MONDAY

Grade: K

Ceramics with Created by Kids: Most arts are purely decorative, but ceramic pieces have long been a useful part of our everyday life. As budding ceramic artists, students will be working in both two and three-dimensional forms. Using a wide range of hand-building techniques like pinching, coiling, and slab assembly to create free-standing objects and functional items (they can actually use!) We'll introduce a special paint called glaze, which is used on the surface of the clay to create designs and patterns, allowing students to find their own artistic style. All these projects are taken back to our studio and fired on our kiln. This class is sure to help mold your child's creativity!

Splat Lab is a unique and highly engaging class that mixes play, art, STEM, and creativity all into one magical experience. Every class has 4 different stations every week. We always have cool new projects every semester so kids will always have something new to look forward to! We open the session with a welcome circle. Then youth can move in and out of stations. The “main splat” stations include fun things like: rainbow foam, quicksand, and fizz balls. “Open Splats” include activities like: pizza necklaces, pipe cleaner puppets, and cup castles. We end with a closing circle to reflect on the fun and give shout-outs.

Grades: 1 - 2

Ready Set Chess: Beginner chess players will enjoy thinking strategically and rising to new challenges in this workshop. Students who are new to the game will learn all the rules for a legal game of chess, and will be introduced to tactics such as the pin, fork, and skewer, as well as basic checkmating patterns. Students will learn from the best by studying the games of famous chess masters, such as World Champion Magnus Carlsen, and American greats Paul Morphy and Bobby Fischer. Each semester will culminate with an in-class chess tournament, complete with prizes and trophies, through which students will be able to put into practice all they have learned.

Carioca Capoeira: Mix of Brazilian martial art and dance bringing together beauty and power, developing mental balance, physical conditioning, self-defense, music, and a profound sense of art and culture. Batizado at the end of the year brings together capoeira Masters from all over the country.

Mind Masters w/Brooklyn Strategist: (Grades 1-2) This problem-solving series is for children that demonstrate an affinity for strategic thinking. We introduce these gamers to a wide range of game genres from ancient strategy to modern board games. Throughout the program, players will explore deeper strategy elements and multidimensional thinking. As always, participants will also focus on issues of good sportsmanship while simultaneously trying to outwit and out strategize their opponents. Games played may include: 7 Wonders, Carcassone, Settlers of Catan, Scrabble, Boggle, Sushi Go!, Splendor, Dragonwood, Machi Koro, Ticket to Ride, Small World, and many more!

Grades: 3 - 5

Character Drawing Art Class with Private Picassos: Loving Luigi? Ecstatic about Elsa? Join our new character drawing class! Each week we’ll vote for a different character to draw and then create our own detailed portraits. We’ll explore pencil sketching, colored pencils, oil pastels, markers and watercolor in this portrait-focused class.

Musical Theatre Lab with Child's Play NY: Learn how to be a triple threat in this dynamic class for budding performers with Child's Play NY. Students focus on songs, dances and characters from one of Broadway's most celebrated and kid-friendly shows. They work alongside professional performers with years of experience bringing their passion to children. Students amass skills in singing, dance, speech, and improvisation taught by master teachers and performers at the top of their field. Class culminates in a showcase on the last day!

Child's Play NY is a Brooklyn-based company founded in 2009, committed to offering a diverse array of theater arts classes for children. They believe studying the art of acting encourages kids to be even more creative, collaborative and compassionate human beings. Since their inception, Child's Play NY has touched the lives of thousands of students, worked inside dozens of schools and is consistently ranked as among the top theater arts programs. They are the winners of Brooklyn Parent’s Family Choice award for Best Performing Arts Class.

TUESDAY

Grade: K

Imagination Adventure with Treasure Trunk Theatre: Act, Move, Create, and Play… Where will your imagination take you today? In this class, children will go on a dramatic adventure that begins with the opening of the treasure trunk. The props and costumes inside the trunk provide the spark that inspires a story that we will create using our voices, bodies, and imaginations. Children will learn how to work together as an ensemble and explore the art of improvisation. This class provides a great way for children to begin incorporating dramatic arts into storytelling. Every class is a new adventure!

Grades: 1 - 2

Gymnastics: This is our afterschool workshop for kindergarteners at BNS. Class is 60 minutes long and includes a warm up, basic gymnastics skills and positions, stations on rotating equipment, games and more! Children work towards goals throughout the semester for an opportunity to add stickers to their chart. At the end of the session we invite families to join us as we put on a showcase!

Cosmic Art with Private Picaassos: Kids will take to the sky and explore outer space in this fun art class! We’ll learn about the planets by creating our own 3D solar system, pretend we’re astronauts as we build paper mache rocket ships and pretend we’re using the Webb telescope to create galaxy paintings.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Superkid!! Join CinemaKidz as we invent, design, and become an original superhero to star in a short film! Participants will begin with drafting up a look and power for their hero. Using the CinemaKidz costume kit, children will then learn to create a costume and build props for their original character. After storyboarding a short film and making a comic, kids will then learn to use a green screen and film a short video to star in! Participants will learn how to add special effects and bring their character to life for the big screen, as they create their superhero action film.

Grades: 3 - 5

Intro to Role Playing Games (RPG) for (Grades 2-3):This program will introduce players to the core concepts of tabletop role play and teach the rules of a few beginner-friendly game systems. Tabletop Roleplaying Games (RPGs) are narrative game systems that encourage cooperation, decision-making and creative thinking. RPG players are immersed in a shared story-telling experience as they work together to overcome obstacles and solve problems.

Advanced RPGs: (Grades 3-4) This advanced RPG class offers a more in depth and rewarding experience for participants who are ready for higher level campaigning. Our counselors will be offering more creative freedom, chances for independent exploration, and complex RPG story lines. Participants will be expected to work in a team, communicate effectively, and show curiosity towards the finer points of the game. In addition, group leadership (Game Master) opportunities will also be available for interested participants.

THURSDAY

Grades: 1 - 2

Taylor Swift: Make a Musical with Treasure Trunk: If your kiddo is in their Taylor Swift era, this class is for them! Students will take some of their favorite Swifty songs and weave them together to collaborate on their very own mini musical, which they group will perform at the end of the semester!

Graffiti and Street Art with Created by Kids: From curated murals to renegade street art, New York City is covered in bright, colorful works on every corner. In this unique after school class students will learn to recognize and appreciate the art they see in the streets every day, and we’ll study specific street artists and muralists for inspiration. From graffiti lettering to wheatpaste to stencils to mosaics, students will make their own versions of this popular style of art, while developing an understanding of why some artists prefer to share their art outside museums and galleries.

Grades: 3 - 5

Embark on a captivating journey through Greek and Roman mythology with CinemaKidz! Gods, heroes, and mythical creatures come alive through stop motion and live action films. Kids will dive into a classic myth of their choice to remake: building props, ruins, characters, costumes, and monsters. Once we've learned and practiced the FUNdamentals of Art Direction and Filmmaking from start to finish, participants then make their own Odyssey, as they write, plan, direct, and act in a short mythological film project. The class will culminate in a showcase of both written stories, video projects, and costumes and props to share with friends and family!

FRIDAY

Grade: K

Recycled Art with Private Picassos: Young artists will use a variety of recycled materials to create 2-3 dimensional artwork. Possible projects include:

junk printmaking

recycled robot creation

paper making

city creation

Gymnastics: This is our afterschool workshop for 1st/2nd grade at BNS. Class is 60 minutes long and includes a warm up, basic/intermediate gymnastics skills and positions, stations on rotating equipment, games and more! Children work towards goals throughout the semester for an opportunity to add stickers to their chart. At the end of the session we invite families to join us as we put on a showcase!

Grades: 1 - 2

Splat Lab is a unique and highly engaging class that mixes play, art, STEM, and creativity all into one magical experience. Every class has 4 different stations every week. We open the session with a welcome circle. Then youth can move in and out of stations. The “main splat” stations include fun things like: rainbow snow, moon sand with animals, and ooblek. “Open Splats” include activities like: dot snakes, pipe cleaner puppets, and cup castles. We end with a closing circle to reflect on the fun and give shout-outs. We ensure each age group has projects that will be engaging and hands on for their development.

Magic Treehouse musicals: The spinning treehouse is off on adventures so hop aboard with Jack and Annie! We’ll go back in time to the land of knights and dinosaurs, and even venture, to the deep sea and outer space! Led by professionally-trained actors, kids flex their imaginative muscles and learn the basics of vocal warm-ups, character development, singing and choreography. Alongside learning songs from the Magic Treehouse musicals, students will create an original story, performed on the last day of class. Merlin’s missions await!

Grades: 3 - 5

Comics & Digital Animation CinemaKid: Learn all about film shot composition, storyboarding, and visual storytelling by making your own comic book and digital animation! Participants will improve their drawing skills through the staging and drafting of an original visual story concept they create on paper. Teachers work with students to help them understand how to use the landscape of each panel and page to create a dynamic story with a delicate balance of artwork and language. Participants will dive into drawing techniques and create original characters and personalities. Next, the comic will be translated into a digital drawing, as kids learn to bring their comic to life using Procreate! Kids will learn frame-by-frame animation and make a short animation.

Graphic Novels with Created by Kids: A picture is worth a thousand words, and in our comics-focused after school class, we’ll learn to wield both! From graphic novels to storyboards, students will explore new ways to share both personal and fictional narratives. We’ll take a closer look at how these beloved stories come to life, seeing how writers and illustrators work together to turn zany ideas to captivating panels on the page. We’ll hone basic drawing skills like proportion, shading, and perspective as we create our own long-format graphic novel throughout the session, picking up some bookbinding know-how along the way. We’ll also create distinctive mixed media pieces inspired by illustrators in the field, learning to convey emotion, mood, and narrative through color, shape, and line. Our explorations of frame layout and sequential storytelling will empower kids to communicate complex ideas with a creative emphasis, and find out why it’s become a Golden Age for the Graphic Novel!