We are in full swing of 110F+ every day.  It’s gonna be like this for a while.  The summer in the desert is that less wanted season, like the winters elsewhere.  Once it reaches 110F, which is 43C for my European friends, it makes no difference if it’s 110 or 117….it’s all just HOT!

The kids are out for the summer.  Our school district is a year around school and the summer break is only about 6-7 weeks.  Still that’s two really hot months at home June and July.   The biggest job around here is to keep them busy and away from screens (you know phones, computers, TV).  Our local, easy, go-to activities are these:

• The Pool!!  We don’t have one, but the City of Chandler has several at super affordable rates, like $1 per child or $2.25 for adults or you can get a punch card to save a little bit of money.  The one closest to our home also has free breakfast/lunch for kids 18 and under.  Can’t beat that.  Here is a link to Chandler Pools.  We also like using friend’s pool that invite us over for pool fun and lunch.

• CRAFTS!! We are all about doing crafts at home, but if you are not crafty here are some local events:
  • Check out your local Michaels store.  In our area they have easy $2-$5 crafts so you can walk around the store for an hour while the kids do a little project.
  •  Tempe History Museum has a fun kids program that is free and runs every Wednesday 10am-2pm and every other Saturday.
  • ASU Art Museum has Family Day.  The next one is on July 14.  It’s a day full of art make and takes typically revolving around the current exhibit.

• Trampoline!!  This is our most recent addition to our back yard.  It used to be at my mom’s, but it was ruining the grass so it was taken down.  We recently made our back yard a little more enjoyable by getting rid of the dead grass and going with rocks.  Around here water is precious commodity, and even though I have irrigation I didn’t want to use it on grass (gardening is out of my realm at the moment).  In any case, I do use some water and tie up the hose, put it on mist and have it spray over the trampoline.  The kids are having a blast!  But if you don’t own one there are several indoor trampoline jumping places: Jump Street, KTR Family Fun, Urban Jungle.
• The library!!  Many local libraries have summer programs.  If you are in Chandler here is link to events at a library close to you.
• Movies!!  We can watch at home with popcorn etc. or occasionally check out the cheap movie theater.  There is a couple near by Pollack Cinema in Tempe or Alamo Drafthouse Kids Club in Chandler that is running summer kids movies for a donation of your choice $1, $3 or $5.
• Lakes!!  If you want to be in nature and near by water in this desert without getting too far out of town you have a few options: Saguaro Lake, Roosevelt lake, Canyon Lake, Lake Pleasant and Bartlett Lake. You do need a permit to park and needless to say avoid, if you can, going there on weekends.  Here is link to all.

• Indoor mini-golf.  We recently discovered Swinging Safari Mini Golf.  It’s a glow in the dark indoor mini golf course and it was just the right difficulty and fun for my two kids.  Here is a link.

If you are a local and reading this I would love to hear your fun go-to ideas for surviving an Arizona summer.

Stay cool!!