Phoenix KidsOutAndAbout Newsletter
May 7, 2026

Local in-person events this weekend

FREE events this weekend

Local in-person events next weekend

2026 Summer Camps

Fruit Picking

Local Spring Hikes

Baseball

Family Photographs

Post your organization and events to our site (It's all FREE!)

Sat, May 23: FREE Foam Frenzy at Arizona Boardwalk
Mon, May 25: Memorial Day Celebration | Heard Museum
Mon, May 25: Memorial Day Ceremony at the Avondale Civic Center
Sun, May 31: AMPlify the Arts - Community Outreach Performance Team
Tue, Jun 2: Opening Day | Molly of Denali: An Alaskan Adventure
Tue, Jun 2: A MONSTER Book Launch Event
Fri, Jun 12: Family Friendly Summer Courtyard | Painting with a Twist - Gilbert
Sat, Jun 13: 2026 AZ Sunrise Series - Rio Vista
Sun, Jun 14: GPECC 2nd Annual Queer Summer Market
Fri, Jun 19: Juneteenth Family Day Celebration at Goodyear High School
Fri, Jun 19: AMPlify the Arts - A Global Celebration
Fri, Jun 19: Father's Day Family Cook Night! | Flour Power

Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:

There’s a sign on the New York State Thruway heading west that marks 70 miles to where I live. For Rochesterians driving back to Western New York from the east or southeast, that marker elicits both a sigh of relief and a groan: You’re close, especially relative to where you started. But in that final stretch, each mile is somehow psychologically longer.

Over the years, this became a useful metaphor in my family: You're pushing through to the end of a project, you'd love to see the finish line, but the murky distance between you and that goal is in your way. "Ugh, it's those last 70 miles," one of us will say to the person suffering, and we'll all nod sympathetically.

At this time of year, families with kids in school are experiencing those last 70 miles: The end of the school year is in sight, yet not quite here. The energy reserves are low, and the end point seems stuck in the distance. We feel like we’re sprinting but not getting closer fast enough. As in any journey, that’s precisely when it’s worth keeping in mind that these last miles may feel long, but they’re also the most meaningful: They become the lens through which we look back at the whole experience, so these final steps really count. Remembering this can provide the last surge of energy to press forward.

So whatever final 70 miles you and your kids are facing, remind yourself and the people traveling with you that if you put your best self into it now, the rewards will feel sweeter, and the memories of success will help fuel you next time.

You’re on the last leg. You're almost there. And you have lots of company.

—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities

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.

• FREE spring mini photo session - Phoenix Area - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, Friday, May 8, 2026 to Sunday, May 10, 2026, See link for times
• Yoga Storytime - Century Library, 1750 E Highland Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016, Friday, May 8, 2026, 10:15 am
• Brick Builders - Juniper Library, 1825 W Union Hills Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85027, Friday, May 8, 2026, 3:30 pm
• Let's Build - Century Library, 1750 E Highland Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016, Saturday, May 9, 2026, 2 pm
• Tools for School - Cholla Library, 10050 North Metro Parkway East, Phoenix, AZ 85051, Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10 am
• Dungeons and Dragons for Teens - Desert Broom Library, 29710 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85331, Saturday, May 9, 2026, 1 pm
• Family Fun @ the Square! - Rosson House Museum at The Square PHX, N 6th St, Phoenix, AZ, Saturday, May 9, 2026, See website
• POWER IN MOTION: SUNDAY OPEN HOUSES POP UP SESSIONS - At The Outlet, Inc., 3004 North 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016, Sunday, May 10, 2026, 3-5 pm
• Mother's Day - Arizona Science Center, East Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ, Sunday, May 10, 2026, 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.