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Too much of school

When my mom finally decided to take that plum posting as a Divisional Head, I knew I was in trouble. Her office hours stretched way beyond my school hours. And anyway, I was privy to the many discussions my parents had about 'Honey, what do we do with the kids?' Well, finally they struck gold - an educational after school program. Won't that be just grand? Kids are learning new things while parents are happily minting greenbacks! And so, we went directly to another class after our school. The brochure said that they would be 'using fun activities and innovative teaching methods to fill the gap in your child's understanding'. I suppose they meant that the teacher would write down the homework and we were to copy it. At least, this is what happened most of the time. Of course, we didn't tell our parents. How would that help? They'd simply get smart and shift us to a class that would actually make us solve our homework. I hated the classes. Mo...
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The Learning environment

There is often a trap in the words 'after school activities'. One may  easily believe that since these activities are after school, they are not  of much importance. But, one couldn't be more wrong. Research suggests  that children pick up some of their most important skills from after  school programs. That is why children who do not participate in any extra  curricular activities are generally slow and less vibrant. The learning environment that one fosters in after school activities must  be as disciplined and as functional as that found in the school. This is  especially true of educational after school programs. This is the best  place to teach the child important skills like time-management and goal  setting. Time-management is a vital skill, but it is not achieved easily.  Children need to feel the discipline that is needed to finish a task and  the happiness of finishing the allotted work in a specific time fram...
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Successful after school programs

What marks a successful after school program? What are the things that you should look for when enrolling your child into one such program? Other  than the obvious advantage of learning something new, successful programs  incorporate many things that help the development of the child.  Development of social skills is one of the more important objectives of a  good after school program. In a recent survey, parents indicated that  while they do want their children to respect others, they also wanted them  to imbibe skills like getting along with other children and getting used  to children outside the immediate circle of friends. Many children find it  difficult to make new friends and get along with people outside their  group.  Good after school programs place special emphasis on security and safety.  They keep children out of trouble and keep them safe. A good after school  program should be fun, especially when...
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School based after-school programs

In an effort to keep children motivated and safe, the U.S. Government sets aside a good amount of fund for financing after school programs every  year. A report by the U.S. Department of Education and Justice points out  that after school programs are very effective and is in the interests of  the society as a whole. Interestingly, it was found that Americans liked  providing school-based after school-programs in their community. Other than safety, boredom and loneliness, the poor performance of many  students also led to the need for after-school programs that are based on  the school curriculum. Children coming from low-income families were found  to lag behind in reading and grammar after a long break in the summer.  Statistics prove that if school-going children are left unsupervised after  their school, the chances of poor grades and drop out are considerably  higher. The funds provided by the Government will allow rura...
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Reading activities

In a world that is slowly but surely turning away from books and getting  glued to monitors or television screens, the importance of developing a  passion for reading cannot be overlooked. Reading is a habit and should be  established when the child is relatively young. What can you do to foster  this habit? Enroll your child for reading classes: There are many well structured after school reading classes that aim to  draw the children to books. They help kids with diction, idioms and  phrases. For young children, these classes can be fun with animated  characters and pictures. Illustrated picture books, rhymes, silly songs  and pretend stories all attract the young child. Use creativity to capture  the child's vivid imagination.  Pique your child's interest: If your child has a favorite character, pick a series of books that  features this character. For my son, it was Spiderman. Thanks to friendly  neighborho...
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Quirky after school programs

With the growing interest in after school programs shown by the Government as well as parents, new and hitherto unheard of programs are being  explored. In an attempt to make a child aware of his responsibilities as  an individual and as a citizen, these after school programs make use of a  child's natural curiosity and his irrepressible energy. Investigative Skills: In some schools in Kernersville, children are developing their  investigative skills. Children meet with adults who introduce them to the  details of fake non-violent crimes. They take notes, visit the scene and  gather information. Students learn to listen to alibis, collect  fingerprints and gather any other pieces of evidence. According to the  principal, these activities challenge her students' problem solving  skills. Children learn to think critically and to form informed judgments.  Fisheries and sciences: In North Carolina, children who are interested...
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Recreational after school programs

After school programs can be divided into 3 broad categories: academic, recreational and social. Balanced development takes place when there is  compatibility between the physical, mental as well as the educational  achievements of the child.As the name suggests recreational after school  programs are based on a sport or recreation. Some of the more common  physical activities include football, swimming and basketball.Some clubs  offer programs like gymnastics, trekking and hiking. In this case,  youngsters are often given a short class in first-aid class also. Recreational after school programs offer children an opportunity to let  off some steam and to destress themselves. The closed classroom atmosphere  and a day full of textbooks and writing cause the child to repress his  natural enthusiasm. He curbs his energy when he is required to sit quietly  in class and learn. Physical activity is an all-time low during such...
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