KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Mon, Apr 6: Arizona Science Center is OPEN Easter Monday
Fri, Apr 10: Whoopee Daze Festival at Tolleson Veterans Park
Sat, Apr 11: Free Movies at the Boardwalk: Encanto
Sat, Apr 11: KidFest 2026 at Friendship Park at City of Avondale
Sat, Apr 11: Gilbert
Global Village Festival 2026
Sat, Apr 11: Earth Day Event and Ladybug Release at Flatiron Community Park Apache
Junction
Sat, Apr 11: 2026 Autism Expo - Free Community Resource Fair at Desert Willow Conference Center
Sat, Apr 11: 24th Annual Katsina Marketplace | Heard Museum
Sun, Apr 12: FREE Spring Butterfly Festival at the Arizona
Boardwalk
Wed, Apr 15: Dinosaur World Live! - The Madison Center for the Arts
Thu, Apr 16: Homeschool Explorations: Concrete Creations for Kids (for students age 6-11) at The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation - Taliesin West
Fri, Apr 17: Free Art Friday: Wiggles & Wheels at Edna Vihel Arts Center
Sat, Apr 18: St. Andrew's
Multicultural Festival at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church
Sat, Apr 18: Galaxy STEM Fest 2026 at SciTech Institute |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: Before I had kids, one of my colleagues told me that fundamentally, a parent’s job is to point. At first, you point physically: You point at the waterfall and say “waterfall,” at the moon and say “moon,” at the flower and say “flower.” You’re helping a child connect sounds to objects, words to concepts, language to reality. But later, and really all the way
through, the pointing becomes more metaphorical. Parenting is the ongoing work of connecting your child’s growing capacity to understand with a world that is, to them, forever expanding. As I had Madison and Ella, I came to think of this as being a tour guide to the world. A good tour guide needs to know the landscape, of course. But even more important, a good tour guide needs to know the traveler. What can this particular child see right now? What are they ready for? What do
they care about? What frightens them? What delights them? It's useful to remember that kids haven’t actually been here before: The world is brand-new to them over and over again, so what feels ordinary to us is often astonishing to a child. Tour guides who are doing their job well pay close attention to who their audience is and what they know, and that makes the pointing easier and more fun. Spring is the perfect season to practice pointing. In spring, the world changes fast
enough for kids to notice. Buds swell and burst. Birds return. Tiny green things push up through the dirt as if by magic. Day to day, the world becomes visibly more alive. If we point it out, kids can catch it happening in real time. And spring does not arrive quietly. It comes as an avalanche of the senses: color, smell, birdsong, mud, wind, sunlight, thunder, petals, pollen, rushing water. So maybe that’s part of the job, too: not just to point, but to lean into it. To stand
beside our kids in the rush of it all and say, Look! Here it comes.
—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities
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KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
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Tutor Doctor is hosting Summer Learning Camps for Kindergarten-readiness and K-7 Math and Reading. School ends for the summer, but learning never does! Sessions are held online weekly from June 1 through July 9, meeting 3 days a week for 1 hour per session in small groups of no more than 3 students. The cost is $105 per week, which includes a free AZ math or reading assessment. Scan the QR code on the flyer or click the link to reserve your spot!
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ASU - Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve, Phoenix’s S’edav Va’aki Museum and other AZ partners launched the Arizona Explorer campaign, a free augmented reality adventure that turns parks, museums, and even your backyard into an interactive experience. Families can enjoy flexible, self-paced "Missions" that promote movement and learning. The campaign is designed with accessibility in mind, offering sensory-friendly activities in both Spanish and English. Players can complete Missions to win prizes. The campaign runs through April 12th and is free. Download the Agents of Discovery app and start exploring at https://agentsofdiscovery.com/arizona-explorer/
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The Easter Bunny is hopping into town February 27 - April 4th! Visit your favorite spring friend and capture photo memories at Center Court (new location this year!).
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FREE ADMISSION • BRING YOUR FRIENDLY DOG • ENJOY MUSIC • YUMMY EATS • VET TIPS • AWESOME PET PRODUCTS & SERVICES • AUCTION PRIZES • AND MORE!
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Visit the Children's Museum of Phoenix and meet some very realistic dinosaurs from Dino Crew Entertainment! They will be hanging out in the Museum's Atrium, taking photos, and interacting with guests.
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The all-new 2026 Camp Invention® program, Spark, is coming to curious kids in your community this summer! Rising K-6 campers will collaborate with friends to tackle hands-on, open-ended challenges. They’ll team up with robotic capybaras, ride the waves of entrepreneurship, uncover the power of protecting their ideas and build a DIY space rocket! Each experience is designed to spark confidence, build persistence and create unforgettable summer memories. Visit invent.org/save/camp to secure your spot! Register using CIFUN25 by 3/31 to save $25 or CIFUN20 by 4/28 to save $20 when you register. Interest-free payment plans are available, making camp affordable for all families.
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- Celebrate Earth Day: Meridian Waste Children's Coloring Contest - Submit your artwork online., Friday, March 27, 2026 through Sunday, March 29, 2026, Any
time
- Yoga Storytime | Century Library - 1750 E Highland Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016, Friday, March 27, 2026, 10:15 am
- Brick Builders | Juniper Library - 1825 W Union Hills Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85027, Friday, March 27, 2026, 3:30 pm
- FREE spring mini photo session - Phoenix Area - Broadway, New York, NY, Friday, March 27, 2026 through Sunday, March 29, 2026, See link for
times
- MakersBase | Ironwood Library - 4333 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85048, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 3 pm - 4 pm
- Tools for School | Cholla Library - 10050 North Metro Parkway East, Phoenix, AZ 85051, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 10 am
- AZ Rattlers Halftime Show Performance Opportunity - 3004 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 3 -
5 pm
- Scottsdale Sparkle March Madness at the Arizona Boardwalk - 9500 East Vía de Ventura, Scottsdale, AZ 85256, Saturday, March 28, 2026 through Sunday, March 29, 2026, 10 am - 4 pm
- Merchantile Market x Sun & Sounds - 3939 N Drinkwater Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, Saturday, March 28, 2026 through Sunday, March 29, 2026, Sat 10 am - 5 pm | Sun 10 am - 4 pm
- Annual Doggie Street Festival Scottsdale - 7908 E. Chaparral Rd. 85250, Scottsdale, AZ, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 10 am - 3 pm
- Dino Day at Flatiron Community Park - North Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ, Saturday, March 28,
2026, 4 pm - 6 pm
- Theater in the Park: Alice in Wonderland - West McDowell Road, Goodyear, AZ, Saturday, March 28, 2026, 5 pm - 8 pm
- Open House Sunday Series - 3004 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ, Sunday, March 29, 2026, 3 - 5 pm
- POWER IN MOTION: SUNDAY OPEN HOUSES POP UP SESSIONS - 3004 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016, Sunday, March 29, 2026, 3-5 pm
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Phoenix area is back! You can search by date, age, or categories like day/overnight, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts & crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool, & more. Our
guide puts summer fun right at your fingertips!
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Parents have an abundance of choices when it comes to PreK and day care options in the Phoenix area! Use our Big List to help find the best one for your kiddos and check our events calendar to find Open Houses where you can meet teachers and tour the
schools.
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Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in the Phoenix area? Escape rooms are interactive, puzzle-packed experiences where you and your team work together to solve clues and complete your mission-all before time runs out! Whether you're escaping a
spooky cabin, cracking a high-stakes heist, or breaking a magical curse, escape rooms offer exciting, screen-free fun for kids, teens, and adults.
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There are lots of places to have a birthday party in the Phoenix area! If there is an attraction that we have missed, please email us to let us know, and we'll add it promptly. Thank you! And you can
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2025's winners in KidsOutAndAbout's survey of the Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Phoenix area. Our Top 20 results page includes a list of your top picks, including winners in special categories like Top Arts Educator, Top Sports Educator, and Top STEM
Educator!
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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