Kids Directory of Northwest Arkansas

This is a unique May in NWA Arkansas as it’s snowing for the first time on record! Thankfully, Amber was able to photograph Catherine Hoyle & her precious kids in between the rain & cold weather. We were so happy to get an outdoor shot! Cat is our Creative Director & we couldn’t think of a better way to honor our moms than by featuring this hard-working, loving mother of 3 who shares her creative talents with us here at Kid’s Directory.  

Within this issue, you’ll continue to find great ways to have a memorable summer with your kids. Can’t afford to send you kids to camp? Take them to one of our State Parks, share a treat with them at TCBY (BYGO 1/2 off  coupon), take them to a free charitable event like the Kendrick Fincher Youth Run, enjoy a baseball game with the Naturals or FREE bowling at Fast Lane Entertainment. Even Walton Arts Center has affordable shows starting at $5/ticket. Hope these ideas help you make special memories as that’s what matters most!

We’d also like to give a shout out to Nicole who takes many of our pictures for our Kids About Town feature each month. We truly are blessed with a tremendous group of moms who work as a team & feel like family! This month is the perfect opportunity to thank & honor them! To all you fabulous moms out there…Happy Mother’s Day!!! 

Looking to keep your kids active & challenged this summer? We’re proud once again to present our annual Summer Camp Guide, the perfect resource for all your summer needs. Whether you’re looking for full-time child care, day camps, creative arts or educational instruction, sports camps or a sleep-away family camp, you’ll find it all within this issue.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to iNFiNiTi for sponsoring this special issue & to Emma Kell for modeling for the cover! Amber Lanning continues to amaze us with her photography talents.

Please join us at Abbott Nutrition RazorFest presented Champions for Kids on April 20th, Razorback Stadium, 10am-2pm with the UA Red-White Game to follow. This is a free family event with games, inflatables, concerts, autographs, mascots & giveaways!  At our booth, your kids will enjoy getting their face painted by ChromaArt Face Painting or getting a custom-made balloon by A Bonita Balloon. One of our photographers, Nicole with CaptureMe Photography will be also be there to take candid photos of your kids that could appear in our Kids About Town feature.

Remember to enter our Mom’s Choice Awards (pgs 50-51) by voting for your favorite NWA businesses. Our winner will receive a huge Mother’s Day package including a shopping card from Legacy National Bank, 3 gift cards to WellQuest Medical & Wellness, a gift card to Mellow Mushroom, 2 tickets to a show at Walton Arts Center & a gift card to Bordino’s Italian Restaurant.

Summer fun will be here before we know it! You’ll want to keep the March 2013 issue on hand as a resource to start planning your kids’ summer.  Inside this issue you’ll find lots of entertaining & educational camps & activities including sports camps, creative art instruction, summer day camps & educational workshops–practically something for everyone! There’s also plenty to keep them busy during Spring Break.  We want to give a shout out to Champions for Kids for providing our cover photo this month. Be sure to mark you calendars for RazorFest, April 20th at Razorback Stadium. Free family fun you don’t want to miss!

The 2013 February Baby Guide is here–one of our favorite issues! Inside this issue you’ll find everything you need for that special little one. From prenatal care to fun activities designed just for tiny tots. We’d like to give a special thank you to Lanning Photography for yet another outstanding cover. It only took moments for her to capture this photo but we had fun taking lots of other pictures of these precious girls. Ella Caroline & Halle Reese, you were perfect models. Congratulations Justin & Meredith Denton on your double blessing!

Be sure to visit our calendar for all the great family events happening in NWA! You can scan our QR code located on page 35 of this issue so you’ll always have current information at your fingertips. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook & Twitter.

The September issue: Healthy Families Guide, sponsored by Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas – MANA started delivery on Friday! A huge thank you to MANA for helping us bring you our most comprehensive health issue yet!  You can find the whole issue online with the 10 page guide inside. Another wonderful cover photo from Lanning Photography… you always do amazing work! Also, thank you to the pediatricians of Northwest Akransas Pediatric Clinic (Drs. Payton, Silvey & McCord) for being on our cover and choosing our Cover Kid Winner!  A fun day was had by all.

It was not an easy task to choose this year’s winning essay for our Healthy Families Cover Kid Contest.  Every entry brought a smile to our face.  There was also some really cute ones that made us giggle with happiness.  This year’s winning answer to “How can being healthy also be fun?”:

“Going to gymnastics is fun because you can learn to do flips in the air.  It makes you really strong too.  I also like playing with my dog Pup.  I get excersise by running and riding my bike with him.” – Bedelia Bennicoff, age 6.

Next month we celebrate our 10th Birthday with our Big Birthday Bash Guide!  If you would like to see something or someone featured, email Heather Nichols at heather@nwakidsdirectory.com.

August 2012: 8th Annual Back to School Guide, sponsored by Elmer’s!  We want to thank Elmer’s for helping us make this issue possible.  The whole issue can be found online, and pages 46-55 breaks down all the info you need to get your kiddos ready for the new school year: art, drama, music, gymnastics, sports, dance, martial arts, tutoring, private schools, childcare and after school care!

Thank you to Lanning Photography for the amazing cover shot and to Will Wilson, age 13 from Fayetteville (N.c.K. Talent) for being a wonderful cover kid.  Also, a huge thank you to Once Upon A Child, Fayetteville, for providing the cover clothing.  We want to give a special congratulations to N.c.K. Talent Management.  Recently, they traveled to L. A. for the iPOP talent competition.  This was NcK Talent Academy’s first time participating and competing in this event and it was a successful inaugural year for Nick Kern, his ccompany & his talent.  They won 1st Runner Up as Best Medium Size Agency as well as 1st Runner Up for Best Team Musical!

Thank you for being a fan of Kid’s Directory of NWA.  Please “LIKE” us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter: @KidsNwa and Pinterest: KidsNwa!  As always, it is our joy to bring you the biggest resource for NWA families….FREE!

Summer in full swing at Beaver Lake on our July 2012  cover!

It’s finally here….  our 2012 Mom’s Choice Award Winners!  We had the greatest time teaming up with nwamotherlode.com to bring you the best of the best in 35 categories for both Washington and Benton County! Our readers were amazing….you submitted nearly 20,000 votes total for the survey! WOWZA!!
We would also like to thank Lanning Photography for the great cover shoot, and sweet 4 year old Avery Tymeson (daughter of Todd and Angela, Bentonville) from N.c.K Talent. A huge thank you to Once Upon A Child for providing the adorable cover clothing. Don’t miss out because it is your guide to the NWA WINNERS!  Go to our “current issue” to view it all online here!

Happy Mother’s Day to all those wonderful NWA mommas!  Inside this month’s issue…our favorite pet photos submitted by YOU!  A huge thank you to Amber Lanning Photography for the great cover photo.  Her talents are amazing!

IT’S HERE!!!  The issue you have been waiting for…The 9th Annual Summer Camp Guide, brought to you by Hershey’s!  Thank you to Amber Lanning Photography for the outstanding cover photo, Once Upon A Child for the adorable clothes (Gap, Ralph Lauren, Gymboree, Old Navy, Abercrombie & Fitch) and to the kid’s at N.c.K. Talent Agency for their precious smiles (Olivia Wray, Jimmy Espinoza, & Alexis Samarin).

9th Annual Summer Camp Guide, brought to you by Hershey's

This issue is packed with every summer activity and camp that your child will love.  Everything from the University of Arkansas Football, Men’s & Women’s Basketball, Soccer and Tennis Camps to drama, art, athletic, dance, gymnastics, educational, music, non-profit events, library programs, martial arts, outdoor, and adventure camps.  You won’t miss a thing this summer with this “one stop” resource for your family.  You can find this issue in all our normal delivery spots, plus at the World’s Largest Baby Shower Expo on Saturday, March 31st and at the Champions for Kids Abbott Nutrition Razorfest at the University of Arkansas on April 21st!  Plus, now you can find us at First Thursday in Fayetteville in the Kid’s Zone starting April 5th.  First Thursday will continue through October, so please come by and say hi!

Also, don’t forget to cast your votes for the inaugural Mom’s Choice Awards brought to you by Kid’s Directory and NwaMotherlode.com!  Just by completing the survey, you are automatically entered to win the largest Mother’s Day prize package (spa, dinner, house cleaning, $100 shopping card, closet organization, carpet cleaning, and more!) we have ever given away!! We must have your completed survey by May 5th to be included in the drawing.

This issue would not be possible without you, our reader.  Thank you for being a part of the Kid’s Directory family this last decade and for the decades to come!  We especially want to thank Hershey’s for sponsoring this issue so that we could deliver thousands more issues to local schools.  Our local community partners and NWA families makes creating and publishing Kid’s Directory of NWA an absolute honor! Thank you and enjoy!