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After School Clubs Foster Fun and Friends

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Tips for starting your very own club

            When the school bell rings, do your kids run to the TV or video games? After a hard day at school, students need some R & R, but it doesn’t have to come with a plug! Savvy moms can start an After School Club to inspire new hobbies and skills, while creating lasting relationships with their kids.

How to Start a Club:

            You can host the club once or twice a week and invite as many kids as you like. The number of guests will likely grow as your club succeeds. One mom can host a club for several kids, or several moms can team up to divide the work.

            The best clubs have a purpose or a theme. For inspiration, start with your skills and interests, the kids’ hobbies or a just-for-fun theme!

Tip: Find ideas for your child in our After School Activities Guide.

Ideas for Your After School Club:

Photography Club: Start a photography club and teach techniques for taking and developing the best photos. Look at professional photography and study lighting, contrast and backgrounds. Hold contests for the most original photos each week and help the kids create scrapbooks.

Garden Club: Help the kids create container gardens or give them each a square in your garden. Cultivate green thumbs as you pass on all the tricks of the trade. Then, create culinary delights. Help junior herb gardeners create the best pesto or vegetable gardeners concoct the best vegetable soup. You’ll be sharing skills that last a lifetime and the kids will take pride in growing and harvesting their own food.

Fashion Club: Do you have a background in fashion, style or makeup? Teen girls love expert tips! Start a fashion club and help girls select clothes and makeup that are flattering and stylish. Teach budget shopping and accessorizing techniques.

Nutrition Club: Each week, introduce a new healthy and delicious recipe. Teach the kids to read labels and make good choices. Create healthy smoothies, trail mix or cookies as you tempt young taste buds with delicious foods they’ll enjoy.

Lego Club: Legos are downright addictive, but that’s okay… they are also one of the best toys for building a young imagination! Each week provide a new theme (i.e. outer space, under the sea, zany creations) and let the young architects create! Take photos and create a digital slideshow. If you have space, set up a Lego museum exhibiting the best creations.

Classic Movie Club: Visit the library to check out classics on DVD. Then, introduce a new one each week. Watch family classics like Pollyanna, Herbie the Love Bug, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Watch behind-the-scenes info and learn about original special effects. Let the audience choose films and take a cinematic journey they won’t forget!

Ethnic Cooking Club: Explore ethnic recipes and make dinner at the same time! To get you started, check out Kids Around the World Cook!: The Best Foods and Recipes from Many Lands or The Around the World Cookbook.

Cupcake Club: Each week, bake a new batch of cupcakes or muffins and decorate them. Try new recipes and decorating techniques. Let each baker take home enough to share. Rate the recipes for flavor, consistency, creativity, and style!

Can’t decide? More than one theme is tempting? No problem! Choose a new club theme each month. Remember your goal is having fun, learning new things, and building relationships. Create an After School Club the entire neighborhood will love and before long you’ll have the coolest house on the block!

More Club Ideas:

Tip: Find ideas for your child in our After School Activities Guide.

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