Growing Outdoors at Willow Elementary
Winter Trimester Starts Monday, 12/4!
Winter Trimester Registration is Closed!
Winter Trimester Exploratory descriptions are listed below
- Winter Trimester Exploratories begin on Monday, December 4th.
- Exploratories will meet 7-9 times, depending on the day of the week and the grade level.
- Exploratories take place Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday each week.
- Exploratories are divided into two age groups: Kindergarten-Third Grade, and Fourth-Fifth Grade.
- Registration must be completed and submitted online.
- If you have credit left over from the school closures in March 2020, it will be applied automatically when you check out.
*Please note that these are the exploratories being offered for the Winter Trimester (December 4 – February 16).
Click to View Your Students Registration For:
(Select the tabs below to see all options – TK option on Wednesdays!)
*Regular day exploratories are typically split into two sub-groups: Kindergarten-1st grade & 2nd-3rd grade
**On early release Wednesdays, 1st-3rd grade students will join 4th-5th graders in exploratories

Something mysterious is happening at the Academy! Cookies have been snatched, trophies have been taken, a mascot is missing, a notebook has vanished into thin air, and most importantly – Professor Egghead’s prized portrait has been STOLEN! Come join the Egghead Detective Squad this session as we dust for prints, decode messages, analyze DNA, and use real forensic science techniques to crack the cases. The best part? Eggheads take everything home at the end of each class! All Eggheads will also get their Detective ID card, authorizing them to use real science to solve mysteries. At the end of the session, every Egghead will get their official Egghead Detective Degree, using science of course!
Cost: $225 (7 Classes) Class Dates: December 4, 11, 18; January 8, 22; February 5, 12 (No Class: December 25; January 1, 15, 29)
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GO Chess! (1st-3rd Grade) – 2:25pm – 3:25pm – Click here to view flier
Our exploratory classes help a child become more creative, discover patterns, calculation, critical thinking and strategy through the game of chess!
Cost: $210 (7 Classes) Class Dates: December 4, 11, 18; January 8, 22; February 5, 12 (No Class: December 25; January 1, 15, 29)
Thoughtful Tuesdays! (Kindergarten-3rd Grade) -2:25pm – 3:25pm – Click here to view flier
Yoga encourages movement, creativity and playfulness. Through music, books and age-appropriate games yoga poses will be taught to help develop focus, concentration, self-regulation and confidence. Yoga improves children’s physical and mental well-being.
“Just like a flower needs sunlight to bloom, our minds need mindfulness to shine brightly”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Cost: $260 (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 5, 12, 19; January 9, 16, 23, 30; February 6, 13 (No Class: December 26; January 2)
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Sports and Sun: Playground Power! (1st-3rd Grade) – 2:25pm – 3:25pm – Click here to view flier
Our class will take your child away from the screens and into the sun. Participants will exercise and have fun while learning fundamental skills of each game, social skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
Cost: $245 (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 5, 12, 19; January 9, 16, 23, 30; February 6, 13 (No Class: December 26; January 2)
Viridian Art – Jurassic Friends! Click here to view flier
TK-Kindergarten – 11:40am – 12:35pm
1st-5th – 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Join our talented viridian art instructors on campus, after school! We will create several amazing pieces of finished art, including drawing, watercolors, acrylics, mini sculptures, and more.
Cost: $295 (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 6, 13, 20; January 10, 17, 24, 31; February 7, 14 (No Class: December 27; January 3)
*Growing Outdoors provides a supervised lunch period for the students after dismissal before the exploratory begins at 1:00.
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KinFlow! – 1:05pm – 2:05pm – Click here to view flier
Click here to watch a KinFlow video!
*This exploratory is open to 1st-5th grade students
KinFlow is a new and engaging mindful team sport that fuses fitness and mindfulness into an immersive sporting experience for all ages, genders, and skill levels alike. As both a sport and learning tool, it is inclusive in nature, promoting healthy competition, mental/physical fitness, and teamwork! For more info on the field disc sport, please visit www.kinflow.com
Cost: $270 (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 6, 13, 20; January 10, 17, 24, 31; February 7, 14 (No Class: December 27; January 3)
*For students enrolled in this exploratory, Growing Outdoors provides a supervised lunch period before the exploratory begins at 1:05.

Discover your inner ninja! Young Ninjas is a high-energy program introducing children to fundamental martial arts elements, like blocks, kicks, strikes, situational awareness, basic self-defense, and the all important KI-YAH! Through skill training, fun games, creative challenges, and Pad work on foam targets, children develop self-confidence and learn to enjoy being physically active in a non-competitive setting. C’mon, how cool!
Cost: $240 (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 7, 14; January 11, 18, 25; February 1, 8, 15 (No Class: December 21, 28; January 4)
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Glass Art Fusion! (1st-3rd Grade) – 2:25pm – 3:25pm – Click here for a neat video about Fireglass Studio!
Growing Outdoors and Fire Glass Studio are proud to offer a unique art enrichment program! In this class, participants will discover the amazing world of fused-glass and mixed-media. Each student will create beautiful projects such as candle holders, holiday ornaments, small dishes, suncatchers, and much more. Come learn how to cut, shape, and form glass to make amazing artworks out of glass and other media too!
Cost: $260 + $20 materials fee (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 7, 14; January 11, 18, 25; February 1, 8, 15 (No Class: December 21, 28; January 4)

Here’s where you learn how to draw and paint! In this class, students learn the basics of painting pictures – from shadows, shapes, and colors to portraits, landscapes, and comics. Kids will end this program with new skills, greater confidence, and visual and creative thinking skills that will last a lifetime. All levels of experience are welcome! The class is taught by local painter Miles Lewis who will guide beginning students through fun fresh projects and happily help more advanced artists to develop the skills for their own picture ideas. All materials are included. Students will have paintings to take home every week.
Cost: $240 (8 Classes) Class Dates: December 8, 15; January 12, 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16 (No Class: December 22, 29; January 5)
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Snapology: Science of Superpowers! (1st-3rd Grade) – 2:25pm – 3:25pm – Click here to view flier
Learn about the science behind your favorite Superheroes’ powers using LEGO® bricks and other materials. Get to know about gravity, aerodynamics, forces, motion, and much more!
Cost: $255 (8 Classes) Class Dates: December 8, 15; January 12, 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16 (No Class: December 22, 29; January 5)
(Select the tabs below to see all options)

Our exploratory classes help a child become more creative, discover patterns, calculation, critical thinking and strategy through the game of chess!
Cost: $210 (7 Classes) Class Dates: December 4, 11, 18; January 8, 22; February 5, 12 (No Class: December 25; January 1, 15, 29)
Sports and Sun: Playground Power! – 2:55pm – 3:55pm – Click here to view flier!
Our class will take your child away from the screens and into the sun. Participants will exercise and have fun while learning fundamental skills of each game, social skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
Cost: $245 (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 5, 12, 19; January 9, 16, 23, 30; February 6, 13 (No Class: December 26; January 2)
Viridian Art – Jurassic Friends! – 1:00pm – 2:00pm – Click here to view flier!
*This exploratory is open to 1st-5th grade students
Join our talented viridian art instructors on campus, after school! We will create several amazing pieces of finished art, including drawing, watercolors, acrylics, mini sculptures, and more.
Cost: $295 (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 6, 13, 20; January 10, 17, 24, 31; February 7, 14 (No Class: December 27; January 3)
*For students enrolled in this exploratory, Growing Outdoors provides a supervised lunch period before the exploratory begins at 1:00.
~or~
KinFlow! – 1:05pm – 2:05pm – Click here to view flier!
Click here to watch a KinFlow video!
*This exploratory is open to 1st-5th grade students
KinFlow is a new and engaging mindful team sport that fuses fitness and mindfulness into an immersive sporting experience for all ages, genders, and skill levels alike. As both a sport and learning tool, it is inclusive in nature, promoting healthy competition, mental/physical fitness, and teamwork! For more info on the field disc sport, please visit www.kinflow.com
Cost: $270 (9 Classes) Class Dates: December 6, 13, 20; January 10, 17, 24, 31; February 7, 14 (No Class: December 27; January 3)
*For students enrolled in this exploratory, Growing Outdoors provides a supervised lunch period before the exploratory begins at 1:05.
Growing Outdoors and Fire Glass Studio are proud to offer a unique art enrichment program! In this class, participants will discover the amazing world of fused-glass and mixed-media. Each student will create beautiful projects such as candle holders, holiday ornaments, small dishes, suncatchers, and much more. Come learn how to cut, shape, and form glass to make amazing artworks out of glass and other media too!
Cost: $260 + $20 materials fee (8 Classes) Class Dates: December 7, 14; January 11, 18, 25; February 1, 8, 15 (No Class: December 21, 28; January 4)
Snapology: Real World Robotics! -2:55pm – 3:55pm – Click here to view flier!
Build robotic models inspired by real life like alarm devices, earthquake detectors, robotic arms, and much more using LEGO® tech bricks. Get to know about gear ratio, sensors, simple machines, and programming!
Cost: $255 (8 Classes) Class Dates: December 8, 15; January 12, 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16 (No Class: December 22, 29; January 5)
Click to View Your Students Registration For:
What are the additional LVUSD fees in my registration?
While we’ve built these fees into our exploratory costs in the past, we have made them separate to help you better understand what your payment is going towards!
What happened to the credit I received when schools closed in March 2020?
What happens if my child participates in the YMCA after-care program?
Why are the exploratories divided into trimesters?
What do I do if my child has to miss an exploratory day?
Why does registration close before the first day of each exploratory?
Why are the exploratories priced differently?
What does my exploratory tuition pay for?
There are many factors that affect Growing Outdoors exploratory prices! These might include:
- We have a Site Coordinator on campus from before the first program begins until the last child is picked up!
- There is a Growing Outdoors Exploratory Leader in each class! Our trained staff person is there to focus on the students’ well-being, while the Vendor or Program Specialist will handle the instruction of the activity.
- We are dedicated to offering the highest quality after-school programs to our families! Each exploratory has a Vendor or Program Specialist who provides specialized and exciting instruction. To make this possible, each has a fee of their own which makes up the bulk of our exploratory pricing.
- Each school district requires use rental fees for all indoor and outdoor exploratory locations. These fees go directly back to your school district!