KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
|
|
|
Sat, Aug 1: Slide the Rails 2026 at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
Sat, Aug 8: 2026 AZ Sunrise Series - Riparian Preserve
Sat, Aug 8: Celebrate Electronic Music at the MIM
Sat, Aug 8: Dive In Movie - Dolphin Tale | AJPR
Sat, Aug 8: FREE Foam Frenzy at Arizona Boardwalk - August
Thu, Aug 13: Blank Canvas Summer Showcase & Art Expo at the Avondale Civic Center
Fri, Aug 21: AJPR presents Garden Party
Sat, Aug 22: Free Family Summer Saturday: Meet Molly! | Heard Museum | August
Sat, Aug 22: Watermelon and Sweet Corn Festival at Mortimer Farms
Sat,
Aug 22: Dive In Movie featuring "Finding Nemo" at Litchfield Park Recreation Center
Sat, Aug 29: 2026 Apple Harvest Celebration at Apple Annie's Orchard
Sat, Aug 29: Annual El Zaribah Shriner's CornFest 2026 |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: When I was a kid, summer meant St. Rocco’s Feast in the Peterstown neighborhood of Elizabeth, New Jersey. The streets were filled with music, carnival rides, vendor booths, and fairgoers... but the main attraction for 10-year-old me was zeppoles: lumps of dough dropped into hot oil, puffed golden, shaken in a paper bag with powdered sugar, and handed over hot enough to require
patience. To my young self, they were almost proof of magic. They were also my gateway drug into Italian food. Zeppoles led eventually to prosciutto and fresh mozzarella, risotto and gnocchi, pesto and puttanesca. Along the way, I learned that food has a vocabulary: crisp, chewy, silky, smoky, briny, bitter, fermented, caramelized. Knowing the names of flavors and textures helped me notice them more clearly, and knowing where dishes came from helped me see that food carries
geography, history, ingenuity, celebration, and memory. The more I tasted, the bigger the world became. Summer is the perfect season to help kids develop that kind of appetite... for food and discovery. Visit a farmers market and learn what grows nearby. Pick berries and notice how they taste when harvested just a second ago with
your own hands. Try the food truck serving something you’ve never ordered. At a festival, ask what country or region a dish comes from, what ingredients give it its flavor, and who traditionally makes it. Kids don’t have to like everything. Exploration still counts when the verdict is “Not for me.” As
tour guides to our kids’ universe, we can help them notice that food connects downward to the Earth and outward to people. Name the flavor. Name the texture. Name the place and the tradition. Then take another bite. Sometimes an entire world opens through one little bag of fried dough.
—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. |
|
|
|
Introducing CaveScape, where adventure meets science! Crawl, climb, and slide through twisting tunnels and hidden caves—all artfully built from ordinary packing tape yet strong enough for both kids and adults.
|
|
|
|
Bring the whole family to Arizona’s BIGGEST summer event at the Maricopa County Home & Landscape Show, July 17–19 at State Farm Stadium! Kids can enjoy FREE magic shows, face painting, reptile encounters, axolotls, scavenger hunts, and more while parents explore hundreds of booths filled with home ideas, shopping, cooking demos, and fun surprises around every corner.
|
|
|
|
Community Fun Day (CFD) is a free, inclusive golf experience for kids, adults, and families of all skill levels — from first-time players to seasoned golfers. Led by experienced instructors, participants can build fundamentals, sharpen skills, and enjoy a relaxed, community-focused day on the course together.
|
|
|
|
Beat the heat with your four-legged best friend. Early mornings are made for wagging tails and cool trails, and the Garden opens its paths for pups and their people to explore the desert together. Enjoy refreshing hydration stations, shady rest stops and plenty of photo worthy moments. *Dogs not permitted at Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s, The RAF Gallery, Butterfly Pavilion or Cactus Clubhouse.
|
|
|
|
The acclaimed PBS KIDS® series produced by GBH Kids, MOLLY OF DENALI® is brought to life in the Heard Museum’s newest cultural experience! Set in the fictitious rural Alaskan village of Qyah, the show follows the adventures of Molly Mabray, her family, friends, and dog Suki and is infused with Alaska Native values, history, traditions and language. The experience showcases Alaska and Molly’s life in both the summer and winter seasons. Visitors can pretend to fly a replica bush plane, drive a snow machine, and navigate a snow maze in snowshoes. The center of the experience features the Trading Post and the Tribal Hall from the series where guests will have the opportunity to explore the great outdoors of Alaska and Alaska Native life including camping, ice fishing, discovering replica ice sculptures, and caring for sled dogs.
|
|
|
|
A hilarious version of the classic tale about the strange little fellow with the hard-to-guess name and the miller's daughter who must spin straw into gold. Rod marionettes and a little bit of magic make this show special for the whole family. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
|
|
|
|
Picture yourself surrounded by a stunning scene—a vast field of flourishing blackberry vines. Every stage of the blackberry's life is visible, from delicate buds to ripe, juicy fruits. Families gather amidst this natural beauty, connecting with the story of their food and enjoying purple-stained smiles. Join us for the Blackberry Festival—a celebration of blackberries and pollinators.
|
|
|
|
The Circus Farm returns! Escape the summer heat and join us for a family-friendly Mesa Arts Center experience. The day features a 60-minute air-conditioned family circus, with games, balloons, juggling, unicycle stunts, a hula hoop, LED lighted props, a giant robot and Aerial Lollipop. Also, be sure to come early to enjoy a pre-show experience hosted by MABEL (Mobile Arts Based Engagement Lab)! MABEL is an adaptable and flexible creative space and pop-up arts center on wheels with activities meant to create connections on the spot, prompt discussion, catalyze change and spark creativity through the arts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
2026'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!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nothing says SUMMER quite like going to an amusement park with your family! We've put together a great list of ones you can visit within driving distance of Phoenix. So, pack the sunscreen, load up the car and head out on a grand adventure!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fruit picking is a great activity to do together as a family. It helps little ones understand where their food actually comes from, and it's a fun tradition to share every year right through the teens. Here's where you can pick fruit with your family:
Strawberry picking, cherry picking, blueberry picking, raspberry picking, peach picking, and other pick-your-own opportunities in the Phoenix area.
|
|
|
Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
|
|
