This class offers a multi-faceted approach to stimulating children's intellect and emotions. Through participation, children can develop their social and emotional skills, gain confidence, and learn to collaborate with others while expressing their own individual ideas.

Students learn basketball skills, good sportsmanship, and sense of team spirit. Players are divided into groups based on experience and skill level. Each class session includes a lesson filled with drills and a game or scrimmage. 

Kids will receive daily challenges of structures to build with Legos. There will also be time for students to explore on their own and in small groups, building creations of their own invention.

With a steady hand and a wild imagination, students will learn how to design and decorate palm-sized sweet treats. Ranging from cookies and cupcakes, to lollipops and jello molds, everything beautiful and wacky can be made here!

Se Habla Español!  Your child will learn the basics of the Spanish language through a variety of activities such as brief conversations, directed dialogues, worksheets, and short writing exercises.  Additionally, audio and visual aids, as well as short reading passages, will be utilized to enhance the learning experience.  Learning a new language is a bridge, an essential tool in today’s global world, to learn across new different disciplines such as Science, Arts, History, Economy, and Business to achieve personal and professional goals.

An introduction to ballet vocabulary and technique. Students develop strength, alignment, musicality, and the grace that is inherent in the form. Dancers in our ballet classes are prominently featured in each semester's dance performance.

Introduce your child to the world of ceramics! Develop motor skills and learn creative problem solving through projects aimed at stimulating imagination and creativity. Projects range from animal themed sculptures, making a new favorite cup or bowl, figurative work and more!

This class will explore a range of techniques for developing concept, writing, designing, animating and editing stop-motion animation projects. Students will create armatures, puppets and sets, and complete the production process of an animated movie using professional capturing and editing equipment and software.

Discover the chemistry involved in making things that you would experience in a spa! Soaps, body scrubs, cosmetics, nail polish and color, bath oils, lipstick, perfumes and more! Students will make their own line of products that are safe to use at home!

Articles, cartoons, jokes, reviews, and photography, even puzzles about our beloved Downtown Community Centerr!  Your child will learn journalism practices and use creativity, art, and writing skills to put together issues that will be published and distributed to students and parents program-wide.  

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

Young students with little or no chess experience learn the fundamentals of chess, beginning with game board setup, and an introduction to how the pieces move. Students will learn to play full games from opening moves to checkmates within the first semester.

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

A taste of travel for the brave hearted, students will engage the five senses as the classroom hops the globe for a delicious destination! By exploring flavors and styles of multiple cuisines, the travelers will learn about the many aspects that go into everyday foods.

Focusing on elevating fluency, grammatical accuracy, and cultural appreciation. Designed for experienced learners, these courses replace basic vocabulary drills with real-world conversational practice and creative projects.

Join our interactive club that allows students to explore Video Game Design and Computer Generated Imaging in a project-based environment. Through this hands-on experience, you'll have the chance to create interactive art, media, and narratives while learning valuable skills in computational thinking and mathematics.

Working with clay has been all the rage. This class will explore all the different ways of creating with clay.  Handbuilding and working on the pottery wheel helps develop motor skills, problem-solving abilities and creativity through a variety of stimulating projects. From animal-themed sculptures to crafting their own favorite cup or bowl, there are endless possibilities for imaginative, figurative, and function work.

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

Need help teaching your children new math concepts?

Want your child to receive extra assistance from a certified DOE teacher?

Homework help clubs allows students to receive professional homework assistance and tutoring from a PS 281 Educator. 

Students will learn the basic rules, skills, and sportsmanship to help improve their soccer game. All levels welcome!

Run like the wind in this fun fitness club! Children will learn all the basic elements of a track and field competition, including sprints, middle and long distance running, long jumps, shot put and relay races.

Run like the wind in this fun fitness club! Children will learn all the basic elements of a track and field competition, including sprints, middle and long distance running, long jumps, high jumps, shot put and relay races.

Coding is learning to communicate with computers and requires reflection on what motion is, how we describe colors, and how we organize and share things like space and time. Learning to create 3D objects on computer is part of it too. STEM means learning how things work and can include taking things apart and learning how to make new things. 

Articles, cartoons, jokes, reviews, and photography, even puzzles about our beloved Battery Park City Community!  Your child will learn journalism practices and use creativity, art, and writing skills to put together issues that will be published and distributed to students and parents program-wide.  

Articles, cartoons, jokes, reviews, and photography, even puzzles about our beloved Battery Park City Community!  Your child will learn journalism practices and use creativity, art, and writing skills to put together issues that will be published and distributed to students and parents program-wide.  

Students will learn foundational skills in folding, cutting, binding, and decorating paper to create personalized, handmade books. 

The title speaks for itself!  Experienced instructor will lead kids in exploring and cultivating their musical and rhythmic talents. And the "Play" is with simple instruments!

Parkour has quickly become one of the world's fastest-growing and most highly efficient training methods for mind, body and spirit. Using the natural environment as a play space, practitioners (called traceurs) test their limits by running, climbing, jumping, vaulting and rolling over obstacles, as a means of adapting to and then overcoming the mental, physical and even emotional challenges that arise from the physical barriers themselves. 
 

Students learn basics skills, good sportsmanship and a sense of team spirit. Each class session includes a lesson, drills and a game. 

Every kid knows that you don't really learn anything unless you make a mess and get your hands dirty. This class lets the creativity thrive by allowing  everything oozy, grimy, slippery and slimy to work with while making beautiful art projects. 

Introduce your child to the world of ceramics! Develop motor skills and learn creative problem solving through projects aimed at stimulating imagination and creativity. Projects range from animal themed sculptures, making a new favorite cup or bowl, figurative work and more!

After Schooler’s will participate in making baked goods and learn how to use different ingredients to create a variety of tastes.

Students will sketch fashion figures, design fabrics, and create full lines of clothing, producing their own style books.

Once thought of as a magic solution of the future, 3D printing is now a booming industry that yields serious benefits for the world. This course introduces students to basic engineering theories and principles by using 3D printing. It introduces design and fabrication processes to build hands on artifacts that demonstrate complex engineering topics in everyday life.

It’s time to sing! This engaging class focuses on fun while learning technique, pitch matching, musicality, confidence, and how choral groups work together to create beautiful sounds. Come join us for the new and exciting offering.

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

Let your child step into the exciting world of fencing—an Olympic sport that combines speed, strategy, and skill! Our Youth Fencing Class introduces kids to the fundamentals of the sport in a safe, supportive, and energetic environment.

Working with clay has been all the rage. This class will explore all the different ways of creating with clay.  Handbuilding and working on the pottery wheel helps develop motor skills, problem-solving abilities and creativity through a variety of stimulating projects. From animal-themed sculptures to crafting their own favorite cup or bowl, there are endless possibilities for imaginative, figurative, and function work.

Experienced performers help students develop singing, dancing and acting skills. Students work as a cast throughout the semester on scenes and musical production numbers.

After Schooler’s will participate in making baked goods and learn how to use different ingredients to create a variety of tastes.

Once thought of as a magic solution of the future, 3D printing is now a booming industry that yields serious benefits for the world. This course introduces students to basic engineering theories and principles by using 3D printing. It introduces design and fabrication processes to build hands on artifacts that demonstrate complex engineering topics in everyday life.

Transforming blank, shared spaces into dynamic, inspiring environments for our community. Encouraging students to combine individual visions into a unified masterpiece while learning the fundamentals of color theory, grid enlargement, underpainting, and more!

We are proud to offer Youth Swim Lessons as a choice in our After-School Programs. Children receive the same instruction and swim experience as our Youth swim lessons.  Your child will be picked up directly from their classroom at school dismissal, have a snack, and be transported to the Downtown Community Center for childcare activities provided by our After-school staff.

To find out more on our After-School programs, please click here.

Please note that swim offerings and schedules vary by school. 

If you attend a school that is not in our network, you may sign your student up for drop-off After School at the Downtown Community Center.

Young students with little or no chess experience learn the fundamentals of chess, beginning with game board setup, and an introduction to how the pieces move. Students will learn to play full games from opening moves to checkmates within the first semester.

Children will be presented with daily challenges to construct various structures using Lego blocks. Additionally, they will have opportunities to independently and collaboratively create their own unique inventions.

Need help teaching your children new math concepts?

Want your child to receive extra assistance from a certified DOE teacher?

Homework help clubs allows students to receive professional homework assistance and tutoring from a PS 281 Educator. 

Nothing ignites young imaginations quite like Dinosaurs!  Kids will explore the world of Dinos through art, story, crafts, Legos and creative play.

This challenging class explores a range of styles from around the world, ranging from contemporary to classical, and emphasizing jazz funk and Broadway. Students will learn dance combinations while improving individual and group skills. 

In this class, children will learn movement skills, self-discipline, self-control, practical karate techniques, and self-defense. The format of the class is designed to be enjoyable while also providing numerous benefits.

Perler Beads are plastic fusible beads. The beads are arranged on pegboards to form patterns and then fused together with heat from a clothes iron. Because Perler Beads layout on a pegboard bead by bead the end result looks like a pixelated illustration. Students will create basic 2 dimensional art pieces and develop them into more 3D project. Weekly students will continue to develop these pieces and create an ensemble of themed art projects. 

Join us on a time-traveling journey! Explore eras of American history, exciting Gilded Age to the Jazz Age in NYC to the wild American West. Learn about forgotten technologies, fashion, music, and even the foods that defined each incredible era.

Aspiring students will be crafting exquisite pieces of ornamental art that resemble professionally designed jewelry on a smaller scale.

Let your child step into the exciting world of fencing—an Olympic sport that combines speed, strategy, and skill! Our Youth Fencing Class introduces kids to the fundamentals of the sport in a safe, supportive, and energetic environment.

A one-of-a-kind art club that combines the element of digital animation with old fashioned cartoon and comic art. Humor, adventure, story-telling and character design will draw out the unique creator/artist in each student!

Kids will have a wooly good time exploring zoological wonders through art, story, movement and games. This safari is expertly guided by one of our multi-talented and popular teachers.

In this class, children will learn movement skills, self-discipline, self-control, practical karate techniques, and self-defense. The format of the class is designed to be enjoyable while also providing numerous benefits.