The Houlton Parks and Recreation Department will be open with the following activities during the December school vacation break. All programs require registration. To register call the Houlton Recreation Department at 532-1310 by Dec. 21.
Vacation Fun Program will be held Wednesday Dec. 28 and Friday, Dec. 30 for grades pre-K to sixth from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Cost is $5 per child per day. The minimum limit to hold the program will be 10 children and the maximum taken will be 24. The schedule of activities includes crafts and games on Wednesday and “Sports-mania” on Friday. Be sure to pack a lunch and drink for both days.
Indoor Tennis Lessons will be held Tuesday, Dec. 27 and Thursday, Dec. 29 The first two groups are for participants 8-10 years of age from 8:15-9 a.m. or from 9:15-10 a.m. The last age group, 11-13, will hold lessons from 10:15-11 a.m. Cost is $3 per class per student, with a limit of 12 youth per class. Rackets will be provided. Participants need to wear sneakers and comfortable clothes.
Sneakin’ In Science Program is set for Thursday, Dec. 29 from 9-10:30 a.m. at the rec center for ages 7-12. Cost is $12 per child, with a limit of 15 children. Instructor is Sara McQuarrie. The program activity is called “Rocks, Rock.” If anyone likes to collect rocks then the child will love the class. Learn about how rocks form and what makes certain rocks valuable. Search for your own minerals and keep what you find. Children will also crack geodes that they can keep.
Open gym and game room hours during school vacation will be as follows: Monday, Dec. 26 – Friday, Dec. 30, 1-4 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 31, 1-3 p.m. Youth grades 2-12 are invited to the rec center during these hours. If younger, youth must be with an adult. The gym and game room will be open to all during these hours.
Sneakin’ In Science January Program
The Houlton Recreation Department will be offering this popular program again for four weeks in January. Dates for the program will be each Wednesday in January 4, 11, 18 and 25. The class will be held from 6-7 p.m. for ages 7-12 years of age. Cost for this session will be $40 per child.
The activities will consist of:
Who cooks for you? In this class participants will dissect owl pellets to find bones of the animals the owl ate. Those attending will put the bones together to try to reconstruct the organism. Participants keep what they make! Learn about owls, hear some of their calls and understand the food chain.
Make a Rainbow—Ever wonder how a rainbow is formed? Participants learn how in this exciting class! Participants will mix together lots of colors and even make colors appear out of nowhere. It’s not magic, it’s science! Make a cool lava lamp toy to take home.
Sounds like Fun—Why are some sounds loud and some soft? Learn all about sound waves, how sound travels and make some awesome noise makers to take home.
Mad Scientist—So you’ve mixed baking soda and vinegar? That’s nothing compared to what we’ll whip up in this class! Make some cool “goo” to take home.
Instructor for the programs will be Sara McQuarrie. Registration is required by Dec. 21.
Each session will feature hands-on experiments and youth will bring home projects. It is 100 percent science fun and McQuarrie might even “sneak” in a little learning along the way!
MRPA/Maine Red Claws Hot Shot Basketball Program
The Maine Recreation and Parks Association, in conjunction with the Maine Red Claws, invite all youth to participate in the 2012 Hot Shot Basketball Program at the Houlton Recreation Department.
Hot Shot involves a youngster shooting a basketball from five hot spots on half of a court in a one-minute time period. Local, regional and state shoot-offs will be held in February and March with times and dates to be announced at the first practice.
Age divisions are: girls and boys, 9-10 ; 11-12 and 13-15. Practice time starts Wednesday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Cost is $10 for Houlton residents amd$15 for non-Houlton residents. Non-residents can only sign up if their town is not holding this event. Contestants must participate in their own towns.
Registration is required by calling 532-1310 by Jan. 9.
