Museums of Old York (no website; 4 Lindsay Road; York; 207-363-4974) is comprised of eight historic buildings, a contemporary art gallery, a genealogy library and a visitor's center. The museum offers guided and self-guided tours and programs for kids throughout the year. Kids visiting the museum will especially like seeing the Old Schoolhouse, where they can sit at a desk and imagine what school was like for kids in the 18th century. Children will also hear the scary stories about the family who lived above the prisoners' dungeon in the Old Jail.
The Museums of Old York is open from June through Columbus Day weekend.
Girls ages 7 to12 can attend the "American Girl Doll Holiday Dress-Up Tea Party and Cookie Swap" in the York Harbor Inn (yorkharborinn.com). This event in December takes place in the inn's Hillcroft Room, where girls and their dolls enjoy afternoon tea and learn tea party etiquette.
From October to January kids ages 7 and up can learn how to make jewelry, how to make Christmas decorations or carve pumpkins in three-week sessions under the "Youth Arts and Crafts Series." The classes take place at the Parks and Recreation Office at Grant House (no website; 200 US Route 1; York; 207-363-1040).
For one week beginning in October, children in grades one to four can take basic sign language in the Village Elementary School (yorkschools.org), where they'll learn things such as the alphabet, numbers, colors and shapes.
Web design and digital photography classes are available for kids in grades five to eight in York High School (yorkschools.org). Each class is a three-week program that starts in October.
Starting in November kids ages 3 to 12 can take different kinds of seven-week dance courses such as hip hop or tap in The Dance Connection (danceconnectionofyork.com). At the end of the session the children will participate in a holiday dance performance.
Boys and girls in grades two to nine can join the youth indoor soccer league and boys and girls ages 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 can join indoor soccer. Both sports start in February and end in April and meet in the York Sports Center (no website; 1050 US Route 1; York; 207-363-6065).
Beginning in January children in kindergarten to grade five can join pee wee wrestling in York Middle School (yorkschools.org) and practice basic fundamentals of wrestling suitable for their age group.
Throughout the year, children ages 5 and up can take Shaolin kenpo karate. Eight-week sessions for beginner, intermediate and advanced students take place in York Middle School.
Basketball leagues for boys and girls are also available throughout the year and meet in different venues such as in Coastal Ridge Elementary School (yorkschools.org), York Village Elementary School and York Middle School.
Naked Plates (nakedplatespottery.com), a pottery painting studio, offers art camps throughout the year. Some of the camps are "Peace, Love, Pottery" in August, "Christmas Holiday Art Camp" in November, "Winter Wonderland Art Camp" in January and a "Clay Hand Building Camp" in February. Children will learn how to make different kinds of crafts in these three-week camps that meet once a week after school. Kids can also come in any time to paint pottery on any day of the week except Mondays.
