Have Fun and Be Safe in the Sun!

Summer is a much-needed break for our students, but coming up with low-cost or free activities and doing them safely can be challenging if you are new to the area. Here are some ideas and important things for parents to know.

Lake Sammamish State Park is perfect for families to swim in the lake and enjoy a summer day with their children. Everybody can use State Parks. If you are entering this park or another State Park without a car (foot, bicycle, etc.), you do not need a pass. But to enter with a car, you need a Discovery Pass. These passes cost $11.50 for one day or $35.00 for a year. If you get the annual pass, you can use it for two vehicles. You will need to write down the license plate numbers on the pass. Since you need to leave the pass visible in the windshield, you only can use it for one vehicle at a time.

To buy a pass, visit https://store.discoverpass.wa.gov/ or get it at a store such as Safeway: 735 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA 09027 or 1452 Highlands Dr. NE, Issaquah, WA 09029. In addition, some of the parks have automated pay stations to buy a pass, such as Lake Sammamish: 200 NW Sammamish Road Issaquah, WA 98027.

There are other lakes where you can take the family to swim and spend the day that do not require a Discovery Pass and are open to the public. These are parks with lake access that are owned by the cities:

-Pine Lake Park: 2401 228th Ave SE, Sammamish, WA 98075

-Beaver Lake Park: 25101 SE 24th Street Sammamish, WA 98075

-Newcastle Beach Park: 450 110th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98009

-Lake Boren Park: 13058 SE 84th Way, Newcastle, WA 98056

-Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park: 1201 Lake Washington Blvd N, Renton, WA 98056

Public pools are another good low-cost activity for this summer. Issaquah’s Julius Boehm Pool (50 SE Clark Street, Issaquah, WA 98027) offers recreation swim times Mondays-Thursdays from noon-4:30 p.m. and 7:30-8:30 p.m., Fridays 12 p.m.-8:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 1:30-4:30 p.m. You can buy tickets online (https://www.issaquahwa.gov/772/Pass-Fees) or at the front desk. Daily passes are $5 per child, $6 per adult, or $15 per family.

If your children don’t know how to swim, do not forget to bring a life jacket for them and sign them up for lessons. Julius Boehm Pool has classes for children of all ages. There are scholarships available for the swimming lessons and the Issaquah Community Center summer camps for children 3 to 10 years old: https://www.issaquahwa.gov/807/Scholarships. If you need help filling out this application, please contact us at culturalbridges@isfdn.org.

Another great pool in our community is Henry Moses Aquatic Center. It is closed now, but they are currently in the process of planning for this 2022 season. They have slides, a wave pool, a toddler water area, and a lazy river. This fun pool is scheduled to open on Saturday, June 25th. For updated information, visit: https:// rentonwa.gov/city_hall/public_works/facilities/henry_ moses_aquatic_center

Biking is another great activity to do with your children but it is very important for everybody to wear a helmet. The Kohl’s Safety Program at Seattle Children’s provides free helmets and life jackets. The program teaches parents and kids how to properly fit every helmet and jacket they give away. Their events for this season are still not scheduled. Please visit their page for updated information: https://www.seattlechildrens.org/health-safety/keeping-kids-healthy/prevention/kohls-helmet-safety/

Finally, if you are outside enjoying with your family from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. wear sunscreen with a SPF of at least 30, regardless of skin color and even in a cloudy day. We all need sun protection! Enjoy the summer!