Summer Camps in the Lehigh Valley

April 12, 2018

The BEST camps in the Lehigh Valley  Summer Camp Guide 2018 Spring is here and it is time to start thinking about what you are going to do to keep your kids busy all summer! The kids will be out of school before you know it so don't get caught without a great camp program to keep them active!  We're highlighting some of the Lehigh Valley's best camps! Did your child LOVE their camp last year? Make sure to share a review so more families can check it out! We're proud to share some of the coolest picks for local camps in our guide this year! We have even more camps listed in our full camp guidehere on our website where you sort by interest and type of camp if you are looking for something specific! Camps with JCC of the Lehigh Valley The JCC of the Lehigh Valley just can't wait for camp to start. Summer Camps at the JCC of the Lehigh Valley offer children and teens of all ages the opportunity to supplement their summer with a variety of activities ranging from sports and swimming to art and theater. Their Center Valley day camp program make surviving summer as a working parent a total breeze. Their speciality camps allow children to perfect their skills in a sport, or even travel the country in one of these incredible camps!  Learn more about local summer camp options at the JCC at lvjcc.org/camp. Wildlands Summer Camps  Creek splashes, views through animal eyes, all that is wild and in disguise. The magic of summer memory making comes alive with Wildlands! These half and full day programs feature themes to fit just about every interest.  Children as young as 3 can sign up for camp! Extended day hours offer programming from 7:30am through 5:30 pm for working families.  Register before May 1st and save 10% on your fee! Spaces are filling quickly and slots are limited!  Active Learning Centers Summer Day Camp At Active Learning Centers, they do summer camp the way it used to be! Children spend most of their day outside playing. They have the opportunity to go to the swimming pool twice a week and they go on field trips once per week. Every child enrolled in camp will also have the opportunity to take a martial arts class each day at no extra charge. The only things you won’t find at this summer camp are TV’s and video games… this is Active Learning Centers! Each week features a different theme and these themes are based upon leadership qualities. The activities of the week are designed to teach, encourage, and develop those traits in the children. From listening skills to problem solving, and courage to communication, this will be the most beneficial and fun camp you’ll ever find for your child. Contact them to inquire about signing up. Montessori Summer Experience 3-5 year olds will love having their own summer program for 6 weeks at Bright Beginnings Montessori in their exclusive pilot program. Space is limited to 10 families, so contact them soon to schedule a tour. BBMA is a brand new educational program specializing in educating children ages 3-5 utilizing Montessori principles. By doing a pilot program they are making the Montessori experience affordable while allowing Bright Beginnings to gain valuable information that will help their program grow. Click here to read more about the program and its requirements. Lehigh Valley IronPigs Camps Sign-ups are now underway for the 2018 Youth Baseball Camp presented by Capital Blue Cross at Coca-Cola Park! The camps will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for all days of the session. Baseball related activities will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. with lunch taking place from 12-12:30 p.m. Boys and girls of all skill levels will have the chance to learn baseball and fundamentals from the future stars of the Philadelphia Phillies. Past camp instructors have included Rhys Hoskins, Cameron Perkins, Scott Kingery and others! Each day, members of the IronPigs coaching staff and select IronPigs players will teach the basics of the game and help all campers become better ballplayers! 2018 Camp Options Camp 1 (Ages 7-8): June 12-14. Camp Group Night, June 13. Camp 2 (Ages 9-10): June 26-28. Camp Group Night, June 27 Camp 3 (Ages 11-13): July 24, 26-27. Camp Group Night, July 26 Camp is $165 per camper and includes the following: Instruction on baseball fundamentals from Lehigh Valley IronPigs players and coaches Two (2) tickets to a selected IronPigs game during your camp. A daily lunch during each day of camp On-field recognition prior to IronPigs game on your camp group night Official 2018 Camp T-Shirt STEM Camps with LCCC Rising middle and high schoolers will be immersed in scientific investigation through these unique and educational camps.  Their "Pathogens: Connecting the Microorganism Dots" camp provide rich experiences for students interested in health, medicine and biology. Students will obtain a unique perspective into Natural weather hazards through "Natural Disasters: A Geologist's View into the Hazards of our planet". Camps are scheduled to take place at the Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville Campus.  Click here to learn more or to register. Kids Co-Op Summer Camp KIDS CO-OP’s No Bummer Summer Campis 12 weeks filled with tons of fun for children ages 3 through 12. No Bummer Summer Camp is perfect for the active child looking to have a summer they won’t forget. Their air-conditioned facility allows children to participate in different activities set up throughout the gym including crafts, healthy snacks (provided by KIDS CO-OP), tumbling, obstacle course, foam pit & fitness castle, trampolines, fun dance games, and much more! Kids also will enjoy slip-n-slides and water games outside as often as possible! On two afternoons each week campers head over to the Hanover Pool on their own Starbound Express Bus! Exciting theme-based field trips throughout the summer are also included. KIDS CO-OP offers a wide-range of day-to- day options and payment plans. Click here to learn more or to register! Send this to a friend! About Us | Contact Us | Review Guidelines Advertise With Us | Business Owners | Privacy Policy Terms of Use | Copyright Compliance Policy ©2018 A and C LLC. All rights reserved.

This email was sent to [email address suppressed]. Looking for more? See our complete summer guide here!

The Best Toddler Toy Ever : Spark Kitchen Sink Review

Since the big kids have all been in school for about three weeks now my 2 year old has been a little lonely and has been LOVING "helping" me wash dishes and wash her hands in our kitchen sink. Its literally her favorite thing to do. Which I love but it HATE all of the water it wastes and that it means that I cannot do anything at the sink while she is playing. I recently saw a momma share a video of her daughter using this little sink in one of the online parent groups and I immediately went in search of one for myself.

I bought one online for store pick up the next day at Wal Mart and I can easily say this is the best money on a toy I have ever spent in my 7.5 years as a parent.

I shared the below video on my Facebook Page because I'm seriously impressed with this thing and my kid is pretty cute.....  I believe I singlehandedly sold out every Wal-Mart in a 25 mile radius within 24 hours of sharing it. I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty hot holiday item and so far the only place I see that is carrying them is Wal-Mart. If you see them pop up somewhere else please let us know by commenting below so we can help more families grab this awesome toy!

This is the best $15 I have ever spent! Find the link on our FB page! #toddlersofinstagram #playinginthesink #waterplay

A post shared by Miss. Chickadee (@lvfindandgoseek) on Sep 8, 2017 at 9:27am PDT

The Spark Kitchen Sink  and Just Like Home Kitchen Sink run on 2 AA batteries and pumps water through the back of sink like a champ. It recycles the water over and over and kids can easily turn it on and off using the little faucet handle. 

                                                             

I believe it to be the only toy sink/kitchen item that actually has working water that does not require hand pumping to make it flow. The Little Tykes Splish & Splash Sink which also seems super cute is similar but the child or parent needs to pump the water by hand to get it to flow.  

These things are now coming back into stock regularly so keep an eye on Walmart.com or click here for a direct link to try and grab one! They also are available a few other places including Amazon.

                  

                                 

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Knoebels : Ten things to Know

Recently we took a trip to Knoebels! This Pennsylvania Amusement Park has been in existence for over 90 years and is really a tradition all its own. If you've never visited before (or even if you have) we have some great information to share with you from our visit! These , tips, and tricks on visiting, how to save money on your tickets and what the BEST perks of visiting this park are!

1. Visit During the week

In most cases amusement parks operate pretty much the same no matter when you visit. Knoebels is an exception and thus you should plan your visit accordingly if possible.

On weekdays Knoebels offers daily "handstamps" or wristbands which allow for unlimited riding from park open to park close (with a few attractions excluded). These are available for both adults and children Monday through Friday. We have visited on a weekday before and our experience is as follows kids who ride a lot and will ride all day will get a huge bang for your buck on an all day ride pass. I actually calculated when we bought these the value based on how many rides they did and it far surpassed what we paid for the passes. So if you have kids who LOVE to ride and have the time to be there for most of the day a handstamp is definitely the way to go.  Tickets are also available for weekdays for light or occasional riders who don't feel they would get value from the cost of a ride pass. 

Can't go during the week? No worries!

On the weekends the park operates with a ticket system, patrons purchase tickets and pay for each ride they do with different amounts of tickets based on the ride (values vary and can all be seen here Kiddie rides  and Family rides).

2. Plan ahead! 

Buy your tickets before you get there or pack your coupon book!

 Discounts and coupons for Knoebels all day ride passes are available a few different places, Including KidsStuff Books, Pepsi cans and more see the full list here.

You can also plan ahead to buy your tickets in advance and you can save up and over 20%! Local grocery stores stores (Weis and Wegmans) sell tickets at their customer service booths, jut remember to pick them up before you head out of town (see purchasing details here).




3. Your tickets NEVER expire

If you purchase their ticket booklets and end up with leftovers, you can keep them for the next time you go back! Unlike those pesky Muskiest tickets that leave you fired up after finding $10 worth left in your pocket in September. 

4. Eat all the Food.

Seriously, Its really really good! and you can actually afford to do it!  Knoebels is world renowned for the the variety of food they offer in their park and the quality - they're actually rank above Disney World Accoring to  XXXXX . There is something for everyone! Different food stands around the park offer all kinds of different food choices which really is unique if you think about it, many times in similar attractions the will offer the same food in 15 different places.

My two personal favorites from our visit this month are the Boom Shaka Laka Burger (pictured above) and the Tiger Tail both available at the Phoenix Junction stand.

A close second is just about everything available at the Mexican station in the International Food Court.

This is a shot of a meal (above) I bought to split between my 3 kids it cost $5. Feeding kids on the go can be a challenge and super expensive especially when you are in a amusement park or attraction. This is a feature of Knoebels that really makes the place stand above the rest. If you haven't purchased a meal at Dorney Park recently you may not truly appreciate the value here... It would cost you nearly three times as much for the same amount of food.

Additionally the variety of food choices really makes it easy to find something everyone well like. 

5. It is always cooler there

Yup! this place is absolutely loaded with super tall beautiful trees and shade is everywhere. Still bring your sunscreen of course, but really comparing directly to the local park we visited last week in the same weather Knoebels is hands down way more comfortable to be in on a hot day.

6. You can stay! 

Knoebels offers a number of great lodging options including a huge campground for campers, motor homes and tents.  They have cabins also available for rent - reserve these far in advance they get snatched up fast.  It is easy to spend multiple days here exploring, snacking and riding.

7. Admission and Parking is FREE 

Yes really! You only pay if you ride! This park is perfect for a group with a bunch of people who only lightly ride or want to watch the kids enjoy the experience. It won't cost you anything to bring grandma and grandpa along for an extra set of hands!

Paying for parking is the one thing I hate more than paying for shipping.  A little piece of my soul dies each time I have to hand over a $20 bill to park my car. You won't pay anything to park at Knoebels.

8. Bring in your own food and snacks!

If you are looking to stay close to a tight budget, have allergies to work around or just want to make sure you have food your kids will eat Knoebels welcomes families bringing their items into the park. Pack a picnic, bring your meals, snacks and drinks and use their free picnic facilities to enjoy your visit! 

9. Don't miss the Pool!

We sadly didn't get to visit Crystal Pool when we were there due to some badly timed thunderstorms and rain! But this pool is gasp worthy. It is huge first of all and offers 3 different levels of diving boards, not to mention all of the other awesome features of the water area.

Swim, splash and slide! Knoebels Crystal Pool is filled with refreshing spring fed water and they offer water slides, a kiddie splash area, rope climbing course and more with pool admission.

Pool admission is separate from the daily handstamp pass and requires payment of an additional fee but is part of the reason you can easily spend more than one day at Knoebels! 

10. Get a Map!

The size of Knoebels is surprising for many and its can be difficult to navigate if you aren't familiar with it. In order to make sure you can easily find everything you are looking for a map will come in handy. 

With a number of amusement parks in our local proximity people often ask if Knoebels really worth the drive. After laying out all of the tips and tricks we've discovered the conclusion is pretty simple. It absolutely is worth the drive, and honestly I'd properly drive further if I had to.  Knoebels is simply a gem the history and tradition that Knoebels comes along with this park is like no other.  Their attention to detail is impeccable the rides are clean and well maintained,  the park is blooming with flowers all over the place. My hope this that some new families will considering checking this park out  and we're really excited to offer a giveaway to allow a family to enjoy the park for a day for free this summer!

We owe a HUGE thank you to the staff at Knoebels and thank them for hosting us to help gather all of the information we needed to complete this article. Here are a few of our favorite shots of our family from our visit to the park!