Scorching heat, humidity, and air conditioning blasting — all the signs show it’s the middle of July.   In order to keep summer fun and exciting, Valley Youth House’s Project Child Program Coordinator Pam Wallace shared some opportunities for summer activities for youth and families in the Lehigh Valley.

1. Check out local papers and township newsletters. Oftentimes these contain printed activities, events or camps for youth and children offered by local organizations that last for a short period of time during the summer. The Morning Call prints out events happening in the Lehigh Valley, and its online Go Guide offers an expansive calendar of events happening in the Lehigh Valley area. Users can filter the events to find activities for children, youth or families. Additionally, the Lehigh Valley Press consists of multiple outlets within various areas that promote school news and activities for students and families.
2. Register for summer programs at a local YMCA/YWCA. Throughout summer, the Y offers various programs for people of all ages to participate in, including camps and events. Kids can go to a day-camp for LEGO-building while teens learn how to swim or act in a play. In the meantime, parents can take exercise classes or learn Tai Chi. In addition to their summer programs, the Y also offers one-day family events, such as roller-skating or a 5k. Visit the Greater Valley YMCA’s website for program registration and the events calendar: https://www.gv-ymca.org/index.html
3. Attend free concerts and movies at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. During the summer, the ArtsQuest Center offers free family movie days on select Wednesdays that screen sensory-friendly movies that are appropriate for all ages. As well as offering paid concerts, the ArtsQuest Center hosts free concerts on Fridays and Saturdays all year long. Find the calendar of events online at https://www.steelstacks.org/.
4. Hit the trails! Nature is a free and readily-available resource for people of all ages to enjoy during the summer. All over Eastern Pennsylvania are state parks, forests and rail trails that anyone can visit alone, with friends or with family. These areas offer easy trails for a casual stroll or longer moderate-to-difficult trails made for hiking. Families can also visit these parks to simply have a picnic, play outdoor games or swim in creeks and lakes. Visit the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website to find local parks and trails that can make for an exciting excursion for families! Also, don’t miss out on their calendar of events: https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/.
5. Find summer programs being offered by local non-profits. Local non-profits advertise camps and programs for children and youth that oftentimes take place each week during the summer. Organizations such as the Baum School of Art offer art camp for kids weekly with a different theme each week. The Allentown Art Museum offers Free Family Sundays during the year, and the Lehigh Valley Cops ‘n’ Kids Reading Room is open every Wednesday and sometimes hosts events on Saturdays. Many of these activities can be found online at http://lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net/, an online guide to kid-friendly events and programs in the Lehigh Valley.
6. Visit school districts’ websites to see what activities are being offered. Various schools throughout the Lehigh Valley post summer events for students on their online calendars. These activities can be perfect opportunities for youth looking for camps or events that they could attend with school friends. Parents can find events on the school district calendars or even on their Facebook pages!

Be sure to take advantage of these local resources to continue to enjoy these last couple weeks of summer vacation!

Project Child is Valley Youth House’s primary child abuse prevention program, which brings child abuse prevention information to parents and professionals in the Lehigh Valley.