Spring 2025 Issue

THE CAMPS ISSUE

ALL NEW CAMPS DIRECTORY FOR SUMMER 2025 KIDS ZONE IN BACK

CELEBRATING OUR CHILDREN FOR OVER 30 YEARS!

Cover art by Rui An, age 10

boulder is BLOSSOMING Spring has arrived, and with it, a season bursting with possibilities! This issue of Boulder County Kids celebrates the energy of renewal, creativity, and discovery.

First up, our highly anticipated CAMPS DIRECTORY is back! Whether your kids dream of exploring the arts, diving into STEM, or tackling outdoor adventures, you’ll find the perfect camp to spark their passions.

We’re also excited to bring you hands-on inspiration with fresh spring arts and crafts—ideal for rainy days or sunshine-filled afternoons. And don’t miss Oak Thorne’s fascinating article on bats, where you’ll learn why these remarkable creatures deserve our attention and care.

Thank you for letting Boulder County Kids be part of your family’s journey.

This free community resource thrives because of readers like you. If you’d like to support or connect, email us at info@bouldercountykids.com.

Let’s embrace the season and BLOSSOM together, Boulder County!

Isabella & Annie (& our mascot Junie)

Follow us on: Contact us!

(303) 728-4798 info@bouldercountykids.com

Paper Boy has been a BCK mascot for over 20 years!

WHAT’S INSIDE Spring 2025

BLOSSOM THIS SPRING

6 Front Cover Superstar articles & columns

10 Spring Crafts

14 KIDS’ Planet with Thorne Nature Experience: All About BATS

16 Spring Recipes

18 Inclusion Corner with Miss Katie directories

22 Babysitters of Boulder

20 Helpful Services 25 CAMPS DIRECTORY

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40 Birthday Party 43 Child Care & Preschool

kids zone

58 PRESS PLAY: Video Page 59 Spring Crossword

48 Private School 51 After School

BOULDER COUNTY KIDS is a division of Martin House Publications, Inc. Published quarterly in February, May, August, and November.

Mailing address: 1464 E. Easter Cir. Centennial, CO. 80122. Phone number: (303) 728-4798. Copyright 1995 to 2025 by Boulder County Kids. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission prohibited. Boulder County Kids encourages your submission of articles, photographs, and ideas. We reserve the right to edit all submitted material. All submissions will be considered for publication.

Viewpoints of the articles are not necessarily the viewpoints of Boulder County Kids. Materials will not be returned. Advertising is accepted at the discretion of the publisher. Please go to www.bouldercountykids.com for more information.

Special thanks to: Jennifer Martin & Indie Darlene Mueller Morse Leroy & Holly Schutz Carl & Marybeth Gieser

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front cover

SUPERSTAR

Our Spring 2025 Issue front cover showcases the incredible artwork of 10-year-old Rui An, a 5th grader who painted “The Fox Family” at home using pencil and gouache. As an only child, Rui An often finds inspiration in the quiet moments of creativity.

When she’s not creating art, Rui An stays busy with many other interests. She’s been playing piano for 3-4 years and recently started learning the flute, enjoying classical music on both instruments. She also loves reading and math, with her favorite book series being 39 Clues. Outside of school, Rui An plays tennis indoors during the winter but can’t wait for Spring to start playing outside again.

Her favorite season is Summer, when she enjoys cold treats and spending time outdoors. But in Boulder County during Spring, she looks forward to the rainy days, which she finds refreshing. Rui An also loves sushi—especially caterpillar rolls—and her favorite restaurant is Hapa Sushi.

“The Fox Family”

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In her free time, she collects puzzle erasers, with a special fondness for Japanese food-themed ones, and dreams of becoming a pediatrician or scientist, as she loves biology. One of her best spring memories is attending a carnival at CU Boulder with friends.

Rui An’s favorite colors are teal and turquoise, and her sweet treat of choice is strawberry cream cheese ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s.

Thank you, Rui An, for letting us use “The Fox Family” for the cover of Boulder County Kids Spring 2025! We hope you and your family have a lovely spring season.

Tinker Art Studio partners with us to provide each cover artist winner a $50 prize. Thank you, Tinker Art Studio, for supporting young local artists! For more information about Tinker Art Studio, please head to their listings in the After School, Birthday Party, and Camps Directories.

honorable mentions

Lukas, age 10

Cassidy, age 12

Althea, age 13

Emily, age 11

Calla, age 7

Olivia, age 12

SUBMIT YOUR CHILD’S ARTWORK TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE FRONT COVER OF BCK AND TO WIN A $50 PRIZE! EMAIL YOUR ARTWORK TO: INFO@BOULDERCOUNTYKIDS.COM

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SPRING CRAFTS egg carton flowers You will need: How to: Cardboard egg cartons Cut the egg carton cups into shapes: Acrylic paint For generic flowers, cut two cups into four rounded Bamboo skewers for stems petals, then stack to make a flower A kitchen skewer to poke a hole in the base For the daffodils, cut two cups into four pointed Hot glue gun petals before stacking together Optional recycled glass jar to use as a vase For the tulips, squash a cup flat and then cut it Sharp scissors diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner Paintbrush with a bit of a curved shape, then repeat for the other side. Cut a pointy middle piece to place in the middle, then stack together flattened to look like a tulip To make a rose, cut one egg cup into four rounded petals, then take the long piece off the side that is used to close the egg carton and roll that up like a snail shell to glue in the centre To make the purple bell flowers, cut the pointy pieces off giving them as much length as possible, and then cut the sides into four points. Bend these outward to create petals.

Paint the shapes before gluing together. Once dry, glue together with a hot glue gun.

Poke a hole in the base using a kitchen skewer (an adult should do this step), then trim the sharp tip off the bamboo skewer with a pair of scissors and place a dab of hot glue on the end before poking through the hole as a stem.

Place the flowers in a recycled mason jar for display, then tie a ribbon around it. You can trim the stems so some are a little shorter for display purposes if you like. thecrafttrain.com

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SPRING CRAFTS (CONT’D) wooden bead bunnies You will need: Pipe cleaners (2 per bunny) Wooden beads (3 per bunny: 25 mm, 20 mm, and 12 mm) Liquid watercolors, food coloring, or acrylic paint (optional–choose one to color wooden beads or leave unfinished) How to: Trim or cut pipe cleaners: First, use a pair of craft scissors to cut two pipe cleaners into two 8-inch sections.

Next, cut 2 inches off one of the remaining pipe cleaner scraps, and set it aside to use in step 5.

Fold pipe cleaners in half: Fold both 8-inch sections of pipe cleaners or chenille stems in half, as shown in the bunny craft video tutorial below.

Interlock both halves of the pipe cleaner together: Join the folded sections of pipe cleaner by interlocking them at each fold so that the open ends of the folded pipe cleaners are facing away from each other.

The bunny craft video tutorial below shows how to do this step.

Thread the interlocked pipe cleaners through the wooden beads: Next, thread the folded and interlocked pipe cleaners through a 25mm wooden bead and a 20mm wooden bead so that the smaller 20mm wooden bead is on top.

Ensure that the interlocked section where the two pipe cleaners meet is sitting inside the top 20mm wooden bead.

Make the bead and pipe cleaner bunny tail and place it inside the bottom of the bunny: Thread a 12mm wooden bead onto the 2inch section of pipe cleaner that you cut and set aside in step 1.

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Fold the 2-inch section of the chenille stem in half around the wooden bead and thread it into the bottom of the 25mm wooden bead to make the bunny tail for your wooden bead bunny craft.

Make a pair of pipe cleaner bunny feet: First, fold the pipe cleaners sticking out of the bottom bead and tuck them into the bottom of the bunny craft.

Next, fold the pipe cleaner loops up and away from the bunny tail to make the pipe cleaner bunny feet.

Then, secure the pipe cleaner bunny feet and bunny tail with a glue gun or white glue if desired. (optional) How to Make Pipe Cleaner Bunny Ears: Shape the pipe cleaners sticking out of the 20mm wooden bead on the top into bunny ears by folding each side down and tucking them into the top of the bunny craft.

Secure the pipe cleaner bunny ears with a glue gun or white glue if desired. Again, gluing these bunny crafts to make them more secure is optional but not necessary unless you have a toddler around who likes to take them apart.

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Little Brown Bat

Kids’ Planet with Thorne Nature Experience

From Cave Dwellers to Sky Soarers:

All About Bats

by Dr. Oakleigh Thorne, II

B

ats are flying mammals with fur. Their forelimbs are adapted as wings. This makes them the only mammal that is capable of true and sustained flight.

The thin bones in their wings are covered with a skin-like membrane called the patagium. Bats are members of the order Chiroptera. They are the second largest order of mammals after rodents, with over 1,400 species worldwide. That's about 20% of all classified mammal species!

In Boulder County, the most common species is the Little Brown Bat. It is an insectivore, which means that it eats insects, especially flying insects such as mosquitoes and gnats. This insect control is considered very beneficial by us humans. Bats are mostly active at dusk, dawn, and during the night. In fact, they are the only nightime predator of insects.

Bats in the United States are mostly insect-eaters.

There are some bats that pollinate flowers and eat nectar, and some that will help disperse seeds. In other parts of the world, there are much larger-sized bats that eat fruit. They are called Fruit Bats. Some large bats even eat fish and frogs!

Little Brown Bat, sleeping

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In the winter months, our local bats usually hibernate in caves, which have a fairly constant temperature. They hang upside-down from the cave ceiling. Their normal heartbeat when active can be 1000 beats per minute. But when they are hibernating, their heartbeat can be as slow as 10 beats per minute. They are then in the state of torpor. It's hard to “wake them up” when they are in this state.

During my high school years, I attended Millbrook School, in Millbrook, NY. My biology teacher, Frank Trevor, would sometimes take us to a cave near the Hudson River where we would band bats with numbered aluminum bands that we usually used for wild birds. The bats hanging from the cave ceiling were within reach for most of us. We could gently pull down a bat's wing and partially close a band over the wingbone so it would stay on. The bat would hardly notice. We came back a year later to check on how many of our banded bats were still in this colony. This was interesting research!

In many parts of the world, bat caves can accumulate large amounts of droppings, called guano. This is harvested by humans and used as an important source of natural fertilizer.

Bats use echo-location (or sonar) to locate their flying insect prey. They send out a high frequency sound that bounces back from the object it hits, helping the bat to determine its exact location. The expression “blind as a bat” is indeed a myth! There are other myths that are false. Bats do not get into woman's hair and at Halloween bat decorations are not spooky!

Bats can carry diseases, such as rabies. It is best, therefore, to handle bats with gloves so they cannot bite you, and if you find a dead bat, do not handle it.

Otherwise bats are not a threat to humans.

Bats are good mothers. Each female bat produces one baby each year, When a baby is born, it pulls itself up and out of its mother, but will stay attached to its mother while it is little.

Bats are sensitive to temperature and, therefore, to climate change. Even a slight change of temperature can cause them to change sites. They can, therefore, be indicators of global climate change!

I find bats to be fascinating. In the summer, I can go outside my back door at dusk and watch my neighborhood bats flying back and forth. I hope you will learn as much as you can about these cool creatures!

Dr. Thorne is founder and honorary president of Thorne Nature Experience (formerly Thorne Ecological Institute), a nonprofit educational organization headquartered in our new location on Old Laramie Trail east of Boulder in Lafayette. For 70 years they have helped “connect youth to nature.” For information about their programs, please check their website at www.thornenature.org or email info@thornenature.org or call (303) 499-3647, ext. 100.

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SPRING RECIPES no-bake easter egg fruit tarts You will need: 1 cup almond butter 1/4 cup honey 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cup oats, dry 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, vanilla 3/4 cup strawberries 3/4 cup blueberries 1 medium banana 3/4 cup grapes, green How to: In a microwave safe bowl, add almond butter, honey, vanilla and salt. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth.

Take 1 cup of the oats and place in a blender.

Blend until the oats are finely chopped and resembles flour. Set aside.

choco & pb bird nests You will need: 1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips 1 Cup Peanut Butter 1 (7 oz) Jar Marshmallow Fluff 2 T butter Chow Mein Noodles Egg Shaped Candy How to: Combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff in a small saucepan and melt, while stirring, until smooth.

Stir in Chow Mein Noodles (no set amount just, however, many you want).

Next form little nest shapes on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Add whatever you are using for eggs and refrigerate. lifewithmoorebabies.com 16 • bouldercountykids.com

Add the other cup of oats to the almond butter mixture and stir. Slowly add in a little of your homemade oat flour at a time until you get a mixture that you can form into a crust.

Depending on your brand almond butter the amount of flour may vary.

Take small amounts of the mixture and form Easter egg shaped disks. Place onto parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.

Once all the Easter eggs are formed, spread on a layer of greek yogurt. Top with sliced fruit to make your designs and enjoy! superhealthykids.com

YOUR AD HERE! Want to get noticed in a magazine that distribute thousands of copies to hundreds of locations throughout Boulder County?

Email us at advertising@ bouldercountykids. com

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INCLUSION CORNER with Miss Katie Spring into Inclusive Learning and Play As the days grow longer and the flowers begin to bloom, spring offers countless opportunities for families to connect, learn, and play together. This edition of Inclusion Corner focuses on ways to embrace the season with activities and books designed to include children of all abilities.

Activities for Families

Books for Kids

Springtime is perfect for exploration and creativity. Below are a few inclusive activities to help children engage with the beauty of the season:

Reading is a wonderful way to foster empathy and understanding. Here are a few books that promote inclusion and celebrate diversity:

Nature Walks with a Twist: Transform a simple nature walk into a sensory scavenger hunt! Create a list of springtime items to find or feel, such as soft flower petals, rough tree bark, or the sound of chirping birds. This is a great way to help children with sensory processing differences engage with the outdoors.

Tip: Make the walk wheelchair-accessible by visiting local paved trails. Check out Boulder County Parks and Open Space for inclusive trail options.

Planting Kindness: Gardening is a therapeutic and educational activity for children of all abilities. Start a small garden with easy-to-grow plants like sunflowers, herbs, or tomatoes. Incorporate adaptive tools or raised beds for accessibility.

Picture Books: My Friend Isabelle by Eliza Woloson: A sweet story about the friendship between two children, one with Down syndrome.

The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter by Shabazz Larkin: A beautifully illustrated book connecting the importance of bees to love and acceptance.

Middle Grade: A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll: Follow the story of a a young girl with autism advocating for change in her town.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt: A moving tale about a girl with dyslexia finding her strengths with the help of a supportive teacher.

Spring is a time for growth, learning, and joy. By embracing inclusive activities and tapping into local resources, families can ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive. Let’s make this season one of discovery, kindness, and togetherness for all!

Happy spring from Inclusion Corner!

At-Home Idea: Create a "kindness garden" where each plant represents a kind act or positive memory shared by the family.

Katie Buckley is a high school special education teacher who teaches in a program for students with cognitive disabilities. She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, before going to Texas to get her Bachelor‘s and Master’s in Special Education from Texas Christian University.

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PC: Yankrukov

HELPFUL SERVICES directory

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Community Care with

BABYSITTERS

OF

Boulder

The locally founded agency offers personalized service, online booking, and a unique business model that uplifts childcare providers and strengthens the community.

For many parents in Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins, Babysitters of Boulder has become a household name. The agency specializes in dependable, nurturing childcare services for residents, visitors, events, weddings, and hotels, and helps families hire nannies, family assistants, and home managers.

Genna Hackley founded Babysitters of Boulder in 2018 while living in Louisville. “When you’re looking for a babysitter on your own, you put a lot of time into hopefully finding one or two sitters and when their availability changes or they cancel, you’re on your own. With Babysitters of Boulder, you connect with us locally and we pair you with care through our collective of screened sitters.”

Sitters undergo a diligent process that includes a background check, reference check and DMV record review. They must have professional childcare experience and be CPR-Certified.

Hackley explains, “I take the time to get to know our sitters, stay engaged with their performance, and maintain notes on each family’s needs and preferences. It’s the level of care and attention to safety that I’d expect for my own family.”

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When the pandemic hit in 2020, Hackley grew the business by responding to the changing needs of families and childcare workers. She drew from her background in infection prevention and Human Resources, learned during her previous career in hospital management. “I keep listening to my community’s requests and in almost every case, I’ve found a way to say yes. This is why we expanded to provide in-demand services such as temporary nanny placements, and then wedding & event care.”

Following the 2021 Marshall Fire, which devastated nearly 1,000 homes, Hackley secured funding through Sister Carmen, a Lafayette-based nonprofit, to provide $15,000 in free childcare services to impacted families.

Hackley began working as a nanny and sitter in 2005. “I met so many parents whose job, their livelihood, hinged on their one childcare provider! I assisted so many families, yet I constantly struggled to make ends meet. We were all out there trying to make it work, often without proper safety or support. Almost twenty years later, the industry has made strides but a lot hasn’t changed.

There are websites and franchises that seek to offer convenience, but introduce confusion and poor wages. I took it upon myself to do something better.”

Left: Sitters ready for event child care at a wedding.

Above: Sitter Joy & owner Andrea Goossens at Sugar Bloom Bakery event

Remarkably, Hackley has built the business entirely with her own earnings, without loans or venture capital. The agency’s impressive online booking system makes it easy for busy parents to register and schedule care, while the detailed sitter and nanny screening process gives parents confidence and peace of mind.

Babysitters of Boulder stands out for its commitment to fair wages for childcare professionals, setting its hourly rates at a living wage that attracts and retains experienced caregivers. Hackley’s approach has played a key role in improving standards for childcare compensation across the Front Range.

“As a business owner you regularly assess costs to your clients and the value you deliver,” she says.

“I built my agency to represent sitters who are experienced, dependable, and ready to step into a family’s home and adapt to their specific needs.”

Hackley has seen this pay off for families through quality of care. Grace, a parent in Longmont, shares, “Babysitters of Boulder has been huge for us in this first year of my son’s life. We needed the

help so badly but I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone with my baby. Every infant sitter we met with them has been amazing. I am so thankful.”

“My experience with Babysitters of Boulder far exceeded my expectations and has been overwhelmingly positive," says sitter, Natalie. “The consistency of bookings and professional wages allowed me financial security during personal milestones such as purchasing a new car, and preparing for the birth of my son...I appreciate the agency's structure, fair policies, and their understanding of sitter and family preferences, which enhance the overall sense of security and predictability. I would heartily recommend the agency.”

Another sitter, Holly, shares, “Working in childcare is a very rewarding job but it often isn’t a living wage for a single-income household. Babysitters of Boulder provided me with an opportunity that allowed me to provide for myself, including my own apartment! I am very grateful for Babysitters of Boulder and all of the families who made this opportunity possible.” bouldercountykids.com • 23

Leading the agency has also given Hackley a deeper understanding of the immense stress parents face. “The phone calls I take stay with me, like two working parents with a toddler, a newborn in the NICU born 6 weeks early, no family in the state, and they’ve burned through their sick leave.

And these are just the parents who can afford my agency’s services.”

Recognizing the limits of private solutions, Hackley now advocates for systemic change, including paid leave and childcare subsidies, through advocacy groups like Mothering Forward, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Colorado EPIC (Executives Partnering to Invest in Children).

“For-profit childcare has its place,” says Hackley, “but if we are serious about helping all children to thrive, we can’t leave parents with the full cost or rely on private equity-backed corporations as the solution. We need a broader commitment—one that prioritizes small businesses, affordability for parents, and fair wages for caregivers.”

Hackley gets excited about collaborating with other local, women-led ventures. From co-hosting events to supporting nonprofits, she is drawn to businesses who practice excellence in their work.

A recent example of this philosophy in action was a charitable cookie-decorating class for kids at Sugar Bloom Bakery in Westminster. The event raised

funds for the Colorado-based nonprofit, OneChild.org, providing children with new beds, medical care, meals, and school supplies. “Andrea Goossens [Sugar Bloom’s owner], is this incredible artist and a Food Network Winner! Her work stood out to me immediately and I could not believe these were edible cookies - which are delicious by the way,” exclaims Hackley.

Babysitters of Boulder also collaborates with The New Local, a Boulder nonprofit art gallery, providing childcare and volunteers for community art events and festivals. Hackley says, “The children’s art classes put on by The New Local are unique introducing kids to art forms they might not have known about otherwise, like cyanotyping or leatherworking. I love how they help kids discover new ways to express themselves. When I’m looking at businesses to collaborate with, the marketing value is not a top consideration. In my opinion, highlighting businesses that you enjoy and admire pays its own dividends. It’s fun! The authentic connections and goodwill you build might come back to benefit you, or maybe not, but it is worth doing in itself.”

Learn more at babysittersofboulder.com and follow on Instagram at @babysittersofboulder!

Thank you Gaea McGahee, the agency’s Media & Community Outreach Consultant, and Genna Hackley, for submitting this article.

Genna Hackley, Founder

CAMPS DIRECTORY

TOP PI CK!

TOP PI CK!

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TOP PI CK!

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PC: Ron Lach

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birthday party directory

BIRTHDAY PARTY directory

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PC: Mikhail Nilov

CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL directory

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PC: Thirdman

PRIVATE SCHOOL directory

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PC: cottonbro

after school programs

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PC: Syd Trgt

kids zone

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BCK SPRING 2025

CROSSWORD