Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
Seventeen years ago this week, my daughter Ella was born. This means that a few days after 17 years ago, KidsOutAndAbout.com was born. So it's our birthday, and it's time to celebrate!
I started KOAA when the Internet was just a toddler. These were the days before web calendars (and before blogs, too, and waaaay before Facebook). I had a toddler, too: Ella's older sister, Madison. We were living in an area rich in great stuff for kids (Rochester, NY), and I longed for a one-stop-shop that would show us all of the local family-friendly events before they happened. So as a community service, I invented this calendar platform onto which organizations could post their upcoming activities for free. Turns out the best time to start a web calendar celebrating local opportunities for kids, teens, and families was 17 years ago. Who knew? I certainly didn't. But here we are, an overnight slow, steady, and solid success.
It was some time before the available technology could catch up with my vision of expanding outside of Rochester—9 years, to be exact. After we reinvented KOAA in 2009, we started spreading to other family-friendly regions in 2010. In 2016, in response to years of requests from parents whose kids had grown up with KOAA but had now flown the coop, we launched BeyondTheNest.com, our sister site for arts, culture, and recreation for grownups who are "beyond kids."
In the summer of 2017, we expanded to our 36th and 37th regions, finally crossing the border into Canada with sites in Toronto and Vancouver. (Click here to see all of the regions we now serve.) Early this year we launched our awesome APP for iPhone and iPad, which shows you everything happening on a map around you. The Android version of the app is coming this summer. We currently have 3.5 million readers per year, and that's climbing fast. Our 18th year will bring us seven new West Coast sites, plus some other surprises currently in development.
You know, I got lucky: I found work that matters, work that I love, work that celebrates the best of our communities. Over the years, I was gradually was able to surround myself with a fantastic team of 26 27 (we just hired Evelyn...welcome, Evelyn!) who are dedicated to continuing the mission and shaping the vision in new directions. But you know what the best part is? It's that people who create opportunities for kids are (almost) universally lovely, honest, decent people who are dedicated to a simple idea: Build it, and they'll come. We love working with these people. And KidsOutAndAbout will always do our best to help bring the crowds who care.
We're celebrating our birthday with a present... a $200 Amazon gift card... for you, maybe! All you need to do is take our One Word Survey and you'll be entered to win. Just give us the one word (or a few, if you're so moved) that you'd use to describe KidsOutAndAbout, click the region in which you live, and you'll be entered into the drawing. The survey is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/onewordKOAA.
Thank you, and good luck!
—Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Summer Reading Classes in Bountiful for young non-readers with mild learning disabilities.
Early reading support for kids who struggle with the basics. Our Jump Start Reading class gives children the chance to expand skills for sound to symbol associations, chunking letter groups, digraphs, blends, and more. Attention is given to word meaning and language.
These small groups are taught by a professional educational therapist using research-based instruction methods that are explicit, systematic and cumulative. Diagnostic teaching methods are used in a way that makes spelling patterns obvious to the student and tracks growth.
Find out more about our reading classes at www.clickonlearning.com/reading or call 801-477-6933 today!
A magical hands-on performance like nothing you’ve seen before!
Compagnia T.P.O. – Farfalle is a magical hands-on performance like nothing you’ve seen before, where play becomes art and art becomes play. Two dancers move, play and paint in the air, telling the story of the slow metamorphosis of the butterfly. The audience is invited to enter the performance and interact with the beautiful, immersive world created on stage.
Free preshow activity, one hour prior to each performance. The Natural History Museum of Utah will be on hand with exotic and local butterfly specimens. Book giveaway, courtesy of KUED (one per family while supplies last).
Apr 27, 7 pm
Apr 28, 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm
Kingsbury Hall
Tickets and info: utahpresents.org
Seventy-six Trombones - Here they come! This classic Broadway/Film blockbuster bursts onto Hale's world-class stage with sparkling dancing and celebrated songs ... Lida Rose ... Goodnight, My Someone ... By Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey. Get in line! Join the band! March to your seats! Don't miss this parade!
Click here for more information.
KidsOutAndAbout Reviews Universal Yums
Our team at KidsOutAndAbout really loves to eat. So, when we heard about Universal Yums snack boxes, we knew we just had to try it. Universal Yum sends out a snack box focusing on a single country each month. You get a chance to "travel" to a new country and try the best snacks and candies available from that country. Junk food has never been so enlightening and educational! Want to know what we found in our box packed with French goodies? Read our KidsOutAndAbout review!
Click here for more information.
Storytime at the Museum! We'll learn about different cultures through folk tales and a simple, related activity. Throughout history, tales have been told as a way of teaching lessons, explaining the world around us, and expressing creativity. Our weekly story time will present tales from around the world and include a simple, hands-on craft for our youngest museum visitors! This event is free and no registration required – just come and have fun with us!
Click here for more information.
WOODLAND FAIRY FESTIVAL AT GARDNER VILLAGE
The fairies have landed at Gardner Village! See if you and your kiddos can spot our enchanted residents. With tiny houses and bitty scenes in our court area and around every turn, you’ll make big memories that will last long after the fairies have left.
Click here for more information.
Our popular live animal shows are designed for specific grades in connection with the Utah Science State Core Curriculum. Shows can be either in house at the Bean museum or as part of an outreach. Free public shows are held in-house. Full schedule is below. KidsOutAndAbout calendar listing is for Monday nights only.
Click here for more information.
A Week-by-Week Guide to Summer Camps around Salt Lake City
Looking for a summer camp for your child in the Salt Lake City area? Look no further! Dozens of summer camps post: day camps, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts & crafts, technology, preschool, & more! They are presented week by week through summer 2018.
Click here for more information.
SUMMER CAMP OF THE WEEK: Ninja Warrior Summer Camp with the Ninja Warehous
Ninja Warrior Summer Camp at Ninja Warehouse will provide your child with an experience unlike any other, boosting their confidence, building coordination and mastering strength...all through the power of MOVEMENT! Morning & Afternoon camps will be held in Salt Lake City and Ogden and are designed for ages 5 years old and up. Campers will be put through extreme and fun Ninja Warrior obstacle training, with new courses to conquer each day, team contests, balance battles, grip challenges, parkour, free play time and so much more! Come join us! Visit our website at ninjawarehouse.com for more details.
Click here for more information.
