Lakeland is a wonderful area for an Afterschool and Summer Camp Program. Our Afterschool program is right in the heart of the city in Downtown Lakeland. We can easily access many schools in the area and bring them back to a centralized location. Lakeland is also perfect for our Summer Camp due to its location. Since we are located in between Tampa and Orlando we have many options at our disposal. In this article we will go over some of our programs and activities for Lakeland Afterschool and Summer Camp Fun.
Afterschool
Our Afterschool program is a hybrid of martial arts and dance. Sifu Och Wing Chun and Just Dance Academy of Etiquette. We use our program to have a fun time with the students but to also instill good principles. During the school year the children are picked up from their locations and brought back to our studio in downtown Lakeland. Once they are have reached the location they start off with snack time immediately followed by homework. This part of our program is integrated with the parents. The parents clarify what they want to accomplish at this point. Whether the children need to focus on homework and not do any activities until they are done, or get as much done until either dance or martial arts.
Following homework time the children have one of two things happening. They will either attend a hip hop\dance class or a martial art\self defense class. Both of the classes have a them of discipline. If discipline is not maintained then teaching anything to the children will be difficult if not impossible. Discipline is kept with a strict set of rules that are enforced but with love.
When a child acts out simply dishing out punishment is not enough. There must be an understanding of why the child is being punished. This is done by simply talking to the child before giving the punishment. The other side of the coin is a repeat offender who knows better or time constraint. In these cases it is acceptable to simply give the punishment needed. Positive reinforcement just as important however. Whenever a child accomplishes something or does follow the rules well, it should be met with an high amount of praise. A sense of pride is instilled and a desire to obey is created and supported.
Summer Camp
Summer camp follows the same schedule as our Afterschool program in the afternoons. The mornings is where the fun happens. Two groups are used at all times. “Big Kids” and “Little Kids” are the two groups. The ages are cut off at 8. With two groups being active we have the freedom to rotate activities and allow parents to decide what to do.
For example; if we take Big Kids to Mosi one day and the Little Kids swimming. The parent of a child might not have the money or desire to have their child to go to Mosi. What we then do is move the child to the little kids group for the morning. This freedom give the parents a lot more flexibility without having to give up the Summer Camp day. At the end of the day the kids funnel back to the studio to do their martial arts or dance lessons just like during the school year.
This system give the kids consistency throughout the whole school year. Whether they are seeking to become a competitive dancer or prolific martial artist, they can continue their training year round. Take a look at our Kids Afterschool and Summer Camp to see what fun we have with out camp!
