Education

Lynchburg Parks and Recreation

Acting Director: Kent White

Arts – Pottery

Youth Pottery

Ages 7 - 13

Youth will learn multiple pottery techniques including hand building and glazing during this 4-week class. Taught by Barb Sydnor, the children’s pottery class is a great way for kids to learn pottery skills while getting their hands dirty. Kids will have multiple projects at the end of the session to take home. Register by 5/30.

LR $45.00 / NR $55.00; Jackson Heights:

Pottery Level 1 | Beginner (Mon)

Ages 15+

Participants will delve into an 8-week in-depth class featuring wheel thrown and hand-built pottery basics. Enjoy a small class setting with opportunities for growth through ardent instructor attention. All supplies included. Register 3 days in advance.

LR $160.00 / NR $175.00; Jackson Heights:

Pottery Mixed Level (Wed)

Ages 15+

Beginner and intermediate potters are welcome! Beginner potters will be introduced to a studio setting and learn hand-building and wheel throwing techniques. Intermediate potters are welcome to work on their own independent projects, both hand-built and wheel. Outside glazes must be approved before firing. Register by 3 days in advance.

LR $170.00 / NR $185.00; Jackson Heights:

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Leaf Imprint Dish Workshop - NEW

Ages 16+

Create your own leaf imprint dish using hand building techniques! Leaves provided or bring a few from your own from your backyard! Register by 6/21.

LR $25.00 / NR $30.00; Jackson Heights: 6/24 - 6/24: Sat 11:00AM - 12:00PM

Camps

Make & Bake Camp

Ages 6 - 9

Explore new baking skills and recipes that will sure to impress the best of bakers! Young bakers will take field trips to bakeries and restaurants and learn the inside scoop on what goes on behind the scenes to make delicious treats! Bakers will create from scratch a fresh baked treat every day while learning specialty baking skills and safety. The last day of camp will conclude with a tasting for family members to sample and admire the fabulous treats. Register by 6/8.

LR $220.00 / NR $235.00; Miller Center; 6/12 - 6/16: Mon - Fri 8:30AM - 1:00PM

Master Chef Jr, Punch & Munch NEW

Ages 10 - 13

Explore the culinary industry from the ground up! Campers will visit local restaurants, learn techniques from community professionals, and punch through a wall of mystery ingredients to create a masterpiece. They'll also learn kitchen safety and specialized cooking techniques. End the week with a reception for families to sample the delicious creations! Register by 7/6. Please send your camper with a water bottle and snack. Lunch is provided daily. If your child has any food allergies, please contact paula.kepel@lynchburgva.gov so we can adequately prepare or find safe alternatives.

LR $220.00 / NR $235.00; Miller Center: 7/10 - 7/14: Mon - Fri 8:30AM - 1:00PM

Discovery Camp NEW

Ages 8 - 11

Let your imagination run wild at Discovery Camp! Each day, campers will have the opportunity to go on a different adventure and explore new activities such as canoeing, swimming, pottery, culinary, and painting. Transportation provided from the Miller Center. Register by 7/20.

Schedule:

• Monday-Ivy Creek, canoeing

• Tuesday-Miller Center-painting

• Wednesday-Miller Park, swimming

• Thursday-Miller Center-culinary

• Friday-Jackson Heights Art Studio, pottery

Please send your camper with a water bottle and snack. On Monday and Wednesday, please bring a bathing suit or wear one under clothing and bring a towel and sunscreen.

LR $125.00/NR $150.00; Miller Center: 7/24 - 7/28: Mon-Fri - 9:00AM - 12:30PM

Storybook Adventure Camp

Ages 7 - 11

Join Ms. Frizzle and the Magic Green Bus for a fun filled camp of stories, activities, and adventure! Campers will explore the local Lynchburg Library. Then on other days, after reading a Magic School Bus book, campers will partake in STEAM activities and field trips that follow the books' storyline. Field Trips include the Lynchburg Library, The Legacy Museum, a beekeeper, and SeaQuest and more. Kids should come prepared to get messy, have fun, and explore the world! Register by 8/3. Please send your camper with a water bottle and snack.

LR $125.00 / NR $150.00; Miller Center: 8/7 - 8/11: Mon - Fri 9:00AM - 12:30PM

College Hill Summer Teen Futures Camp, 6/7-8/4: M-F, 11:00am-4:00pm

Ages 13-18

Teen Futures Camp is a career focused camp. Local business owners and community leaders will invest time teaching skills needed for future success. Activities will include going to local sites for "hands on" experiences and showing the teens various career opportunities available to them in a fun, recreation setting. In partnership with Lynchburg City Schools, USDA meals are provided and must be consumed on site. Contact neighborhood centers for lunch and snack serving times.

Enrichment

Children’s Song & Dance Hour with Sara Ernst - NEW

Ages 2 - 9

Award-winning children's musician, Sara Ernst, invites families to join her on a magical musical journey. Designed for ages 2-9, this special program includes Sara's original songs, stories, and movement. Through imagination, feelings, movement and nature, children and adults alike will be inspired and delighted. Create lasting memories while being immersed in a fun and interactive experience. Arrive between 10:00am and 10:15am to make a one-of-a-kind music shaker to use during the program and take home after the program. Music begins at 10:30am in the grassy area beside the Miller Center. Each child must be registered, parents are free. Homeschoolers are welcome. Register by 8/22.

LR $13.00 / NR $15.00; Miller Center: 8/24 - 8/24: Thu 10:00AM - 11:30AM

Naturalist Youth Programs

Great Cardboard Boat Race

Ages 8+, 8/24/2023, 6:30-8pm; Miller Pool Design, build, race, (and most likely) sink! Join us in our 5th annual race to the finish line! Boats must be crewed by a one or two-person team. Awards will be given out for fastest and most creative boats plus the most dramatic sinking.

Neighborhood Center Programs

Preschool Play Group, 10:00am-11:30am

Ages: Newborn–5

Yoder Center- Tuesdays, 6/6-8/8

109 Jackson Street Lynchburg, VA 24504

Daniels Hill Center- Fridays, 6/2-8/11

317 Norwood St, Lynchburg VA 24504

In partnership with Lynchburg City Schools, Daniels Hill Center host Preschool Play Group, a positive educational experience between child and caregiver. Bring your little one to play and participate in a peer support network for parents–all in the comfort of a neighborhood setting. Story-time, play-time, snack, outdoor play, and socialization are all part of the mix. For children, age birth to five, with their responsible adult caregiver. Pre-School Play Group follows Lynchburg City School schedule.

Zumbini, Monday/Wednesday, 10:00am-10:45am

Newborn- 4 years old

Diamond Hill Center- Mondays, 6/12, 6/26, 7/17, 7/31, 8/7, 8/21

Jefferson Park Center- Wednesdays, 6/14, 6/28, 7/19, 7/31, 8/9, 8/23

A program designed for children newborn- 4 years old with a caregiver. Zumbini is a 45-minute class that explores music, movement, singing, dancing, and playing of instruments. Classes fill up quickly, so pre-registration is required. Please contact Jamey Love @434-455-5865 or email: jamey.love@lynchburgva.gov

Lynchburg Public Library

Director: Beverly Blair

Storytime, Crafts, Reading, and Music

Babygarten: Tuesdays, June 6, 13, 30, 27 and July 11, 18, 25

Kids ages 0-23 months attend a baby storytime. Time: 10:30 AM

Family Storytime: Thursdays, June 8, 15, 22, 29 and July 6, 13, 20, 27

Kids ages 2-5 attend a family storytime; a take home craft will be provided. Times: 10:30 AM and 11:15 AM

Saturday Storytime: Saturdays, June 10 and July 8

Kids ages 2-5 attend a family storytime. Time: 10:30 AM

Family Craft Days: Fridays, June 2, 16, 30 and July 14, 28

Wednesdays, July 19, 26, and August 2 (These dates featuring the Academy in Motion Bus)

Drop-in craft for children of all ages. Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Tales for Tails: Fridays, June 9, 23, and July 7, 21

Kids ages 5-10 read to a therapy dog for a set time (time determined by library staff, depending on number of participants).

Time 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Summer Food, Summer Moves: Wednesdays, June 14, 21, 28 and July 5, 12

Time: 11:15 AM and 12:15 PM

Lynchburg Nature Zone: Fridays, June 16, 30 and July 14, 28

Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Bee Demonstration: Friday, July 21

Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Summer Reading Program

Using Beanstack, log your reading to earn great awards and be entered for awesome prizes! Register online at lynchburgpubliclibrary.beanstack.org or download the app. Paper logs are available at the Youth Services Desk for those who would rather log on paper. Please do not return to the Youth Services Desk until you have fully filled out the log. For questions and further details about logging your reading, please visit the Youth Services Department, call Youth Services at (434) 455-6320, or visit the 2023 Summer Reading page at https://lynchburgpubliclibrary.org/kids/summer-readingprogram-2023-children/

James and the Giant Peach, the Musical

Presented by the Virginia Children's Theatre, at the Main Library

Monday, June 5, 4:00-4:30 pm For kids of all ages

Lynchburg Water Resources

Director: Tim Mitchell

Camps

The Water Resources department offers the following educational camps for youth during the summer:

NatureNow! Camp (in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension) June 20-23; 3-5th grade

Four days of field trips and hands-on outdoor activities with multiple take-home items will make this a fun and creative outdoor camp for students to learn about and protect our land, air, food, energy, and water.

WaterWorks for Teens (in partnership with VectorSpace) July 17- 21; High school

When it rains in urban areas, the water meets impermeable surfaces and has few places to go. On its way to the storm drain, it tends to carry along all sorts of waste we'd rather not have in our watershed. One solution to this problem is to build downspout planters that catch the water from our roofs, filter it, and allow some to evaporate. It's an effective and beautiful solution, and all it requires is someone who knows how to make things. In this project, 10 high school students will build 10 downspout planters for the new Vector Space building on Memorial Ave. Students will develop a design, they will be taught to use the tools required to build their design, and will ultimately work with wood, metal, stone, and PVC to bring their design to life. In the process, students will learn about stormwater and its importance to our community.

WaterBugs Camp August 7-11; 9-13 years old

Calling all girls interested in a hands-on, minds-on watershed experience that combines STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) with recreation (fishing)! Join us this August for an exciting adventure where you will learn to fish (and hopefully catch something!), learn about ecosystems, run science experiments, and explore the habitat and organisms that supports recreational fishing. Using loaner gear and educational materials, girls will explore a local stream habitat, discover aquatic insects, and learn the art of fishing at several different water ways in Lynchburg.

Water Tower Showdown Competition July 8; Middle school Middle school students (rising 6th-8th graders) from public, private, or home schools can compete in teams of up to four students. There is no cost to enter. The challenge is to build a structurally efficient model water tower that holds one gallon of water and can be filled and drained quickly while also being aesthetically pleasing. Towers are judged on Structural Efficiency, Cost Efficiency, Design Ingenuity, and Hydraulic Efficiency. Prizes will be awarded to the top three scoring teams, with a top prize of a $75 Visa gift card for each member of the first-place team, a $50 gift card for each member of the second-place team, and a $25 gift card for each member of the thirdplace team. In addition to the competition, a tour will be offered of the treatment plant to participants during this event.

Lynchburg City Schools

Superintendent: Dr. Crystal Edwards

Summer Camps and Enrichment