At Home Activity Bags For Afterschool Distance Learning

Submitted By: Shannon Blenis, Town Of Windsor Recreation Dept

We have 86 students in our after school program and we wanted to give them an activity bag full of arts and crafts, STEM activities, games, and more. I contacted S&S Worldwide and they were able to provide amazing items for the bags! We packed up the bags and delivered to the front doors of all of our students. The police department jumped in and helped deliver too.

Here are some of the items we put in the bags:

Crafts & Materials:

• Color Splash Markers
• Crayons
• Half Masks
• Velvet Art
• Chalk
• Scratch Door Hangers Craft Kit
• Flower Thermometer Magnet Craft Kit
• Have Courage Bracelet
• Paint with Water Activity Books

Activities & Games:

• Jump Rope
• Mini Jenga
• Mini Magic Cubes
• Interlox Crystal Building Shapes
• Bubbles
• Sunglasses

We included instructions for projects if they came with instructions. Our part time staff made copies of instructions for each kit. We gave them the bags and told them to have fun and enjoy!

The crafts are great for kids to show their creativity. The Have Courage Bracelet is perfect for an inspirational activity during these times. The masks are great for dramatic play, and kids of all ages can enjoy painting with water. The summer is also a perfect time to make your own thermometer. And chalk is always a fun and safe outdoor activity. We also wanted to include items to keep kids’ minds and bodies active. Jump ropes are very popular right now, and also the magic cubes are great for cognitive learning and the building shapes allow for STEM learning. We love this photo showing the creativity of one participant holding the finished block project!

Parents and students really appreciated the bags, most kids were waiting by the doors for us to drop off the bags. It was great to give some them to let know that we are in this together and that we miss them!

This is very well documented on our social media with pictures of us delivering, and the bags. Take a look on our Facebook – Town of Windsor Recreation Department, @windsorctrec and @winysb.

We are getting parents sending emails in to say thank you for the bags which is such a great feeling.

“Thank you very much! What a wonderful organization, I can’t say enough about the program. Eric really has enjoyed the past couple years with the Youth In Action Program. Eric says “THANK YOU:)” – Susan E.

“Thanks for coming my children feel so happy you made their smile.” – Safa O.

This was fun and a great way to stay connected to our after school kids that we miss so much!