It's hard to believe we only have two weeks left of our summer program. I guess it's true that time flies when you are having fun!  The kids continue to run right in and are so excited to see each other and the grownups waiting for them.

What an action packed and fun-filled afternoon we had last week at The Meeting House. The kids are having such a good time and loving playing with and exploring all the new toys and materials that we have out for them during hangout.  

What an action packed and fun-filled afternoon we had last Tuesday at The Meeting House. One of the greatest sights to see is the children running into the room for hangout, excited to see their friends, play with toys and tell us about all of their adventures during the past week.  

We had such a great afternoon for week #2 at TMH Juniors!  The kids were all eager to come in and quickly found a spot for themselves at the play dough table or the Magnatiles mat.  We have purposely set up our hangout/free play time with open ended play materials (but have the option of a more structured game if we see that we need to get the kids more engaged with their peers) because we strongly believe the importance of open ended play to social development. 

Perhaps more than any other time of year, summer is a time for the Meeting House values of fun, friendship, and community, and one of the best ways to experience all three is through an activity so many of us enjoy during these months: travel. Whether to visit family in another state, to nearby beaches or mountains, or across oceans, it’s is a wonderful opportunity to expose our kids to new places and people. For most children the experience of navigating new environments can be particularly beneficial, providing important practice in flexibility, interpersonal skills, and confidence that they can bring back to school in the fall. 

It was so great to see so many of our kids from the school year and hear about their summer adventures so far. We also welcomed a new friend to the group, which is always exciting! It sounds like everyone is enjoying the summer, getting to the beach, and spending time with their families.  

We had a great first day at TMH Juniors! We loved meeting all of the kids and it was so nice to see how well they all got along with each other. The play dough table was a huge hit and we loved seeing the kids all playing together, sharing the materials and making some really creative things with the play dough.  

At the Meeting House, we pride ourselves on being able to translate the theories of social-emotional learning into practical teachings that make sense for kids in the real world. Social-emotional learning is only valuable if kids can then apply it in their lives outside the classroom or our program, and just like anything else, practice makes perfect. With that in mind, every week our Clinical Director, Jackie Covell, has been sharing tips for parents on ways to practice the skills kids are learning at the Meeting House. We’ve compiled the best tips from throughout the year, and share them below as our end-of-the-year gift, and a reminder to keep up the social-emotional skills development over the summer!

Any of the kids in our program could tell you that the Meeting House motto is “Fun, Friendship, and Community.” These values are at the core of everything we do, and we take pride in the safe, caring community of students, parents, staff and supporters we’ve created. This year, we’ve had the opportunity to reimagine and enlarge our Meeting House community through our relationship with Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School, a public school in Harlem. Like us, they put social-emotional learning at the center of their educational model, and they also recognize the importance of after school time as an opportunity for kids to explore interests, practice social and emotional skills, and build self esteem. They’re an exemplary model of how powerful an impact these types of changes can have on a school.

We shook things up this week and spent the whole afternoon outside in the backyard at Parkside and couldn't have asked for a better afternoon! It was hot but we took advantage of the shade, ate some ice pops and filled up some water balloons to try and fight off the heat. I'm pretty sure one of the highlights was that everyone got to help us fill up the water balloons using the Pumponator. One of the most impressive parts of the whole afternoon was how the kids resisted their overwhelming urge to throw their water balloons once they were filled up! We're not sure we could have been so good about resisting the urge as they were!

Dear Friends,

This week I wanted to salute all of our parents, but especially the mothers (sorry dads) in honor of the tradition of Mother’s Day.  While some people claim it’s a Hallmark holiday and others feel sad because they miss their own mothers, I can’t help feeling personally gratified when each year I received those hand made cards and notes from my own children. For that reason, this week’s note focuses on you - Meeting House mothers.  

It's really hard to believe that we only have four weeks left of this year's Meeting House Juniors program. We have been having the best time with your kids and truly  don't want to see it come to an end. During our final weeks we have many special activities planned...we just hope we can fit them all in!

Another great day in the books at TMH Juniors! We were all very thankful for the warm and dry weather today so we could go out to the backyard and release some of our energy. It really is amazing to see how the kids play with each other during this free time and how kids are drawn into activities that they haven't been comfortable with in the past because they want to be with their friends.  

Getting your child evaluated and receiving a diagnosis can be a scary thing for both parents and children. We sat down with our advisory board member, Dr. Laura Tagliareni, a pediatric neuropsychologist at Pediatric Assessment Learning & Support (PALS) to discuss the best and most comfortable ways for families to navigate the process.

We were so happy to see everyone today! The kids were bummed that the rainy weather kept us from running around and hanging out there. We are already looking forward to next week when the weather will allow us go burn some after school energy in the backyard.

Mindfulness is a hot topic these days, as more and more people search for ways to ease the stresses of everyday life. Current research increasingly shows the benefits of mindfulness meditation practice. This month, Laurie M. Scherer, a doctoral student in child psychology who specializes in mind-body practices, is offering a program at the Meeting House introducing the basics of mindfulness. We sat down with Laurie to learn more about the motivation behind her program and why it’s important for children to learn about mindfulness.

Another great week in the books at TMH Juniors. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and the backyard at Parkside and let the kids play outside instead of doing hangout and snack in our usual place. They LOVED every minute of it and it was wonderful seeing them all engaged in imaginary play, throwing and kicking balls and running around playing catch with each other. It's so rewarding to watch the friendships grow throughout the year and to see them play in different environments so smoothly. As long last the weather cooperates, we will be spending some time outside each afternoon for the rest of the year.

As we enter our last 9 weeks of the year, we are working on ways to challenge the kids socially and use all of the skills we have taught them to overcome these challenges. Today, we introduced a new part of Kite Club which was to be able to identify and share at least one wonderful thing that happened to them during the day. It didn't come so naturally to everyone but with a little bit of prompting, everyone was able to share at least one wonderful thing during their day. This is something you can do with your kids each and every day - ask them about something great that happened to them.  

Yuck! Eww! I don’t like broccoli...or peas, or carrots, or lettuce or...And the list goes on. Picky eating not only makes meals a complicated affair, it also increases the likelihood that your child may not be getting a full and balanced diet.

In last week’s blog we shared Jennifer Freed’s “formula” for social-emotional learning: attitude + harmony = achievement. The second component, harmony, is the focus of Jennifer’s newest book, PeaceQ, a guide to developing the capacity to be peaceful in all aspects of life. “It’s up to all of us to be active, conscious and kind so that we craft a future where everyone feels safe and welcome,” Jennifer said. This belief is behind not only her book, but also AHA! Peacebuilders -- a program that trains teens in restorative practices, compassionate communication, positive inclusive language, and other skills -- as well as the PeaceQ web application, which helps Peacebuilders put what they’ve learned into practice and measure it in their communities. In the past two years, more than 170 teens have been trained through the Peacebuilders program, who, in turn, have reached out to over 7,000 others.