{"id":914,"date":"2019-09-19T09:45:59","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T13:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/?p=914"},"modified":"2019-09-19T09:45:59","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T13:45:59","slug":"enriching-the-day-with-after-school-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/19\/enriching-the-day-with-after-school-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Enriching the Day with After School Activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Childhood is a time of discovery. Young children are naturally curious, and they find wonder and joy in many things we, as adults, have come to take for granted. Children often are more open to trying new things, as everything is novel and there are no expectations of perfection. Parents can seize this opportunity to introduce their children to a variety of activities as a way of finding a new hobby, learning new skills, and for the simple enjoyment of recreation.
\nMCA is fortunate to partner with LEAF Approach to<\/em> Enrichments, which offers many different after school activities for our MCA students to explore. Program offerings range in topics from sports to STEM, animal worlds to art, karate to yoga, and so much more. There really is something for everyone. Broadening your child\u2019s experiences to things he or she might not normally do at home has some lasting benefits, too.<\/p>\n

1. Enrichments might spark a new interest.<\/strong>
\nWhile your child might engage in familiar activities at home and on the weekends, trying a new after school activity could open the door to a new passion. As LEAF\u2019s sessions are short, usually seven or eight meetings over the course of two months, children have the opportunity to try out something new without making a huge commitment. However, upon engaging in a new program, your child may find that one thing that really sparks his or her enthusiasm. Then, as a family, you can decide whether to pursue this interest even further.<\/p>\n

2. They could lead to new friendships.<\/strong>
\nThe after school activities offered at MCA bring together students from different classrooms depending on who has enrolled. Your child then has the opportunity to enjoy activities with children who might not be in their regular school day program, allowing them to branch out and form new personal connections through their enrichment classes.<\/p>\n

3. Enrichments teach new skills.<\/strong>
\nOur young children are learning every day. They are developing their daily Practical Life skills of self-care, care of the environment, time management, etc. They are also expanding their academic learning and practicing social skills. Enrichments provide yet another avenue to expose children to new things that round out their skill sets. Whether it\u2019s learning the rules of a game, the techniques of cooking, breathing exercises, or how circuits work, children in enrichment classes have the opportunity to widen their net of experiences. Exposure to new ideas and situations in and of itself is a learning opportunity, and when presented in a fun, stress-free environment, the new learning is all that much easier to absorb.<\/p>\n

4. Enrichments are fun!<\/strong>
\nIn our busy worlds, many of us forget the importance of doing something just for the sake of enjoyment. Taking time to have fun allows us to break away from the many stressors that can overwhelm us in our daily schedules. It\u2019s important for our mental wellness to attend to our personal well-being, and teaching our children this lesson from an early age may help them to lead more balanced lives going forward. Knowing that work and play are equally valuable is something we could all benefit from remembering (and practicing!).<\/p>\n

Registration for LEAF Approach to<\/em> Enrichments for our MCA students will begin on September 19th and run through October 3rd. All registration is done online through the LEAF website, www.leafenrichment.com<\/a>. Classes begin the week of October 14th and will run for a total of seven weeks. Note: Class offerings may differ across MCA campuses.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Childhood is a time of discovery. Young children are naturally curious, and they find wonder and joy in many things we, as adults, have come to take for granted. Children often are more open to trying new things, as everything is novel and there are no expectations of perfection. Parents can seize this opportunity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[7,47,144,213,145,147],"coauthors":[13],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7icff-eK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1028,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/18\/collaborating-with-the-country-home-keeping-the-spirit-of-caring-and-giving-alive-all-throughout-the-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":914,"position":0},"title":"Collaborating with The Country Home: Keeping the spirit of caring and giving alive all throughout the year!","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"December 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"It is always with great anticipation that MCA selects and announces the organization it will support each school year, and we take great pride in making our charitable efforts an ongoing series of events throughout the year rather than limiting them to just the holiday season. 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Parents and visitors to The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy (MCA) will notice festive banners on display at our schools and an excited buzz in the air as we begin this week-long celebration in honor of Dr. Montessori and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Special Events"","block_context":{"text":"Special Events","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/special-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"MONTESSORI CHILDRENS ACADEMY","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/MEW-cover-photo.jpg?fit=851%2C315&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/MEW-cover-photo.jpg?fit=851%2C315&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/MEW-cover-photo.jpg?fit=851%2C315&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/MEW-cover-photo.jpg?fit=851%2C315&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":661,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/19\/eye-on-the-montessori-elementary-experience\/","url_meta":{"origin":914,"position":2},"title":"Eye on the Montessori Elementary Experience","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"February 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alex Chiu Most people equate Montessori education with early childhood or the preschool years. However, did you know that there are Montessori programs which begin serving children in infancy and extend up through the elementary, middle, and high school grades? For families who embrace the Montessori philosophy, they truly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Montessori Elementary"","block_context":{"text":"Montessori Elementary","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/montessori-elementary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/E-garden-3.png?fit=228%2C304&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":438,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/05\/the-importance-of-the-montessori-kindergarten-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":914,"position":3},"title":"The Importance of the Montessori Kindergarten Year","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"April 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I had the pleasure of running into a recent graduate of The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy (MCA) and his family at breakfast last weekend. I asked him how he likes first grade. 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