news

Announcements
2021 Summer Camp information and sign-up packets for The Wolf Building and Nathan’s Place are online and available for pick up at both buildings. The Wolf Building is only accepting the first 35 campers that complete packets AND pay activity fees.

Camp enrollment will be open to the public starting April 24th, with preference given to After School attendees.

The first full day of summer camp is scheduled for May 26th.

AOK Classic
The AOK Classic is set for June 12th and AOK is looking for sponsors. Contact Jerod Morey for more information.

The Classic is an adult flag football tournament and includes auctions for Kansas City Chiefs memorabilia and a painting by famed Chiefs performance painter Mike Debus.

We are also looking for 16 teams (ages 18 years and up) to play in the flag football tournament. The tournament will be 7 on 7 with $1,000 in prize money given away. Contact AOK to learn how to become part of this great event.

COVID-19
AOK has tentatively lifted its mask mandate. If circumstances change we will implement wearing masks again. AOK reserves the right to see what we feel is in the best interest of all staff and youth.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Arkansas Cheese Dip and Arkansas Watermelon Lemonade

Each building will participate in an activity that involves the sampling of Arkansas Cheese Dip and Arkansas Watermelon Lemonade, along with an educational piece.

States Culinary Learning Tour
AOK is excited to embark with our kids at The Wolf Building on a Culinary Learning Tour of all 50 States, lead by Janet Dermott!

This week kids will cruise on down to Arkansas. There, the kids will try Arkansas Cheese Dip and Arkansas Watermelon Lemonade.

Next week we head west to the coast and visit California.

 

 

NATHAN’S PLACE

Awareness
The month of April is Stress Awareness Month.

Parents, families, and other caregivers have an important part to play, by adopting their own healthy habits and helping children and teens find stress-managing strategies.

Some ways adults can take action:

• Model healthy coping. Caregivers can talk with children about how they’ve thought about and dealt with their own stressful situations.
• Let kids be problem-solvers. It’s natural to want to fix your child’s problems, but when adults do this, their children don’t have a chance to learn healthy coping skills. Let your children try to solve their low-stakes problems on their own, and they’ll gain confidence that they can deal with stressors and setbacks.
• Promote media literacy. Today’s kids spend a lot of time online, where they can run into questionable content, cyberbullying or the peer pressures of social media. Adults can help by teaching their children to be savvy digital consumers, and by limiting screen time.
• Combat negative thinking. “I’m terrible at math.” “I hate my hair.” “I’ll never make the team. Why try out?” Children and teens can easily fall into the trap of negative thinking. When children use negative self-talk, though, don’t just disagree. Ask them to really think about whether what they say is true, or remind them of times they worked hard and improved. Learning to frame things positively will help them develop resilience to stress.

Food of the Month
April is National Pecan Month

When comparing nut varieties, pecans have more antioxidants than any other. Pecans can help to reduce cholesterol levels and heart disease risk, too. They are also naturally a high-quality source of protein.

This week, the VolunTeen's will be learning how to prepare Banana Pecan Muffins.

Try the recipe for yourself here.