Pictures from The Kids Can Give Sale

Members had the great opportunity today to pay five dollars and buy three presents for people in their family this holiday season.  Volunteers posed as personal shoppers for each of the children aged K-6 helping them find the perfect gift for their loved ones.  Once they finished, members received a beautiful ornament for their tree and were able to have each present gift wrapped by waiting volunteers.

There were also various activities going on at different stations which club members could also participate in.  The different activities varied from games like the ring toss and bingo for prizes as well as Christmas themed arts and crafts.

At the end of the day, each member was given a raffle ticket where they had a chance to win a bike.  Five members were able to bring these home as well.

Thank you to all of the volunteers that made this happen.  It was a fun and special day.

December Members of the Month

Each month, we will be recognizing eight members in grades K-8 that show great leadership skills and service  to the club.   Great job to these eight members, and if you are in the club, come and see their pictures posted on the bulletin board outside of the Education Center. Keep up the great work.

Target Volunteers Visit the Club

Today we had the privilege of having forty volunteers come to the club to help decorate for the holiday season and help us set up our Kids Can Give Sale that will be taking place tomorrow.  The members had a chance to show these volunteers what their afternnoon is like when they visit the club, and everyone had a geat time together.

The volunteers helped with tutoring and literacy stations as well as played games and colored with the members in the Education Center.  Below are a few pictures from the day.

Reading Logs, Homework and Crafts

This week, we have been focusing our time on homework, reading logs and crafts.  Each member must report to me when they come to the club and show me their homework.  Once their homework is completed, members choose a book from the library and read one chapter per day recording the title of the book, pages read and a three to five sentence summary.  These reading logs are kept in the Education Center in their own personal file. When they have completed their homework and literacy stations, members were able to create Christmas Cards for their family and friends.  Inside they composed a Christmas letter and decorated the cover.

Kare 11 Features Volunteers and our Members

This weekend, Kare 11 featured two of our volunteers, Caitlin and Brian Gregg, who are both training for the Olympics. Both Caitlin and Brian have created The Running Club where our members can learn more about making healthy lifestyle choices.  Here is the video that was aired this weekend highlighting several members of the club, including Mr. Greene our Program Director.  Just click on the the link below:

http://www.kare11.com/story/sports/olympics/2013/12/11/road-to-sochi-ski-couple-gives-back-to-the-community/3983583/.

Literacy and Homework Station Incentives

As part of our member recognition, we have started charting each members progress in the Education Center by charting their progress in both completing their homework and literacy stations.  When members receive eight stickers on the chart, they are able to choose one prize.  Next week, many of our members will be receiving their incentive prizes.  Keep up the great work.  Way to go third, fourth and fifth graders!

Winter Word Play

This week, as part of our literacy stations, members had to come up with fifteen words to describe winter.  Once they created their list, they circled five of those words and created a paragraph using the words they selected.  Members followed this up with a colorful picture that represented the paragraph they wrote.  It was great to see the creativity our members brought to this exercise as well as seeing what winter meant to them.  Great work happening with each and every member.

Christmas Artwork

In the Education Center, we have been busy decorating the club with our own personalized decorations.  Members have been busy creating Christmas stockings, ornaments and candy canes made out of tissue paper.  Here are some of their creations this week.

Wall of Fame

In the Education Center, it is important to recognize the work of our members.  On the wall in the Education Center, we have created a Wall of Fame, where members' work will be recognized and placed on the wall.  Great job to all members!

Snowman Stories

In the Education Center, as part of our literacy stations, members have created Snowman Stories. Members created their own personalized snowman and then wrote a short story telling me about them. Here are two of the stories created in the Education Center.  Great job members!

All About Me Collages

In the Education Center this week, we have been working on All About Me Collages.  Members wrote their names in the middle of the paper and then wrote and drew pictures about their interests.  Here are some of the members creations.  Nice work club members!

Selected Praise Poems Written by Members

This week in the Education Center, members have been working on praise poems. Praise poems are poems written about yourself.  This type of poem uses similes to create each line of the poem.  The praise poems below were written by selected members of the club.  Way to go Club Members!  Keep up the great work!

My Praise Poem, by Shamornieay

My hair is long as Rapunzel's.

My eyes are as brown as the night sky.

My nose is as small as a baby's nose.

My lips are as soft as a feather.

My teeth are as white as the snow.

My fingers are as long as a string.

My legs are as fast as a cheetah.

My Praise Poem, by Lanajia

My hair is as soft as a tiger.

My eyes are as beautiful as a lion.

My nose is as pink as a flamingo.

My lips are as glossy as lip gloss.

My ears are as soft as a cheetah.

My teeth are as clean as a white marker.

My fingers are as long as a pencil.

My Praise Poem, by Dyterious

My hair is as long as a tail.

My eyes are as small as a circle.

My nose is as small as a baby mouse.

My lips are as soft as a feather.

My teeth are as shiny as a star.

My arms are as long as a snake.

Welcome to the Education Center

Welcome to the North Minneapolis Boys and Girls Club Education Center Blog. We have had a couple of busy weeks here in the Education Center. Members have been busy during our Power Hour sessions working on their homework and literacy stations.

Last week, students created Snowman Stories and All About Me Collages. This week, members have been busy creating their Profiles highlighting their strengths and interests as well as creating Praise Poems about themselves.

Each week, we work on different skills centered around thematic stations.  These stations are listed below:

 (Station 1) Homework Help: Members will complete their homework and receive tutoring where needed.

 (Station 2) Literacy Station: Members are engaged in activities that cover skills in Reading, Writing and Math.

(Station 3)  Educational Games: Members can play board games, UNO, and Math Bingo. Members can also build things using TinkerToys, Lincoln Logs, and Legos. 

(Station 4) Art: Members can create different thematic art projects.

(Station 5) Computers: Members can play interactive games.

Below are some photos of members working in the different stations in the Education Center.