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Developing Self Worth and Acceptance
The Search Institute has identified 40 Developmental Assets which are building blocks of healthy development. These assets are divided into two categories: external and internal assets. In the process of identifying these assets, the Institute discovered that when these assets are in place young people develop resiliency, and when resiliency is developed the young person…
Read MoreInclement Weather
Seems like an unusual time to be talking about inclement weather—especially if we think about this in terms of rain and snow. However, summer can have its own share of weather challenges—heat and humidity. If you are running summer program it is important to stay tuned to the “weather channel” so you know whether it…
Read MoreSTEM in Afterschool
You may be asking yourself what does STEM mean. The acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. There is an increased interest in STEM in K-12 education in general and after-school in particular. The Afterschool Alliance Issue Brief #26 is focused entirely on STEM in the afterschool arena. The Brief begins: As the 20th…
Read MoreMean, Lean or Teen Cuisine
We have all heard and read about the challenge of childhood obesity that this country is facing. It appears that afterschool might be a good place to address two of the underlying causes of this “epidemic”. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Although there are some genetic and hormonal causes of childhood obesity, most of the…
Read MoreClubs and Afterschool
Clubs and After-school In the world of after-school there are 3 Rs—relationships, relevance, and rigor, which stand as a litmus test in selecting the activities that we do with youth. If the activity can meet the test posed in these three words, then chances are, it will be a winner with young people. Clubs are…
Read MoreCooking With Kids
Have you tried a cooking club with the youth in your program? If not, you might want to give it a try. The youth are engaged (at every age level) and love having the opportunity to measure and mix, and of course EAT! Here are several different ways you can get started. Harvest of the…
Read MoreVirtual Vacations
The weather outside is far from frightful in California at least. We have sun and cool breezes and it feels like spring. So for those of you who live somewhere else, consider taking a virtual vacation here in California, and for those of you in California, consider taking a virtual vacation to some other point…
Read MoreSTEAM Is An Integrated System
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This acronym wasn’t simply chosen because it makes it easier and quicker to talk about these subjects. It wasn’t chosen simply because there seems to be a natural connection between science and plants (including the stems). It wasn’t chosen so you could add the arts…
Read MoreQuestion to Solve Problems
A blog post entitled “What’s More Important: Knowing the Right Answers or Asking the Right Questions” explored the importance of questions and answers. This blog referred to the work of Hal Gregersen who argues “That the what-ifs, the why’s, and the why not’s are more vital to shaping a child’s lifelong creative intelligence than knowing…
Read MoreStrive for Accuracy
Although making a mistake is not the end of the world in most cases, striving for accuracy is an important habit of the mind. Notice that it doesn’t say striving for perfection, rather striving for accuracy which could also be translated into excellence. Certainly we care about how other perceive the work we do, but…
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