KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Thu, Mar 19: March Art Walk Edmonds
Thu, Mar 19: Third
Thursdays at Washington State History Museum
Fri, Mar 20: Mermaid Ball at City of Kirkland
Sat, Mar 21: Spring for Local Market at Infinity Farm Issaquah
Sat, Mar 21: Spring Artisan Fair at PAC NW Artisans
Sat, Mar 21: March Edible Plant Sale at Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands at Tilth Alliance
Sun, Mar 22: Junie B. Jones: The Musical at Admiral Theatre
Sun, Mar 22: Seattle's French Fest 2026 - Rêverie at Seattle Center
Wed, Mar 25: JBF Pop-Up Consignment Event
at Lynnwood Event Center
Thu, Mar 26: HUGE Kids' Consignment Event at the Pickering Barn
Sun, Mar 29: Grand Kyiv Ballet - Swan Lake at The Paramount Theatre
Sun, Mar 29: OrKIDstra - Music from the Movies | Bremerton Symphony Association |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When I was a teenager, I had a teacher who became a mentor without ever knowing he was one. He was aware I’d been going through some difficult times, and was glad to hear I was almost on the other side. “Some people aren't lucky enough to have dealt with hard things when they're young,” he told me. Then he added the phrase that has echoed in my head for decades:
“Remember the rocks.” Life, he explained, was always going to toss boulders into my path. The trick was to recognize, early, that even if it was painful or scary, I was capable of getting around, or over, or through them. Remembering how I’d managed would help me trust myself more when the next, bigger ones appeared. As a parent, I think about that often, about how the only way to become someone who does hard things is… to do hard
things. It’s tempting to rush in and smooth every unpleasant obstacle our kids encounter. When we email the teacher, mend the friendship, rescue the forgotten homework, eliminate every discomfort, we may feel helpful in the moment, but in fact we’re quietly removing the practice stones they need. Resilience doesn’t come from being told “You’re strong”; it comes from evidence that only they can gather, from working through manageable challenges and thinking, That was hard.
And I handled it. We don’t need to manufacture their challenges—being a kid is difficult enough. And we don’t abandon them to do it all on their own, either. We just learn to pause, to weigh advice against intervention, and to let them see what they can manage. The goal is that later in life, when something truly difficult lands in our children's path, they won’t just hope they can manage it, they’ll know. Now, many years later, when I encounter something
daunting, I think back to my mentor and remember the rocks. "I do hard things," I tell myself. And it works.
—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 all-new 2026 Camp Invention® program, Spark, is coming to curious kids in your community this summer! Rising K-6 campers will collaborate with friends to tackle hands-on, open-ended challenges. They’ll team up with robotic capybaras, ride the waves of
entrepreneurship, uncover the power of protecting their ideas and build a DIY space rocket! Each experience is designed to spark confidence, build persistence and create unforgettable summer memories. Visit invent.org/save/camp to secure your spot! Register using CIFUN25 by 3/31 to save $25 or CIFUN20 by 4/28 to save $20 when you register. Interest-free payment plans are available, making camp affordable for all families.
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iD Tech: The World's #1 STEM Summer Camp! BattleBots® Camp? You can only get it here. Roblox Camp? We've got that and more in our Summer '26 lineup. Register today at the top-rated tech camp for 25 years and counting! iD Tech is the very best
experience built around your child—their interests, their skill level, their goals for the future. Trusted by 75+ of the world’s top universities and over 1,000,000 parents, iD Tech is where kids and teens learn from the best—coding, game dev, robotics, and more. The future starts at iD Tech!
Click here for more information about your local iD Tech opportunities! Virtual camps are also available!
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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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Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) is the premier comic book and pop culture convention in the Pacific Northwest. Reunite with your fellow fans March 5-8, 2026 at the Seattle Convention Center!
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Mark your calendar for the Light Up Bremerton Parade on March 6. Bring your favorite lantern - handmade, store-bought, bedazzled, or beautifully simple and help us brighten Quincy Square with a magical evening parade. Gather as the sun goes down. Contact
Bremerton Parks & Recreation at 360-473-5305 for more details and info on a DIY Lantern Workshop in February.
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Winning Her Wings brings to life the groundbreaking Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). Follow the journeys of women who faced and broke barriers together, fighting for justice in a time of global conflict and domestic prejudice. Discover how they
soared—despite the odds. This interactive performance is hosted in partnership with Living Voices.
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Festival of Color, welcoming the arrival of spring, is the largest Holi celebration in the Pacific Northwest, drawing over 10,000 participants from the Eastside, Seattle, and beyond. This vibrant community event is organized by Northwest Share in
partnership with King County’s Marymoor Park and Vedic Cultural Center, Sammamish, with generous support from the City of Redmond’s Tourism Grant Program. Admission is free.
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- Lap Sit Baby Story Time | Redmond Library - Redmond Library, 15990 Northeast 85th Street, Redmond, WA 98052, Google Maps, Saturday, 03/06/2026 and Friday, 03/05/2026, 12 pm - 1 pm
- Storytime at the Garden - Preschool -
Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98005, Google Maps, Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
- Family Story Time - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, Google Maps, Saturday, 03/06/2026, 10 am - 10:30 am
- Youth Nature Journaling - Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98005, Google Maps, Sunday,
03/07/2026, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
- 2nd Sundays at 2: youth music event with open mic + improv jam - Seattle Drum School of Music, Lake City Way Northeast, Seattle, WA, Google Maps, Sunday, 03/08/2026, 2PM
- Chess Club for Kids and Teens - Shoreline Library, 345 Northeast 175th Street,
Shoreline, WA 98155, Google Maps, Sunday, 03/08/2026, 1 pm - 3 pm
- Holi -
Festival of Color - Northwest SHARE - City of Redmond - City Hall, Northeast 85th Street, Redmond, Washington, Google Maps, Sunday, 03/08/2026, 12 pm - 5 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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Winter is here and fun options for families just keep getting better! Whether you stick with what you love or decide to try something new, KidsOutAndAbout has plenty of ideas. From Ice skating, kid-friendly museums, indoor play centers, and outdoor
activities to thinking ahead to next year's school options - we've got you covered.
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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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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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2025's best places to take kids in the Seattle area. Each May-June, 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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