Afterschool Professionals have a lot going on, and we want to help! One way we know how to help is by coming up with activities. And so, welcome to The Launchpad, a quarterly curation of curriculum perfect for afterschool programs. These activities will vary by content areas, lengths, difficulties, and ages. To find out when new Launchpads are available, sign up for our newsletter!
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We hope these activities make life a little easier and provide some support to all of the wonderful and critical work you do. If you have any feedback or suggestions for what to include in the newsletter, please let us know!
Getting to Know You
Grades 4–12
From: The Flourish Lab
The beginning of the school year sets the tone for everything that follows. The relationships built during the first days and weeks don’t just make the start of the year smoother. They shape trust, belonging, and the culture of a program for months to come. To help you get started, we’ve included one of our favorite get-to-know-you activities that work well with both staff teams and young people. We hope they spark connection from day one.
Paper STEM Activities
All Ages
From: Science Buddies
Start simple, take a look at 14 highly engaging STEM activities using just paper.
Goal List
Ages 5–12
From: Mizzen Education (with a free account)
Create a goal list with older youth to prepare them for their year ahead.
Crystal Letters
All Ages
From: Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network
Engineering Activities
Grades K–8
From: Youth Engineering Solutions
Executive Functioning Support
All Ages
From: Pathway 2 Success
Click here to download 10 strategies to help kids struggling with executive functioning skills.
We hope these activities will make life a little easier and provide some support to all of the wonderful work you do. Please let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions about this newsletter – want more activities, want more specific content, want less, etc. This is meant to support YOU and help you provide youth with engaging activities, so please let us know how we can help! Have a great start to your school year!
