Save the Date
Sat, Feb 9: 2019 Cupid's Chase Salt Lake City at Sugar House Park
Sat, Feb 23: SUBARU WINTERFEST at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort
Wed, Feb 27: 8th Annual Intermountain Icebreaker at Golden Spike Event Center - Ogden, UT
Thu, Mar 7: Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream at Vivint Smart Home Arena
Thu, Mar 14: Peter & the Wolf - Ogden Symphony Ballet Association at Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts
Fri, Mar 15: Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID at SCERA Center for the Arts
Sat, Mar 16: World Cutter & Chariot Racing Championship at Golden Spike Event Center - Ogden, UT
Sat, Mar 23: Pink Park City at Canyons Village at Park City - Utah
Sat, Mar 23: SPRING GRÜV at Park City Mountain Resort, Utah
*Some events may have additional dates. Click through to see more information.
Dear KidsOutAndAbout.com readers:
My friend Carol loves stepping into a bookstore. When she's there, she feels the contagious energy that has been poured into these books by wise ancient sages and hopeful new authors. It makes her want to create stuff. I get it, I really do, especially as an author myself; who doesn't love the look and feel of brand-new books waiting on a shelf? But actually, I like used books better than new ones: I'm at my happiest when something that has been created gets used to the fullest. So while I love thumbing through a crisp new volume as much as the next gal, I feel a different, and probably more profound, satisfaction when I step into a library.
My friend Adrienne Furness, who is director of the Henrietta Public Library in Henrietta, NY, tells me that a successfully-circulating well-made children's book is checked out 12-15 times per year, probably 80-100 times in its lifetime, before it finally, satisfyingly, falls apart and needs to drop out of circulation. That's what every librarian hopes for when she orders a new children's book. If I like used books best, they like highly-used books best.
This Saturday is Take Your Child to the Library Day. It is also Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. So here's an idea for you, one that will elevate you to instant Hero Parent (or Hero Grandparent, Aunt, Friend) status: Every year, on the first Saturday of February, celebrate BOTH holidays with any kids that are handy.
First, eat ice cream for breakfast, whether at a local ice cream shop that is celebrating it as a fundraising event for a local charity, or at home. And then take your child to the library. Adrienne points out that to a children's librarian, every day is Take Your Child to the Library Day. So maybe turn this Saturday into Make a Librarian's Day Day: Ask your librarian what book he or she would recommend, maybe even one that has been sitting on the shelf a bit but would love to come home with your child. And if you later feel like eating ice cream again with said child, maybe while reading together... well, I won't tell.
Then, in 30 years, your kids will tell their kids stories that start like this: "Every year on the first Saturday in February, Grandma would get us out of bed with some terrific news..."
—Debra Ross, Publisher
Take Your Child to the Library Day!
For some of us, it feels like just about every day could be Take Your Child to the Library Day. You can make it extra special by attending a special event or enhancing your day with a delicious ice cream breakfast, absolutely. But one of our favorite activities is exploring a brand-new library. Our family has so many favorite libraries: the close library, the huge library, the library with the magazine swap, the library with our favorite storytime, the cozy library next to the sledding hill, the library with great outdoor reading space, and the library with an awesome toy bag checkout. Why limit yourself to just your usual haunt? February's a great time of year to do a grand tour of libraries, and you can start with our big local list of libraries. Enjoy!
Choose Great Taste and Good Health and Join a CSA This Year
It's CSA sign-up season! If you haven't ever participated in a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture), you're missing out on a terrific opportunity to support your local community, connect with your neighbors, get great deals on fresh produce, and expand your culinary horizons.
Families purchase shares of produce that they receive each week during the growing season. Depending on the CSA, fruits, dairy, meat, or other natural products may be available. Some farms encourage pick-your-own activities or offer events when everyone can help out on the farm. What a great field-to-table lesson for the whole family!
Here's our local list of CSAs - Locally Community-Supported Agriculture.
Open House and Open Enrollment at Challenger School!
Since 1963, Challenger School has helped children excel by employing proven, effective methods in a fun and structured environment that inspires them to achieve. The Challenger difference is evident from the moment you set foot on campus. Students bubble with enthusiasm as they make connections between their prior knowledge and new concepts. In order to facilitate setting crucial learning patterns, Challenger accepts students as young as 2 years, 9 months. Yet in all grades, the schools acclaimed, intellectually stimulating programs establish a foundation of achievement with clear results. On 2018 national standardized tests, Challenger K-8 students averaged well above the 90th percentile.
Come take a Tour at one of the six locations in Utah!
The 2019 FIS World Championships in Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski is coming to Utah! The events will be held February 1-10, 2019 at Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort, and Solitude Mountain Resort. Come cheer on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team as they take on the world’s best!
Click here for more information.
OUR BEAUTIFUL MESS - Bountiful Davis Art Center
Over the past 14 weeks, artist Roger Whiting of Community Arts of Utah has been conducting a weekly artist residency with Matt's Place, a day treatment center for youth with autism and/or other spectrum conditions. The result of the residency is this exhibit of encaustic (melted wax) artworks.
Click here for more information.
'the live creature & ethereal things'
‘the live creature & ethereal things’ is an all-ages performance, presented by Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in collaboration with Flying Bobcat Theatrical Laboratory inspired by The Red Fred Project. February 1st and 2nd, 2019 at the JQ Lawson Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.
Click here for more information.
Utah's Animals at the Natural History Museum of Utah
Join us for live animal observations! Get up close and personal with the Great Basin gopher snake, North American bullfrog, Great Basin Spadefoot (toads), Utah salamanders and learn more about the ecosystems of Utah. An introduction to our animals is also a perfect introduction to the biological and ecological concepts they represent.
Click here for more information.
Whether you're looking for outdoor activities or you need some suggestions on how to entertain yourself while you're cooped up inside, we've got you covered. Skiing, skating, fun with ice and snow, suggestions for kids with special needs: Find it all in our Master Guide to Winter.
How to Keep Young Athletes Excited About Playing
Children who play youth sports have higher grades and greater involvement in volunteer work than those who don't. They have greater confidence, self-esteem, and build stronger relationships with their peers. Young athletes also have greater family attachment, more frequent interactions with parents, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. So how do we encourage kids to love sports? Veteran soccer coach Chris McConnell offers parents some ideas.
McConnell learned that the key to great coach is great listening. He explains in his article "In Youth Sports, Let Kids Do the Talking."
Did you know that over 70% of youth athletes drop out of sports before they enter high school? McConnell offer tips on how to keep kids in the game in "How to Cure the Drop Out Rate in Youth Sports."
Don't Nag! A Better Solution for Kids and Their Electronics
It can feel like a real struggle to strike a balance between letting your child interact with their peers and preventing them from having a small screen in their face. . . well, almost all the time. Too much screen time can cause real damage, but how do we help kids navigate how much is too much? KidsOutAndAbout's Stacy Curtis interviews Colleen O'Grady, a licensed therapist and founder of Power Your Parenting for help.
