School’s out for the day: Now what?
Connecticut has never had a shortage of after-school programs, and even during a pandemic, there are plenty of options for both in-person classes and virtual offerings during COVID-19. From dance, martial arts and sports to art, STEM and cooking, there is something to suit virtually every interest. Here are just a few:
The New Canaan Recreation Department is presenting beginner and intermediate guitar lessons at Waveny House for grades 3 to 8. New COVID-19 safeguarding procedures mean that all students will be required to wear a face covering during the class, class sizes top off at six, and safe distancing is enforced. newcanaan. info/departments/recreation
Most of the area YMCAs also offer afterschool care but some already have wait lists. Also check with your town’s parks and recreation department for offerings.
Chelsea Piers in Stamford offers instruction in more than a dozen sports programs after school, including gymnastics, swimming, parkour, tennis, squash, soccer, dance, field hockey, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey, figure skating and baseball. chelseapiersct.com
Music on the Hill in Wilton is offering a community children’s chorus, open to grades 3-8, to be conducted weekly on a virtual
basis via Zoom. Led by Artistic Director Ellen Dickinson, the chorus meets Tuesday afternoons through Dec. 15. musiconthehillct.org
Bricks 4 Kidz in Westport and Fairfield has one-hour after-school enrichment classes, including online-only programs that delve into architecture, engineering, and technology using LEGO bricks. Classes are broken down into four-week sessions centered on themes such as space, famous buildings and inventions. bricks4kidz.com
Mad Science of Fairfield and New Haven counties is keeping the focus of its virtual afterschool programs fun and educational. Its handson science programs explore varied science topics from electricity and magnetism to optics and biology. connecticut.madscience.org
Happy Code Club in Stamford traditionally offers programs on-site through its school district partners but has upped its online class offerings, including private and semi-private classes in such programs as Scratch, Roblox and AppInventor. happycodeclub.com
iD Tech also has fall coding youth classes for ages 7-17, including Roblox, Minecraft, Java, Python, and YouTube. Knowing that the more the merrier and kids often have more fun and learn better in a group setting with friends, they are forming fall squads. Up to four other students can join in per session. Weekly sessions run Monday to Thursday. idtech.com
Westport Continuing Education
several fall sessions of after-school clubs for kindergarten through grade
will have 5 at Kings Highway Elementary School, led by Westport Public Schools teachers. “PM / PE is going to look a little different this year! Kids will enjoy movement, games, after-school fun, and time to ‘chillax,’” according to its website. Classes include Aerospace Engineer, iCook, Chess Club, Create-a-Comin, and Kempo Karate, among others. All in-person, afterschool programs are limited to the students attending that school but online/live remote programs are open to all area students. These classes will use Google Meet or Zoom. westportsummerschool.com
The Enchanted Garden
in Ridgefield is holding afterschool, in-person programs such as break dance, ballet, tap, jazz and hip-hop dance, plus instrument and voice lessons ( but the latter two are also offered as a virtual option). Enchantedgardenstudios.com
Common Ground’s
after- school program in New Haven is currently full but has a waiting list for its Kids Unplugged after- school nature- based recreation program for grades K- 6 that aims to get kids unplugged and outdoors, whether it’s hiking, snowshoeing, cooking from the on- site farm, caring for farm animals and more. It runs Tuesdays-Thursdays from 3 to 5: 30 p. m. Commongroundct. org
Happy Hands Art & Pottery
has a variety of art programs that lets children embrace their creative side — from pottery to clay making — after school in its Fairfield and Wilton locations. It has a program open by registration through Wilton’s Parks and Recreation Department, as well as drop-in and paint sessions at both centers. Sessions include gym/game activities, art activities, and study hour. Pottery to go and virtual pottery classes are also available. hhpottery.com
The Boys and Girls Club of Lower Naugatuck Valley
has reopened its Raymond P. Lavietes Clubhouse, which is available to students at Shelton Public Schools, grades K-8. The clubhouse is open full days in support of the hybrid opening model. In keeping with CDC recommendations, students will be grouped by cohorts and each group size is limited to 14 members. bgc-lnv.org
Parents and students can choose from a range of programs, either on-site or conducted virtually. While this school year is far from normal, after-school classes can help students feel a return to normalcy and allow for some socializing in a fun setting even while safe distancing practices are put into place.