You won’t have to leave the city to broaden your horizons this summer, as the Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) is offering over 700 different classes and activities in music, art, intramural sports and special interests subjects.
Long Beach residents can visit one of their local public libraries or community centers to browse the full catalog of classes offered. There is also a full list of classes online, along with the price, status and details for each activity.
“I am excited about all the great summer programs we are offering throughout Long Beach,” PRM Director Brent Dennis said in a statement. “From week-long themed camps for kids, free family programs at parks, and events planned to celebrate Parks Make Life Better Month in July, there are hundreds of ways to make this a memorable summer through recreation.”
Residents as young as 4 years old can find themselves learning new skills this summer, thanks to the addition of classes like Mini-Hawk Camp (soccer, baseball and basketball), Preschool Cooking Time and Little Music Makers.
Another area of interest is the week-long specialty camps offered for kids between the ages of 5 and 12, according to Community Information Officer Jane Grobaty.
“The length of the classes are conducive to allowing exploration, and there are a variety of class themes to choose from,” Grobaty said. “Kids like those because number one, they’re only a week [long] so you can kind of fit it into their summer and number two, it gives them a chance to try different things. I mean they can do sports, they could do art, they could do music.”
These week-long camps dive into a plethora of subjects such as YouTube and podcast training, Minecraft engineering with Legos, Harry Potter and Hogwarts Camp and Top Junior Chef. There are also aquatics lessons for those wanting to earn their sea legs this summer, starting as young as six months old when accompanied by a parent.
According to Grobaty, the city catalog offers multiple sessions for popular classes, such as aquatics, yoga and tennis. She suggested picking a session quickly, as there is no guarantee a new class will open up.
“We’re getting back to normal. This has been a tough year,” Grobaty said. “We haven’t been able to do everything we wanted to do, but we’re crawling back.”
Registration for classes opened to the public May 2 and will remain open throughout the summer as activities fill up. Those wanting to learn more about the classes the city offers can browse the catalog at LB Reconnect.
