What do you do if you are a J Club member in lockdown?
Sign up for the weekly ‘J Club @ Home Activity pack’ of course J.
Back in March (when, like everyone around the world, we were grappling with a new reality) the idea was mooted that if the members couldn’t come to J Club then perhaps J Club could go to the members.
So with hand -decorated bags addressed to each individual child we made our first deliveries the week of Easter. As well as the main activity of Easter egg baskets – complete with stickers and chocolate goodies the bags were crammed full with a word search & puzzles, a time capsule journal, colouring in sheets and a tube of pencils (with a really cute little pencil sharpener built in).
The packs were so well received that since then J Club@Home has gone from strength to strength - with more members becoming involved and wanting to share in the fun. We now deliver our colourful bags to 27 children each week and they have gone down a treat.
Easter was the perfect time to launch J Club@Home - as having been in Lock Down for two weeks there was a genuine and palpable sense of excitement and appreciation from all the children. As the weeks have rolled on we have carefully themed the word searches and colouring sheets to match the main craft activity. And we’ve continued to receive great comments about the thoughtfulness and quality of the packs we are delivering.
One of the best bits of our week is when we see smiling eager faces as doors are opened. And often heart felt shouts of ‘thank you’ can be heard down the street. Socially distanced chats with J Club members, their adults and even their siblings help to keep us all connected through these short weekly snapshots in a safe and responsible way.
The J Club Facebook page has been an amazing resource to bring the loop full circle – with adults posting photos and comments showing their children engaged with the weekly activities and of the finished crafts and puzzles themselves. And it is an absolute joy to be told the bags are a highlight of the week.
In particular, the bright stained-glass bugs of week two – with their vivid transparent colours looked so cheerful and the monsters of week four showed great imagination from each creator. We have aimed to bring a real balance with each pack from the fun hands-on crafts and paper puzzles to the reflective journaling pages and yummy treats.
Additional extras like an ‘adults only’ hot chocolate and biscuits pack or our latest ‘Pet Star’ books and activity sheets from the local library have made the experience even more special.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we hope to continue inspiring and being inspired by our amazing J Club members until we can all meet again whenever that may be.
