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I'd suggest origami or those books that make 100 different paper airplanes etc. They can have fun making the planes and then have races with them.. try to do tricks etc.
Scrap wood or other materials and learn about building? Birdhouses are popular, but other things can be made... boys just like hammering stuff even if they're not making something too.
Sports stuff.....basketball......baseball.......soccer... .......football.........roller blading........swimming.......wall-ball........ropes.........monkey bars........slides......."big toy" outdoor climbing type toys. All stuff I did in P.E. in elementary school. Music stuff as well....guitars....piano.....xylophone.....etc. They gotta have allot of options.
Since this seems so important: We only get an hour because the playground becomes a public park(Spark Parks) after school and we can't mix kids who aren't in the program in with ours nor can we prevent the public from using the park. Sometimes its a little less or more time, just depends on when the public starts showing up. And yes, its still hot
The gym is used by sports clubs all week, except on Thursdays, unfortunately
We are in the cafeteria and cannot play sports in here so most of these ideas, while great on paper, won't work for our particular program.
Nothing as large as a ping pong table will work, we have to be able to store everything in a cabinet in the cafeteria. So it has to be able to be put in a bin and placed in there.
If you ask them, they tell you they like to play video games. This YMCA program doesn't allow electronics so no video games/handhelds here.
No action figures because it leads to weapons and violent play, which we can't have at this school. I'm sure these particular kids see enough of that in their personal lives.
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I'd forgotten how popular minecraft was. I think the books(jokes, minecraft and adventure) and paper airplanes are great. I'll see if we can get some Kenex sets ordered, and some more Lego(we just have basic bricks right now) I think some of those Velcro mits ball games(like ping pong but with velcro) would work?
We ordered some hot wheels and 3 remote controlled cars over the weekend, hopefully they will be here soon too.
Since this seems so important: We only get an hour because the playground becomes a public park(Spark Parks) after school and we can't mix kids who aren't in the program in with ours nor can we prevent the public from using the park. Sometimes its a little less or more time, just depends on when the public starts showing up. And yes, its still hot
The gym is used by sports clubs all week, except on Thursdays, unfortunately
We are in the cafeteria and cannot play sports in here so most of these ideas, while great on paper, won't work for our particular program.
Nothing as large as a ping pong table will work, we have to be able to store everything in a cabinet in the cafeteria. So it has to be able to be put in a bin and placed in there.
If you ask them, they tell you they like to play video games. This YMCA program doesn't allow electronics so no video games/handhelds here.
No action figures because it leads to weapons and violent play, which we can't have at this school. I'm sure these particular kids see enough of that in their personal lives.
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I'd forgotten how popular minecraft was. I think the books(jokes, minecraft and adventure) and paper airplanes are great. I'll see if we can get some Kenex sets ordered, and some more Lego(we just have basic bricks right now) I think some of those Velcro mits ball games(like ping pong but with velcro) would work?
We ordered some hot wheels and 3 remote controlled cars over the weekend, hopefully they will be here soon too.
I was just going to comment. I've run programs just like this (had a program with a YMCA branch, but it was not one of their SAC programs, although I have been offered those positions in the past).
I assumed that the reason for limiting time outside was due to licensing/accreditation standards. In severe weather (90+ degrees may qualify, but it would vary from state-to-state) that time may be limited or eliminated. The space being a public park is an interesting challenge.
I would also really push you on the "no gym time" thing. What does the Y think about this? The state's licensing board? Your accreditors? Frankly, your program probably wouldn't last long without regular, scheduled gym time in Minnesota or Pennsylvania, where I have had school-age care programs.
Anyway, most of the posters here have offered suggestions unaware of/insensitive to the space, safety, and budgetary concerns that you likely have. No way you can bring in nails and do woodworking. No space for large game tables. Video games are right out in most programs. Action figures can encourage "violent play," the biggest oxymoron in the child development field....yadda, yadda, yadda...I get it; it's bunk-science, but it's the constraints that you live with.
The best suggestion you have gotten so far is for Playstix. The 10-12 year old boys I have worked with go nuts for Playstix. Google Magna-tiles as well; those are usually a crowd pleaser. K'Nex are good, but they get all over the place....almost as bad as LEGOs. In the Twin Cities we have a store called Creative Kidstuff. Here are their building and construction toys:
Poke around on there and see if there is anything appealing. If so, there is likely a similar retailer in your area that carries it. If memory serves, Linking Cubes and any type of Marble Maze are successful.
Go down to Target and check out their Party section. Pick up a bunch of bouncy balls, squishy balls, and anything that lights up. Buy a pack of football or baseball or basketball cards in the check-out line. Put these in a box, and use them as incentives.
What type of curriculum do you use, currently? A big issue in a lot of after-school programs is that that demographic (8-12 yo boys) are disengaged from the planned activities, which don't appeal to them. Check this site out, if you have not already:
The engineering section is particularly interesting. Most of those activities only require cardboard, duct-tape, and some scissors, or can be adapted to do so. Tell the boys what the activity is at the start of the day, and post it somewhere where they can see it. Sell them on it. Have them split into teams of two or three to work on a project. Some of them will stay working as a team on their Puff-mobile or their Model City or their Junk Boats until their parents come to pick them up.
Research indicates that boys read books when there is a male protagonist. This is true across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines: boys-- as a rule, there are always exceptions-- do not care if the book's protagonist is black or white, young or old, living now or from ancient history. As long as the protagonist is a "he," they are liable to read it. This, of course, makes boys much less versatile readers than girls, and that is a problem. But appeal to that if you are not already.
I have never met a boy that age that did not have at least a passing interest in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" Series. There are also classics like "Maniac MacGee" and "Bud, Not Buddy."
I am sure I'm forgetting lots and lots. Message me if you find any of this helpful, want more resources, or have any questions (or ideas! I'm always looking for ways to improve my own programming).
Also, the velcro mits are a great idea. Just let them know what the expectations are when using those so that you don't have balls flying all over the room.
If you really want to do hammering - try golf tees hammered into a large styrofoam block that you place on the table - it has to be thick enough that the golf tees will not go all the way through, but we used this in a preschool classroom - the hammers can be real hammers or just toy ones depending on how strong the kids are.
Sometimes it is just a matter of creativity.
Some other possibilities - messy, but if they are willing to help with cleanup, it can be lots of fun - try painting with shaving cream (non-toxic kind - there are a few brands that are ok) or with soap. You can even use food coloring to give the stuff different colors. This actually cleans the tables when you are done.
How many boys are there? How much space do they have to run around?
I made up a game back in the 70's/80's that I could explain to you, it's been a big hit to everyone I've introduced it to in the last 30 years. Boys around 10-12 absolutely love it. It can be played with a soft ball (like those red ones, deflated a bit so it can be grabbed easily and doesn't hurt much to get hit with) or with a bean bag, or rolled up socks, or those cush balls you can buy at WalMart for a buck. Cory-Ball.
Also, when I was in 6th grade all of us were super into 4 square and hopscotch-we discovered that you could take the little chain that holds the handle to the flush valve from inside the toilet-and ball that up for extremely accurate throws in hopscotch.
I can, try to, explain a paper and pencil game of Star Wars that was also popular when I was a kid.
Paper airplane contests.
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