The Lower School Afternoon Enrichment Program provides athletic, academic and art offerings in Kindergarten through IIIrd Form. Athletics vary seasonally with a focus on teaching good sportsmanship, rules of the game and teamwork. Visual and performing art offerings focus on experimentation, creative expression and skill development. Activities vary by term. Students are welcome to participate daily from 3:15-4:15 p.m. IIIrd Form students may try out for Upper School athletic teams.

 

 

Activities

• Winter Fun (Kindies–IIIrd Form): Experience the wonders of winter this season. In this “winter wonderland” activity, students will explore the woods, boot skate on the ponds, sled down many of the hills on campus, make snowpeople, build snow forts, create snow angels, and do anything else their outdoor imaginations inspire. It’s all about being outside, so bundle up: hats, gloves, snow pants, and boots.

• Yoga and Creative Movement (Kindies-IIIrd Form): Join Barbie and Jessie from Inner Child Yoga in Newtown (www.innerchildyoga.net) for a fun-filled hour of creative movement, poses, games, breathing, and relaxation.  Your child will tune into their body, integrate their mind, learn strategies for self/emotional regulation and leave feeling calm and confident. There is a fee for this activity. 

• Clay (Pre-Primes-IIIrd Form):  Discover the magic of clay! Explore texture, color, and shape while building technical skills as they create a wide variety of awesome creations, both sculptural and functional. Each class session will introduce a new technique, and all artwork will be glazed by the students before they take it home. All glazes used will be food safe.

• Indoor Sportsmania (Pre-Primes–IIIrd Form): Each week, this group will play a sport such as floor hockey, soccer, whiffle ball, kickball, badminton, etc. Sportsmania is an excellent activity for children interested in trying a variety of sports.

• Construction Zone (Pre-Prime-Primes): Building and creating structures is the focus of this activity!  Be ready to sculpt with playdough, build Legos, create with boxes, and design blanket forts.  We will focus on a different type of construction each week.

• Blue Dog Sewing Club (Primes-IIIrd Form): Have you ever wanted to try your hand at stitching something by hand? Or maybe you have a sewing project you’ve been working on but haven’t found time to complete. Either way, this is the time to get creative with your fellow fabric artists, where we will gather each week to share ideas and see what our imaginations can design with a needle and thread.

• Woodshop with Mr. Lord and Mr. Travers (Ist-IIIrd Form): Ever wanted to build something out of wood or use certain tools in your parent’s toolbox?  If so, join Mr. Lord and Mr. Travers in our woodshop and help build a variety of things such as chairs, bird feeders, and much more!

• Wintertime Artists and Authors (Kindies-Primes): Let’s celebrate the season of snow by digging into some great books and using their illustrations to inspire our own art! Each week, we’ll read a different picture book, study the illustrators’ techniques and materials, and make a project based on what we learn. We’ll explore a variety of styles, methods, and art supplies to create our own wintertime art.

• Winter Survival Skills with Pratt Nature Center (Primes–IIIrd Form): Join Diane from the Pratt Nature Center and try out wilderness survival techniques while exploring our campus' beautiful forests. Participants in this activity will learn how to start a fire (with and without matches), track animals, build shelters, cook food without electricity or gas, and, well, the possibilities are endless. In general, this is an activity for students that love the great outdoors. There is a fee for this activity. 

• Tang Soo Do (Kindies-IIIrd Form): USA Martial Arts will offer a balanced martial arts training program by incorporating Cheezic Tang Soo Do forms (kata), kicks and hand techniques, self-defense, and conditioning into an all-encompassing program that will train your total mind and body. A concentration on discipline, focus, and self-confidence are incorporated into each class. Through various karate drills and techniques, students will learn respect and to respect others. The goal is to have the children embrace the fundamentals of Tang Soo Do while having fun. There is a fee for this activity.

• Legomania (Kindies-Primes): Join us for a Lego building afternoon activity.  We'll spread out the Lego bricks and build, build, build!  As the winter goes by, we'll take on new challenges each week and perhaps work towards a group creation. 

• Games, Puzzles, & Books by the Fire (Kindies-IIIrd Form): Spend the afternoon in Farmen Hall in front of the fire, sharing books, playing games, and working on puzzles with your friends. You pick the muse that fits your mood each day you attend. 

• Fiber Arts 2.0 (Pre-Primes–IIIrd Form): In this activity, students will learn various techniques for working with fabric and textiles. Traditional and experimental materials will be used to explore such techniques as finger weaving, felt creations, loom weaving, and found object piecework. Students will need to bring one old t-shirt each that can be cut up for one of our activities.

• Dodgeball (Ist-IIIrd Form): All types of dodgeball games will be played in this high-action, adrenaline-filled activity. Students in this activity should not be afraid of getting hit with balls!

• Small-Group Tennis Lessons (Pre-Primes-IIIrd Form - limited to 6 students per day): Join Brian Bucknam from the Washington Country Club and work on your tennis game. Rumsey’s AEP tennis program will follow the guidelines of the USTA Quick Start Program with equipment appropriate to students’ size. Students need their own tennis rackets for this activity. There is a fee for this activity. 

• Study Club (Ist–IIIrd Form): Is your schedule too busy? Do you want to have more free time at home? Study Club is your chance to get your homework done before you leave the school campus. Teachers provide a quiet atmosphere; you provide the brainpower. The supervising teacher is always there to help.

• Fridays in the Neighborhood (Kindies–IIIrd Form): As part of our whole-child approach, Lower School students have additional free play and exploration time on Fridays from 3 to 4:15 p.m. This allows students unstructured time to enjoy the company of friends at the end of a busy week while at the same providing opportunities to develop new friendships across grade levels. When the weather is cooperating, students will be outside playing with one another (field games, playground time, arts at the tables, sledding, boot skating, ice skating, etc.). When the weather is not cooperating, students will head inside in cohorts to do free art and play board games with their friends. Families do not need to sign up for Fridays in the Neighborhood as all are welcome to stay as often as they like.