383 Vandervoort St, North Tonawanda
(716) 695-8520 x6420 (Front Desk)
(716) 695-8520 x5510 (Supervisor)
Email: mbernas@northtonawanda.org
Programs
Program Information
Outside of open-play and sports activities we offer a TON of guided and structured programs throughout the year. These programs often require registration since there is limited space available. Some of the programs are free while others have an associated cost. Be sure to follow us on Facebook for all the updated announcements on programs & signups!
Is there a program you'd like to see at the Rec? Contact us by emailing mbernas@northtonawanda.org
Current Programs
What We Got...
American Sign Language
FREE (Pre-registration required)
K-2 GRADE, Wednesdays, Oct 11-Dec 20 (no class Nov 22)
3-5 GRADE, Thursdays, Oct 12 -Dec 21 (no class Nov 23)
6-12 GRADE, Mondays, Oct 16 to Dec 18
All classes will run from 6:30 to 7:30 PM @ The REC
This American Sign Language course will teach children vocabulary that they can incorporate into their daily lives. Students will be able to produce vocabulary, create sentences, ask and answer questions, as well as sign to music. Throughout the entire course, we will focus on deaf culture, history, and daily tools used. Each week will explore new topics and review previous material.
Our Instructor...
Kelseylynn Talarico is a sign language teacher and ASL interpreter. She is fluent in ASL and has been working with the deaf community for 23 years. She has experience working with all ages and abilities. Kelseylynn is passionate about giving children the tools to communicate in a fun environment. Her focus is on creating inclusive classes that allow children to learn on their own level. Mrs. Talarico lives in North Tonawanda with her husband, three kids, and two dogs, Yuri and Libbi.
Class Schedule and Topics
Week 1: Color Matching and Numbers
Week 2: Halloween and Fall
Week 3: Food, Food, Food!
Week 4: Signs for School
Week 5: Family and Friends
Week 6: Turkey Day and Critters
Week 7: Feelings
Week 8: Brrrr it's Cold!
Week 9: Helping out at Home
Week 10: It's Christmas!
Babysitting Course
No current classes available
Learn how to properly care for infants and young children in a babysitting setting. Learn how to conduct yourself professionally, making babysitting your "business". Learn first-aid and standard safety protocols and procedures.
Class is interactive, keeping students engaged with hands-on experience. The course requires the completion of an examination. Participants will receive take-home materials to use as reference guide for their future babysitting endeavors.
Cheer Club
No current classes available
FREE (Pre-registration required)
1-6 GRADE: Dates TBD
Learn the basics of cheering, including stunts, and basic gymnastic moves with instructors Lymiek Brunson and friends.
Cheer club participants will work towards a final performance during halftime of a youth sports game.
Chess Program
2-12 GRADE: October 16 - December 18
We will operate as both a chess club and a chess class. Here are the differences:
6:30-8:00pm
Chess Class will be more structured week to week for the more serious player with the intent of greatly improving their chess playing knowledge, forming strategies, and testing their limits.
5:00-6:30pm
A little more informal. In Chess Club kids can come in by themselves or with friends and play some friendly chess matches. Our instructors will be on hand to give advice and help improve the child's overall chess play. The chess club will run on Mondays like before at 5 PM. You can opt to pay a one-time price of $50 ($60 for non-residents) for the 12-week chess club program or pay a $5 drop-in price just on the days your child wants to attend. (Drop-in payments must be made online prior to arrival and can be made any time before the start time)
Chess Club
Chess Class
Once a child has been registered for the entire 12-week program, they can opt to move from chess club to chess class from week to week. (With instructor approval) If you opt for drop-in only then you can only attend chess club for that given week.
Our motto is “balancing competition and fun,” and is the underlying principle behind all of our lessons.
We hire chess coaches who can connect with students-- coaches who offer them the guidance they need to grow both their skills and their love of the game.
Players will always be pushed to grow, but not at the expense of their enjoyment of the game.
We also have instructors who can cater to any skill level, so that students will never feel that they have “outgrown” their teachers.
Dance Club
December 8 - February 10, 2024
FREE (Pre-registration required)
K-6 GRADE:
FREE for NT Residents
Fridays 6 PM - 7:00 PM
The program runs on Fridays, from December 8 through February 9.
The performance will be during half-time of a Youth Basketball game on Saturday, February 10. (Time TBA)
Learn, practice, and perfect a variety of dance techniques, from hip-hop, jazz, and more as instructors Lymiek Brunson, and other Rec Staffers, choreograph a mash-up of styles and songs into a dance routine to be performed during the halftime of a youth, basketball game.
All Dance Club members will receive a Dance Club t-shirt.
Junior Hikers
No current classes available
FREE (Pre-registration required)
5-12 GRADE: Dates TBD
We are thrilled to be taking your kids on some fun adventures around WNY. We rent a bus, pack the snacks, and you join along as Michelle Bernas, Youth Program Coordinator and experienced hiker will be hosting these trips herself.
We’ll be taking hiking adventures throughout the year, so be on the lookout for the next adventure!
Each child should have their own water bottle and a small backpack for carrying essentials.
Proper dress is required. There's a chance of getting wet so a change of socks and shoes for the ride home is highly recommended.
RECscape Room
No current classes available
FREE (Pre-registration required)
7-12 GRADE: Dates TBD
Teams of 6 will have 30 minutes to solve the various puzzles with the help of clues left behind by REC staff and try and get their way out of our RecScape Room.
All teams that escape will win a one-of-kind and soon-to-be coveted RecScape Room t-shirt.
The team with the best time each month will win a free pizza party for their team and their picture on our RecScape Room Wall of Fame. Time slots will be available Friday and Saturday nights. Teams can consist of 3 to 6 members. You can only be on 1 team per month.
Snack Attack
(Pre-registration required)
K-6 GRADE: Dates listed below (5pm start time)
Join us as each week we'll be showing kids how to make a healthy, easy-to-prepare, after-school type snack that they’ll then get to enjoy.
Kids will learn about nutrition and how making good dietary choices can have a positive effect on their minds and body.
Kids will receive instruction on how to make their own snacks with guidance from our staff. Anything from safely peeling and slicing their own apple for a yummy PB & Apples treat to preparing their very own personal cake in a mug.
We will do what we can to accommodate your child’s food restrictions. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
STEM Club
FREE (Pre-registration required)
3-5 GRADE: Tuesdays at 5pm (Oct 17 & 24, Nov 7 & 14)
The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum is proud to partner with the North Tonawanda Recreation Center to present STEM Club.
STEM Club is a weekly meeting for students to engage collectively in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities.
Participants will explore areas such as physics, coding, electricity, and simple machines with projects and topics geared specifically toward the corresponding age group.
Theater Club
FREE (Pre-registration required)
3-12 GRADE
INFORMATIONAL MEETING: Thursday, Jan 4, 5:30 PM, Ohio School Cafetorium
Theatre Club @ The REC began in 2015 as a way to give the children of our community the opportunity to explore their interest in the theatrical arts.
We will hold an informational meeting on Thursday, January 4, at 5:30 PM in the Ohio School cafetorium.
Auditions will begin Tuesday, January 9, and Thursday, January 11. Audition times will run from 4:30 PM to 6 PM. Additional days and times for auditions will be added if necessary.
Rehearsals will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Jan 16 through May 28.
2 performances will be held on Thursday, May 30, and Friday, May 31. Both will start at 6:30 PM.
All students who participate are expected to commit to showing up for weekly practices.
2024 Production
Your favorite fairy-tale characters have their world turned upside down as they get a fresh taste of reality! When a portal is opened to another world, Cinderella’s stepsisters take the leap and find themselves in a very "real world" school.
While they seem to fit in perfectly in this world where mean girls are cool, crossing over into reality has serious consequences for the fantasy world they left behind. The Woodsman, who dreams of being more than just an incidental character without even a name, sets out to be the hero who brings them home.
The Woodsman seeks help from "real world" student Danica, a hard-core realist who never believed in fairy tales. She’s running for class president, but her speeches are full of gloom and doom. Meanwhile, gloom and doom are becoming a reality for our fairy-tale characters! Without the Woodsman, Little Red is attacked by the wolf and Sleeping Beauty keeps pricking her finger while chopping her own firewood! As harsh reality seeps into the fairy tales, the characters are forced to break free of their patterns and learn to take charge of their own destiny. Best of all, the classic princesses discover they can be their own heroes, and Danica realizes that sometimes you have to take a leap of faith!
Theater Camp
FREE (Pre-registration required)
K - 8 GRADE: Dec 28 & 29
9 AM to 3 PM
Are you interested in joining our Theater Club at The REC or perhaps you just want to try your hand at acting on the big stage?
Now’s your chance to come out and see if the theater is for you.
Our Rec Staff will introduce you to the skills of the theater, including enunciation, diction and projection, staging and movement, gestures and facial expressions, and camaraderie.
We will do our best to prepare you for the upcoming Theatre Club season and GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!
