Benefits of Extracurricular Activities

Depending on whether the programyou're considering for your child is

physical, intellectual, or creative in nature, specific extracurricular
activities can build skills in different developmental areas.

Build teamwork and problem-solving skills Cultivate self-esteem and

confidence Develop a strong work ethic

 Encourage superior academic

performance

Enhance a high schooler's college

application portfolio

Help children develop emotional

regulation that carries over to the
classroom

Offer kids the opportunity to develop

closer friends than they might make in
school, due to shared interests.
Man: Hi, Sis. I just came over to drop off the DVDs you wanted, and . . . Hey,
wow!? Where did you get all of this stuff?

Woman: I bought it. So, what do you think of my new entertainment center?
And the widescreen TV . . .

Man: Bought it?

Woman: . . . and my new DVD player. Here, let me show you my stereo. You
can really rock the house with this one.

Man: But where did you get the dough to buy all this? You didn’t borrow
money from mom and dad again, did you?

Woman: Of course not. I got it with this!

Man: This? Let me see that . . . Have you been using Dad’s credit card
again?

Woman: No, silly. It’s mine. It’s a student credit card.

Man: A student credit card? How in the world did you get one of these?

Woman: I got an application in the mail.

Man: Well, why did you get one in the first place?

Woman: Listen. Times are changing, and having a credit card helps you
build a credit rating, control spending, and even buy things that you can’t
pay with cash . . . like the plane ticket I got recently.

Man: What plane ticket?

Woman: Oh yeah, my roommate and I are going to Hawaii over the school
break, and of course, I need some new clothes for that so . . .

Man: I don’t want to hear it. How does having a student credit card control
spending? It sounds like you’ve spent yourself into a hole. Anyway,
student credit cards just lead to impulse spending . . . as I can see here.
And the interest rates of student credit cards are usually sky-high, and if
you miss a payment, the rates, well, just jump!

Woman: Ah. The credit card has a credit limit . . .

Man: . . . of $20,000?
 Woman: No, no quite that high. Anyway, . . .

Man: I’ve heard enough.

Woman: Did I tell you we now get digital cable with over 100 channels? Oh,
and here’s your birthday present. A new MP3 player . . .

Man: Yeah. Oh, don’t tell me. Charged on the credit card. Listen. Hey, I
don’t think having a student credit card is a bad idea, but this is ridiculous.
And how in the world are you going to pay off your credit card bill?

Woman: Uh . . . with my birthday money? It’s coming up in a week.

Man: Hey, let’s sit down and talk about how you’re going to pay things
back, and maybe we can come up with a budget that will help you get out
of this mess. That’s the least I can do.

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences

 stuff (noun): miscellaneous items
– His room is filled with stuff he bought on his credit card.
 dough (noun): informal for money
– He didn’t have enough dough to buy the TV, so he borrowed money from
his brother.
 in the world: used to emphasize something you say
– Why in the world would you buy an expensive TV if you didn’t have
enough money?
 rating (noun): a measure to show how good something is
– You should look over the ratings for MP3 players before you buy one.
 over (preposition): during
– You shouldn’t travel over the weekend because the weather is expected
to be terrible.
 spend yourself in a hole (idiom): spend too much that leads to heavy debt
– Some people spend themselves in a hole because they can’t control their
shopping habits.
 impulse (noun): a sudden desire
– You can let your impulses to buy stuff get in the way of good common
sense and judgement.
 sky-high (adjective): very expensive
– Prices for houses in this area are sky-high, so I’m going to look for an
apartment for the time being.
 ridiculous (adjective): absurd, silly, without good reason
– Spending more money than you earn is ridiculous and can lead you to
major financial problems.
 pay back (phrasal verb): return the money you owe
– Could you lend me $20 if I pay you back by the end of the week?

Woman: Hey. What’s this on Facebook? It says . . . Are you getting married?

Man: Yeah. Didn’t you know that?

Woman: No. Why didn’t you tell me about it? (It) says you’re getting married
next week.

Man: Yeah, and I’m bringing her over to mom’s house tomorrow. You’ll love
Jasmine.

Woman: Jasmine?

Man: Yeah. Here’s her picture on Facebook.

Woman: Oh. Wow.

Man: What? What do you mean?

Woman: Um, Dad is not going to be impressed.

Man: Why?

Woman: Well, she’s got, like, a lot of tattoos and a nose ring, and uh, I’m
sorry. The family is going to be really surprised.

Man: Ah, she’s so, well, she’s so sensitive and caring.

Woman: Um, well . . . . [ What? ] Have . . . have you taken any

marriage prep classes?

Man: Ah, who needs that anyway? I know all about women.

Woman: Yeah. Right, like . . . . Well, what have you had? Like ten
girlfriends in the last six months?

Man: Well, that’s different! That’s . . .

Woman: Uh, listen. Obviously, you need to improve your communication
skills, and the best thing at this point . . . . if you’re really set on marrying
Jamie is . . .

Man: Jasmine . . .

Woman: Okay, I’m sorry, Jasmine, anyway, um, you really should take a
marriage prep class.

Man: What? What are you talking about? I know all about love and romance.

Woman: Uh. Right . . . .

Man: What? What do you mean?

Woman: Look. Okay. It’s more than that. What do you know about, say,
personal finance? [ Well, you know I . . . ] I mean, how are you going to
manage your money together? Are you gonna [going to] have a joint bank
account? Whose salary is gonna [going to] pay the bills?

Man: Ah, no problem. Ah, No problem. We have that figured out. My

paycheck is going to be automatically transferred to her overseas bank
account.

Woman: Oh. [ What? ] Uh, where exactly is this account? What’s the name
of the bank?

Man: Oh, I don’t know. Jasmine’s going to take care of that.

Woman: Oh, boy. Right. Well, okay. What about children? Are you guys
gonna [going to] have any kids?

Man: Well, I want a large family, so eight kids would be just about right.

Woman: Wow! [What?] What does Jasmine say about that?

Man: Ah, well, she doesn’t want any kids, but I’ll change her mind once we
get married. ( Right. ) No problem.

Woman: Okay, what about housework? How are you gonna [going to] handle
that?

Man: Well, Jasmine won’t mind doing it. [(Did) she said that? ] Well, not
exactly. We’ve been just so busy planning out our honeymoon, that we just
haven’t worked out, you know, these small details.
 Woman: Great! You know what? By the time you learn her last name, I think
things are gonna [going to] be over between the two of you.

Man: No, you just wait and see.

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences

 sensitive (adjective): understanding the feelings of others
– My spouse is very sensitive to our children’s needs, and I love her for
that.
 caring (adjective): kind
– If you have a caring attitude towards others, they will feel of your love
for them.
 prep (adjective): short for preparation
– Taking a marriage prep class can help you develop better
communication skills with your family.
 obviously (adverb): in a way that is easy to see and understand
– James obviously didn’t listen to his wife’s feelings because she is still
very angry with him.
 improve (verb): make better
– How did you improve your relationship with your kids over the years?
 at this point: at this time
– Amanda and Brandon don’t want to get married at this point, but they are
talking about this in the future.
 be set on something (verb): be determined to do something
– Why is Jessica set on marrying Andrew so quickly? They’ve only known
each other for three weeks.
 joint (adjective): having something together
– My parents have a joint savings account.
 work out (verb): find a solution or come to an agreement on something
– Fortunately, they are getting counseling, and their marriage is working
out
– With time and patience, things work out in the end.