to wobble, to slide... and eventually to succeed. Kids can learn this early if the grownups in their orbit help them see the mud and bruises that come from a tumble as badges to be worn proudly: a fail-until-we-succeed philosophy in action. That's how personal fulfillment happens, and it's how human progress happens,
too. Summer is childhood's best laboratory, where sensory experiences stick as lifelong learning. School has grades and rubrics and consequences; summer has grass stains and do-overs. An amusement park ride can teach the difference between fear and danger. A hands-on museum can teach that when your tower collapses, you simply vow to rebuild it taller. A farm can teach that maybe you don’t like strawberries from the grocery store, but
you do like the ones you picked yourself, still warm from the sun. A climbing gym can teach your muscles that “I can’t” really means “I can’t yet.” And summer camps are entire worlds built around trying something new with no transcript following you home. Last week, the KidsOutAndAbout.com team launched our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey. It's a way to thank the people who make your community a great place to raise kids. Equally important, it’s a giant menu of local opportunities for your kids to stretch their legs, their minds, and their bravery this summer. Use it to create your summer bucket list! Then step back and set your family’s summer dial to “safe to fail.” Watch your kids climb, build, stumble, and try again.
Let them splash.
—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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Summer camps at The Center for Wooden Boats give young people the chance to learn, explore, and build confidence on Seattle’s waterfront. From beginner sailing for first-time sailors to hands-on woodworking and boatbuilding camps, our programs combine skill-building, teamwork, and outdoor adventure. Campers learn to sail small boats, work safely with tools, solve problems, and develop independence in a supportive, welcoming environment. Camps run throughout the summer for ages 5–14, with experienced instructors and a strong focus on safety, curiosity, and fun. Scholarships are available to ensure cost is not a barrier. Explore sessions and enroll now to give your child a summer they will remember.
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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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Have Bright Horizons or Care.com Backup Care benefits through your employer? Our Summer Camps may be free or heavily subsidized for eligible families! Kids enjoy an exciting mix of coding, robotics, STEM activities, creative projects, games, and outdoor fun in a safe and engaging environment. Campers build confidence, make friends, and stay active while learning valuable new skills all summer long. Whether your child loves technology, hands-on projects, or trying new experiences, there’s something for everyone. Enrollment is now open, and spots are filling quickly, so now is the perfect time to take advantage of your Backup Care benefits and secure your child’s summer spot!
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Join us this summer for awesome kids karate camps in West Seattle. Ages 4-12 welcome. Themes include superhero camp, karate movie making camp, and ninja camp. With the guidance of camp leaders, kids will learn what is like to be a karate kid while having fun and meeting new friends.
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Do you know that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett play Bridge to stay mentally sharp? Come and learn the challenging brain game and mind sport with us! The Bridge for Youth mission is to teach the great sport of bridge to a new generation of school children. Bridge is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions of people play bridge worldwide in clubs, tournaments, online and with friends at home, making it one of the world's most popular card games. With its math-driven nature and requirement of keen deductive reasoning, young players out-scored their non-playing counterparts on the 2007 Iowa Test of Basic Skills by 39.31% in Science, 24.22% in Math and 22.74% in Social Science. Bridge camp will focus on learning the basics with having fun is our primary goal.
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“I am because we are” is the basic translation of Ubuntu. Ubuntu is about belonging. That we belong to each other because our personhood is connected to the personhood of someone else. A loved one. A friend. A neighbor. A stranger. Our humanity is rooted in the relationships that we hold with people. People that we have both met and not met–consciously, subconsciously, and unconsciously. It is a testament to the undeniable fact that we are tethered to each other, whether we know them or not. That an action or an encounter can have a ripple effect on our immediate time and place, as well as somewhere halfway across the world.
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In celebration of National Asian Pacific Islander American History & Heritage Month and to kick-off LGBTQ Pride Month - Pride ASIA proudly presents Pride ASIA Fest 2026. Pride ASIA Fest is a FREE & ALL AGES event.
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Mill Creek’s Memorial Day Ceremony helps ensure that the sacrifices made by our fallen veterans on behalf of our nation and its values will not be forgotten. Throughout our nation’s history, so many men and women have given their lives to ensure freedom for all. We will always remember.
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In celebration of the museum building’s 30th anniversary, you’re invited to explore the story behind the State History Museum. 30 Years and Counting: The Making of the Washington State History Museum is a special exhibition that uncovers the vision, effort, and community spirit that brought this iconic Tacoma landmark to life.
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- Family Story Time - Shoreline Library - Shoreline Library - 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, United States, Friday, May 22, 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, United States, Friday, May 22, 2026, 11:30 am
- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! Seattle-Tacoma area - Shoott - Broadway, New York, NY, USA, Friday, May 22, 2026 to Sunday, May 24, 2026, See link for times
- Pride ASIA Fest 2026 - Hing Hay Park - Maynard Avenue South, Seattle, WA, USA, Sunday, May 24, 2026, 12 pm - 6 pm
- National Memorial Day Concert Live Stream - ONLINE ONLY - ONLINE ONLY, Sunday, May 24, 2026, 8pm EDT / 7pm CDT / 6pm MDT / 5pm PDT / 4pm
AKDT
- Chess A2Z May Open 2026 - Chess A2Z - 10940 SW Barnes Rd 247, Portland, OR 97225, United States, Sunday, May 24, 2026, 2PM to 3PM PDT
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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Seattle area. From Arcades to Ziplines our Big List will help you think outside the box and plan the party of your kids' dreams! KidsOutAndAbout has dozens of ideas! In addition to Seattle there are
locations in Mercer Island, Bellevue, Kirkland, Newcastle, Shoreline, Renton, Lake Forest Park, Redmond, Kingsgate, Kenmore, and SeaTac.
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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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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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