Club Themes – After School Club Ideas

Category: Club Themes

Lego Quest – The Ultimate Lego Club!

Posted on April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 by Marie

Have you heard of lego quest? If not I highly suggest you check out this blog: http://legoquestkids.blogspot.com/

Do you have access to legos in your after school program? If so, that’s all you need to host the ultimate lego club! I love the way it challenges children to be creative and really think outside the box when making their creations! I have to admit, I did hear a few moans and groans to start off (They preferred coming up with their own projects at first!) … But once they got into the challenges, it was a hit!!

I do like to offer incentives for attendance, and kept track of points for all people who attended and attempted to create the project of the week!

FREE PRINTABLE: Lego Club Points Tracker

Featured Club: Thinking Skills Club

Posted on July 28, 2013October 12, 2020 by Marie

Hello everyone! I’m always scouring the internet looking for innovative, new club ideas! Well this time, Mitch, from Thinking Skills Club found me.

On Thinking Skills Club:

“A teacher-led club where students play online games, develop cognitive skills and have fun.”

Participants will play games that help develop their cognitive skills. They can track their progress and earn incentives along the way including a graduation certificate and t-shirt. Incentives encourage participation and allow children to feel ownership in the program.

If you join or start a club in the summer, membership is free. They also have specials for the fall under their members area.

I tested out a problem solving game called “That Gravity Game.” It was both kid-appealing and educational. What child wouldn’t love navigating a mutant marshmallow man around a a maze? The added challenge is – how does gravity come into play. What changes must you make to navigate your marshmallow man to the end of the maze.

This was just a snippet of what Thinking Skills Club has to offer. If your looking for something new and challenging for the children in your program, I recommend checking this club out.

All things Disney Club

Posted on July 17, 2013July 22, 2013 by Marie

Summer time, summer time, M-O-U-S-E. Ok, so I just made that up. But what could be a better time to host a Disney Club than in the summer time. The possibilities are endless, and with the vast number of characters children are bound to have a disney character (or two or twenty!) that they love. Here’s some ideas to get started with your very own Disney Club!

Fuse Beads inspired by ‘A Bug’s Life’

Materials: Fuse Beads, Fuse Bead Boards, Ironing Paper, masking tape, Iron

Let the kids think of their favorite bugs and design them with fuse beads. Kids can make caterpillars, butterflies, bees, ladybugs, dragonflies, and more.

Fuse Bead Tips and Tricks (because I have been through my share of mishaps in the past!):

1) Use masking tape to make of a small square on the floor around the iron. Instruct the children to stay out of the taped area as it is “very hot”

2) Use one brand of fuse bead boards and beads ~ if you try to mix and match they may not iron properly or fit into the boards.

3) Allow plenty of time for this project ~ kids can get very involved in fuse bead craft for 45 minutes or more. Be sure to give plenty of advanced warning for the end of project time.

4) Have kids raise their hands when they have finished their project and have an adult bring it to the ironing area. This will help prevent kids from accidentally dropping their projects.

5) Be careful not to turn the iron on too high as this will melt their projects or too low or the project may fall apart. I find a medium-high setting works the best.

6) Make sure to place ironing paper on top of fuse beads before ironing and make sure to iron both sides.

BONUS ACTIVITY – If you would like to continue the Bug’s Life theme you can make ‘buggy edible dirt cups’ with gummy bugs/worms, pudding, and crushed oreos. Gross looking, yumminess.

Mickey or Minnie Mouse Headband Kits

This is a fabulous etsy find. You can purchase ready made craft kits or perhaps you may be inspired to create your own.

Other ideas

Disney dress up day and parade

Disney coloring sheets

Disney trivia games- You can look up you own fun facts online or find various disney trivia board/dvd games.

Hidden Mickey Scavenger Hunt – cut up tiny mickey ears and hide them for a Disney inspired game of hide and seek. (Fun fact: Did you know there are mickey ears hidden inside Disneyland? Find out more about them here.)

Baking Club

Posted on June 26, 2013July 19, 2013 by Marie

Baking Club in and after-school setting? Crazy right? Well if you have access to a microwave and a small toaster oven it can be done! And don’t think baking club = edible baked goods. It can be so much more. It also will add that extra special something to keep children excited. And remember — this club will require adult supervision at all times.

1) Pop Art Boards

These fun boards can be found at S&S Worldwide. The boards start out flat. Then children color them with markers and hand them to an adult. The adult then places it in the toaster oven for a short time and poof! The board now looks raised up — like popcorn.

2) Shrink Art

Also known as shrinky-dinks! Shrink art can be colored with permanent markers without much work. If you’d like to be extra fancy you can sand them down a bit, trace black and white clip art images with black sharpies, and color them with colored pencils. This helps makes the craft appealing to younger and older grades and you can vary the difficulty level. Once the children complete their project the adult will place them in the toaster oven and watch them shrink.

3) Muffin in a Mug

Now this one is super fun. And yes it is edible. Let the children know in advance to bring in a coffee mug from home. You can even allow a little sharing time for the children to share special words about their mug. Then make sure to have some coloring sheets or other alternative activity handy so you can call up the children one a time to mix their ingredients. Then the adult will place their mixture in the microwave and two minutes later they will have a muffin!

Lego Club

Posted on June 24, 2013June 24, 2013 by Marie

Ahh… Legos. Children love legos! Hosting a Lego Club can be a win-win situation for children, staff, and parents alike. They bust boredom, keep children engaged, encourage imagination, and reinforce tactile and building skills. The activity possibilities are endless. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1) Lego Quest – This was an awesome Pinterest find. Check out the resource blog page here.

What is Lego Quest?

Lego Quest is a non-competitive, creative building challenge resource for LEGO loving kids.

When can you use Lego Quest?

It works great outdoors or indoors and doesn’t require too much space. Just lots of legos. Be sure to sort them into several bins so small groups can work with them.

2) Candy Lego Building – Children will enjoy building with candy blocks and then when they’re all done you can pack them up in a zippie bag for them to take home and play with (or eat!) later.

3) Design a Lego Person

Now this activity is just precious. All you have to do is provide a blank lego person template such as this one, and glue, markers, construction paper, and scissors, and let the children go to town. They can design their very own lego person. You’ll be delightfully surprised at their creativity. I’ve seen ‘Mini-Me’ Lego People, Darth Vader Lego People, and even Rapunzel. The sky’s the limit.

Enjoy!

Reading Club

Posted on March 13, 2012June 30, 2012 by Marie

It’s Book Fair week at our school. I always love seeing children get excited about reading books. Adding a reading club to your after school program can help keep children motivated to read. There are many ways a Reading Club can be added to an After School Program. Here are a few ideas you can try.

1) Plan a Club Theme that is inspired by children’s literature.

A few ideas have been outlined on this site, like Harry Potter Club or Fancy Nancy Club. Children can enjoy reading and listening to the stories, while also making crafts or playing games that complement them.

2) Plan an Ongoing Reading Club

Set aside time in your daily schedule specifically dedicated to reading. Younger children can be read to, while older children can read on their own if they wish. Instruct the children that they will participate in the the club each day for at least 15-20 minutes. Each time they complete a session they will earn a star on the incentive chart. After earning a certain number they will earn an incentive. This is a great way for children and parents to track their progress.

What ideas for leading a reading club do you have? What other ways do you integrate academics into the after-school setting?

Game Show Club

Posted on July 28, 2011January 5, 2012 by Marie

Do you remember Family Feud, Jeopardy or Double Dare?

Ok, in the world of advanced video gaming systems, game shows may seem a little outdated, but kids will always enjoy engaging in fun group games. Game Show club can offer a new opportunity for friendly competition. In order to instill a spirit of healthy competition make sure to remind children about sportsmanship and teamwork. If you’d like, you can keep a supply of small prizes to handout at each week for good sportsmanship, as well as for winning games. Here are ideas for a four week club. Continue reading “Game Show Club” →