NAA’s Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders 2021

The Connecticut After School Network would like to recognize NAA’s Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders 2021 honoree Mackenzie Steadman! This annual honor is given by the National AfterSchool Association to recognize emerging leaders who are making a significant impact in the afterschool field. (more…)

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STEM Beyond the School Day Series – Engineering Mindset 6 or Math…Yuck!

Engineering Mindset 6: Children apply Science and Math Knowledge to Problem Solving Engineers use knowledge of math and science to solve problems. They combine that knowledge with their own creativity…

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STEM Beyond the School Day Series – Engineering Mindset 4 or What to Watch on TV

Engineering Mindset #4: Children Consider Criteria and Constraints that Require Tradeoffs If you’ve tried to solve a problem, or teach problem solving skills in a blue sky sort of format…

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Creating Culture in a Cafeteria Classroom – Staying Positive and Negative during a Pandemic

Week 4 Over the week leading up to the holiday, I spent a significant amount of time trying to get my technophobic father onto a more reliable video chatting platform.…

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STEM Beyond the School Day Series – Engineering Mindset 1

Engineering Mindset #1: Children Consider Problems in Context Considering and designing with the engineering design process In our last post about the properties and use of materials we talked about…

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Behavior Management Institute

In collaboration with the Utah Afterschool Network and University of Utah, the Behavior Management Institute is designed to provide a system of support for attendees to understand students’ behavior, engagement strategies, and restorative practices as they apply to the crucial topic of behavior management. (more…)

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Creating Culture in a Cafeteria Classroom – Staying Positive and Negative during a Pandemic

Week 3

In our Summer Enrichment program, I chose to read a chapter of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz to the children each day. During Chapter 1, the group was very interested in the cyclone. Several children had never heard of such a thing and were full of questions. This led to an afternoon full of Internet searches for pictures and videos. One insightful first grader commented that “it is scary that a cyclone can show up out of nowhere and ruin everything.” 

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Creating Culture in a Cafeteria Classroom – Staying Positive and Negative during a Pandemic

Week 1

There is no denying that the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected afterschool in a variety of ways; from scheduling and numbers to safety protocols to activities and interactions. It is very easy to focus on the negative effects, as COVID has seemingly thrown a big old virus-y wrench into the gears of the well-oiled machines that are our afterschool programs. Unfortunately, the coronavirus is here and it clearly doesn’t care if it makes things difficult for anyone, including afterschool educators. 

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