Art

Youth Art

Summer

settlers camp

7-10 Yr Olds

Join the Zeeland Historical Society for some hands-on learning for what it was like for the early settlers in Zeeland and around our country! Participants will have fun engaging in hands-on activities that show what life was like in the mid-1800s, including baking bread, hand sewing a pillow, and building a log cabin out of popsicle sticks, all while learning valuable historical lessons.

  • Register Here
  • Cost: $40r/$55nr
  • Registration Deadline: Wed, July 3 (or when full)
  • Instructors: Zeeland Historical Society Staff
  • Dates: July 21-22
  • Time: 9:30am-11:30am

  • Location: 1881 New Groningen Schoolhouse (10537 Paw Paw Dr, Zeeland)

Fall & Winter

art club

3rd-8th Gr

Join the Zeeland Rec Art Club to take your artistic skills to the next level! Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just starting, this program will help you explore different art mediums, learn new art techniques and fall more in love with art! Each week will focus on a new art medium while we create a new project to take home. All skill levels are welcome!

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $60r/$75nr
  • Instructor: Taelia Spencer (Art Education Major at Grand Valley)
  • 3rd-5th Gr (Session 1): Sept. 5-26 | 4:00-5:00 PM 
  • 6th-8th Gr (Session 1): Sept. 5-26 | 5:30-6:30 PM 
  • 3rd-5th Gr (Session 2): Jan. 5-8 | 4:00-5:00 PM 
  • 6th-8th Gr (Session 2): Jan. 5-8 | 5:30-6:30 PM 

  • Location: Cityside Middle School – ELA Room 

THANKS-STEAM-ING

7-11 Yr Olds

Get ready for a STEAM-filled celebration of all things Thanksgiving! This festive workshop is packed with hands-on fun, seasonal silliness, and gratitude-powered creativity. From slimy creations to engineering challenges, kids will gobble up the fun as they design and test their own Mayflower Float, march into action with a Thanksgiving Day Parade challenge, mix up ooey-gooey Pumpkin Slime, and laugh their tail feathers off in a Turkey Pardon game.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Sat, Nov 22
  • Time: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

learn to love quilting - quilting workshop for beginners

16 Yrs-Adults

Dive into the art of quilting with our three-session workshop, designed for beginners comfortable sewing a precise ¼‑inch seam. Quilting is both calming and creative, requiring patience, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn. During the course, you’ll master essential skills—rotary cutting, piecing blocks, pressing seams, and assembling your quilt top—leaving with a beautiful quilt top you can proudly continue at home. We provide brand‑new sewing machines and supportive instruction; participants only need to bring three separate yards of coordinating 100% cotton fabric (one yard each). If you're ready to build confidence, craftsmanship, and community—one stitch at a time—this workshop is perfect for you!

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Registration Deadline: Mon, Sept 29
  • Cost: $87r/$102nr
  • Instructor: Julie Blakely 
  • Date: Tue | Oct 7, 14, 21
  • Time: 5:30-8:00 PM

  • Location: City on a Hill (100 Pine St - STE 123)

begin to sew - book bag

16 Yrs-Adults

Join us for a perfect way for adults to fall in love with sewing in just 2½ hours! You’ll sew a charming pincushion plus your very own fabric book bag—developing essential skills like threading a machine, using a pattern, and straight-line stitching along the way. This friendly, hands-on workshop helps build confidence as you create useful projects—ideal for everyday use or gifting—and is tailored to sewing novices seeking a fun, practical introduction to the craft. Sewing machines and all materials are provided. 

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Registration Deadline: Mon, Nov 10
  • Cost: $55r/$70nr
  • Instructor: Julie Blakely 
  • Date: Mon, Nov 17
  • Time: 5:30-8:00 PM

  • Location: City on a Hill (100 Pine St - STE 123)

sewing workshop for beginners - book bag

14 Yrs-Adults

Join us for our “Sew a Simple Book Bag - Beginners Workshop” class, a perfect way to fall in love with sewing in just 2½ hours! This class is specifically targeted for homeschool students and/or adults. You’ll sew a charming pincushion plus your very own fabric book bag—developing essential skills like threading a machine, using a pattern, and straight-line stitching along the way. This friendly, hands-on workshop helps build confidence as you create useful projects—ideal for everyday use or gifting—and is tailored to sewing novices seeking a fun, practical introduction to the craft. Sewing machines and all materials are provided. 

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Registration Deadline: Mon, Nov 10
  • Cost: $55r/$70nr
  • Instructor: Julie Blakely 
  • Date: Wed, Nov 19
  • Time: 9:30 AM-12:00 PM

  • Location: City on a Hill (100 Pine St - STE 123)

sewing workshop - rocking rope bowl

16 Yrs-Adults

Join us for a creative and practical Rope Bowl Workshop! In one fun session, you'll learn how to zig-zag stitch cotton rope into coiled bowls!. These stylish rope bowls are fast, affordable, and versatile: ideal for holding keys, jewelry, bedside essentials, or crafted into eye-catching statement baskets. All necessary materials are supplied—rope, fabric, threads—while participants should bring a sewing machine (with zig-zag stitch capability), open-toe presser foot, bobbins, and basic sewing tools. A working knowledge of threading a needle and changing a bobbin is required. You'll leave with a beautiful handmade piece that blends design and function—plus newfound skills and inspiration from this eco-friendly, hands-on workshop.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Registration Deadline: Mon, Dec 1
  • Cost: $56r/$71nr
  • Instructor: Julie Blakely 
  • Date: Sat, Dec 6
  • Time: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside Middle School - Chix Coop

steam-ing through the holidays

7-11 Yr Olds

Step into a winter wonderland of creativity with this holiday workshop designed to keep young minds active! Participants will embark on a series of hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) activities that blend learning with holiday fun. They'll take on Santa’s Sleigh Ride Engineering Challenge, where they can explore principles of aerodynamics and design by constructing their own sleighs. The excitement continues as they craft their own Spinning Snowmen, combining art and physics to create delightful, twirling decorations. To top it all off, kids will dive into the world of chemistry by making stretchy, sparkly Festive Slime, adding a touch of glittery joy to their scientific exploration. This workshop promises a season filled with laughter, learning, and holiday magic.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Sat, Dec 13
  • Time: 5:00 - 8:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

total slime takeover (slime & Engineering camp)

7-11 Yr Olds

Pack your slime passport for a messy, magical STEAM adventure where participants will embark on an imaginative journey through sky-high thrills, volcanic zones, and spooky European legends. Throughout this screen-free experience, young explorers will mix up a world of creative slimes—everything from fluffy, cloud-like concoctions to bubbling fruity blends and eerie Transylvania Blood. They’ll also engineer epic builds such as flying forts, lava jumps, and a thrilling Hydra Head Launcher. With themed days—including High Flying Slime Day, Awesome Asia, and Yay Yay Europe—campers will combine hands-on science and engineering challenges with cultural adventure, creating memories (and slime) that are as educational as they are unforgettable.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Dec 29-31
  • Time: 8:30 AM-12:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

sewing workshop - famers market tote

16 Yrs-Adults

Learn to sew your very own Market Tote Bag in this workshop! Perfect for those ready to move beyond basic sewing skills, this class guides you through constructing a roomy, durable tote—ideal for groceries, farmers’ market finds, or beach essentials. You’ll receive helpful guidance from start to finish, making one for yourself and for gifts. Sewing machines and all materials are provided—just bring your curiosity!

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Registration Deadline: Mon, Jan 12
  • Cost: $65r/$80nr
  • Instructor: Julie Blakely 
  • Date: Sat, Jan 17
  • Time: 10:00 AM-1:00 PM

  • Location: City on a Hill (100 Pine St - STE 123)

under the sea steam splash

7-11 Yr Olds

Embark on a splashtacular, science-filled underwater escapade! Inspired by your favorite ocean explorers, this STEAM-powered event is packed with hands-on activities, quirky challenges, and oceanic surprises.Kids will craft their own Under the Sea Slime, blending colors and textures to create a squishy ocean masterpiece. They'll engineer a seaworthy Pirate Ship, testing buoyancy and design in a fun STEM challenge. Additionally, they'll race in the Plankton’s Slow Race, designing and testing their own plankton models to see who can sink the slowest. Dive into this ocean of fun, where learning meets laughter beneath the waves!

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Sat, Jan 24
  • Time: 1:00-4:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria

glow crazy steam night

7-11 Yr Olds

Get ready to ignite your imagination with an electrifying glow-in-the-dark adventure! This hands-on program delves into the fascinating science behind luminescence, offering a series of engaging activities that combine creativity, learning, and fun. Participants will have the opportunity to design and race their own glowing Glow Coaster, construct a blinking, bouncing Alien Arcade Game, and concoct their very own stretchy, shimmering Glow Slime. Each challenge is crafted to encourage exploration and laughter, ensuring that everything glows—and everything goes—in this illuminating experience.

  • Register Here (Online Registration Opens Mon, Aug 4 @ 5am)
  • Cost: $45r/$60nr
  • Instructors: Rachel Franklin & Challenge Island Staff
  • Date: Sat, Feb 28
  • Time: 5:00 - 8:00 PM

  • Location: Cityside MS - Cafeteria