After School Dance Clubs Ensure That Dance Stays on the Curriculum

Sometimes Primary schools can be a little too focused on their provision of numeracy, literacy and the like to be interested in the Arts.

All too often the first items to fall off the end of the curriculum are Music, Dance, Art and anything seen as, dare I say it, "not real subjects".

Very often cross curricular links can be used when teaching dance in primary schools allowing important subject matter to be taught whilst keeping a focus on creativity.

An ideal way of ensuring that dance gets the priority it deserves to ensure that the children have access to an out of school club. A child attending a dance club prior to the start of a normal school is alert, refreshed and ready for lessons. An after school dance club also allows children to work out the frustrations of the day and if working with a professional dancer be inspired to take dance further in later life.

Dance Clubs are run across the United Kingdom for this very purpose and are proving to be very successful in primary schools. Teachers have reported a real increase in attention spans amongst young children who attend the classes before school and believe that it really prepares the children for the learning day. There has also been a marked reduction in classroom disruption by pupils who attend a dance breakfast club.

The clubs that have been most successful are the ones which create a feeling of belonging. The children are provided with freebies - stickers and gifts which makes them feel like they are members of a team or "special" club. This together with the nature of a physical exercise has lead to high attendance for the dance clubs and provides a welcome boost to the class teachers who are then provided with a group of motivated children first thing in the morning.

After School Safety - Tips and Reminders

When parents send their children for after school programs, they take it for granted that the child is safe. But since the number of children participating in these activities has increased, it is necessary to look into safety issues.

Children are vulnerable when they are outside the classes. While going or returning, they should know the safest route to take. Many kids hang out with their friends just after these classes. Find out 'danger zones' from your neighbors and make the children aware of these.

The child has to know how to handle emergencies. It is better to discuss various scenarios with your child. Tell her what she should do in case the class is suddenly cancelled. Show her the first-aid kit at home and make sure she knows whom to call in an emergency. Post any important contact information in a place that is easily accessible to the child. If the child will be alone at home, discuss a few unexpected things with her. Tell her to use the safety chain ALWAYS.

Relay on your neighbors and friends when needed. Let your child know who can be contacted at times of emergency. Ask your child to check in by phone. Above all, always tell the child to be in a group. Visiting toilets all alone or going home via isolated streets must be avoided.

Remember it is very important to always keep tabs on our children. No one will look out for our children as will so always know where your children are and what they are doing.

After School Snack Tips For Healthy Eating

When your child walks in the door after a long day at the school, it is standard for them to bolt straight for the kitchen for the all important after school snack. They may or may not smile or growl at you on the way by, but you need not block their path or you will suffer the consequence! A hungry child is an unhappy child and a really hungry child is a meltdown in the making.

The convenience factor

It is very important to provide healthy after school snack options to your child that they can access with ease. For example, when you go to the grocery store and buy a bag of carrots intending for your child to have a healthy option for their after school snack, if you bring them home and drop them into the crisper you will find that to be that last place your nutritionally renegade children will opt to look! However if you slice those carrots into bite sized pieces or strips and place them in a clear airtight container or plastic bag on the top shelf, right in plain view of child when he or she opens the door, you may well find that carrots can be a hot commodity.

Our children have been reared towards convenience, and choosing an after school snack is not something they want to have to think about. If it is edible and on the top shelf, they will most likely snatch it up and trounce away with it. So while purchasing healthy food choices is important, it is equally important to provide them with easy access to those choices.

Healthy Microwaved leftovers

A healthy after school snack can easily be the remnants of the dinner you shared the evening before. As long as the child can see it and reach it, and it takes only a few seconds in the microwave to reheat, it is a viable option for a very hungry and typically very rushed child to choose as an after school snack. It is preferable to microwave in a glass dish so the recommendation is to store the food you want your child to have quick and easy access to in a container that can go from fridge to microwave safely.

Lead by example

After school snacks of cookies and milk have become a thing of the past in the health conscious society of today, as we strive to teach our children better eating habits. We want them to be healthy and make better choices than we did. However, we have to be willing to show them that we are willing to put our mouth where our money is! We cannot as parents hoard a secret stash of sugar-riddled junk food all to ourselves. Instead, leading by example is a much better way to guide your children in their snack choices. Will the child be more likely to eat a bowl of ice cream for an after school snack if he or she walks in and catches Mom or Dad eating a bowl of ice cream? Absolutely! So lead by example and get munching on those carrot sticks, or choose a frozen yogurt over ice cream at least, when your hungry child walks into the kitchen. This is not to say you have to become a mortal enemy of your beloved cookie dough ice cream. It just means that you want to lead by example, and raise a healthy child who makes good decisions more than you want to lead them to the plus sized aisle in the department store.