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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Celebrating the Top Resources to Inspire Youth to Give Back
Editor’s Note: A special thank you to author @jillgordon for sharing the last of four webinars from the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana’s 2017 webinar series designed to promote next-gen leadership and giving opportunities. Today’s post focuses on how to incorporate service learning and volunteerism into your program. Jill provides several free resources and links to activities that any program can implement! ____________ In 2017, Youth Philanthropy Connect (YPC) and the Youth P...Read More
Make Your Surveys and Enrollment Forms More Inclusive
Equity and inclusion are on everyone’s minds these days. Out-of-school time professionals across the nation are taking a good look at their practices with an eye toward assuring that all young people and their families feel welcome. Don’t forget to review your program’s enrollment forms and surveys as part of this process – it’s a common, yet overlooked, spot for unconscious bias to have a field day. Small changes to the words you use in these materials can make a difference in the experiences y...Read More
Building Connectedness Through Healthy Eating: 5 Summer Activities
This month Healthier Generation is encouraging communities to make the most of their summer. From energizing outdoor games to new healthy recipes, summer should be fun for everyone. I recently teamed up with my friends, Jessy Newman from American Institutes for Research and Clarissa Hayes from Food Research and Action Center, to teach a webinar on how physical activity can foster a sense of belonging at summer meal sites (check out the recording here). Feeling connected and part of a community i...Read More
Rest and Restoration: Will You Take a Break This Week?
Editor’s Note: This blog was first posted on The Leadership Program‘s website on July 2, 2018. We have received permission from BOOST Blogger Erika Petrelli (@erikap) to repost. — Happy Fourth-of-July Week! The quintessential marker of “summer” for many of us. Since it’s on Wednesday this week, I’ve heard so many people talk about how it makes the whole week feel like a vacation, even if you just have the one day off. I’m kicking off the holiday by going to see Def Leppard and...Read More
The Afterschool Escape Room at the 2018 BOOST Conference
Our team is ready. No time for motivational speeches because we must escape! The moderator starts the clock and says go. The five men and women rush to the desk and start tearing through books, notepads, trinkets, and anything else just laying around. Someone notices a silver key in a terrarium that has a black widow spider in it. We all know that we need the key, but how can we get it without putting ourselves in mortal danger? I mean, this is an afterschool program, right? The spider looks pla...Read More
The Science and Art of Helping Kids Love Physical Activity
Creating a physical activity program for grade schoolers that engages all children involved is both a science and an art. The science of child development, motivational psychology, and human behavior help us create an enriching program. The art of creating a fun, play-like, inclusive environment gets all kids excited to participate. Using imaginative, play-based activities to introduce critical developmental skills is a perfect culmination of the art and science behind getting kids to enjoy bec...Read More
Tailwinds vs. Headwinds
Runners and cyclists are especially familiar with this phenomenon. When running or cycling into the wind, we are aware of the hardship every second. When we get the wind at our back, we are grateful … for about a minute. Then we forget about our good fortune until the going gets tough again. Why is it so easy for people to feel put upon? Why are we hyper-aware when we feel the deck is stacked against us? Studies have shown that this phenomenon happens in many aspects of our lives. With siblings,...Read More
Discovering and Engaging Diverse Philanthropic Youth
Editor’s Note: A special thank you to author @jillgordon for sharing the second of four webinars from the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana’s 2017 webinar series designed to promote next-gen leadership and giving opportunities. Today’s post focuses on recruiting diverse youth to your programs that represent the communities you serve. Click on the webinar link below “Discovering and Engaging Diverse Philanthropic Youth” for the full program. And keep your eyes open later in Jun...Read More
From Toddlers to Teens! Let Them Play!
If you are an 80’s baby, you probably played with a toy kitchen set. I did. When I was four years old, Santa brought me a kitchen set for Christmas. With a big grin on my face, I served my family plastic chicken drumsticks and fake pieces of yellow corn on the cob. My mom would pretend to chew the food and comment “Umm Tiana this is sooo good.” Unaware of my actions, I was emulating my mom and pretending to be a big girl. As I reminisce about this experience, I discover how critical pla...Read More