Summer Arts Camps in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania

If your child loves expressing his creativity through the arts, then these summer arts camps in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania are a perfect way to nurture those talents. From painting, drawing and sculpting to digital media and theatre arts, these summer camps for kids will bring art and theatre to life in new and exciting ways. Each camp offers a variety of activities, dates, times and age ranges to fit the needs of your child. And if you don't see exactly what you're looking for here, go to my profile to read Part 2 of this guide, filled with even more summer arts camps for kids right here in the Lehigh Valley.

CITY ARTS Allentown Cultural Summer Camp
If your children love the arts, from music and dance to painting and crafts, then this is the perfect summer camp for them. This unique, one-week experience at the Allentown Art Museum allows children to learn a variety of skills within the arts from instructors and professionals around the Lehigh Valley. This camp partners with the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown Symphony, The Baum School of Art, Civic Theatre of Allentown, Community Music School and Repertory Dance Theatre to provide children with a fun and varied camp experience centered around the arts. Kids will have the chance to practice both the visual and performing arts in this special one-week summer camp in the Lehigh Valley. Enrollment is limited, so claim your spot early.

Dates: June 21^st-25^th, 2010; 9am-4pm
Ages: 8-12
Fee: $210 (includes all materials)

Allentown Art Museum
31 N. 5^th St.
Allentown, PA 18101
610-432-4333
www.allentownartmuseum.org

Banana Factory Summer Camps
The Banana Factory is the premier Cultural Arts & Education Center in the Lehigh Valley. Located on W. Third St. on Bethlehem's South Side, the Banana Factory offers over 20 different week-long summer camps throughout the summer for kids ages 4 to 17. Parents can opt for half-day or full-day sessions, and there is a variety of arts activities to choose from. Younger children have a variety of options including making jewelry and wearable art, sculpting, drawing, painting, cartooning, digital photography, mosaics, wheel-throwing and story illustration. Older kids can choose from options such as: mosaics, digital photography, video game design, glass blowing, sculpture, wheel-throwing, painting and sketchbook design. Kids who stay for full-day summer camp must pack a lunch to eat during a supervised lunch break; teens may go off-site for lunch with parental permission. If you'd like a taste of what the Banana Factory has to offer for free, check out their Crayola Kids' Tent at Musikfest in downtown Bethlehem for free kids' crafts and activities every day throughout the festival (August 6-15, 2010).

Dates: Sessions are week-long (Mon.-Fri.) and run from June 14^th through July 23rd; Mornings: 9am-12noon, Afternoons: 12:30pm-3:30pm
Ages: 4-17
Fees: Half-day $150, Full-day $275 (rates exclude glass)

Banana Factory
25 W. Third St.
Bethlehem, PA 18015
610-332-1300
www.bananafactory.org

The Baum School of Art Summer Camp Sessions
The Baum School of Art is a non-profit community art school located in Center City Allentown. This school is dedicated to helping people of all ages explore their creative potential through the visual arts and offers a wide variety of summer arts camps for kids in the Lehigh Valley. Parents can choose from one-week mini camps, four-day workshops, 2-week summer sessions, or 6-week workshops. Kids can use these summer camps to explore all sorts of visual arts such as drawing, painting, sculpting, ceramics, jewelry-making, metalsmithing, animation, photography, murals, cartooning and computer art. The wide variety of offerings means kids can choose a session that exposes them to different methods of visual arts or focuses on just one, and classes are offered throughout the summer for greater flexibility.

Dates: June 21^st-August 13^th (Mon.-Fri.); Mornings: 9am-12noon, Afternoons: 1pm-4pm
6-week workshops run for 2 hours a day, from 10am to 6pm
Ages: 5-15
Fees: $125-$225; check specific classes for fees

The Baum School of Art
510 W. Linden St.
Allentown, PA 18101
610-433-0032
www.baumschool.org

Camp Touchstone at The Touchstone Theatre
The Touchstone Theatre is dedicated to promoting and reviving the art of theatre right here in the Lehigh Valley. Their summer camp in theatre called Camp Touchstone allows kids to learn more about expressing themselves through the theatrical arts. Kids ages 8-13 can explore creativity and theatre techniques in this 2-week summer arts camp in the Lehigh Valley. The program uses theatre games and exercises, journaling and improvisation which develop into informal group works to share with friends and family. Skills are developed in acting, playwriting, improvisation, movement and character development. Kids will not only learn more about theatre arts, but learn to work as a group to develop a work of theatre as an ensemble, one of the core expressions of the Touchstone Theatre.

Dates: July 12-23, 2010 (Mon.-Fri.); 9am-2pm
Ages: 8-13
Fees: $450 per child

Touchstone Theatre
321 E. Fourth St.
Bethlehem, PA 18015
610-867-1689
www.touchstone.org

For more Summer Arts Camps in the Lehigh Valley, read Part 2 of my guide, found on my profile here.

Sources:
LehighValleyLittleOnes.com
AllentownArtMuseum.org
BananaFactory.org
BaumSchool.org
Touchstone.org