School isn't over yet — but summer slide already has its eye on your kid. Every year, children lose up to 3 months of learning over break, and most parents don't see it coming until September, when suddenly everything feels harder than it should.

While you still have a few weeks, get ahead of it. Camp Homework's free 10-part email course gives you simple, realistic strategies to keep your kids sharp all summer long — no tutors, no worksheets, no battles. Sign up now so you're ready the second that last bell rings. →

🎉 And don't forget to enter for a chance to win a free one-month Camp Homework membership — a $149 value! →

Skip the “usual plans” this weekend — here are five ideas that feel a little more hidden, memorable, and story-worthy 👀

🎨 Sunset + Street Art Hunt in the East Village

Turn downtown into a mini adventure. Grab coffee or ice cream, then walk the murals and colorful alleyways around East Village. Challenge the kids to find the coolest mural, weirdest window display, or best photo spot. Feels like discovering a different side of Des Moines.

🌌 Stargazing Night at Water Works Park
Friday night weather looks perfect for blankets, snacks, and an easy family reset under the stars at Water Works Park. Bring hot chocolate, download a constellation app, and make it a low-cost core memory kind of evening.

🍓 Build-Your-Own Picnic Day
Instead of eating at one restaurant, create a “picnic challenge.” Stop at 3 local spots for different items — pastries, fruit, sandwiches, drinks — then picnic somewhere scenic like Gray's Lake Park. Kids LOVE the mix-and-match adventure feel.

🎶 Find Live Music You Weren’t Planning to See
This weekend is perfect for wandering into unexpected live music around downtown and patio spaces near Historic Court District. Sometimes the best nights happen when you don’t over-plan them.

🧺 The “No Phones for One Hour” Family Challenge
Pick one place — a park, trail, coffee shop patio, or your backyard — and spend one full hour with zero phones. Bring cards, a frisbee, sidewalk chalk, or just conversation. Surprisingly hard. Surprisingly fun. Probably the moment everyone remembers most.

Dinner. No phones. One question. That's all it takes.

🌟 Thursday: If you could become an expert at anything by next year… what would you choose — and why? 🎨⚽🧪🎸

💛 Friday: What’s one small act of kindness someone showed you this week that you haven’t told anyone about yet?

🚗 Saturday: If our family could spend the whole day anywhere in Iowa 🌽 — not just Des Moines — where would we go and what adventures would we have?

🏡 Sunday: What’s one thing about our family that makes us different (and special) compared to everyone else’s? ❤️

📚 Monday: If you could redesign the perfect school day — same subjects, but a totally different setup — what would it look like? ✏️🍎

🤯 Tuesday: What’s something you learned recently that genuinely surprised you?

🎒 Wednesday: If a new kid was nervous about starting at your school, what advice would you give them to help them feel better? 💬✨

Want more tips to help your kids succeed in school? Subscribe to our newsletter and stay ahead with proven strategies, ideas, and support.

School is almost over. Are your child’s grades where they need to be?
Camp Homework offers affordable K–12 tutoring with real human tutors — not AI — starting at just $150/month.— camphomework.com

A five-time Grammy nominee coming to one of Des Moines' most intimate and beloved jazz venues — this is a genuinely rare treat for the 515. Karrin Allyson is a world-class jazz and pop vocalist with a catalog that spans bebop to Brazilian, and her live shows are the kind you talk about long after the night ends. Two nights only. Go Thursday, go Friday, go both if you can. Seats are limited at Noce — don't wait on this one.

Ballet Des Moines returns to the Civic Center for a stunning weekend of live performance. One of the region's premier dance companies bringing elegance, athleticism, and storytelling to one of Des Moines' most beautiful stages. Saturday night is a wonderful evening out; Sunday afternoon's matinée is perfect for families with older kids. Dress up a little. Make a night — or afternoon — of it.

306 vendors, 43 of them brand new this year, and an estimated 28,000 neighbors showing up every single Saturday. Live music, fresh produce straight from Iowa farms, handmade goods, hot breakfast, and the kind of Saturday morning energy that makes this city feel like home. If you haven't made it yet this season, May 17 is your week. Bring a tote. Bring the kids. Bring cash.

Thank you so much for reading — we hope you found something fun, helpful, and inspiring in today's edition! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with your friends and family so they can be part of the fun too. The more the merrier! We'll see you back here on Monday for our next edition. Have a wonderful weekend, Des Moines! 🎉

— Alex | Des Moines Digest
📘 facebook.com/desmoinesdigest |
📸 instagram.com/desmoinesdigest