Tweens and Teens

My summer “sacrifice” — sending triplets to sleepaway camp

We drive along a winding road, finally approaching scenes that feel familiar. Until now, we have seen them only on colorful brochures and website...

Summer travel: What’s new at Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens May 31 at Disneyland. Not just a ride, Galaxy’s Edge is an entire new “land” at the Anaheim, California,...

Stay-at-home family adventure: Host a French exchange student this summer

Anthem mom Celina Hayes fell in love with France as a high-school exchange student. Today, she’s the director of Bonjour Phoenix — a three-week...

9-year-old Scottsdale student wins Walk On! Kids Cooking Challenge

David Hummert, a 9-year-old from Sonoran Sky Elementary School in Scottsdale, won Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona’s 2019 Walk On! Kids Cooking Challenge...

Family conversation starters: Helping parents have meaningful talks with kids

Too often, busy schedules keep us from gathering around the family dinner table, and our beloved technology keeps our eyes focused on smartphone screens...

Raising Outdoor Kids: Exploring the beauty of our national parks

When we finally arrived at Grand Canyon National Park, I remember just being happy to get out of the car. We had been driving...

Camp O’Connor offers free civics summer camp to middle schoolers

Kids entering seventh or eighth grades this fall have an opportunity to attend a free, one-week summer camp focusing on civics and leadership. The nonprofit...

Phoenix hotline addresses rising suicide rates, offers help for struggling teens and parents

Teen Lifeline, a Phoenix-based crisis intervention and suicide hotline, has been helping Arizona teens and their families for 33 years. The nonprofit staffs its...

Chandler museum brings to life bleak lessons of history with “Gaman” exhibit

It’s a dilemma every parent has faced: How does one talk to kids about important societal issues, such as racial discrimination? Here’s an idea...

Arizona Science Center’s “Mummies of the World” exhibit: Riveting, eerie and cool

Mummies of the World: The Exhibition at Arizona Science Center has all of the Egyptian mummification artifacts you learned about in grade school: sarcophagi,...

Transitions: Helping your child navigate to a new school or on to college

Consider a visit to a foreign country where you don’t know anyone, you don’t speak the same language and you aren’t familiar with the...

Big-picture parenting: The new year is a great time to consider long-term goals

As parents, we can quickly get stuck in the daily minutiae of child rearing and forget to look ahead. A new year is a...

Mud maniacs: Obstacle course races offer family fitness and fun

On a normal day, kids are asked dozens of times to act and look a certain way: Tuck in their shirts, fix their hair,...

Teens: Phoenix Sister Cities applications due Jan. 11

Phoenix high school sophomores and juniors can apply to serve as Youth Ambassadors and travel to one of Phoenix’s 10 sister cities. Youth Ambassadors...

Six neighboring families, six different approaches to school choice

We are mothers, neighbors and friends. Each of us values faith, family and education. Yet each of us made different school choices for our...

Choosing a school: Where to start as a parent

“If someone tells you the name of another school, plug your ears,” my husband joked, after we’d completed what felt like our hundredth school...

PARTY ARTICLES

Money Lessons from Birthday Parties

Teaching Kids the Value of Gifts & Gratitude Between the cake, balloons, and wrapping paper tornado, birthday parties are often all about fun, but they also provide the perfect opportunity to teach kids early lessons...

Time to Paw-ty

Celebrating your favorite furry friend Call me crazy, but when my husband and I adopted our first dog together, we threw her a birthday party complete with cake, streamers, guests, appetizers, games, and more. Was...

Unique Ways to Host a Joint Birthday Party

My brother and I have birthdays that are just one day apart—his on March 3rd, mine on March 4th, and our oldest brother just a few weeks later on March 21st. Fast forward 31 years...

Out-of-the-box Birthday Party Ideas in Phoenix & Tucson

Wanting to do something a little extra special for your child’s next birthday party? Maybe it’s a milestone birthday—like turning double digits or entering the teen years. Or perhaps your child has requested to...

Birthday Traditions & Clever Theme Ideas

Childhood birthdays are unlike any others. I have fond memories of waking up on my birthday morning anticipating all the fun that was in store. With three kids who had birthdays all in the same...

Out-of-the Box Birthday Party Ideas

Wanting to do something a little extra special for your child’s next birthday party? Maybe it’s a milestone birthday—like turning double digits or entering the teen years. Or perhaps your child has requested to...

Party Etiquette

Whether you’re hosting a party or attending one, you may be wondering—do people really RSVP anymore? What about goodie bags, are those still a thing? Do I need to stay with my child at...

How to Throw a Birthday Party that Won’t Break the Bank

I remember the days when birthday parties consisted of colorful balloons, streamers, a simple cake, and the classics like musical chairs and tag with a few friends. Times have changed and suddenly it feels necessary...

How to do a drive-by birthday party

As we get deeper into quarantine, people have gotten creative with birthday celebrations. One result: the drive-by birthday party.

Home pool party? Hire a lifeguard!

Drowning happens silently and quickly. That’s why children are at risk even when — and sometimes especially when — adults are nearby. Even a "designated pool watcher" can avert his or her eyes for a...

Hiking birthday party

For a child who loves adventure and outdoors, turn a hike into a birthday party.
Tour de Liam, Biking birthday party theme, bike race, outdoor activites, arizona parties

Bike race birthday party

When there are lots of neighborhood friends who love to ride their bikes together, host a birthday party that feels like an official bike race.

Island birthday party

Pool parties are popular in Arizona. Make a stylish upgrade at your next birthday party by incorporating décor and details that will transport guests from the desert to a tropical island paradise.

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