Breakfast Club Blog
The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is a curated space where bloggers from around the world contribute content on a continual basis about a variety of topics relevant to in and out-of-school time. The BOOST Breakfast Club blog is at the heart of an ongoing dialogue where expanded learning and education professionals share their personal thoughts and stories from the in and out-of-school time field. They also tell us what they ate for breakfast!
The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is Brain Food for In and Out-of-School Time Leaders!
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Kids Are Natural Scientists—Let Them Take the Lead!
Science is based on curiosity and finding evidence. Giving kids opportunities to roll up their sleeves and understand the world around them by looking for evidence is a great way to be a “guide on the side” rather than a formal teacher or science expert. By letting the children lead, watching what they do, and asking questions, you empower them to follow their natural curiosity. By encouraging them to help one other and share ideas and materials, you help them build important social skills. Scie...Read More
Let’s Play!
A few years ago, I took my youngest son and his friend to Laser Quest. It’s the best laser tag place I know, full of two-story mazes covered in glow-in-the-dark paint. I had intended to sit and wait for the boys as they enjoyed their experience, but a quick phone call with Mom changed that plan. “Go play. Have fun! I would if I was there,” encouraged Mom. She knows I’m still a kid at heart, just like her. With her voice ringing in my ears, I played two of the greatest games of laser tag in my li...Read More
Finding The Right Visual For Explaining Data
When I’m not writing blog posts for BOOST, I help mission-driven organizations use data to get better at what they do. I collaborate with really terrific organizations that are making a big difference in the lives of their communities, and their teams are dedicated to continuous improvement. And yet, sometimes when we say, “let’s look at your data!” our clients react like we’d just suggested a self-administered root canal. Too few members of mission-driven organizations have had good experiences...Read More
Knowing My Why Is The Root Of My Success
In 2008, I got the courage to start my own professional development company. I have been designing my purpose for this company for the last 11 years. “Dignity of Children believes that all children are born with inherent dignity. They have a right to be loved, nurtured, and valued. Children and youth deserve to be kept safe. They are entitled to a proper education. Children thrive when adults understand their developmental needs, recognize their strengths, and foster their resilience. To evoke t...Read More
Energy And Partnerships…What’s The Connection?
There’s something you need to know about me, I love all things energy-related!!! I love eating food (especially broccoli) because it gives me energy to live, dance, and laugh. I love talking about electricity because it heats my showers, cooks my food, and keeps my house at a comfortable temperature year round. And I love thinking about how energy connects us all and without it, our lives would be a lot less eventful. My entire job is to talk about energy – where our energy/electricity com...Read More
Leaders Who Inspire Us: Dr. Erin Browder
Editor’s Note: Happy New Year! What a great time to honor Leaders Who Inspire Us! Keep an eye out for more inspirational people in our field who are change makers. If you want to recommend someone, please send a note to [email protected]. Today’s featured leader is Dr. Erin Browder, a Leadership and Organizational Development Consultant. She specializes in building safe and supportive workplaces, leadership development, organizational culture, and capacity building. She has p...Read More
A Time Of Transition And Growth
I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with youth development and out-of-school learning time since 1998. For the past eight years, I’ve been the Program Director of the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana (YPII). In that time, I’ve watched as YPII built a strong local, national, and even international reputation as a thought-leader and become a significant resource for training on youth philanthropy, young people sharing their time, talents, and treasures. Through numerous collaborations...Read More
Planning for a “New Year” With Our Kiddos #Repost
Editors note: This blog was first published in January 2018. We believe the content of this blog is as relevant today for 2019, as it was for 2018. Let’s keep asking these questions… ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ January 1 is really our second “New Year” with our kiddos. Happy New Year, take two! As educators, we really have two new years. First, we start the year in August or September when our kiddos r...Read More
Character Building with Esports Programs
In 2017, more people watched the League of Legends Championship than Game 7 of the World Series and the final game of the NBA Finals that year. This statistic was shared by ESPN, who—for the first time this past September—featured esports player, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins on the cover of its ESPN The Magazine. But what exactly is esports? Is it just kids just shooting at each other in online video games? Well, it can be. But esports can also be strategy card games, like Hearthstone, which is set in ...Read More
Super Moon 2019!
“Go further than you planned. Ask for the moon: you will be surprised how often you get it.” These words of Paulo Coelho are certainly what we want our kids to hear and feel – to reach beyond and become the best person they can be. And we want to be there to help give them opportunities to reach their full potential. The Moon serves as a source of inspiration – influencing aspiring poets, writers, musicians, artists, scientists, explorers, traditional knowledge-keepers in cultures such as Native...Read More
Games! Games! And More Games: Five ACTIVE Indoor Games For Winter!
Winter weather can prove to be a significant challenge for keeping kids physically active, particularly when indoor space is relatively confined or not readily available. While large format activities and games may not be ideal in this situation, there is still a wide variety of simple physical activities that can be included in stations, circuits, and other formats to get kids moving. Below are five fun physical activities for kids that require little to no space or equipment and are ideal opti...Read More