The Valley of the Sun offers a variety of summer camps to keep kids busy and active this summer.

City of Phoenix Parks & Recreation
The City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is the place to turn for fun-filled summer activities that take place at local parks. With 12 parks to choose from, there’s always one close to home. From sports and recreation to swimming and diving, the Parks & Recreation Department has it all. Registration for summer programs begins April 26

Sports & Recreation
There are plenty of options to choose from this summer, from adult and youth sports leagues, to outdoor nature programs, workshops and special events. If you are into basketball, football, baseball, soccer, tennis or volleyball, the City of Phoenix has an activity for you. There are also after school and summer day camp or activity camps for kids that include homework help, arts & crafts, games, sports and special events.

Swimming
Phoenix city pools generally open on Memorial Day weekend and many stay open through Labor Day. Swim lessons are also available at the city pools throughout the summer. In addition, for kids that have mastered the strokes, City of Phoenix pools offer Swim Team programs at all of the 12 city pools. The six-week programs include four practices a week and a weeknight meet against another city pool. Six of the local pools also offer dive teams for kids age 5 – 17.

Splash Pads
Last but not least, several city parks offer splash pads to help kids cool offer. The locations are Altadena, 3711 E. Altadena; Civic Space, 444 N. Central; Edison, 901 N. 19th St., Francisco Highland, 2702 E. S. Mountain Ave.; Laveen Village, 3146 W. Vineyard Rd.; Mountain Vista, 13647 S. 50th St.; Pecos, 17010 S. 48th St.; Nuestro, 1433 S. 9th St.; Trailside Point, 7215 W. Vineyard Rd.; Dust Devil, 10645 W. Camelback.

Future Stars Summer Camps
Future Stars International Enterprises offers great summer camps for kids — everything from basketball and archery, to cheerleading and all day activity camps. Led by former pro athletes, and with frequent guest coaching by current pros, Future Stars sports camps help kids develop fundamentals, character and skills, not just in the game of basketball but in the game of life. The all-day activity camps are just plain fun and offer full- and half-day options that include sports, arts and crafts, games, movies and more. Before and after care is available for many of the camps to help out busy working parents.

In addition, Future Stars offers the only International Basketball Camp in the Valley of the Sun, where students from Europe and Asia come to learn and compete with kids in the U.S. The U.S. athletes are host families to these young men and women, allowing the athletes and families to learn more about other cultures.

Phoenix Public Library
During the summer months, the Phoenix Public Library offers all kinds of summer activities and programs. There’s Hacker Haven for computer geeks. There are story times for all ages, including family story times. There are discovery events, movie afternoons and toddler activities and more. The library has recently updated its website, so you can find all the upcoming events and activities on the calendar, conveniently located now on the menu of the site. In addition, the library offers Culture Passes gives a library customer FREE admission for two people at participating arts and cultural institutions. Some of the great places to visit for free include: Arcosanti (Cordes Junction), Arizona Science Center, Children’s Museum of Phoenix, Deer Valley Rock Art Center, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Zoo, Pueblo Grande Museum and more.