We were thinking, since you can take Primavera coursework virtually anywhere, and you have a little more flexibility to work at your pace, you might need some ideas to explore this summer!
Don’t listen to the naysayers; you can still enjoy the outdoors here in Arizona. For one, the great outdoors is generally cheaper than indoor public places. For another, Arizona has unique places to see you may not find other places in the country.
Whether you’re a high school student, or you’re a parent of young students in Primavera Online Elementary/Middle School, these activities will work for all our students.
Some ideas for exploring Arizona and having some fun this summer!
1. Have a picnic at one of our amazing parks. WITH splash pads and pools.
Obviously, water is a must for a park in the summer, so all the ones listed below have either a splash pad, pool or both. Since our students are from all over the AZ, we tried to find locations in all areas. Here’s a fun challenge: see how many parks you can hit up in the state!
Locations:
Anthem Community Park
*Splash pad and pool
Tempe Beach Park
*Splash pad and lake, with equipment rental
Rancho Sahuarita Water Park and Lake
*This location is in a neighborhood, but the Water Park has guest passes are available for purchase.
Brandi Fenton Park in Tucson
*Has splash pad
Mesa Riverview Park
*Has splash pad and adult jungle gym
Bushmaster Park in Flagstaff
*Has splash pad
Kennedy Memorial Park in Yuma
*Has splash pad and water slide
2. Go explore one of many caves
Bonus: Caves are usually cooler than outside. There are actually a lot more than what is listed here. Go ahead and Google beyond what’s here to see what cave might pique your interest. Some have entrance fees or tours, others don’t, so be sure to check on that.
Arizona caves to check out:
Colossal Caves in Vail
Lava River Cave in Flagstaff
Kartchner Caverns in Benson
Grand Canyon Caverns
3. Brave your way through a ghost town
Did you know Arizona is considered the most “haunted” state, with nearly 300 ghost towns? Think you can get your way through most of them in one summer?
A few locations:
Jerome
*Voted as Arizona’s most haunted town
Oatman
*Filled with free roaming burros and classic cars
Tombstone
*Probably the most popular. A tourist site to dress up, stay in a hotel and tour old mines
Goldfield Ghost Town
*Located in Apache Junction. Close by to many students!
4. Have a family or friend dinner and movie costume night
If traveling doesn’t sound appealing, this idea is so much fun. Grab your family or friends and have a dinner movie night. Pick a movie, like The Avengers, and everyone dress up as one of the characters. Then, make food that goes with the theme, like maybe shawarma for Avengers? Or Harry Potter and homemade butter beer; whatever you can think up, do it!
5. Get the Harkins summer movie pass (or go to Tuesday night classics)
Harkins Theatres are just about all over the state, so most of our Primavera students can go! Tickets right now are $2; however, it’s possible they will be selling summer packs soon for even cheaper! You get to pick a day each week and head to a re-run kid’s movie while hopefully enjoying some popcorn and candies. Or if you’re not into animation, Harkins also plays classic movies every Tuesday night for a discounted price.
