Keeping Busy Can Be Child’s Play

School is almost out and the lazy days of summer loom on the horizon for thousands of youngsters.

Recreation directors throughout the Southeast and Long Beach areas say there are plenty of activities for children of all ages seeking adventure, excitement or just plain diversion.

Camping outings from the mountains to the coast will be offered during the next three months. The Downey Family YMCA, for example, offers camping for girls at a variety of campgrounds along the California coast, and the campers can visit such attractions as Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row. Boys can take a weeklong trip to the High Sierra.

Youngsters who want to touch up their basketball jump shot, a tennis serve or their swimming strokes will be able to pick from several programs. The recreation list also includes a seemingly endless array of workshops, including creative writing, drawing and painting, and art classes.

The city of Long Beach even offers baby-sitting instruction for youngsters who want to earn some extra money.

Recreation leaders say there are a number of programs available for youngsters from families who can’t afford to pay camp fees.

The Huntington Park YMCA, for example, helps pay part of the camp fees so that low-income youngsters can go to the San Bernardino Mountains for eight days of swimming, hiking, horseback riding and other activities.

The Y, which serves the city of Huntington Park and other Southeast cities including Bell, Bell Gardens, Lynwood and South Gate, will pay up to $150 of the $175 fee for the camp, said Mike Castillo, the Y’s associate executive director.