KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Sorry for the second send this morning! The first edition of this newsletter had a glitch that erased much of the content. —Deb |
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Sat, Apr 18: 5th Annual Scottsdale Children's Business Fair
Wed, Apr 22: Actors Youth Theatre presents Les Miserables School Edition
Wed, Apr 22: Earth Day | Rooted in Story at Heard
Museum
Fri, Apr 24: Music Under the Stars at Tempe Diablo Stadium
Sat, Apr 25: Spring Soirée Merchantile Market
Sat, Apr 25: Phoenix/Surprise Water Lantern Festival at Surprise Community Park
Sat, Apr 25: Festival of Tales 2026 at PVCC Union Hills Campus
Sat, Apr 25: April Pools Day at Superstition Shadows Aquatic Center
Sat, Apr 25: Movie in the Park: Zootopia 2 at Goodyear Recreation Campus
Sun, Apr 26: Día del Niño: Embrace Your Inner Heardling at Heard Museum
Thu, Apr 30: Homeschool Explorations: Kids Eco-Engineering (For students 6-11) at The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation - Taliesin West |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
As I write this column, three Americans and one Canadian are hurtling home from a trip around the Moon, inside a machine that had better do exactly what it’s supposed to do. For years, every person involved in the mission obsessed over every detail at every stage until as little as possible was left to chance. “Failure is not an option,” an ethos long associated with
our quest to explore outer space, makes perfect sense when we're talking about Artemis II. But decades ago, the attitude leaked out of the space program and into everyday life, and that was a mixed blessing. When I was a teenager, “failure is not an option” might as well have been tattooed on my brain: For me, not only was failure not an option, but anything below an A grade wasn’t an option, either. I was so afraid of not being perfect that if I felt unprepared for a test,
I’d stay home “sick.” I looked successful from the outside, but because I was working so hard to avoid mistakes, I played it safe. So I didn't actually accomplish much aside from some sharp-looking letters on a report card. It took me years out in the real world to realize that real accomplishment usually looks less like gliding and more like bumping into things until you find the way through. So these days, failure and I are best buddies: I've replaced "failure is not an
option" with "nothing ventured, nothing gained" as I inch toward and away from success each day. Even writing my column each week is an act of resilience: I add and then murder my words until they say what I mean, and I'm always aware in the end that it could be better. One of my goals when I was homeschooling Madison and Ella was to make failure safe and ordinary... cheerful, even... a sign of progress. Kids need chances to try things that might flop: recipes that taste
weird, projects that collapse, math problems they have to redo, conversations they wish they’d handled better. I wanted them to understand that when the stakes are low, failure is not a tragedy, it’s just how learning works. It doesn't usually feel fun, or comfortable. But it's the only way to fly.
—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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Fountain Hills Youth Theater is making summer shine with three full-day performing arts camps for ages 8 and up, running Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Young performers can dive under the sea in Finding Nemo Kids (June 1–19), build audition skills with songs, dance, and monologues in Step into Your Spotlight – Shrek (June 22–26), or soar into a whole new world with Disney’s Aladdin Kids (July 6–24). Each camp helps students grow their confidence, creativity, and stage presence while preparing for a final performance to share with family and friends.
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Panda fest is an outdoor Asian food festival with experiential activities, tastings, and market fairs. Panda fest is one of the biggest outdoor Asian food festivals in the US with experiential activities, tastings, and market fairs that showcases the vibrant food, art and cultural traditions from Asia. We will decorate the festival with a lot of Panda decorations. And we will have Panda inflatables, Panda Dough Figurine, Panda Painting DIY, Panda Face Painting, Panda themed food. Tickets required for ages 6 and up.
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Tap into your science side at Arizona Science Center’s Citizen Science Month! Throughout the month of April, Guests will explore resources, citizen science projects around the globe and hands-on activities.
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Join us for a celebration of Day of the Child (Dia de los Ninos) and the Week of the Young Child as Friendship Park turns in to a kid's paradise! This FREE event promises some high-flying fun and learning for the entire family. Have fun with various activities, crafts, food trucks, entertainment, and learn about different types of organizations and services with lots of exhibitors!
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Cactus Clubhouse is an engaging, hands-on nature play space designed especially for kids 12 and under. Bursting with opportunities for curiosity and discovery, it’s the perfect place for young explorers to let their imaginations run wild! Join us on the weekends too for fun hands-on activities and crafts.
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This year's event will be hosted at Flatiron Park, located at 100 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction on Saturday, April 11th from 9am-11am. Be a part of releasing thousands of ladybugs, plant seedlings, create arts and crafts, and more! The park will be filled with interesting facts about ladybugs and Palo Verde trees. Come and spend a morning in the park learning about our earth and how to keep our environment healthy!
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- FREE spring mini photo session - Phoenix Area - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, USA, 04/10/2026 - 04/12/2026, See link for times
- Yoga Storytime | Century Library - Century Library, 1750 E Highland Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States, 04/10/2026, 10:15 am
- Brick Builders | Juniper
Library - Juniper Library, 1825 W Union Hills Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85027, United States, 04/10/2026, 3:30 pm
- Tech Fun Awaits at iCode Open House - iCode Scottsdale - iCode Scottsdale, 13910 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd Ste 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, United States, 04/11/2026, 3:30pm -
5:30pm
- MakersBase | Ironwood Library - Ironwood Library, 4333 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85048, United States, 04/11/2026, 3 pm - 4 pm
- Let's Build | Century Library - Century Library, 1750 E Highland Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States, 04/11/2026, 2 pm
- Tools for School | Cholla Library - Cholla Library, 10050 North Metro Parkway East, Phoenix, AZ 85051, United States, 04/11/2026, 10
am
- Dungeons and Dragons for Teens - Desert Broom Library, 29710 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85331, United States, 04/11/2026, 1 pm
- KidFest 2026 at Friendship Park - Friendship Park, West McDowell Road, Avondale, AZ, USA, 04/11/2026, 9 am - 1 pm
- Gilbert Global Village Festival 2026 - Gilbert Civic Center, East Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, AZ, USA, 04/11/2026, 9 am - 2 pm
- 2026 Autism Expo - Free Community Resource Fair - Desert Willow Conference Center, East Cotton Center Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ, USA, 04/11/2026, 9 am - 2 pm
- Phoenix Film Festival Kids' Day - Harkins Scottsdale 101, 04/11/2026, 10:00 AM
- Open House Sunday Series - At The Outlet, Inc., 3004 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ, USA, 04/12/2026, 3 - 5 pm
- POWER IN MOTION: SUNDAY OPEN HOUSES POP UP SESSIONS - At The Outlet, Inc., 3004 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States, 04/12/2026, 3-5 pm
- AZ Rattlers Halftime Show Performance Opportunity - At The Outlet, Inc., 3004 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States, 04/12/2026, 3 - 5 pm
- FREE Spring Butterfly Festival at the Arizona Boardwalk -
Butterfly Wonderland, 9500 East Vía de Ventura, Scottsdale, AZ 85256, United States, 04/12/2026, 10 am - 2 pm
- Water Safety Day hosted by Goldfish Swim School Gilbert - Goldfish Swim School - Gilbert, 04/12/2026, 1:30pm- 3:30pm
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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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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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