A Wonderful Juniors Afternoon of Memories
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We had another busy, fun day with the group. To continue discussing our emotional thermometer today, we used the movie Inside Out as inspiration for more emotional language. We chose our activities based on the group interest in the movie!
Read MoreKnow Before You Go: The ABC's of Social Media for Parents→
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As we approach the National Day of Unplugging on March 4, it's that time of year to talk about social media.
Read MoreScreen Time, Social Media, and the 21st Century Child
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As our smartphones, tablets, and laptops become virtual extensions of ourselves, it can be difficult to know how to set boundaries. A quick scroll through our email at the dinner table can seem harmless enough, but when does our obsession with our devices go too far? And how can too much screen time and social media use affect our kids? We asked several child development experts about how to maintain a healthy, balanced relationship to screen time and social media.
Read MoreThe Importance of "Free Play"
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Our advisory board member, Cindy Puccio, has been a therapist working with children for many years. In this enlightening interview she discusses what “free play” is and why it is so important to development.
Read MoreJuniors Update: Let It Snow!
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We had a very busy afternoon with the Juniors today! At first, we introduced our new meeting spots, which we'll use during meetings to make us more aware of our bodies in space. Using these meeting spots and passing around our "meeting ball" really helped us all to give 5 to whoever was speaking.
Read MoreInspired by the Arts: The Meeting House Way
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A growing body of evidence continues to make a strong case for learning through the arts and integrating the arts into education in order to help children develop the key cognitive skills needed for social and emotional strength, positive behaviors, and positive relationships.
Read MoreJuniors Update: Happy New Year!
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It was great to have the group back together after break! We started the day off by reviewing our "have-to's," and explained what the choices would be so that everyone can initiate activities more successfully. For starters,we did a sensory play bin during hangout today!
Read MoreSpotlight On: Teaching Artist Jason Bams
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"It’s the relationships — that’s how it starts. Smile, be positive, and never be afraid to make someone else smile. It’s all about connecting and being positive."
In the lead up to the holidays, we are thankful to have such a remarkable young man, Jason Bams, on our team and chose to reflect on the meaning of gratitude by spotlighting his experience and the journey that led him to The Meeting House. Although only 22 years old, he provides a wealth of experience and wisdom for the benefit of his students.
Read MoreThe Inspiring Resilience of Human Spirit
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As I begin to reflect on my personal gratitude and count the blessings in my life I am left with more than my photos and memories of the beautiful smiles of the many, resilient Ugandan children that I met in June. This holiday season I celebrate how their resilience has inspired me. The magic of this human quality taught me motivating lessons—elevating my thinking about survival and the impact of community at home and abroad.
Read MoreA Day in the Life at TMH Juniors!
/Another great week at TMH Juniors. It's amazing to see how the kids have really come together to form a great group. Conversations are taking place much more freely and independently during Hangout and Snack time. We are trying to encourage everyone in the group to try new toys and activities during this time as we have noticed that they have all gotten comfortable with certain toys, books and games. While the MagnaTiles continue to be a huge hit, we decided to introduce a new building toy today. The straws and connecters were a huge hit and the kids decided on their own to get together to build a huge structure. We didn't have enough time to finish the tent but have decided we will do that the next time we are together. This was a great opportunity for us to watch the kids work together.
After hangout, we moved into mChat where we focused on being part of a group to complete a project. Using our Kimochi friends (Cloud, Bug and Cat), we were able to act out what being part of a group was. We also talked about what kinds of behaviors made you look like you aren't part of a group. We wanted to use this as an opportunity for them to problem solve and come up with ways to work together.
Our project for today was to build a TMH feelings and emotions puzzle. Each child got blank puzzle pieces and had to draw different feelings and emotions. Once they were all done drawing, they had to work together to put the whole puzzle together. Some of the kids got frustrated and wanted to give up, but they kept putting each other up and encouraging them to keep going. The excitement of putting that last puzzle piece in was a wonderful thing to watch! They all felt so proud!
We ended the afternoon with a quick game of charades. This was a great way to tie in all of the lessons we have been working on these first 5 weeks of group before moving onto new topics. The kids had to use 5 and watch their friends as they acted out an animal or sport. They needed to be part of the group....keep their bodies facing forward eyes on the person who was acting out. They couldn't bump into their friends words while they were talking. These are all important social skills that will lead to social success!
All in all, another great afternoon of Fun, Friendship and Community at TMH Juniors.
Unstructured Play and Healthy Risk-taking
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It’s difficult to believe that the importance of play for children is only now re-entering the zeitgeist. It’s almost like suddenly realizing that love and affirmation is important to human development, or that a good night’s sleep and a balanced diet is advantageous to our health. Obvious, to say the least, yes? I don’t want to pat ourselves on the back but people in -the- know in child development have always emphatically espoused that creative play is vital for all aspects of children's health and development. Wasn’t anyone listening?
Read MoreA Day in the Life at TMH Juniors!
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Hello All!
We welcomed a new friend today. The group had a great time getting to know him during hangout and snack where we did a lot of Halloween themed activities, including Halloween Spot It, make your own masks, read books and did different activity sheets. Of course, the MagnaTiles and Inside Out books made a reappearance today!
Read MoreA Day in the Life at TMH Juniors!
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Welcome to a new weekly feature on our blog! Each week we will recap all the Fun, Friendship & Community from our Juniors program. Come in and join the fun!
Hello all!
We had another great day with the group today as we start working on some Halloween creations! It was great to see the children start to get comfortable with the routines and their peers. Everyone knew what to do when they came in, and where to check the schedule for the day!
Celebrating the Emotion Revolution!
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We recently had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Dr. Robin Stern, Associate Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, to discuss the Emotion Revolution - a groundbreaking movement that aims to change the climate in high schools and the dialogue surrounding emotional intelligence for our nation's youth.
Read MoreThe Sounds of Music at the Meeting House
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How does music positively affect the brain? Let us count the ways!
Read MoreGuest Post: "If We Could Turn Back Time...and Just Play" from MAC&Toys
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In the last few months, I have been reading up a lot on play and how research is finding how important it is to social emotional development for children. We have become so focused on teaching our children the ABCs and 123s, that we have ended up decreasing the amount of time they get to just play.
Read MoreLaunching Back-to-School in Color!
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We are thrilled to announce another exciting art gallery event at a popular restaurant to benefit The Meeting House. The show will be open at Rosie in New Canaan, CT from September 25 through November 30.
Read More10 Tips for Transitioning Back to School
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It's hard to believe that summer is ending and a new school year is about to begin. Each year brings about changes for all of us, and this year The Meeting House will experience its own changes by moving to a new location at the Gaynor School. In addition, we are starting a new program for younger children, TMH Juniors! While we are very excited about these changes, it has gotten us thinking about how we can make these transitions as smooth as can be for the kids who are a part of The Meeting House. Likewise, as you start checking things off your "To Do" list for this new school year, here are some things you can do to help your children get ready for whatever school adventures awaits!
Read MoreWords of Wisdom: Dr. Steven Blaustein
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In our first "Words of Wisdom" column, our Advisory Board member Dr. Steve Blaustein has some great tips and thoughts about the benefits to be had from unstructured time.
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