Quizzes based on children's shows, challenges to soaps - television programmes are crammed full of ideas that are useful for out-of-school clubs. Television is full of light, colour and action. Little wonder that children are hooked. It enables them to test their opinions, discuss things with their mates, pick role models in the form of TV personalities and pop idols, and find common ground with their peers. It makes sense then, to tailor themes and activities around TV programmes or to use them to spice up a particular theme.
Suggest cooking and many children will be enthusiastic, but call it 'Jamie's Kitchen' or 'Ready Steady Cook' and the level of interest will escalate. Offer a jungle theme week and again, children will be interested, but rename it 'I'm a Kid Get Me Out of Here' and the bookings will flood in.
Children love challenge, excitement and things that are in the media spotlight, which is why utilising television will add a fresh dimension to your club. They enjoy a wide range of programmes, from 'Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow' on Saturday mornings to 'Big Brother' which many follow or hear about from older siblings and school friends.
Playworkers who are aware of popular programmes and current trends will have a limitless range of new ideas, and children will enjoy helping to use these and adapt others.
Past programmes can also be used for activity ideas - 'Gladiators', 'Noel's House Party' and 'Friends Like These', for example. Remember also that many children have satellite TV where old cartoons like 'Whacky Races' are run, and extra ideas can be found.
MILLIONAIRES
We ran a week entitled 'We're in the money' with activities ranging from making money boxes to treasure hunts, with a daily slot for 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' We now use a 'Millionaire' quiz book, but originally adapted questions from an ordinary quiz book.
Children in two teams choose a representative to answer the questions.
'Chris Tarrant' played by a child or playworker asks a question and the child who puts their hand up first answers it. If they get it wrong the other team's representative can answer. Displaying a score sheet of winnings adds to the general excitement.
Offer children a wrong and right answer for the '50:50' option. For 'Ask the Audience' a playworker reads the answer and the answering team raises their hands to vote for the answer they think is correct. The children 'Phone a Friend' by choosing a friend to go to another room. They use a walky-talky to communicate, but mobile phones or even a pretend phone could be used.
'I love Millionaire. I could play it all day,' says seven-year-old Philip every time he plays it.
Nine-year-old Jessica announced, 'I told my teacher and she's going to do it in class.'
SURVIVORS
There are enough activities to run 'I'm a Kid Get Me Out of Here' for at least a week. Our children have built camps, created snakes, spiders, lions and elephants, painted their faces, made jungle jewellery from twigs, rope and feathers, and played sleeping lions and bear hunt.
'Bush Tucker Trials' have included building and using obstacle courses, running the gauntlet through children standing on either side with water pistols, and being fed jelly by partners wearing blindfolds. Shoe boxes with a hole cut in one end can be used as feely boxes for suitably disgusting contents like cold porridge, cooked spaghetti and pickled onions.
'It feels like something's eyeballs. You can't use things like that, can you?' Ten-year-old Becky was slightly worried.
An alternative is to put horrible smelling items into different carrier bags with an elastic band holding them shut, so there is nose room only.
We hid our own box for 'Find the Box' so that children could search for it and answer the questions inside to win either treats or booby prizes.
POP STARS
'Pop Idol' and 'Fame Academy' start with auditions. A team of judges made up of playworkers and children approve budding stars or ask them to return for a second audition, though everyone gets in after this. Children rehearse song and dance routines in groups and pairs, followed by dressing up and make-up from the face paint box.
Finally there is the show. Children who are not keen on performing become dance tutors, singing coaches and make-up artists, or can help to make signs, banners and props for the show.
Parents were invited for one of our shows at Christmas, and were rewarded by eight-year-old Matthew leading the audience in his version of 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'. Afterwards he left the stage in his outsize dinner jacket and holey straw hat and said in true theatrical style, 'This is so my thing.' I wonder how many future stars catch their dream in out-of-school clubs?
'Top of the Pops' is very popular with all ages. Children make banners and decorations to decorate the room, young DJs organise the music and some children become bands and pop singers.
SOAP OPERAS
Most children are following at least one soap opera on TV and these make interesting projects. At one club, older children performed scenes from their favourite soaps and produced a sketch called 'South Enders'.
At another, a rather surprised mum came in the back and heard her son Ed saying, 'So I robbed the local chippy and the police are after me and I'm running away with my girlfriend.' The children had created their own soap opera and were reading out their characters while being captured on video.
This activity ran for weeks, with children performing regular episodes for everyone to come and watch.
FLIRTING AND GIGGLES
Children may not want to participate in 'Blind Date', but many enjoy watching and cheering the participants on. Choosing a date is enough because nobody actually wants to go on one; and the show ends with much flirting, giggling and whistles from the audience.
'The Generation Game', known and loved by many, can be adapted so that teams attempt challenges. These can range from completing a puzzle to creating a junk module to protect an egg so that when it is thrown it won't smash.
A good 'prize conveyor belt' game is for a child to sit behind a play house window or at a table while others parade past with one item each that they have chosen. Then they hide these items behind their backs. Children holding items that the player lists go to a designated area to be counted and this score is written down. The next player turns away while children replace their items and choose something else.
MORE IDEAS
'Changing Rooms' can be acted out by covering a play house with plain paper inside and out so that it can be painted and decorated. Children could also refurbish a dolls' house or make one from a small bedside cupboard. (These can often be bought at boot fairs.) 'Garden Invaders' enables children to create miniature or bottle gardens or even collages of their ideal garden.
The favourite Saturday morning programmes for children at the moment are 'Ministry of Mayhem' and 'Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow'. These have a mixture of games, crazy fun, cartoons and competitions. Games such as musical buckets - when the music stops children overturn a bucket full of custard over their head - may not be popular with parents but can be adapted by using shredded paper. The child without a bucket on their head is out. In another game, two children sit face to face while various comedians try to make them laugh.
Loads more ideas can be collected by watching the programmes or asking the children to remember ideas when they watch.
Categories
Most programmes fall into the following categories:-
* Quizzes Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? Mastermind. The Weakest Link.
24-hour Quiz. Question of Sport.
* Challenges Crystal Maze. Friends Like These. Generation Game.
* Sports Whacky Races. Gladiators.
* Performing arts Pop Idol. Fame Academy. Top of the Pops. Soap operas.
* Social Blind Date. Big Brother. I'm a Celebrity. Friends like these.
* Creative Jamie's Kitchen. Ready Steady Cook. Changing Rooms. Garden Invaders. The Salon.
* Assorted Activities Generation Game. Ministry of Mayhem. Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow. I'm a Celebrity...
