Extracurricular activities on Long Island to keep kids active this fall
From left, Minecraft class students Athena Pierre-Louis Faudoas, 8, and Jordyn Dey, 8, in a computer room at the Snapology of Nassau County. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
A Vietnamese chicken sandwich, a gorilla robot made of Legos, a 50-foot-tall rock-climbing wall and data on endangered species have something in common. They’re all part of after-school activities kids can participate in this fall.
The Samanea New York mall in Westbury, for instance, is quickly becoming a haven for after-school programs. Kids can hop from sessions designing video games to rock climbing walls. Soon, additional after-school craft activities, board game sessions and mural painting classes will be offered in the mall as well.
At The Cooking Lab in Port Washington, kids can create handmade pasta, Chinese dumplings and apple cider doughnuts. Vietnamese chicken sandwiches and new Halloween recipes will debut this fall.
At the Seatuck Environmental Association, a teen workshop that prepares students for college-level work in conservation will begin its second year. It’s joined by year-round, weekly outdoor wildlife and nature extravaganzas for kindergarten-age kids and up.
The fun doesn't have to end when the school bell rings. Here are extracurricular activities that will keep kids active, learning and creating.
Make Lego robots at Snapology
1500 Old Country Rd., Suite 242, Westbury
Robotics class students, Jackson Gilbert, 9, and Zane Dunninger, 9, both of Levittown, work on their project together; Dylan Welsh, 12, of Glen Oaks, in First Lego League, building his creation at Snapology of Nassau County. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
It has two sections: building Lego robots and video game design.
- Lego robotics: As part of a class, build and program Lego robots based on your skill level. End up with anything from a Lego gorilla robot to a dolphin robot. Next, create and program your own creature.
- Lego robotics stop animation: Build a scene out of Lego bricks, place your robot in a position in the scene, and take a photo of it. Move the robot slightly and take another photo. Continue the process until you've made a little movie.
- Lego robotics competition: Every year, Lego has a different theme for its worldwide competition. Kids in class join as a team. Each child creates a Lego model that can accomplish a certain mission, such as picking up or dropping off. Then, the team creates one robot that can accomplish all the missions and enters it in the competition.
Join the XP League of Nassau County
Matthew Khaykov, 10, of Lindenhurst, in First Lego League, assembling his Lego creation. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Competitions are offered across North America that include popular video games such as Minecraft, Rocket League and more. "We offer those games in a competitive league," says Thomas Giarolamo, head manager. "Kids come in and compete against other teams all around North America at the same time. We have a practice session right after a competition, so kids can note what they did wrong or can improve." Individual courses to improve at a game are also offered.
COST Starting at $30 per class
MORE INFO snapology.com, xpleague.com, 516-785-0080
Go rock climbing at The Gravity Vault
1500 Old Country Rd., Westbury; 40 Melville Park Rd. Melville
The Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gym features 20,000 square feet of indoor climbing terrain. Credit: Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gym
Kids who have never tried rock climbing or want to climb with a few friends can sign up in advance (to ensure an instructor will be available) and climb away. Six-week rock climbing sessions continue throughout the year. Kids will learn climbing techniques, methods and terminology as they learn to scale a 16-foot rock wall or one that is 50 feet high. Kids ages 5-14 are divided by age range. After taking a six-week course, those who want to become more advanced climbers will be evaluated by their instructor. The center offers kids the opportunity to continue mastering climbing with an instructor or to join a rock-climbing team and participate in competitions.
COST Starting at $310 for six-week session, or per hour $25 without instructor, $75 with instructor
MORE INFO Westbury: 516-508-9663; Melville: 516-777-9255; gravityvault.com
Learn about birds at Seatuck Environmental Association
550 S. Bay Ave., Islip
Kindergarten-age kids through third grade can participate in 11-week sessions offered throughout the year. On the 200-acre property that encompasses hiking trails, woods and a pond, explains education director Peter Walsh. "Our mission is the conservation of wildlife, and we take a multiprong approach. Our K-3 program is a lot about giving kids time to explore the ecosystems and fall in love with being in the space." There’s a plan during each class but it can be kid-driven. "There are days when our goal will be to look at trees, so we’ll go out in the woods. Suddenly, if we see a flock of turkeys, now we’re all about turkeys," Walsh says.
Tim Mak pulls Iris, an invasive species, from the pond at the Seatuck Environmental Association in Islip. Credit: Johnny Milano
The 11-week sessions for kids in fourth through sixth grade involve more of a balance between exploring, playing and having a lesson. Walsh says, "The kids study the plants and trees that are here, birds in different locations, invertebrates in the pond, and may be involved in helping us collect some real data for our conservation projects." Teens in the new program (for seventh to 12th graders) work on their own science projects and collect data. "We start to pair them up with our conservation experts," Walsh says. For instance, due to climate change, a nesting colony of birds lost its eggs; teens and staff members considered safer places for the birds to nest and ways to direct the birds there.
COST Starting at $275 for 11-week session
MORE INFO 631-581-6908, seatuck.org
Make a meal at The Cooking Lab
160 Main St., Port Washington
From left, cooking class students Autumn Ciampi, 11, and Emilie Reimbeau, 12, making dough for fettuccine. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Using fresh ingredients and authentic kitchen utensils, kids create their own dishes from start to finish.
Seven-week cooking and baking sessions are offered throughout the school year. Third graders through middle school students can expect to make their own dishes, which can include homemade pasta, chicken teriyaki, vegetable fried rice, cinnamon rolls, meatballs and focaccia bread. Participants make the food and learn how to use different kitchen tools during the sessions.
"Kids have their own sets of ingredients and their own equipment. We don’t dumb it down," says co-owner Michelle Capobianco. "They’re learning knife skills, kitchen safety, how to properly saute, how to use burners and hand mixers, baking techniques, the art of dough making and so much more."
COST Starting at $565 for a seven-week session
MORE INFO 516-570-0050, thecookinglabpw.com
