SUMMER CAMPS AND ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS (NATIONWIDE) - 2017

FREE TO LOW COST BOWLING
Your child can either bowl for free (if one of the participating lanes are near you) or bowl at a discount. 

(1) Under the kids bowl free program, participating bowling alleys allow the registered child to 2 games of bowling.  Shoe rental is separate.  (You can purchase your own bowling shoes as cheaply as $19.99 to avoid the recurring expense.) http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/er

(2) Low cost bowling.  BOWLERO, BOWLMOR, and AMF bowling alleys - are offering a summer-long pass for a one time fee per person.  The bowling pass includes shoe rental and can be used at participating bowling alleys across the nation.

Kids passes are $34.95 (15 or under) and adult passes are $39.95.  This entitles the participants to 3 games per day from May 22 through September 4 (M-F: open to 8 p.m., and Sat-Sun: open to 4 p.m.)  Please check the website for the exact times when participants can play by clicking on this link. https://bowlsummergames.com/.  Shoe rental IS included with these passes.


LOW COST MOVIES

$1 Movies with Regal Entertainment Group through their Summer Movie Express program.  On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, usually in the morning, the various Regal Entertainment Group theaters will be playing a pre-selected movie for $1 per ticket.  A portion of the proceeds go to the Will Rogers Institute.  You can find the theater closest to you and their specific start date and schedule by plugging in your zip code on their website. 

Cinemark has a program called, "The Summer Movie Clubhouse."  This is a ten-week program of recently released G and PG films for kids. Day, times and weeks of the series are determined by the local theatre. A full list of participating theatres is listed at Cinemark.com.  The films that are playing as part of this program is located at Cinemark.com.  The cost is $1 per person (adults also pay the same $1) at the door the morning of the program. Or, you can purchase a ten-week series punch card at the theatre box office or online at Cinemark.com for $5, while supplies last.  Click here for the Cinemark information at the Howard Hughes Center (on Mondays).  Click here for the Cinemark information at Playa Vista (on Tuesdays).  I only include these link because I know I will need it in the future. ;)

I found another website that had a list of theaters (none of which I saw were in Los Angeles) that were offering free summer movies.  Rather than recreating the wheel, here is the link: http://freebies.about.com/od/familyactivities/tp/free-summer-movies.htm.  This will be good for those of you who happened to find my blog who are NOT in Los Angeles and those of you will be visiting somewhere other than Los Angeles.



FREE ROLLER SKATING
There are also programs where kids can roller skate for free (at a roller rink).  If you live in Los Angeles, don't bother going to the link I provide because there is none around us.  However, for those of you not in Los Angeles, please investigate to see if there is a participating roller rink near you. 

When you get to the web page (through the link I provide), click on the roller rink near you to register to get free skating passes at that roller rink. You'll need to provide your name, birthday, phone number, address, email, and some basic information on the children you'd like to register for the free roller skating passes.  After you've registered, you'll receive an email that you'll need to validate in order to verify that you signed up for the Kids Skate Free program.  http://kidsskatefree.com/index.php


READING PROGRAM WITH REWARDS

Barnes & Noble is having their annual Summer Reading Program.  Through this program, Barnes & Noble will give kids a free book when they read 8 books over the summer between May 16th through September 5, 2017.  Please read their site for the specific terms and conditions, and their deadlines. 

Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge is a summer reading challenge where kids read and then go online to record the minutes they've read this summer. They'll also be able to take weekly challenges to earn rewards.  This summer reading programs runs May 8 - September 8, 2017.

Pizza Huts, "Book It! Spark Your Greatness Summer Reading Challenge." (Participating students will be able to enjoy fun activities, play games, and have the chance to win some prizes.  Program starts June 1.

Sylvan's Book Adventure Reading Program called Book Adventure encourages children to read books and then take online quizzes over the books to earn points.  These points can then be redeemed for prizes like books, magazine subscriptions, tattoos, candy, CD's, and games.  This summer reading program is ongoing, all year around.

Half Priced Books - (none in Los Angeles) - Half Price Books gives out free gift cards to kids who read books this summer.  When kids read for 300 minutes during both June and July, they'll get a free $5 gift card per month to Half Price Books. One lucky kid in each age group and store will get a $20 gift card. The link is for the 2014 program.  Check back to them sometime in mid or late May.

Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge 2014 challenges kids to complete one of their reading lists.  Kids who complete the reading lists can go into their local Pottery Barn Kids to get a free book.
This summer reading program runs May 15 - July 17

TD BANK
TD bank will give your child $10 after your child has read 10 books.  Your child must keep track of the books they have read.  The $10 is a deposit into a new or existing Young Saver account.  Unfortunately, there  no TD Banks in the Los Angeles area.

Also, check out your local libraries.  They too have summer reading programs.

FREE TECH CAMPS

Microsoft has a program for kids called YouthSparks.  You can check out their store for details about the program (as it is quite lengthy).  What I want to focus on here is the summer camp that is offered through YouthSparks.  In the summer, your child can learn to how to build, publish and bring mobile games to life; Smart Movie Making and Smart Photo Taking offers students a chance to produce and design movies and images at a Microsoft YouthSparks camp.  Also, they give the kids neat prizes at the end of the week.  This program is free.

Apple Store has a summer camp program called "Apple Camp."  Apple Camp is a place where kids ages 8 to 12 bring their imaginations to life. They’ll learn to make movies by storyboarding ideas, shooting video, and creating an original soundtrack. Or, starting this summer, campers can create interactive books complete with their own illustrations and sound effects