KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When I was a kid, summer meant St. Rocco’s Feast in the Peterstown neighborhood of Elizabeth, New Jersey. The streets were filled with music, carnival rides, vendor booths, and fairgoers... but the main attraction for 10-year-old me was zeppoles: lumps of dough dropped into hot oil, puffed golden, shaken in a paper bag with powdered sugar, and handed over hot enough to require
patience. To my young self, they were almost proof of magic. They were also my gateway drug into Italian food. Zeppoles led eventually to prosciutto and fresh mozzarella, risotto and gnocchi, pesto and puttanesca. Along the way, I learned that food has a vocabulary: crisp, chewy, silky, smoky, briny, bitter, fermented, caramelized. Knowing the names of flavors and textures helped me notice them more clearly, and knowing where dishes came from helped me see that food carries
geography, history, ingenuity, celebration, and memory. The more I tasted, the bigger the world became. Summer is the perfect season to help kids develop that kind of appetite... for food and discovery. Visit a farmers market and learn what grows nearby. Pick berries and notice how they taste when harvested just a second ago with your own hands. Try the food truck serving something you’ve never ordered. At a festival, ask what country or region a dish comes from, what ingredients give it its flavor, and who traditionally makes it. Kids don’t have to like everything. Exploration still counts when the verdict is “Not for me.” As tour guides to
our kids’ universe, we can help them notice that food connects downward to the Earth and outward to people. Name the flavor. Name the texture. Name the place and the tradition. Then take another bite. Sometimes an entire world opens through one little bag of fried dough.
—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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Inspired by our newest exhibition, Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire, the BSM is excited to host a series of presentations, activities, and exhibition tours throughout the summer. Included with general admission, families and summer camp groups are invited to explore the entire museum, while taking part in self-guided crafts, including Roman puppet-making, 3D shoebox model-making of Vindolanda, iSpy games, try-on shoes, and take home a themed activity booklet.
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History comes to life in this fun drop-in program designed for families to experience and learn about Ontario's Parliament. Offered every Friday in July and August.The Mace will be on display between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tours start every 30 minutes. Plan accordingly to avoid disappointment. Parents must accompany their child(ren) for the duration of the program.
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SummerSeries in Trillium Park at Ontario Place brings together live music, art, and cultural experiences from July 18 to August 16, 2026. This free program offers a vibrant lineup of entertainment for all ages, with something for everyone to enjoy.
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Journey into the world of bees in a stunning new immersive experience that brings together the beauty of art with the power of science. Created by the National Museums Liverpool in partnership with award-winning artist and sculptor, Wolfgang Buttress, the exhibition highlights 120-million years of bee adaptation and survival, telling the epic tale of these incredible creatures and their relationship to us and the natural world.
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Experience the calming power of yoga while being surrounded by the natural beauty of the Park. Downsview Park has partnered with Appleseed Yoga to offer a series of family yoga workshops. Family yoga is a wonderful opportunity for family members of all ages to bond! Yoga instructors Faith Jones and Daphné Bourbonnais will lead us through breathing techniques, poses, games, mindfulness practices and songs. You can expect partner and group activities and lots of fun! No equipment is required. Join us to nurture both body and mind in a vibrant, inclusive space! Recommended age for children: 3 to 8 years old or 9 to 12 years old, depending on the workshop (younger and older children are welcome to join, but the workshops are geared to the recommended age).
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We are highlighting the artistic talents of some of our volunteers. A painting lesson on the green, explore the world of pigments and paints and dyeing fibres using items from nature at the Marr Spinning and Weaving Shop. The schoolteacher will be at the school giving an art lesson on this Sunday. Today’s Family Craft is to broccoli painting.
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Indigenous Sounds Now, curated by Elaine Bomberry and hosted by CTV’s Donna Sound, celebrates the cultures, stories, and music of Indigenous artists. The lineup ranges from the traditional Pow Wow rhythms of the Eagleheart Singers & Drummers to the electronic fusion of DJ Classic-Roots and DJ Kimivn, alongside blues from The Healers and alt-rock grooves from Nadjiwan.
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Join us at Casa Loma every Sunday morning from June 14th to August 30th for Breath Taking Gardens, an immersive breath, sound, and connection experience presented by Soul Expansion. Set within the lush gardens of Casa Loma, this series brings together history, nature, and sound in a peaceful morning setting. Guided by Freddy Gervasi and The Band of Souls, each session features layered instrumentation and intentional frequencies designed to calm the mind and support the body’s natural flow.
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Hamilton Fringe Festival is Hamilton Ontario’s biggest, boldest 12-day performing arts festival. The 22nd Hamilton Fringe runs July 15-26, 2026, and will light up 15+ indoor and outdoor locations across the city. Welcoming 50+ performance companies from the local, national, and international arts community, and with over 400 performances on our stages, this annual summer arts festival draws 25,000+ attendees and engages 150+ volunteers each year.
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Lost in a storybook world, can Philly rescue her lola, save the magical land of Uwi, and find her way home? This imaginative Filipinx-Canadian folktale adventure invites audiences into a magical world brought to life through inventive object puppetry, immersive storytelling, and audience participation.
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2026's best places to take kids in Toronto, based on KidsOutAndAbout's annual reader survey. Our Top 20 results page is an annotated list of the winners, both of the top 20 slots and of the category winners. But there is LOTS more to do in and around
Toronto!
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Nothing says SUMMER quite like going to an amusement park with your family! We've put together a great list of ones you can visit within driving distance of Toronto. So, pack the sunscreen, load up the car and head out on a grand adventure!
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Toronto 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 Toronto Area's Pick-Your-Own Fruit Listed below are farms in and near Toronto that offer pick your own fruits, berries, and vegetables. And... to make the most of your experience, check out our
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Wishing you and your family health and happiness,
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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