Mission Viejo Family YMCA

Elective Courses inspire kids to explore new activities, learn new skills and develop new interests.

Current Courses include:

ART
Frequency: 4 weeks/1 x per week (based on location)
Fee: $160 (includes materials fee)
Locations: Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, or Newport-Mesa YMCA
Ages: 5-8 and 9-12
Arts education can make a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the ‘learning field’ across socio-economic boundaries. The YMCA Art Course exposes youth to mediums, techniques, and a variety of time periods in our history that has significant ties to cultural events and traditions.

COOKING
Frequency: 4 weeks/1 x per week (based on location)
Fee: $175 (includes materials fee)
Locations: Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, or Newport-Mesa YMCA
Ages: 5-8 and 9-12
Children, especially young children, rely on their senses to explore the world. Cooking offers students opportunities to use the senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Working with food lets a child focus on their senses individually as well as collectively. Cooking teaches a child how to use their eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue to observe things, in addition to improving their fine motor skills when helping out in the kitchen.

ENGINEERING
Frequency: 4 weeks/1 x per week (based on location)
Fee: $175 (includes materials fee)
Locations: Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, or Newport-Mesa YMCA
Ages: 5-8 and 9-12
The Engineering course teaches students the fundamentals and importance of engineering in a real-world context. Children learn about the history of engineering and its application in landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, the Coliseum, and the Empire State Building. From there, they apply their knowledge through activities and projects where they learn about tension, weight-bearing structures, windmills, bridges, and more. Engineering Club opens students’ minds to the idea that engineering is all around us, is applied to many things we see and use on a daily basis, and is FUN!

ESPORTS
Frequency: 4 weeks/2 x per week
Fee: $225  
Location: Laguna Niguel YMCA
Ages: 8-14
The YMCA Esports program serves today’s youth by providing opportunities for ALL students to use Esports as a platform to acquire critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life.

SIGN LANGUAGE
Frequency: 4 weeks/1 x per week (based on location)
Fee: $145 
Locations: Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, or Newport-Mesa YMCA
Ages: 5-8 and 9-12
Aside from the fact that children will be learning a second language, the learning of American Sign Language develops awareness and sensitivity to cultural and linguistic diversity. It provides cultural enrichment and is the best means of fostering understanding between children who are hard of hearing and those who are not. Furthermore, learning sign language can help a child recognize words if they are connected to a sign.

STUDY HALL
Frequency: Varies by location
Fee: $60
Location: Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, or Newport-Mesa YMCA
Ages: 5-8 and 9-12
Study Hall offers a variety of options for study and research to support individual study and group collaboration. We seek to provide an environment reflecting the needs of students and others in their learning and research activities.

LUNCH AND SOCIAL HOUR
Frequency: Varies by location
Fee: $60 
Locations: Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, or Newport-Mesa YMCA
Ages: 5-8 and 9-12
Lunch and Social Hour will promote social interaction with the use of fun team-building activities to form a sense of community and friendship while at lunch.