How do i go about finding activities for our children like youth clubs,karate,dancing that kinda thing?

Just wondering where is the best place to look?


In the Havant area





Thanks.|||I don%26#039;t know any specific places; try talking to other parents, have your kids ask their friends what sort of extracurriculars they enjoy, check out bullentin boards at your local library and fliers around the office area of the kids%26#039; school. Community centers or parks and rec centers also provide lots of activities. Look in the yellow pages under martial arts, dance, etc for local businesses and make some calls to ask about ages, prices, times, etc. Visit a couple places with your kids and see what they get excited about.|||Our local newspaper has a weekly section that lists things like this (in the family life section). Our town also has a magazine called Lowcountry Parent, that has ads for places that offer children%26#039;s activities as well as a monthly calendar.





Most local churches will have activities for children, ranging from Sunday School to Wednesday Night Kids and Vacation Bible School. These activities are free.





Your phone book will have listings for local karate institutes, dance studios and the like. As you drive around, look for ones that are convenient for you and note the name and give them a call later-or, better yet, drop in for information. Many will offer the first lesson for free.





Ask the librarian, other mothers, etc. They will be glad to help you!





Check Yahoo! Groups at http://groups.yahoo.com and search for %26quot;MyCity playgroup%26quot; or %26quot;MyCity moms%26quot;, etc. I am sure you will find one, and not only can you get together with playdates with the, but they can tell you what activities they have enjoyed.





Local bookstores and libraries probably have reading clubs for children, and story hour for little ones.





YMCA has sports and activities for children.





Contact your town or county Department of Recreation-they probably have a website.|||I am not familiar with what types of organization are available to you so I will list those in my area. You likely have similar counterparts.





Park and Rec Center, YMCA and Boys and Girls Club are usually your least expensive options and often only require short term commitments.





First hand recommendations are usually the best way to find reputable activities. My only advice is the talk to the parents enough to see if their priorities and your priorities similar.








I will now specifically address how to find a good martial arts program but many of the point are applicable for most youth classes/activities:





Be wary of martial arts facilities that guarantee a black belt in 2 yrs if you sign a 2 1/2-3 yr contract. Long term contracts rarely offer any substantial benefit to the Client and often times do not have an %26quot;out%26quot; if you need to withdraw your child from the program early. Often times I hear of parents locked into a contract even if they move, or when a long term illness or injury keeps the child from being able to participate.





Try out a few different styles/programs. There are a variety of styles and philosophies.





Attend a local competition. You want to see how the instructors treat their students under the pressure of competition.


If your child is interested in competition you need to closely look at the styles of sparring involved and the reputation of the safety at competitions.





Look into the reputation of not only the local studio, but their parent organization. Is there an up line that sits in on belt testing, especially for the higher ranks








I suggest looking at DoJangs that are a part of the World Tang Soo Do Association.


Here is the list of schools in Great Britain. I am not familiar enough with your country to know which town are close to you.


http://www.worldtangsoodo.com/regions/Li... Britain|||My son has been doing Karate at the YMCA for 5 years now. Not a black belt yet! Don%26#039;t get involved with the black belt factories. If you%26#039;re going to do any martial arts. Don%26#039;t sign long term contracts for any sports or programs. We pay $50 a month and can quit any time we want.





Baseball always send home flyers in the kids back packs. We do bowling on Saturday mornings. The bowling alley has a kids league. He used to do figure skating at the roller skating rink. That was getting very expensive.|||Check out the YMCA - they have many good programs for kids. Our city has a Parks and Recreation Department and they run classes and stuff for kids - check to see if your city has such a department. Otherwise, maybe ask at the school.|||I would try the yellow pages online and just type in the activities you would like to put your kids in. Good luck in finding their activity.|||You could try looking through your town/city council website and they might have clubs going on around your area on the website.


Hope this helps.|||Check your community center, also schools might have some info.|||call the school or your chamber of commerce|||check rec centers... school bulletin boards... stuff like that :D