KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Mon, Feb 16: Winter Break Engineering & Robotics with Brooklyn Robot Foundry Lower Westchester Grades: 1st–5
Fri, Feb 20: February School's Out Workshop: The Power of Ice at Rye Nature Center
Sun, Feb 22: Maple Sugar Magic at Earthplace
Thu, Feb 26: Zoo Tots: Staying Warm! at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
Sat, Feb 28: Wizard of Oz- Saturday Morning Family Show at The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck
Sun, Mar 1: New York City Lunar New Year Parade and Festival at NYC Parks
Sun, Mar 1: First County Bank Maple Sugar Fest Sundays! - SMNC at Stamford Museum & Nature Center
Sat, Mar 7: Maple Munchies: For Kids at Muscoot Farm
Sun, Mar 8: K-Pop Glow Party at Dave & Buster's Palisades - West Nyack
Sat, Mar 21: Animals for All: Caring for Exotic Critters at Stamford Museum & Nature Center
Wed, Mar 25: SHEN YUN 2026 in New York City
Tue, Apr 21: Stargazing with Amateur Astronomers Assn at High Line (Manhattan) |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
For much of the country, it's been the hardest winter in recent memory: cold, monochrome, relentless. The kind of season that reminds us how little control we really have. We do our best to manage routines and moods and expectations, but parents feel it most. February stretches long and flat after the excitement of the holidays, before the lift of spring. You're still packing
lunches, wrangling homework, managing emotions (your kids’ and your own)... all while the cold keeps the family cooped up. This is the season of endurance. Of course, endurance isn’t about being stoic or silent or superhuman; it’s about continuing, even when things are hard. It’s about showing up for your people, your plans, and yourself, day after chilly day. And it’s about knowing that if you’re feeling the drag right now, you’re not alone. Many of us are moving through it
together. Even for those who don't live in Nature's Refrigerator, February can still bring its own version of stuckness: that long stretch between holidays, where kids are restless and routines feel stale. Sometimes, by February, our gray matter feels just as gray as the weather. When that happens, help is allowed! Check out our article and outsource the brainstorming to KidsOutAndAbout: Stuck Inside This Winter? 20 Creative Indoor Activities for Kids is packed with creative, practical, low-effort ways to keep your family engaged (and sane) when outside play isn’t an option. And it shows you how to tap your favorite AI to be your thought partner to personalize it for your
family. February Gray doesn’t need to be conquered; it just needs to be lightened a bit. So whether you're "out and about" or "in and not at all about," we're here to brighten the rest of your winter!
—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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Looking for super-engaging, screen-free fun that fits your winter break schedule? Foundry Fundays at Brooklyn Robot Foundry offer flexible half-day or full-day options—join for a single day or a full week. Each day, kids build, decorate, and take home a
brand-new robot (no repeats!) while learning through hands-on tinkering, creativity, and collaboration. Days also include outdoor or movement time, games, arts and crafts, and the occasional dance party. Located in Mamaroneck at Harbor Island. Open to grades K–5, with multi-day discounts available. Registration is now open—come build with us! Questions? Call 914-200-4879.
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The Katonah Art Center offers one-week summer camps for children ages 3.5 through Grade 12, with flexible morning, afternoon, and full-day options to suit busy families. The Art and Imagination camp for younger children (ages 3.5–5) blends arts and crafts,
free art play, and age-appropriate exploration, with a different creative theme inspiring each week. For kids in grades 1–5, camp options include Jewelry, Painting, Pottery, Animation, 3D Printing, and more, encouraging experimentation across a variety of mediums. Teen Intensives for grades 6 and up focus on specialized topics such as Pottery, Outdoor Painting, Fused Glass, Mural Painting, and 3D Printing. Our professional teaching artists create a warm, supportive, and inspiring environment for
creative expression.
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Spring Break STEAM/Robotics Camp: Build, Design & Take It Home. Join our STEAM/Robotics Spring Break Camp in Irvington, NY! Choose half-day or full-day, single days or the whole week to fit your family’s schedule. Kids in grades 1–5 build a new
interactive, functional robot each day and take it home, plus enjoy games, crafts, free play, and movement breaks. Our hands-on sessions encourage creativity, teamwork, confidence, and problem-solving in a fun, supportive environment. No experience needed.
Good Shepherd Early Childhood Center • March 30–April 3 • 9am–12pm, with extended care until 3pm or 5:30pm
MULTI-DAY SAVINGS AVAILABLE
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As winter winds down, it’s maple sugaring time! Learn how to identify and tap sugar maple trees, discover sugaring techniques used by Native Americans, pioneers, & modern-day farmers, and see an evaporator in action! PLus, Delicious local maple syrup
from Tree Juice is available for sale to tour attendees (see below for details). Join us for a sweet time!
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This Valentine’s Day, create lovable woodland critters. We’ll take a cue from the ways animals protect their families and celebrate the ways we care for each other too. Give your stuffed creation to someone who warms your heart or keep it to remind you of
our local woodland friends.
At 11:30AM families can enjoy a holiday-inspired storytime program in the Gund Theater. All ages welcome.
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Sensory Storytimes are more interactive and provide more freedom of movement, visual aids, gentle action, and sensory experiences. These story times are also smaller, reducing the group size and noise level for those with sound sensitivity. This program is
designed for up to 10 children and space is limited. A ticket is required to attend. Please pick up a story time ticket in the Children’s Room an hour before the program. For children ages 2 to 5 yrs.
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Our Saturday afternoon series — made famous by conductor, composer, and educator Leonard Bernstein — inspires a lifelong love of music through multimedia, interactive performances of music ranging from timeless classics to World Premieres. This season, we
explore through music how pioneering ideas and events from the past can help us understand our world today. Pre-Concert activities where kids can try out instruments, meet musicians, and craft with teaching artists and their fellow attendees begin at 1:00 PM for each concert. These concerts are perfect for kids ages 6-12.
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New York City has never bloomed like this. At The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle, orchids collide with concrete in a dazzling reimagining of the Big Apple, from stoops and slice shops to the subway itself. Step into a breathtaking
fusion of nature and cityscape artistry in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and experience the flair and style of New York transformed by thousands of flowers.
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Choose from Queens, Brooklyn or Manhattan! Cupid’s Chase 5K takes place every February to celebrate the founding of Community Options in February 1989. Cupid’s Chase raises both funds and awareness for Community Options’ mission of providing residential and
employment services to individuals with disabilities. Join us in our support of people with disabilities and our pursuit of Cupid!
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Celebrate Valentine’s Day with color, creativity, and heart! In this fun, hands-on art workshop, children will explore the world of Wassily Kandinsky, the artist who painted with music in mind. Participants will discover how sounds and feelings inspired his
famous concentric circles, then create their own original painting of concentric circles or concentric hearts — bursting with Valentine’s colors and imagination! For children ages 5 to 12 yrs.
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- Mindfulness for Teens at New Rochelle Public Library - New Rochelle Public Library - Library Plaza, New Rochelle, NY 10801, Friday, 02/13/2026, 4 pm - 5 pm
- Little Sprouts
Storytime (Babies & Toddlers) at Bedford Hills Free Library - Bedford Hills Free Library - 26 Main Street, Bedford Hills, NY 10507, Friday, 02/13/2026, 10:30 am - 11 am
- Family Programs at Yale Peabody Museum - 170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511, Friday, 02/13/2026 to Sunday, 02/15/2026, See
website for specific program times
- Sensory Storytime at New Rochelle Public Library - New Rochelle Public Library - Library Plaza, New Rochelle, NY 10801, Saturday, 02/14/2026, 2 pm - 2:30 pm
- Kids and Kandinsky: Valentine’s Day Painting Workshop at New Rochelle Public Library - New Rochelle Public Library - Library Plaza, New Rochelle, NY 10801, Saturday, 02/14/2026, 11 am - 12 pm
- Heart Art! - Huguenot Children's Library - North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY, Saturday, 02/14/2026, 10:30 AM
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Parents have an abundance of choices when it comes to PreK and day care options in the Westchester 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 Westchester County 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 Westchester County 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!
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2025's winners in KidsOutAndAbout's annual reader survey of the Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around Westchester. Our Top 20 results page includes a list of your top picks, including winners in special categories! Check out your fellow readers'
favorites, and enjoy exploring the best of the region!
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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