KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When my kids were little, one of our favorite nature activities was also one of the simplest: We’d head out onto a trail, stop among the trees, and play the Listening Game. The rules were easy: Close your eyes. The first time you hear a sound, any sound at all, put up one finger. Then add another for each new sound you notice. After a minute or two, someone says, “Open your
eyes,” and everyone compares fingers and talks about what they heard. It’s a small exercise in attention, but it changes how kids experience the world. The invisible becomes visible... not to the eyes, exactly, but to the mind. Things that were just out of range suddenly move onto our radar. Nature is full of motion and music, and this game helps us tune ourselves to it. The free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology takes that magic one step further: Tap Sound ID, and suddenly the songs around you appear on your screen as a voiceprint and a bird name and an image that shows you what to look for. And what a moment ago was only background atmosphere becomes a Carolina Wren, or an Eastern Whip-poor-will, or the Common Yellowthroat pictured above,
singing his heart out for a girl with a camera. That’s one of the great tasks of childhood, and of the adults who love children: to help hidden things come into view. Before we know something, it is almost as if it isn’t there. But once it is named, we have a new way to see. There are suddenly new dimensions to our universe, helping us transform even more mysteries into things that are ours. And we never really experience the woods—or the field, or the river, or
the ocean, or the city, or our backyard—the same way again.
—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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Handyman Hal is rolling into town on his “awesome tool vehicle” for a fun-filled adventure! Join Hal for songs, surprises, and silly moments as he builds a secret project with cool tools, special guests, and help from you! Sing and dance to hits like “tools are cool” and “the awesome song,” and brace yourself when a wild science experiment unleashes dino-sized chaos! It's a high-energy show packed with awesome fun for the whole family!
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Family Sunday activities focus on a different, family-friendly theme each time.
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Full Steam Ahead To The Island Of Sodor! Thomas & Friends™: Explore the Rails! pulls into The Magic House for a limited-time adventure that brings the Island of Sodor to life. Created by Minnesota Children’s Museum and inspired by the beloved Nick Jr. series, this interactive exhibit invites families to climb aboard for STEM-based learning through imaginative play. Explore iconic destinations like Knapford Station and Sodor Steamworks, climb into Thomas’ cab to trigger train sounds, fix Percy’s wobbly wheel, and even suit up as a conductor to sell tickets. With engaging challenges that encourage problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration, this exhibit is packed with opportunities to build foundational science, technology, engineering, and math skills. Plus, enjoy a nostalgic retrospective featuring model engines, original drawings, and memorabilia from the Rev. W. Awdry’s timeless creation. Don’t miss your chance to be a “Really Useful Engine”
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Little ones can bring their favorite stuffie for a little TLC. During our Stuffie Care Clinic, kids become little veterinarians by giving their stuffies a gentle check-up – all while learning how we care for the amazing animals at the Aquarium! Special guest “surgeons” from City Sewing Room will be on hand to patch up any rips or tears, so their stuffy leaves feeling as good as new. This is complimentary for all Aquarium guests.
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Saturday April 18, 2026, 9:00am - 2:00pm The Missouri Book Festival celebrates the best of regional life, culture, and history with an array of dynamic programming meant to promote literacy and encourage reading. Events take place in Washington, the quintessential Missouri town. Here, books that feature stories on the Show-Me State come to life in food demonstrations, sports exhibitions, myriad forms of performance, and lively author talks and discussions.
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The Edwardsville Earth Day Festival is an annual event connecting community to local organizations, groups, and businesses that share Earth Day values. This year’s event will feature live music, guided nature tours, community vendors, native tree giveaways, nature-centered programs, goat-yoga, youth Discovery Day and so much more! The Festival theme is Pedal to the Watershed! Join us by biking to the Watershed as part of our free-community bike ride, or find other alternative transportation suggestions under our sustainability tab.
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Spring Fling is Longmeadow Rescue Ranch’s only fundraising event of the year. Come support the Ranch and enjoy wagon rides, horseback rides, live music, riding demonstrations, a silent auction and more! Tickets are sold by the carload.
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Join us on Friday, April 17th from 5:00pm - 6:30pm for a SPLASHING good time! Grab your swimsuits and a friend for a FREE swimming event! This event is open to the community! All ages welcome!
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Enchanted Playroom is an indoor soft play recreation and party event center where your child will grow, develop, and socialize through imaginative play!
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The Magic House hosts Free Family Night every third Friday of the month from 5-8 p.m. These special nights enable a family (up to two adults and four children) to visit the Museum at no cost. Free Family Nights are sponsored by Emerson.
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Open Gym is an opportunity for any child to have supervised free play in the gym. Kids can work on existing skills, try something new, or simply play around. It is completely up to them!
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- Free Family Nights -The Magic House - The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum, 516 S Kirkwood Rd, St. Louis, MO 63122, Friday, April 17, 2026, 5-8 pm
- April Family Night Out - Goldfish Swim School - Warson Woods, Manchester Road, Warson Woods, MO, Friday, April 17, 2026, 5-6:30 pm
- Songs and Stories - Babies
& Toddlers - Maplewood Public Library, 7550 Lohmeyer Ave, Maplewood, MO 63143, Friday, April 17, 2026, 10-10:30 am
- 2026 Missouri Book Festival - Washington Public Library, Lafayette St, Washington, MO, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9am - 2pm
- Lego Club - Ferguson Municipal Public Library, North Florissant Road, Ferguson, MO, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 3-4 pm
- Kids Time: Egg Science - Jefferson County
Library - Arnold Branch, 1701 Missouri State Rd, Arnold, MO 63010, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 3 pm
- Chesterfield Earth Day - Central Park Chesterfield, Lydia Hill Drive, Chesterfield, MO, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9-11 am
- Earth Day at the Watershed - The Watershed Nature Center, Tower Avenue, Edwardsville, IL, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9:30 am- 1 pm
- Spring Fling - Longmeadow Rescue Ranch,
Saint Josephs Road, Union, MO 63084, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11 am - 3 pm
- Free spring mini photo session with Shoott! - St. Louis - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, Saturday, April 18, 2026 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, See link for times
- Family Sunday—Visions of Antiquity - Saint Louis Art Museum, Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis, MO, Sunday, April 19, 2026, 1 PM
- PLANETARIUM: Monthly Solar Sunday Telescope Viewing - James S. McDonnell Planetarium, Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO, Sunday, April 19, 2026, 11 am- 3 pm
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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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