Longview Parks & Rec Classes

To register for any class: Call Longview Recreation at 442.5400 or register online at www.mylongview.com/reconline

Reptile Roadshow
Enjoy a unique learning experience with live, exotic reptiles and amphibians. Featuring an in depth information and hands-on opportunities with snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, and more.
Class is for those ages 6 to 12, Thurs, Feb 2 through 23 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club Building, 835 21st Ave in Longview. The instructor is Garth Pithan and fee is $35 in-city or $40 out-of-city.  Register #131048

Zumbatomic® Kids
Children 8 to 12 years will love the Zumbatomic® fitness program for kids.  It’s a fast-forward fusion of the Zumba program’s moves (salsa, cumbia, reggaeton, hip-hop and more) and high-octane workouts designed to let kids max out on fun and fitness all at the same time.
Safe and effective, kids can’t wait to get into the Zumbatomic groove.  Class is Thurs. February 2 through 23 from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. at The Woman’s Club Building, 835 21st ave in Longview. The instructor is Tracy Davis and the fee is $30 in-city or $35 out-of-city. Register for session #131100

Spy Kidz Club
Sherlock Holmes and CSI watch out!  Solve mysterious crimes using science experiments, breaking codes, discovering fingerprints and looking for clues.
Class is for those ages 7 to 12, Wed, Feb 1 through 22 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at The Woman’s Club, 835 21st Ave.
The instructor is Jamie Peters and fee is $32 in-city or $37 out-of-city.  Register for #131051

Hip Hop
Learn the latest hip hop moves and dance to some of the latest hip hop artists. Learn routines to perform for your family and friends at last class.
Hip hop is great exercise and encourages coordination and creativity. Class for ages 7 to 11, is Wed, Feb 1 through 22, from 5:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the High Step Dance Academy, 3303 Washington Way in Longview. The fee is $32 in-city or $37 out-of-city. Register for session #131096

Ceramics 101
Have fun stimulating your imagination while painting a project of your choice. Participants will work on projects and learn glazing and acrylic techniques.
Class for ages 7 to 12, is every Tuesday from Jan 31 through Feb 21, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Jan’s Ceramics, 1223 Commerce Ave. The instructor is Esther Kimbell and the fee is $35 in-city or $40 out-of-city. Register for session #131045

There’s imagination in that-there snow…

It’s January, with snow potentially on the ground, how are you going to keep the kids entertained?
Although in our neck of the woods, we don’t see much snow at our sea-level altitude, there has been some cause for at least being prepared for when the time hits.
When it does, we encourage you to send the kids outside, they probably won’t need much encouragement, and give them a few ideas to run with.
Of course, it’d be MUCH more fun if some adults joined them, and showed them what a real snowball fight or snow igloo fort was like….
The usual snowball fights and building snowmen come to mind but they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
To build something else, various sizes and shapes of building blocks can be fashioned from molds using household items. These include plastic totes, tubs and buckets of any size.
Think big. Forts, igloos and castles are fun to build. For the more artistic, containers like funnels can be used to make turrets and spires.
Imaginative subjects could be works of architectural greatness, like the Taj Mahal. How do you make a top for India’s famous palace? Take a bowl and pack it with snow for the dome itself and use a thin funnel to create the spire.
Wet snow always works best. Dry snow will work, but it takes a little more patience and agility to make your project a lasting one.
It’s tricky building an igloo by staggering the blocks to balance on top one another as construction tapers its way to the top. Go slow.
Snow forts can be a two-phase endeavor, the first being construction and the second destruction as family members and pals choose sides for attacks on the opponent army’s engineering prowess.
To make a fluffy snow project last longer, spray it with a mist of water to create a thin but sturdy coating of ice.
While there many Internet sites dealing with snow projects, a good starting place is www.squidoo.com/fun-things-to-do-with-snow, which discusses in detail everything from snowballs and sleds to igloos and ice sculptures.

‘Good Old Fashioned Gaming’

We have been having a fun time playing some board games with our grandkids. Until lately it was the usual children’s games of Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land and a few others that leave this grandmother not too challenged. Sometimes kids need to learn about being a good loser and gracious winner, while playing games. I don’t think this is very natural and takes patience and maturity on the child’s part for that to happen. But one way is to help teach is to play games with them and also to talk about it.
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A Splashing Good Time

This month for a fun thing to do, I took my grandchildren swimming. We checked out two swimming pools, one close – the Longview YMCA, and one about 45 minutes away – the Astoria Aquatic Center.
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Art Field Trip

Art Field Trip: My grandchildren are home schooled and I’m their art teacher. Usually they come over on Tuesday mornings at 8:30 and we do artful things until about 11:30.  My art studio is in a converted garage and is heated with a wood stove. The room has lots of windows and wonderful light. A couple of weeks ago it was so cold that I didn’t think the wood stove would get it heated enough to have the kids out there for 3 hours so I decided to take them on a field trip.
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Breakfast with Santa

Tickets will sell out quick for the annual Breakfast with Santa on Sat, Dec. 5 at the Red Lion Hotel. You may choose from meal times at 8:30 am (#84795) or 10:45 am (#84796). This great family event includes breakfast, crafts, entertainment, prizes, and gift for only $8 per person. Photos with Santa are available. There are no tickets sold at the door so register now online at www.mylongview.com/reconline or call 442-5400.

A Christmas Tea

Last year I was looking in my cupboard of good china that my husband’s mother and grandmother had passed down to me. I noticed the beautiful tea cups that his Grandma Hicks had collected in the 1940s and 50s on her visits to Vancouver BC. I just never seemed to use those tea cups. So I had a thought – why not have a Christmas Tea Party with my 7 year old granddaughter, Molly. I asked her if she would like to have a couple of friends over for Tea and she was very enthusiastic about it. Read more

Fireside chat with Santa!

My grandchildren were dressed in their Christmas finest. They looked so cute and they were excited as they came up the driveway. They knew they would be talking to Santa and telling him their wishes for Christmas. We greeted them at the photography studio door and took their coats. They were talking a mile a minute and wanted to know if Santa was there. Read more

Our “Forest Hike”

I was thinking of my next adventure to share with you, so I asked my grandkids what they would like to do. They said they would like to go for a hike in a forest.
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Train Robbery on the 5:00

Cost: $14 for adults, $13 for seniors, and $10 for children 4 to 16

Last week I took my three grandchildren, their parents, my hubby and my father on a Chehalis-Centrailia Steam Train ride. Three generations – everyone wanted a ride on a steam train. Read more

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