Summertime Activities for Kids and Teens
July 11, 2020
The last few months have been particularly tough on our school-aged kids. And as summer begins, they may be feeling down about the cancellation of summer camps and other activities. Luckily, there are plenty of resources right here in Hillsborough to keep kids entertained and engaged.
Many of the summer camps hosted by Orange County have gone virtual! These camps cover a range of wonderful themes, topics and activities for kids of various ages. For the youngest age group, some of the topics include farming, pirates, baking and dinosaurs. For older kids, some examples are painting, healthy cooking, chess and a mad science camp. For those in between, they can choose from themes like wood working, coding, piano and electronics!
Classes are happening right now, and there will be new ones from which to choose each week until August 14. They include a morning and afternoon session each day. Parents are encouraged to enroll online or via phone by one week before the start of the camp they’d like to register their child for. You can find more information here.
The Orange County Public Library also has resources available for kids and teens online this summer, which you can find here. They are offering two ongoing series on their YouTube channel. “Storytime” is a great activity for kids to hear all sort of books read by the library’s wonderful staff, and Pantry Science is a series that teaches kids about science and guides them in doing at-home science experiments! Storytime happens each Thursday at 9:30, and Pantry science is every other Thursday at 4:00.
Some other family-friendly library activities include a virtual trivia night (one is happening this Friday at 7 PM) and online panels with authors. Children’s book author John Claude Bemis will be hosting one Thursday, July 23 at 5 PM. There are also plenty of wonderful performances which will be streamed online, including “The Princess and the Pea,” “Bilingual Fairytales,” and virtual music lessons from an NC Symphony musician. You can find times, registration info and where to find the stream here.
The County also has a number of fun and educational virtual programs available for everyone from toddlers to seniors. Many of the lessons are available pre-recorded on YouTube, while others are hosted on platforms like Zoom, which you will need to register for. You can find more info and links to lessons and registration here.
These programs are free and cover an incredibly wide array of topics! For younger kids, there are programs on everything from introductory coding to the science of flight. For teens and young adults, lessons include “container gardening”, writing seminars and musical performances.
So check out some of these great kids’ activities Hillsborough has to offer this summer! And if you want a break from virtual activities, you can make a family trip to one of Hillsborough’s beautiful green spaces, or stretch your legs while expanding your knowledge at one of our fascinating historical sites.
We hope you have a happy, healthy summer!