Extra Ed is bringing high interest clubs to your child’s school!

05/29/2024

If you’ve been even remotely tuned into the gaming world in recent years, you’ve surely come across the phenomenon that is Minecraft. With over 166 million monthly active players, Minecraft is one of the most popular and most-played video games as of 2024. A testament to its widespread appeal, especially among the younger demographic.

In Minecraft, you enter a world of blocks, creatures, and boundless creativity. These blocks serve as the building material for your wildest imagination, allowing you to sculpt landscapes and construct intricate structures. My 8-year-old daughter Lilah recently delved into the realm of Minecraft, and she was absolutely thrilled to learn that her school was hosting a lunchtime club dedicated just to this game! Delivered by Toronto District  Extra Ed, this lunchtime club gave my daughter a chance to explore her interests and learn some new tips and tricks about Minecraft – I have never seen her so excited to go to school.

Extra Ed provides unique educational experiences beyond the school day curriculum. The Minecraft club in particular provides an opportunity for kids to explore a dynamic and innovative program designed to educate on a wide range of subjects, including Math, Science, Geography, Coding, Literacy, Arts, and beyond. Engaging with familiar and beloved gameplay not only sustains students’ interest but also keeps them motivated and enthusiastic about learning. Kids also have a chance to extend their social circles beyond their immediate classmates and find friends with similar interests. My daughter also created some new friendships with kids from her class who didn’t know also shared her love of Minecraft.

According to Lilah, ‘I have a better relationship with some people” after participating in the club.

Being an approved vendor and partner with the Toronto District School Board, the extracurricular activities offered by Extra Ed offer both convenience and quality. They have options for school day (lunchtime) as well as after school clubs. Students get to explore their interests without you having to fit in another weekend activity – a huge win for busy families! Extra Ed programs are meticulously crafted by educators and subject matter experts to ensure educational excellence. I knew that Lilah would be well cared for and supervised during her time in the club. Lilah herself loved the small group and extra attention this meant she got from another Minecraft enthusiast (aka the Extra Ed instructor). Every Tuesday she came home excited to tell me what she’d learned or had a chance to practice. Learning how to make balloons in the Minecraft world was the thing she was most excited about!

As a parent, I appreciated the smooth sign up process for the Extra Ed clubs. An email was sent out letting us know what clubs were being offered, links were right there to sign up. I had a few questions (as I always do!) and the Extra Ed team was quick to answer them for me. I was a bit worried that Lilah may have trouble finding the room where the club was being held the first day, and their admin team was so thoughtful and gave me some options to ensure it wasn’t stressful (offered to pair her with another student, have someone go get her etc). In today’s large class sizes, it felt really nice to know that Lilah was getting a bit of extra attention during the school day.

Focused on delivering high-quality, impactful programs, Extra Ed offers a diverse range of extracurricular and in-class activities that go beyond traditional academics. With subjects ranging from chess to art, from magic to sports and beyond, our programs cultivate essential life skills, foster creativity, and promote personal growth. Or you can use Extra Ed’s programming provides all students a chance to participate in our relevant and inspiring educational clubs. Developed by industry experts and facilitated by our educators; our clubs are experiential fun with topics ranging from STEM to the Arts through Chess, Coding, LEGO Robotics, Financial Literacy, Stop Motion Animation, Martial Arts and many more!

Want to know if Extra Ed is at your child’s school? Make sure to check out their website:

Website: https://extraed.ca

Your school not on the list? 

Email katya@extraed.ca to inquire about getting Extra Ed into your child’s school!

Written by Gillian Kuriyan, Mommy Connections Midtown Toronto Director

Gillian lives in Toronto, Ontario with her family. A former actress, children’s not-for-profit program manager and fundraiser, outdoor education instructor and elementary teacher – she is also the proud mom of two children, ages 8 and 4. While on maternity leave from her job as an elementary teacher, she took over the Mommy Connections Midtown Toronto chapter in 2021 after being a participant.  The experience and challenges (and isolation!) being on mat leave with an infant during Covid AND homeschooling her then 4 year old, left her determined to help moms in the community ‘find their mom squad’ and enjoy their mat leave to the fullest and build for themselves a village of support.