I have compiled a comprehensive after school club theme list using every letter of the alphabet. Stay tuned for upcoming reviews, strategies, and lesson plans for implementing these ideas! Just for fun I have placed an *asterisks next to clubs I have seen in action and **double-asterisks next to clubs that have been written about here at After School Club Ideas.
Aren’t those ideas fun? Feel free to use these ideas or even better — share your ideas in the comments section below. I know there are many more out there!
Have you heard of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida? This amusement park brings the experiences of the Harry Potter Book series to life! I asked a friend of mine who was able to visit about it and he absolutely loved it! Most importantly I wanted to know — what does the butterbeer taste like?? I wanted to find out if I could reproduce it.
Thanks to a little inspiration from friends and work colleagues, here is a recipe to “make your own butter beer.”
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 cup cream soda
butterscotch syrup
Directions: Put a scoop of ice cream in a cup. Add cream soda. Drizzle with butterscotch syrup. Enjoy!
This would be a fun special event if you happen to host a Harry Potter Club or reading club. Continue reading »
Do you remember spending time at the pond when you were young (or something that resembled a pond)? I can recall observing the tadpoles and getting bit by mosquitoes — yikes! But I always had a ball!
Here are several ideas for hosting a Pond Life Club with your kids!
Cooking Club is a very popular after school club choice. Let’s be frank, if eating food is involved children will suddenly become more interested! But Cooking Club is a choice, not without its complications such as:
1) Many child care centers have limited kitchen access or only have access to a microwave/refrigerator which makes it difficult to “cook” any food.
2) Safety can become a concern with hot surfaces and knives around.
3) Cooking Club can easily become junk food club ~ treats are fine in moderation, and is a notion I feel should be taught to children as well (not to mention that many schools have nutrition guidelines they must follow!.) Try to promote awareness of eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, & grains!
Planning a Cooking Club with these little hiccups in mind is possible ~ it just takes a little creative thinking. Here are some ideas! Continue reading »
The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day is fast approaching on April 22, 2010. What better time is there to lead an Eco-Friendly Club? You have quite an opportunity here to build children’s awareness of the importance of taking care of our friend the Earth which we all call home and how vital it is that we take care of it!
Week 1: Start a Recycling Project and have a Clean up the Campus Day
Take time to explain what recycling is (re-using materials rather than throwing them away in a landfill) and what materials can and cannot be recycled (aluminum, glass, plastic, etc.) Prior to starting your project find a local recycling center that will reimburse you for any recycled materials you bring in and what items they take. Give the children gloves & bags to help clean up the campus. Sort recyclables into the recycling bins you have provided. Another special bonus is that once you have completed your recycling project your group will have earned a little extra spending $money$. You can have the children create a goal for something they would like to obtain for your center such as an outdoor toy or game or have them help choose a charity to donate the funds to. TIP: Large sturdy Rubbermaid containers or trash cans can be used/labeled as your recycling bins.
Week 2: Craft Activity ~ Grocery Bags for Earth Day
Something I have done with the children for the past several years is to have the children participate in making Grocery Bags for Earth Day. The purpose is two-fold. 1) To promote Earth Day Awareness to the local community. 2) To have to children create a usable craft with a message that makes them feel like they are contributing to taking care of the Earth. A few days before Earth Day you can ask a manager at a local grocery store to “borrow” grocery bags. After the children have completed their designs you can return them and ask that they be distributed on Earth Day. TIP: Make sure children do not include any personal information/names on their bags since they will be distributed at a local grocery store.
You can visit http://www.earthdaybags.org/ for more information about to get an Earth Day grocery bags program started at your school/program.
Week 3: Plant a Vegetable Garden
Even if you don’t have a lot of space planting a vegetable garden is still possible and can be a very rewarding experience for children. It also teaches them to appreciate nature from all stages: seed to vegetable.
Some veggies you can include in small planter boxes include: green onions, radishes, tomatoes (such as small fry or patio), and green beans.
1) Help the children create colorful labels for your veggies.
2) Use a nutrient rich soil such as Miracle Grow to plant your seeds. Make sure to provide adequate soil and space for the seeds.
3) Assign a watering schedule. It is very easy for kids to over water or under water the plants, assigning a schedule and letting the kids know the importance of sticking to it (to keep plants healthy and growing) is essential.
4) Make sure to place your planters in an area with at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
Week 4: Solar Pizza Ovens and Our Incredible Earth Awards:
1) This week is all about celebrating the journey the children have made in Incredible Earth Club. You can challenge them to start thinking of ways they can conserve and take care of the Earth in their daily lives. For instance when using paper to draw, using both sides of the paper and not wasting it or placing objects in a recycling bin instead of the trash. Help them to know that even the little things they do can make a difference.
2) You can continue your celebration by warming up a yummy treat in your own homemade solar pizza oven. Cooking foods in it is not recommended but heating up pre-made cookies using the suns rays can feel like eating a freshly baked cookie from the oven!
3) As far as a giveaway or prize for the participants of Our Incredible Earth Club I am inclined to stay away from paper rewards as it doesn’t really keep in theme of the club nor do justice to it. But I have used a fun giveaway made from recycled newspapers that the children just love called ~ SMENCILS! They are scented pencils, and the children really enjoy them.
Taking care of our Earth and environment around us is so vital. If we can help explain that to our youth in a fun and exciting way I think it could do wonders! Do you have any ideas about teaching Eco-friendly ideas to our youth today? Please share, I am eager to hear your ideas.
A colleague of mine recently introduced me to the Fancy Nancy series, by Jane O’Connor. The books are very well written and beautifully illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. The details on each of the pages are brilliant! They really capture the essence of what Fancy Nancy is all about. I also truly appreciate how Jane has incorporated learning and enhancing children’s vocabulary into something that is fun and exciting. Fun with Fancy Nancy Club is a club that can be fun, fulfilling, and educational all at the same time.
Week 1-Make your own Fancy Fabric Hair ribbons
Introduce the group to Fancy Nancy by reading her first book entitled, Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor
Fancy Fabric Hair ribbons
Materials needed:
Fun, yet sturdy fabrics
sparkly pony beads
hair ties
fabric cutter
yard stick
Directions:
1) First have an adult use the fabric cutter and yard stick to cut equal sized strips (~ 1/2 in wide. and 6 in. long)
2) Next, have the children choose fabric strips and tie simple knots to create their hair ties. Every third or fourth tie they can add a bead to make it look more fancy if they so desire. The more strips they choose, the thicker and fuller their hair tie will become.
Week 2- Fancy Decoupage Trinket Boxes
Decoupage is a fancy way of saying the art of decorating with colored paper cut-outs, paint, & glitter. I think children will truly enjoy creating their own decoupage boxes
Expected Project Time: 45 minutes-1 hour
Materials Needed:
Small boxes (1 per child)- small takeout boxes or margarine tubs would work well if you are on a $$, or you can purchases small cardboard boxes at a local craft store.
White (or Clear) school glue & water
Plastic bowls
Paintbrushes
Magazines, Color Catalogs, & Newspapers
Scissors
Glitter Glue
Rhinestones
Side of Box
Directions:
1) Spread out magazines, catalogs, and newspapers. Encourage children to cut out shapes and objects that interest them.
2) Mix 1 part glue to 1 1/2 parts water in each plastic bowl to prepare a glue wash. Have children “paint-on” their cutouts in their desired pattern. TIP: Use only interior pages from the magazines, not covers as they will be too thick and won’t stick/lay flat against to boxes. The thinner the pages, the better ~ the more polished outcome there will be!
Top of Box
3) Allow the boxes to dry for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime you can check out FancyNancyBooks.com for some adorable printables the children can use while they are waiting. Use rhinestones & glitter glue to give their boxes an extra special fancy touch – Voila! Fancy Decoupage trinket boxes to hold all of their fancy objects! TIP: If boxes are still too wet after 10-15 minutes, skip this step and save it for the following day/week when the group next meets.
Week 3: Fancy Nancy Vocabulary Challenge
You can start this session by reading Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Fancy Words, by Jane O’Connor. Then ,depending on the ages of children in the group you can have 2 different types of challenges or use a combination of both. Have small prizes on hand for everyone who participates in the challenge. Prize Ideas: Boa Pens, Rhinestone Rings, Glittery playdoh.
Ages 9-12: Fancy Word Spelling Bee
Gather a list of fancy words (ex. accesories, boas, parasol, etc.) and challenge children to take turns spelling the words.
Ages 5-9: Fancy Nancy Vocabulary Challenge
Using the list of fancy words you have compiled have the children guess what the definitions of each word are.
Week 4: Special Event: Fancy Nancy Tea Party & Dress Up Day
This week encourage the children to dress up for the tea party and wear pearls, fancy dresses, costume jewelry, tiaras, gloves, boas, etc. One of most festive parts of a tea party is serving dainty and delicate foods, most of them being “mini” versions of their normal selves. You can serve scones and tea sandwiches (sandwiches with filling such as egg salad, chicken salad or cucumber/cream cheese, crusts cut off, cut into 4 triangular shaped pieces), small fruits & veggies and tea of course.
You can also encourage the children to discuss their club experience ~ what did they learn? What was their favorite part of the club?
Kids of all ages really enjoy hands on experiences and adventures. What could be more adventurous than camping? Starting an After School Camping Club with your kids can be fun, easy and educational too!
Ages recommended: 5-12
Week 1: Design First Aid Kits-
Materials needed:
Cotton balls, band aids, 1 pair of non-latex gloves per child, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, q-tips, gauze, permament markers, & washed out plastic margarine tubs.
Directions:
Explain to the children the importance of carrying a first aid kit while Camping. Have each child decorate their own first aid kit and stuff them with all the first aid supplies.
Week 2: Make Trail Mix
Teach the children about what trail mix is and why it is a popular snack for camping. Trail Mix is a combination of dried fruit, grains, nuts, and sometimes 1 or two sweet items. It is often used as a healthy well-balanced snack for camping and hiking because it’s lightweight, nonperishable, & nutritious. It gives a quick energy boost of carbohydrates such as dried fruit or granola, and sustained (takes longer to burn off) energy from nuts. **Be careful with nuts here, many children have severe allergies to tree nuts or peanuts, be sure to make sure your children do not have nut allergies or that your school is a nut free zone.
Let the children have fun mixing & matching the various components of their trail mix. Have a vote, and choose the most popular from each category:
Dried fruits: pineapples, cranberries, raisins, apricots, apples, strawberries or blueberries, or bananas
Grain: Wheat, Corn or Rice Chex, Multi-grain cheerios, or Granola
Week 3: Make a Camping Scene Craft and Campfire Story Writing
Craft time!!! Try making this fun camping scene craft from Oriental Trading Company. Announce the “Campout!” for next week and allow kids to write campfire stories if they wish!
Week 4: Campout!
Make a pretend campfire rolled up brown construction paper logs & tissue paper flames. Ask in advance to see if any staff or parent if they have a tent they would be willing to let you borrow. If this is not possible, you can use sheets to cover tables to make a “tent.” Ideally try to find a grassy patch to host your campout, otherwise indoors is ok as well. Have the children bring flashlights, sleeping bags, and first aid kits and munch on the trail mix that they made. Invite the children to share the campfire stories they have written with the group. Play a few fun camping games such as “I Spy” or “Going on a Camping Trip” or sing a song the Bear Hunt Song.
Looking for more club ideas? Check the club themes page for some more exciting themed-units!
I have compiled a comprehensive after school club theme list using every letter of the alphabet. Stay tuned for upcoming reviews, strategies, and lesson plans for implementing these ideas! Just for fun I have placed an *asterisks next to clubs I have seen in action and **double-asterisks next to clubs that have been written about here at After School Club Ideas.
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