The York County Department of Parks and Recreation has announced the schedule for its popular summer Nature Discovery Programs. These specialty weeks combine recreation and education into an exciting week for youth.

Classes are available for children ages 3 through 15. The following classes are scheduled:

-- Small Wonders, June 11-15, 10-11:30 a.m., Richard M. Nixon County Park, $35. This series lets young learners and their parents to spend time together learning about nature. The class will include crafts, snacks, and spending time together.

-- Nature Discovery Program 1, June 20-24, 9-11:30 a.m., Nixon County Park, $65, ages 5, 6. Students will be introduced to a variety of topics through discovery, crafts, hikes, and more.

-- Nature Discovery Program 1, July 2-6 (no Wednesday class), 9-11:30 a.m., Nixon County Park, $65, ages 5, 6. This week's program will include a special Reptile Week theme. Children will get hands-on experience as they learn about reptiles. A Critter Caravan show will be included.

-- Nature Discovery Program 2, June 25-July 29, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Nixon County Park, $85, ages 7, 8. Students will learn about the world around them through experiments, games, crafts, stories and activities.

-- Nature Discovery Program 3, July 23-27, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $120, ages 9, 10. Students will study animals in their habitat while hiking the trails of Nixon Park and exploring Lake Redman by canoe, among other activities. This class will include crafts and adventures along the way.

-- Nature Discovery Program 4, Aug. 13-17, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $145, ages 11-13. This high-energy adventure week features hiking, nature study and a trip to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., for a guided tubing tour. Students will explore ecosystems found in different county parks while honing their observation, tracking, and navigation skills.

-- Nature Academy, July 30-Aug. 3, 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Nixon Park, $160, ages 14, 15. This week is ideal for a student interested in a career in science or wildlife. Each day will focus on a different natural history theme, getting down and dirty, close and microscopic, into the natural world.

-- Archaeology Week I, July 9-13 and Archaeology Week II, Aug. 6-10, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., $150, ages 9 through 12. Archaeology Week I will take place at the Agricultural Industrial Museum with excavations at Penn Common (Penn Park) in York. Archaeology Week II will meet at Richard M. Nixon County Park, with participants transported to P. Joseph Raab County Park. Co-sponsored with the York County Heritage Trust, both weeks will include several special programs and tours. Conducting a real archaeological dig will be the theme.

New for 2012 is before-and-after care, a service providing supervised educational care for children before or after select programs. Students attending Nature Discovery Program 2, Nature Discovery Program 3, Nature Discovery Program 4 or Archaeology Week can participate in this program. It will not be available for Archaeology 1. During this extended stay, students will play games, hike and explore the outdoors. Registration is required.

Costs: Before Care, 8:30-9 a.m. $25 per week; After Care, 2-4 p.m., $70 per week; After Care, 3-4 p.m., $45 per week. A late fee will be charged if the child is not picked up by 4 p.m.

To register for any of these programs, select "Nature Discovery Programs Summer 2012" from www.yorkcountyparks.org and print the registration packet. Mail the completed registration and health forms along with full payment to the address on the form. York County Parks accepts checks, money orders or credit cards. All credit cards transactions are subject to a 4 percent service fee.

Contacts for information: All classes except Archaeology Weeks, Amber Carothers at 428-1961 or email at ALCarothers@york-county.org; Archaeology Weeks, Jeri Jones at 840-7226 or email at JLJones@york-couynty.org. Registration, York County Parks at 840-7440 or email at parks@york-county.org.