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Things to Do > Programs > Recreation, Arts, and Educational Programs

Recreation, Arts, and Educational Programs

Programs are subject to change.


Parks Summer Camps
Chess-in-the-Schools | Computer Resource Centers (CRC)
Mobile Recreation | Summer Festivals | Rock 'n Rollerblade
Skate Parks | Performance Project
Environmental Studies | Alley Pond Adventure


Summer Programs

Parks Summer Camps
Parks & Recreation operates Summer Day Camps citywide in July and August for children ages 6 to 13. All Parks' summer camps are permitted by the Department of Health's Day Camp Bureau.

Camps offer day-long activities for children that incorporate the arts, athletics, fitness, computer instruction, education and fun. Campers take at least two field trips per week to some of New York's great cultural and educational institutions.

Visit our Parks Summer Camps page for a list of summer camps.


Playground Associate Program
Through this program, committed and caring adults provide organized programs and increase the cleanliness and safety of parks and playgrounds, making them safe havens for the children and families of the surrounding neighborhood. Activities include sports, board games, arts and crafts, tournaments, water games, organized walks, and more!

The Playground Associate Program is taking place at 121 parks & playgrounds citywide in Summer 2006! Click here for a list of sites.

 

MPhotograph of kids and Skatemobiles at Experience Spring eventobile Units

Mobile recreation vans travel citywide providing equipment and instructional activities for community events, including in-line skating, baseball, arts & crafts, sports & fitness activities, and miniature golf.

Learn more about the Mobile Units, including how to reserve one for an event.

Download a Mobile Unit Application (PDF, 28 KB)

 

Summer Festivals
A day of free outdoor activities for kids and their families to enjoy! Featuring arts, crafts, food, music, games and much more! Search for "summer festival" on our Upcoming Events page for a list of Parks Summer Festivals coming up.

 

Parks Afterschool

Photograph of child doing homework in after school program

On any afternoon of the week, visit one of 35 locations and you will see children participating in a wide variety of educational and recreational programming. Three thousand children are served by the Parks Afterschool Program between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m, the hours when children are most vulnerable. In addition to homework help, arts & crafts, and sports instruction, Parks Afterschool youth also work with specialized consultants with expertise in visual arts, drama, fitness, literacy, music and creative writing. Under the consultants' guidance, children have written poetry and newsletters, learned and performed dance, drama and music, and enhanced their athletic skills.

Parks Afterschool adds continuity to children's lives and strengthens their sense of belonging in the neighborhoods where they live. Our tradition of Afterschool programming is more than 50 years old.

Chess-in-the-Schools
Since 1999, Parks and Chess-in-the-Schools (CIS) have collaborated as partners in the promotion of chess for children throughout New York City.

CIS has provided chess instructors for our Afterschool Programs at Lost Battalion Hall(LBH) , Pelham Fritz, and St. James Recreation Centers. They have also provided books and equipment for our children. In addition, Parks has hosted chess tournaments at both LBH and Al Smith Rec Center, typically drawing over 100 children both from our Afterschool Program as well as from the outside. CIS also co-sponsors the annual Chess-in-the- Parks Rapid Open held at Bethesda Fountain, which attracts hundreds of players each year, both children and adults.

Photograph of children in a Parks Computer Resource Center

Computer Resource Centers (CRCs)
Parks & Recreation runs 19 Computer Resource Centers. These centers are equipped with state of the art equipment and are open to both children and adults. Instructional classes are offered in word processing, graphic design, and Internet use.

Learn more about the CRCs

Photograph of skateboarder at Forest Park Skate Park in QueensSkate Parks

Parks has 6 skate parks that offer an opportunity for individuals to perfect their skills on in-line skates, skateboards, and bikes.
Learn more about the Parks skate parks, including locations and rules & regulations.

Environmental Studies
The Youth Environmental Sciences Society (YESS), formerly known as Friends of Fishes, combines an intense environmental curriculum with hands on experience exposing New York children to the wonders of nature. Children watch whales, tag and release striped bass, camp at Black Rock Forest, comb beaches, go sailing in a glass bottom boat, study the stars, and create their own flower pressing kits.

Joint programs with the Urban Park Rangers

Alley Pond Adventure
This year, Recreation worked closely with the Urban Park Rangers to show children that nature can be found in the heart of New York City. We hosted our first campout in Alley Pond Park. Campers canoed, fished, and hiked with the Rangers. Recreation also offered programs each Saturday at Alley Pond Nature Center. Highlights include nature tours, orienteering sessions, plant and tree identification, compass reading, animal identification, and environmental art projects.

Learn more about the Alley Pond Adventure Program

Related Information

City Parks Foundation Programs
City Parks Foundation offers a variety of free recreational programs in all five boroughs, including CityParks Tennis, CityParks Golf, and the CityParks Track & Field program.

Urban Park Rangers

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