KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Tue, Jun 2: Opening Day | Molly of Denali: An Alaskan Adventure
Tue, Jun 2: A MONSTER Book Launch Event
Tue, Jun 2: 602 Day | Arizona Science Center
Tue, Jun 2: 602 Day at Desert Botanical
Garden
Thu, Jun 4: Family Friendly- Strawberry Plant | Painting with a Twist - Gilbert
Fri, Jun 5: SUMMER SPLASH
Sun, Jun 7: Sing. Drum. Play. Learn
Sat, Jun 13: 2026 AZ Sunrise Series - Rio Vista
Sat, Jun 13: Free Family Summer Saturday: Let It Snow! | Heard Museum
Fri, Jun 19: Father's Day Family Cook Night! | Flour Power |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: A tumble is not a verdict; it's information. And kids are natural data analysts. That's what a mom half a generation older than me told me when I was getting ready to have kids, and I took it to heart. So I was secretly a little thrilled the summer my daughter Madison was almost 4, when she took her first big splash off a slippery log into a
creek. Here's why: To succeed in life, everyone needs to learn to stretch to the edge of their abilities... to gather courage from their toes, to calculate, to balance, to wobble, to slide... and eventually to succeed. Kids can learn this early if the grownups in their orbit help them see the mud and bruises that come from a tumble as badges to be worn proudly: a fail-until-we-succeed philosophy in action. That's how personal fulfillment happens, and it's how human progress happens,
too. Summer is childhood's best laboratory, where sensory experiences stick as lifelong learning. School has grades and rubrics and consequences; summer has grass stains and do-overs. An amusement park ride can teach the difference between fear and danger. A hands-on museum can teach that when your tower collapses, you simply vow to rebuild it taller. A farm can teach that maybe you don’t like strawberries from the grocery store, but
you do like the ones you picked yourself, still warm from the sun. A climbing gym can teach your muscles that “I can’t” really means “I can’t yet.” And summer camps are entire worlds built around trying something new with no transcript following you home. Last week, the KidsOutAndAbout.com team launched our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey. It's a way to thank the people who make your community a great place to raise kids. Equally important, it’s a giant menu of local opportunities for your kids to stretch their legs, their minds, and their bravery this summer. Use it to create your summer bucket list! Then step back and set your family’s summer dial to “safe to fail.” Watch your kids climb, build, stumble, and try again.
Let them splash.
—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. |
- Brick Builders | Juniper Library - Juniper Library - 1825 W Union Hills Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85027, United States, Friday, May 22, 2026, 3:30 pm
- FREE spring mini photo session - Phoenix Area - Shoott - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, USA, Friday, May 22, 2026 to Sunday, May 24, 2026, See link for times
- Tools for School | Cholla Library - Cholla Library - 10050 North Metro Parkway East, Phoenix, AZ 85051, United States, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 10 am
- FREE Foam Frenzy at Arizona Boardwalk - Arizona Boardwalk - 9500 East Vía de Ventura, Scottsdale, AZ 85256,
United States, Saturday, May 23, 2026 to Sunday, May 24, 2026, 10 am - 1 pm
- Dive-In Movie - 2301 North Miller Road, Scottsdale, AZ, USA, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Tracks N Tunes at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park - McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park - 7301 E Indian Bend Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85250, United States, Saturday, May 23, 2026, 7 pm - 8:30 pm
- National Memorial Day Concert - LIVE STREAM - ONLINE ONLY - Sunday, May 24, 2026, 8pm EDT / 7pm CDT / 6pm MDT / 5pm PDT / 4pm AKDT
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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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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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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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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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