Are you looking for a master list of local things to do with your kids on spring break? Well, it’s right here.

Or maybe you’re looking for a list of playgroups that you could get involved with. Or an ever-growing list of local classes for kids.

The bottom line: If you’ve got kids and you’re looking for fun activities, you should consider yourself fortunate that local mom (and full-time professional) Kira Karapetian is constantly scrounging for events, classes and activities so you don’t have to.

She started UpNorth Kids for this purpose slightly more than two years ago, and it’s become a passion project – all while she works a real job and raises two kids of her own. The free site has become a valued resource for hundreds (if not thousands) of local families, particularly those with young kids. 

“At first I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll spend maybe five to 10 hours a week going this – that’s all it will take,’” she tells The Ticker. “Then all of the sudden I’m spending 20 to 30 hours.”

Karapetian is an Empire native and Glen Lake Schools graduate who spent many years in the corporate grind in Chicago doing marketing for tech startups. She launched her own marketing business about a year after having her first daughter, and she and her husband moved to Traverse City in the summer of 2021.

“We wanted to be closer to family, and this is the spot where we wanted to raise our kids,” Karapetian says. “The whole community really supports kids, and I think we’re super lucky about that.”

Upon coming back to live in the area for the first time in about two decades – and for the first time entirely as a mom – Karapetian had to learn how to live that lifestyle.

 “I'd never been a parent here, so I just hadn't looked into that kind of stuff before. It's just a different way to approach and lean into things,” she says. “I was trying to understand: What do kids do here? What do parents do? Where do you take your kids? What kind of classes and playgroups are there?”

What she found is that there’s no shortage of fun things, but very little of it is promoted all that well. And there certainly was no go-to single source of activities for interested parents.

“We have a really supportive community that's so very welcoming to families, and there's a ton of stuff out there,” she says. “But you really have to dig to find it.”

As Karapetian began to compile events and activities, she sent many of them to friends. The “wheels started turning a little bit” when she realized that many, many other parents might appreciate the results of her legwork.

“I've got a marketing background. I love writing. I love researching. I enjoy making websites. All of these things started to come together. I enjoy design. So I thought, 'Gosh, why don't I just put something together?'” she said. “But I had no idea at the time this was going to take off.”

She’s been steadily growing a following on social media (particularly Instagram), where she’s constantly dropping regular “weekend roundups” of things to do.

After two years of doing it, she now knows where to look for these things. Certain organizations do a better job than others at making their events and activities readily available. As it’s always been for Karapetian, though, it’s just a matter of putting in the time.

“It’s what I do at night instead of watching TV,” she says. “It’s kind of soothing for me now.”

Though she has no hard and fast rules about what to include, she avoids expensive outings.

“I try to make it at a price point that is accessible to most people,” she says. “I’m not going to put something up there if it’s a class where you have to pay $50.”

Aside from events and activities, her website also includes other information about different ways to connect, including a collection of established play groups in the region.

“I think those are so important for all the new people that are joining the community,” she says.

Karapetian is delighted to know her efforts are appreciated. She regularly hears from parents (and organizations that host events) about how happy they are that she's doing all of this legwork. 

“I get so much positive feedback – people are just so kind about it,” she says. “And on those hard days where it feels like I'm putting in so many hours, or those times when it feels like you're spinning your tires a little bit, it’s been amazing to hear (and to realize) it’s helping people.”

For now, Karapetian doesn’t plan to slow down.

“I kind of look at it as my love letter to the community,” she says. “A thank you for making such a great supportive community for kids.”