Save the Date
Tue, Sep 25: Sensory Inclusive Afternoon at Discovery Gateway Children's Museum
Sat, Sep 29: Lantern Fest-Salt Lake City at Utah Motorsports Campus
Sat, Sep 29: QUILT AND TEXTILE SHOW at FARMERS MARKET - The City of South Jordan
Thu, Oct 4: Gearapalooza: Salt Lake City, UT - The Ultimate Baby Gear and Registry Event at Infinity Event Center
Sat, Oct 13: Monster Mash and Dash at Heritage Park - Kaysville
Thu, Oct 18: Homeschool Social – Monster Mash Snack Bowl at As You Wish Pottery Painting Place (Station Park Studio)
Fri, Nov 2: Ghostbusters in Concert - Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall
*Some events may have additional dates. Click through to see more information.
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
When I was 13, I participated in an 8th-grade town-wide spelling bee; I made it as far as the semi-finals. I'll never forget how red my face went when they told me I was wrong. I wished the floor would swallow me up. I was miserable for days. I vowed not to take any more risks, ever.
You probably saw from last week's publisher's note that KidsOutAndAbout.com is now part of the EntertainmentCalendar.com family. For the most part, it went off without a hitch. The only visible mistake turned out to be mine, and I made it in my announcement to the 20,000 organizations that post to our site throughout North America, which included a request to update our mailing address in their systems. But I misspelled the name of our city in the note! If this had happened 30 years ago, I would have melted into a puddle of despair lasting weeks before the sting of the humiliation healed. But this time, after quietly repeating some choice phrases from my youth in New Jersey that proper CEOs and mothers probably shouldn't say out loud, I was back to my regularly-cheerful self within hours.
The experience gave me new insight into why some kids take failure so hard and gave me more compassion for my teenagers as they blunder around in the world making the mistakes we all made growing up. See, we adults have lived a lot longer than our kids have: We know life is full of ups and downs, successes and failures. The older we are, the more we understand that any given failure isn't going to sink the ship.
But kids don't have the tools we do: They simply haven't had time to accumulate the successes that offset the failures. So their mistakes loom large. Nothing a mother can say in these cases can help much, either. Sure, in the moment we're useful: We dust off knees, bandage scrapes, and nudge our kids back into life. It's worth remembering that as much as we might want to, we can't learn our kids' lessons for them: Only time can teach them to bounce back on their own.
And we can remind them that we often learn much more from failures than we can from successes. For instance, I've had over 30 years to remember there are two M's in A-C-C-O-M-M-O-D-A-T-I-O-N. Now all that remains is to get my mind around P-I-T-T-S-F-O-R-D.
—Debra Ross, Publisher, EntertainmentCalendar.com
Did you know that Saturday, September 22, is Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day Live? They call it "an annual celebration of boundless curiosity." It's a day when you can visit a local museum or cultural institution for FREE. We know it can be tough to pay admission to a new museum when you're not sure how your kids will react to what's inside. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to try someplace new for absolutely FREE. So go. Use the link to look up the museums participating in your area. Then be sure to register and download your tickets.
Farm fun, fall festivals, pumpkins, Halloween, and so much more! Fall is jam-packed with family fun, and you can find all our essential fun-for-fall lists together in KidsOutAndAbout's Master Guide to Fall Fun!
Click here, then get out there!
The 6th ANNUAL FAIRYTALE FESTIVAL - CENTERPOINT LEGACY THEATRE
“If you want your child to be intelligent, read them fairytales; if you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairytales.” - Albert Einstein
Every September, this wise adage comes full circle with the transformation of our theater into an enchanted castle to celebrate the wonder of fairytales.
Children and children-at-heart have the opportunity to meet their favorite fairytale characters from roguish pirates to adventurous princesses. They engage in face painting, glass slipper fittings, princess make-overs & rides on the story train. Fairy-house and wand making, among other fanciful crafts are available. Admission is free, as are many of the activities!
Some of the popular ticketed activities include: Princess Tea Party, Daddy-Daughter Ever-After Royal Ball, Captain Hook Scalawag School and Wizarding 101. These activities require pre-registration and fill up quickly. Reservations can be made by calling the Box Office at 801-298-1302. We invite you to come and join the magic!
For more information, please visit us at: https://www.facebook.com/Fairytale-Festival-CenterPoint-Theatre-238527189681267/
From livestock shows to carnival rides, the Utah State Fair has something for every member of your family. Every year the State Fair hosts musical guests and other entertainers during the Fair. From the Grandstand Line-Up to the demolition derby,truck pull and PRCA Rodeo. The Fair offers mostly free entertainment with a few of the bigger concerts at a price.
Click here for more information.
We have a special time when we open the facility to little kids (under 46"). Little Air jumpers and their parents are the only ones allowed during this time. Parents cannot share a trampoline with a child, but can jump near them.
Click here for more information.
Have you ever wondered about winged warblers? Have you been curious about carnivorous condors? Come explore at our Birdosity program. Discover the life of birds, brush up on your identification skills and learn about a variety of bird related topics. Whether you are an eggs-pert or have a new found love of birds, Birdosity is a program the whole family will enjoy.
Click here for more information.
The Art and Science of Arachnids - Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter
Explore the largest arachnid exhibit in the United States and discover the connections between arachnids and literature, art, folklore, paleontology, science, and history. The Art and Science of Arachnids feature 100 live arachnids and exciting hands-on activities, experiments, and play. También en Español.
Click here for more information.
It's time to choose enrichment classes and programs for the 2018-2019 school year!
There are so many opportunities for extracurricular programs in all kinds of subjects in our area! Kids can choose from academic enrichment and tutoring, to technology, sports, exercise, dance, music, performing arts, and fine arts. There are classes for preschoolers, elementary age, 'tweens, and teens.
Check out the options on KidsOutAndAbout's master list of after-school and Saturday classes.
Where can you combine the great outdoors, exercise, problem-solving skills, and family bonding? Why at a corn maze, of course! Autumn means corn maze season: get out there and get lost!
Re-visit an old Favorite or Check Out a New Place with Our List of Local Corn Mazes.
Looking for some Corn Maze Tips? We've got them for you.
How to Cure the Drop Out Rate in Youth Sports
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.
Yet, over 70% of youth athletes drop out of sports before they enter high school. Veteran soccer coach Chris McConnell offers parents some ideas to keep kids in the game.
