Over the past ten years, I've worked with children in several different capacities. Tutoring, classroom instruction, after school programs and summer camps. One commonality that I find very interesting, no matter what age, social or economic demographic, is their craving for structure. If you would have asked me ten years ago to guess what a child's favorite activity would be, I probably would have guessed running, screaming or general mayhem!
My first experience working with kids was in an AmeriCorps mentoring and tutoring program for "at risk" elementary students. I was assigned to meet with individual students on a daily basis for about 30 minutes. If for some reason our session was cancelled or delayed, it definitely reflected in their behavior.
Later, as an Education Coordinator for an after school program, I organized a club-wide debate. The topic of contention: should it be "free day" everyday, or should the kids continue to rotate by grade level through the different areas of the club for certain time intervals? Each grade level debated both sides of the topic. After a club wide vote, the overwhelming majority voted to keep the scheduled routine.
Just this past summer, I ran a private summer camp for my daughter and nine other kids ranging from 4 to 12 years old. We met three days a week. Mondays were field trip days. Wednesdays we went swimming. Fridays were held at my house, (much to the dismay of my husband!). I was initially worried about it too. How do you keep your house in order with ten kids running around. The solution was based on my experience working at the after school program. I decided to split them up into pairs, and have them rotate through different "stations" of the house for 45 minute intervals. All five areas were pretty much self-guided, (computer, Wii, reading center, game room and art center), so I could use that time to prep snack or clean the kitchen. I was amazed at how smoothly everything went, and how much better behaved they were compared to the other days.
One Friday afternoon, when parents were picking up their kids, I mentioned how Fridays were my favorite summer camp day. A few of the kids overheard me and said, "us too!" Just goes to show you, kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. Who would have thought that a well-planned, consistent schedule that we adults crave is what kids have wanted all along?
A few weeks later, some of the same kids were over with their parents for dinner. They asked if they could do "centers". My response: "Absolutely!"
Here are a few other tips that kept things neat, orderly and kid friendly:
•Snack time: Frozen grapes! They're like healthy, bite-sized popsicles that don't drip if they melt!
•Art Center: Wikki Stix! They're bendable, reusable, non-toxic and mess-free. There are limitless creative opportunities that work for all ages! www.wikkistix.com
•Computers: List of appropriate websites and individual log ins so I could periodically check the history on the computer.
•Wii: (Or other video games) Keep selection simple, limited to two discs. Wii Sports & Wii Games gave them plenty of options.
•Game Room: Labels, labels, labels. If everything has a designated space, clean up time is faster.
•Reading Center: Labels, labels, labels. To make sorting through books easier, I labeled each one with a number that corresponded to a reading level, then organized them in groups. The first graders went straight to the section of books labeled with the number one, and knew exactly where to put it back.
Jennifer Ulm
http://www.shoddyshirtbooks.com
I am a children's book author, educator and mom. My specialty is creating fun, hands-on activities and reading material that promotes a comprehensive approach to learning styles. My belief is that the absorption of educational concepts is most successful when presented through a combination of visual, auditory and kinesthetic means.
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