Needham Community Education

Are you an animal lover? Do you know everything there is to know about sea creatures, amphibians, jungle cats or birds of prey? Do you find yourself stopping to pet every dog, snuggle every kitten or examine every insect? If so, this class is for you! Students will spend the week sharing all the things they love about the magical and mysterious Animal Kingdom. Through art activities, outdoor exploration, theatrical experiences and in-depth conversations, our admiration for the creatures that bring us such joy will grow!

Calling all LEGO lovers! Join us as we dive into bins of LEGO bricks, gadgets and mini figures, encouraging innovation and imagination. We will explore endless possibilities with a huge selection of LEGOs, allowing students to express themselves and their ideas in a multitude of ways. Work both independently and collaboratively to show off your creativity in LEGO building challenges, enjoy some LEGO-themed coloring and take part in other fun LEGO inspired activities.

Explore the natural world on a deeper level in our exciting Nature Art Exploration class. Together students will adventure outdoors, noticing lines, shapes, color, and texture that excite and intrigue them. Gathering or photographing fragments from nature, and noticing details that inspire, students will then create unique and innovative art projects based on observation and conversation. In this mixed-media art class, students will be able to experiment with a variety of materials, while expressing themselves and learning more about the natural beauty that surrounds us!

*NEW* Now open to students entering grades 4-6! Card game enthusiasts and curious creatives will come together to build an interactive Pokémon experience. Using Pokémon and other Trading Card Games as inspiration (such as Magic The Gathering,Yu-Gi-Oh! etc.), students will not only create their own cards but transform into the unique creatures featured in the games, bringing these card games to life. As we learn the ins-and-outs of these fascinating card games, we will use the world around us as a way to dig deeper into the story these card games tell. This class is designed to build communication and collaboration skills, while exploring creative sides through a multiple of art and dramatic play opportunities. So gather up your Pokéballs, it's time for us to "catch them all." All students are welcome -- you do not need to know these games to join in the fun! Note: Students are asked to not bring in cards from home. NCE will provide cards, as needed.

If you are passionate about cooking, crafting and trying out new snacks, then this class is for you! Join in on the fun whipping up delicious snacks perfect for on the go. From Rainbow Fruit Salad to Shark Tank Jell-O to personalized snack mixes – each day you'll proudly take home your tasty creations neatly packaged in trendy, reusable Mason Jars. As the week concludes, we'll compile our recipes into a Snack Attack designed recipe book, allowing you to recreate these delightful treats whenever the craving strikes. Get ready to unleash your creativity in the kitchen and indulge in a week of flavorful fun! Allergy Alert: Children will be eating and/or working with food (including popular allergens such as wheat, dairy, soy, sesame and eggs). No nuts are used in our projects, however, project materials may have been produced in a facility that also processes nuts. Please alert us to any food allergies when registering.

What happens when we think of discarded materials as art tools worthy of our attention? In this class, we will put down our pencils and paintbrushes and pick up newspapers, plastic bottles, cardboard tubes and more as we mess about in open-ended exploration. How many different ways can we use a single material? How big can we go? Can we invent something new or useful? Student artists will flex our skills in improvisation, problem-solving, and collaboration as we sculpt, print, play, and push the limits of recycled media.

Water Engineering is summer fun! Do you like solving problems and building and testing solutions? In Water Engineering, we will explore the properties and power of water through a series of engineering design challenges. Design a boat to hold weight, find the perfect weight to ‘flink’ (not float or sink!), think about the importance of clean drinking water and design water filters, build and test dams made of a variety of materials and more. We will build, test, revise and probably get a little wet—come build with us! Note: Students are encouraged to bring a change of clothes as we will get wet in this class.

Calling all budding wordsmiths and storytellers! Join us for a week of literary exploration and creative expression. In this lively and interactive class, students will embark on a journey through the realms of creative writing, poetry and storytelling. From crafting imaginative tales to penning heartfelt poems, students will unleash their creativity through fun-filled writing exercises, collaborative games, and engaging group activities. They'll share their literary masterpieces and even bring their stories to life through art inspired by their own words. This class promises to ignite a love for language, nurture storytelling skills and cultivate a vibrant community of young writers and poets. So grab your pens, open your minds, and let your imagination soar with "Wordsmiths and Storytellers: Unleash Your Imagination"!