After School Club – 13th, 14th & 17th Nov

MONDAY 13th –
We used Monday’s session to explore our pits and peaks of the week. This is a chance for the young people to discuss what issues they may have encountered in the week, within a supportive network. Its an important exercise to explore empathy and to appreciate things we should all be grateful for, which are easily forgotten.
Some of the young people also took part in sessions upstairs with Keeley and potential new staff members, this way we could gauge their opinions and the future dynamic between them and our new member of staff. They also had some free time to do arts and crafts, table tennis, video games and board games to round off the day.

TUESDAY 14th –
Movement/Dance session: We resumed our group from last week and started our movement session with some partnered exercises. The aim of the exercise was to explore different movements and how we could could incorporate this in an overall end of term piece.
Soon, the session turned into a dance battle in which most of the after school club were involved in, either as spectators or performers.
Some battles worked alongside pop music, hip hop music and even classical songs depending on the performers. It was a magical moment at Dragon Hall and the children said they didn’t want it to end. Within the session they explored creativity, interpersonal skills and confidence in group environments. One boy who usually prefers to spend his time on video games, took part in the dance battle which even shocked his peers who said they had never seen him in that light before. There were of course other activities available for children who wanted to get on with their own free time.

Friday 17th
This Friday we immersed each group in the game ‘who am I’. The children were put into their houses and the first group who guessed the animals written on their stickers by their mentors, won a point. There were also points given for good behaviour for any groups communicating particularly well. They enjoyed the activity so much that it was extended by an extra half an hour as a whole class activity. This activity showcased some very good communication skills and teamwork by the young people. They then continued the session by splitting up to carry on with the activities that they fancied, like table tennis and arts and crafts.