BEND, OR -- Bend-La Pine Schools students get out for summer break at the end of the week. For many parents it’s a stressful time as they figure out how to keep kids busy over the next few months. Sue Boettner, with Bend Parks and Recreation, says registration for summer programs started just before spring break and many are full, "We have to vacate the schools mid-August. Well, parents still work, so we do something called Endless Summer. But, it’s a very low number – like 25 kids – we can take, because we don’t have a site. So, we put them at Hollinshead barn. So, those last two weeks of summer camp, they fill quickly."

Boettner says there is still space if families are willing to sign up for a mix of days and times. Some partial-day programs still have space, "Cougar Camp, it runs from 9-4. We do a thing called Art and Adventure, where they go to the Art Station in the morning and then they go on an adventure in the afternoon; or, they adventure in the morning, they go out in the wilderness or the river, and then they go to the Art Station and do art that matches what their adventure was. And then, we also run a variety of science programs that go 9 to 1."

She tells KBND News it’s important to get registered as early as possible, "Not everybody has the ability to be organized and to do that quickly. But, I know when I had kids at that age and I worked, when that Play Book came out, I highlighted everything; and the first day of registration, I registered for the entire summer. And, I understand paying a couple thousand dollars up front, but we also offer payment plans." Register online at the Bend Parks and Recreation website.