​Lots of fun and exciting things have happened this week that I’m bound to have forgotten some of the things we’ve done.
First of all, we’d like to welcome all the new children and staff to our Summer Playscheme! Lots of children from Moorside Kids Club have joined us, as well as the staff there to coordinate a big playscheme.  This is a great opportunity for children to develop new friendships, and rekindle old ones for the children who may only see each other every summer.
We’ve made the most out of the lovely warm weather we’ve been having with lots of sessions outside, including Stool Ball, Football matches, running games and the park next to the club.  We have also been on a trip to the local park nearby in Fairfield.  We use the cycle tracks, so it is a really nice and safe walk to the park, then there is loads of space for the children to play. We have also had games of rounders out on the field and dodgeball in the hall.  So, lots of physical games this week.
We have also been taking part in lots of craft activities, like making Forkie from the new Toy Story film, making group signs with paint and our handprints, and also coming up with rules for the group to follow.
Some groups have also been playing Pictionary, we have large whiteboards we can use to play many games on and this is always a hit. We have also had games of Mr and Mrs where friends sit back to back and they have to agree on questions asked to get a point, such as “who is the funniest?”
In the hall, we have been playing different parachute games!  Each group have played different games, like Sharks and Lifeguards, Fruit Salad and Popcorn.  The hall has also been used for an energetic game called All Over, where hundreds of little ball pool balls are scattered and two teams face each other to push and throw as many ball over to the other side of the hall as possible.
Little group have been doing lots of painting on different materials, and they made some great art on large paper plates.  They have also been making art on the playground with floor chalks.
Some groups have made the most of the kitchen and have baked some cupcakes! This is a great session for children to have a go at baking and helping with all the different instructions, and then they get to have a treat at the end!
We were very lucky this week to be invited to join the Youth Group that is running at the same time as our club in another part of the building as they were having a Bug Roadshow.  Lots of different creepy crawlies and reptiles were brought in for the children to hold, stroke or look at from a distance as was the case for some of the children. There were snakes, snails, cockroaches, tarantulas, stick insects.  Take a look though the photos below!

​Lots of big sessions we’ve had these past two weeks, with a number of them joining up to have bigger games of rounders and capture the flag.  We have made use of the park, as usual, which is especially nice in the weather we have been having, and it gives some of the children some time to play with friends that are on the park with their parents.  We have also joined Big and Middle group when it was quiet to have a game of Stool Ball in the hall, which is a staff favourite to play.
There have been lots of games played as well during free choice and also spilling into some sessions.  The number one choice at the moment has been the card game Uno! Which has had children from all groups and staff taking part, certainly a crowd pleaser. We’ve also had many more chess sessions and also multiple games of charades.
Big group have had games of Mafia, (think wink murder, but with more narrative) which has been a hit, and middle group have been playing Bingo!
Little group have been keeping up with the children’s interests and have made their own versions of Forkie from the now Toy Story film.
Big group have been making friendship bracelets with wool and string, and some have also made book marks.  There has been painting just using black and a stippling effect to creature shade and texture to the paintings, and they have also had a go at creating some cubism style painting as well with a bit of a twist. 
Some children wanted to continue pixel art and others have been making their way through our big group library that is in their room. 
Middle group have been making paper aeroplanes along with some of middle group, and big group managed to get involved with it also. 
As usual, cakes have been made in middle group with Alison which looked amazing!
On the last day of term, we have kept things nice and relaxed.  Many of the children have brought in their own toys as it was toy day at school, Ryan is leading a pool session and there is also the PS4 out for the children to take turns with, not to mention the rest of the usual activities we have out anyway.  If the children want to, they can make music requests as we have brought the speakers in to play some music while they play.
One last note,
We are sorry to say that Alison is leaving us to go onto her new job.  She doesn’t want to make a fuss and so hasn’t told anyone, but today will be her last day.  We wish her luck and all the best, and she will be missed here at Kids Club.
Alison will be returning with her children, so at least we will still see her in some capacity!!
That’s it for After School Club until September, but there should be updates for the Summer Holidays, so stay tuned!
 
 

​We’ve had some great joining up sessions this week with big and middle group, along with one session with all three groups!
Big group have been loving drawing pixel art.  We have lots of squared paper and some printed out examples for them to copy or change to suit their own.  They love pixel art and find it really rewarding. 
They have also been into making friendship bracelets, and one of the girls was able to show all her friends how to do a completely new style that they hadn’t seen before! These two sessions were repeated a few times because the children couldn’t get enough of it.
In the hall, big group have been playing a game, called Wallop the Cone.  Two cones are placed equal distances to one that is in the middle, then the children take it in turns, one against another to slide a beanbag and hit the cone in the middle.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be a wallop. Simple game, really fun.
Middle group joined big group in a game of rounders that came down to the wire. Both teams had played equally well and it all came down to the last batter.  Nothing better than a close game!
Middle group have also been playing charades together, one of our games that we have out for free choice time, and also some A-Z quiz games, and Pictionary!
In the hall, Middle group have been playing dodgeball, a staple in that group, and also Stool Ball, a favourite of Big group that Alan actually introduced.
Middle group have also been really lucky in that some of them on Monday got to make cookies.  They were made perfectly. Really big, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies.  See Alison for more details!
Little group have been looking at our favourite film and book characters, with lots of the children talking about Forkie, from the new Toy Story film and then drawing them.  They have also been talking about how there will be new children starting in little group in September as new receptions!
They have also been making handprints with things that they find important to them so display on their board in the End Room, some of them are highly detailed!
Little group have also been on the park and played tig again, and have also played some Hangman on the whiteboard.  Some of the children are really good at it, and were getting the word or phrase just from one letter! Genius!