Ever wanted to start a Scrapbooking Club with the kids at your center but worried that all the scrapbooking materials you need to buy would break your budget? Not to worry, you may be suprised that most materials needed you may already have on hand.
Continue reading “Scrapbooking Club with Center Friendly Materials”
I have been reading several articles lately on the subject of Learning Loss in summer. According to several studies significant learning loss can take place in children during summer or out-of-school months. In a study conducted by Cooper et al [1] it has been found that summer learning loss can be the equivalent of a at least one month of instruction. That number is staggering! So what can us as educators and parents do to help with this statistic? There are many ideas out there that can help combat this problem. Continue reading “Summer Learning Loss and Ideas to prevent it”
I have found a great resource for starting your own chess club at this link: http://www.rockfordchess.org/clubs/starting.htm
I loved the table where they discussed “Optimal” vs. “realistic” playing conditions. The school I work at certainly falls under the latter column. Granted, starting a chess club in an after-school program will be challenging but if you persevere it is likely to be a very rewarding and fun experience for the children (bonus: parents will appreciate it too!)
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.”
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 “Adding to Harry Potter Club: Make your own butterbeer!”
Children love learning magic tricks. I can always tell when a new magic trick is being passed around at school because a handful of excited children will all show me the trick on the same day! Why not capture that magic and excitement by offering up a Magic Club?
Here are some ideas:
1) The Bubble Game, from Creative Kids at Home
What child would not want to be encased in a giant bubble? (ok even as an adult I would want to do this.) Really adorable idea!!! And very doable in the after school setting.
Supplies needed: bubble solution, hula hoop, small stool, & hula hoop
2) Learn Magic tricks– Here is a link to activity village with some great magic trick videos.
Supplies needed: clear wax crayons from Easter Egg Kits, white paper, watercolors, paintbrushes.
4) Special Event- Have a special visitor “magician” put on a Magic Show or demonstration for the students.
Hope you have a bippity boppity magically teriffic time with your magic club!
An oldie but goodie post for today. I hope everyone is enjoying a special Easter with your families!
Do you ever have those moments in life where you participate in something and suddenly realize ~ hey the kids at school would love this activity. How can I incorporate it into my program?
That’s what happened to me on Easter 2007. I was at a Family Easter Party and witnessed a family tradition that intrigued me. We had just finished eating some appetizers when everyone started grabbing some colored Easter eggs (the hard-boiled kind not those plastic ones full of candy.) The next thing I knew people were pairing themselves up and challenging their partner to an “Egg War.”
Yum, Yum! Have you seen the latest in fun baked goods craze? Last year we saw the rise of the cupcake….this year its the scrumptious cake pop or cake ball.
We had a Bake Sale a few months bake to support a wonderful program called Pennies for Patients whose proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The kids had a blast with this fundraiser and also supported a wonderful cause. Continue reading “Cake Ball Craze”
