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How To Help Your Child Cultivate a Love of the Great Outdoors

Home | Learn | Page 2

How To Help Your Child Cultivate a Love of the Great Outdoors

May 17, 2021/in Front Page Blog, Fun, Guide, Learn /by Shine

Kids who spend time engaged in solitary activities outdoors have the strongest bonds with nature, according to researchers at North Carolina State University.

Parents are often concerned with signing their kids up for sports like soccer, t-ball, or tennis to get them active and out of the house. While highly structured activities benefit kids in their own way, they don’t necessarily foster a deep love of nature – the sort that builds confidence, responsibility, creativity, contemplation, attention span, energy, relationships with others, and a spirit of conservationism.

For the study, scientists surveyed 1,285 children ages 9-12 to identify what makes kids feel most comfortable outside. They found that kids had a variety of preferences, but what initiated a strong connection with nature or the desire to pursue a career in environmentalism was a more solitary activity in early childhood.

If you’re looking to foster a lover of the environment, consider introducing or encouraging one of the following pursuits identified in the study:

Fishing

Angling can be a great stress reliever. All kids can be taught to fish, but by six they have the skills necessary to be more autonomous. Location is key, as younger kids will want to see the fruits of their labor — the exciting flopping fish on the end of their lines! Consider a fully stocked lake, pond, or river listed on your state’s Department of Environmental Conservation website.

Try starting with an ultralight spinning pole with a four pound line, size 8-12 hook, a sinker, a bobber, and bait worms. This setup will be sufficient enough to reel in trout, bass, sunfish, and catfish. When you bring in a catch, take a moment to show the gills, scales, fins, and fish anatomy.

Look out for crawdads, tadpoles, minnows, turtles, and other creatures, sometimes turning over rocks or looking under logs. Turn your eyes up to scour for ospreys. Talk about how each animal plays an important role in the ecosystem and emphasize the importance of leaving no trace behind, picking up all litter.

A few hours is plenty long enough for kids with short attention spans. When they get tangled, let them use your pole as you fix it for them to minimize idle time. Bring plenty of sunscreen, snacks, drinks, sunglasses, changes of clothes, and patience. Heap on the praise and let kids make choices like which spot to fish, which special bait to use, or when to pause and look for critters.    

Hunting

You’ll know a child is ready to accompany a hunt if he or she is asking a lot of questions. Rather than simply answering questions to satiate the curious mind, take your child along. Kids as young as 10 can take beginner safety courses, while those 16+ will need their own hunting licenses. Rabbit and deer are good first game to hunt, as these animals provide a great meal for the family.

Load up on gear to make the activity more fun. Face paint, camouflage, muck boots, binoculars, hats, and hearing protection are essentials in helping your child have a sense of belonging on the trip. Bring lots of snacks like beef jerky and trail mix, as well as drinks. Consider preparing a tree stand or a ground blind in advance, so you have your own special spot staked out.  

Go early and break up the time with periods of walking around. Let your child pack a bag, use a compass, and blood track – which will all encourage independence, a reward in itself. Look for animals prints, deer rubbings on trees, scat, or other signs of wildlife. Talk about shot placement, aim, range landmarks, and other information to help your young hunter. Also take a moment to remark upon the sights, sounds, smells, and feels of the woods.    

Exploring

Hiking and camping are perfect activities for encouraging exploration of the natural surroundings beyond the backyard. Plan a day trip or holiday weekend to enjoy as a family. Choose a scenic location with ample wildlife, water features, and relatively flat walking paths. If you’re camping, consider venues with family-friendly amenities like ice cream trucks, kayak rentals, pools, and mini-golf.

This kid-friendly book will help your child spot different types of trees, birds, clouds, insects, animals, and flowers along the nature trail. A scavenger hunt game like Go Find It can also be great fun for little ones, encouraging them to find “something bumpy” or “something yellow,” for instance. Consider stepping back and allowing your kids to wander freely, within eye sight, to enjoy the thrill of solo exploration.   

Silent “sit spotting” is a type of meditation that can really help kids connect with their natural surroundings. Have your child find a place on the walk that feels special. Or, if you prefer, you might bring supplies to build a teepee to create a unique sense of place. Practice sitting crisscross-applesauce with eyes closed, asking your child to listen and let you know what sounds are all around. Then open your eyes and discuss what plants, insects, animals, clouds, shapes, textures, or colors you see. Listen to the birds. Touch the moss. Breathe in the dirt. You might consider tracking your observations day after day. Just five minutes daily is all it takes to experience the benefits of mindful meditation – like calmness, self-awareness, and happiness.  

Looking for more ways to get your child out into nature? Try one of Shine’s Hamptons camps or mini-camps geared toward ages 2-12. We’ll be at the LonghouseReserve, Children’s Museum of the East End, and more iconic East End locations this summer.

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Benefits of Block Play – and How to Inspire a Lifelong Love of Construction

May 17, 2021/in Front Page Blog, Guide, Learn, Play /by Shine

From rudimentary wooden squares and rectangles to complex interlocking plastic Lego sets, block play is serious business for growing young minds. One of the great things about blocks is that they are a timeless toy that transcends all ages. In the words of playwright George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” We invite you to consider the many benefits of block play and to get involved with your child.   

A Few Benefits of Block Play

There are countless advantages to block play, but spatial reasoning, math skills, and improved cognitive flexibility are among them.

  • Spatial Reasoning is vital to investigating and solving problems. Spatial intelligence is used heavily in architecture, art, astronomy, construction, engineering, plumbing, technology, science, and surgery. A study of 51 preschoolers found that those most interested in block construction and built more sophisticated structures also performed best on a standardized test of spatial intelligence.
  • Math skills improve when a child plays with blocks of different shapes, sizes, colors, and types. Researchers found that young children who were better at copying block structures performed better in early mathematics all the way through middle and high school. This is great news, whether your child is an aspiring financial analyst, computer programmer, medical scientist, actuary, data scientist, or math teacher.
  • Cognitive flexibility is the ability to switch between two different concepts or to consider multiple concepts at once – in other words, “multi-task.” The chance of being successful in life greatly increase with the amount of cognitive flexibility a person has. One study found that cognitive flexibility greatly improved among preschoolers subjected to structured and unstructured daily block play activities, regardless of socioeconomic status.

Beyond these perks, educators use blocks in the classroom to improve social emotional skills, cooperation, sharing, problem-solving and empathy.  

Ideas for Block Play at Any Age

Babies – Aim for soft blocks at this age, as everything goes into the mouth for exploration! These interactive Baby Einstein blocks feature different textures, a vibration effect, a mirror, and a variety of colorful pictures. Soft stacking blocks can provide endless hours of fun – even if you’re the one stacking and your baby’s the one toppling it down. 

Toddlers – At this age, anything goes! Simply provide a variety of blocks – wood, foam, plastic, or whatever you have. They love shape and color sorting, carrying and dumping the blocks, stacking up towers and knocking them down. By preschool, most kids will start to experiment with building bridges, castles, roadways, and more complicated structures, while developing elaborate storylines involving their toys as characters. Magna-Tiles are an investment that will grow with your child. We’ve also gotten years of use out of Bristle Blocks. Magnetic “Tangram” pattern blocks can be a fun way to explore how different shapes come together to form larger structures.

1st Grade – 2nd Grade – Use food to create edible structures. Marshmallows, apples, cheese, crackers, and gum drops all work great — with toothpicks to hold it all together. The JELL-O “Play and Eat” kits are another fun way to play with your food, while honing those construction skills. For the summer months, take the fun outdoors by collecting loose items in a tote and setting up a building zone; use mirrors, crates, tree stumps, boulders, knitting spools, pom poms, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, felt pieces, kitchen utensils, pots, recycled containers, plastic pipes, and more. Use PVC pipes to construct a simple playhouse for dolls, a pulley system for action figures, or a more elaborate structure the kids can actually play inside themselves.

3rd Grade – 4th Grade – At this time, kids are able to put together more elaborate LEGO sets matched to their interests, though some kids just prefer creating their own structures using open-ended Classic bricks. More time is spent in planning, arranging for symmetry, and adding detail work. Dramatic play involving an assortment of toys is still prevalent. Video games like Minecraft allow children the opportunity to explore block-like figures in a virtual environment they can control. Marble runs and erector sets can take block building to the next level. Circuit Cubes appeals to older kids, inviting them to build tanks, mechs, robots, and other vehicles using more sophisticated materials.

Block Play for NYC Kids

Shine invites you to join Block Party, a constructive arts class geared to ages 4-10. Over multiple sessions, little architects will expand on traditional designs using a variety of materials, including sugar cubes, marshmallows, toothpicks, tree blocks, and more. Sculptural art projects translate block play into creative applications of all we’ve learned. Contact us for details.

Additional Resources:

https://www.parentingscience.com/toy-blocks.html

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2015/ten-things-children-learn-block-play

https://babyyumyum.co.za/7-benefits-of-block-play/

https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/steam-challenges-for-block-play-in-early-childhood/

https://docs.msl.mt.gov/librariesweb/documents/Ready2Read/PlaySpace/pg_rrps_stagesinblockplay.pdf

https://www.theempowerededucatoronline.com/2017/08/block-play-ideas.html/

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/best-structure-building-activities-kids/

 

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Virtual Exhibits for Black History Month

February 26, 2021/in Celebrate, Front Page Blog, Fun, Guide, Learn /by Shine

Black History Month encourages us to consider the many achievements of African-Americans throughout history. The commemoration dates back to a week-long event pioneered by scholar Carter G. Woodson, which transformed into a month-long celebration in 1970. If you feel comfortable wearing a mask, we encourage you to check out the Brooklyn Children Museum’s Black Future Festival this weekend. Otherwise, there are plenty of convenient and unique ways to dive into cultural history online, without leaving your home.  

Black History Month at the New York Public Library (NYPL)

NYPL offers a treasure trove of Black History Month activities for families, including:

  • Picture Books Reading List – Request a physical copy or e-book, or access online instantly, using Digital Books or Bookshare accounts. Featured books cover famous personalities like Martin Luther King Jr and Duke Ellington, but also everyday experiences like running a bookstore, coping with the grief of loss, and working cotton fields as a young child in California.
  • Be sure to check out the Schomberg Center’s curated list of “Black Liberation List for Young Readers,”accommodating physical copy requests and free checkout of e-books on Overdrive.
  • Watch NYPL Story Time – Librarians read their favorite books featuring black characters or written by African-American authors about the black experience. Stories include “Sulwe,” “Black Girl Magic,” and “My Rainy Day Rocket Ship.”
  • Black History Month Kids Events – Every day features different virtual events, from a chat and draw for ages 8-12 with black cartoonists and Black History Month Jeopardy, to read-aloud craft-alongs and book discussions.

Poe Park Visitor Center’s Black History Month Exposition

Poe Park Visitor Center is a community hub of art, literature, fitness, and community events in the Bronx. All exhibits have been moved online this year due to the ongoing pandemic:

  • Documentary photography: Michael Young; Trevon Blondet.
  • Mixed-media: Terrenceo Hammonds; Betty J. Murray; Gloria Zapata; Gregorio Velez.
  • Paintings: James Deliard; Josipa Kecman.
  • Wood prints: Joan Barnes.
  • Digital collage: Patrice J. Payne.

The New Museum’s Jordan Casteel Exhibit, “Within Reach”

Painter Jordan Casteel seeks to tell the stories of the overlooked people of color who bring the city to life, from Harlem street musicians and a little boy on a lap, to art students at Rutgers University and merch sellers. The virtual tour features 40 colorful, oversized portraits.

New York Botanical Garden’s Black History Month at Home

You’ll be missing the sweet smells of the blooms this year, but you can expect the same high-quality, family-friendly programming, such as:

  • A welcome message from NY State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey.
  • A performance, “Let Us Pull Together,” by the Harambee Dance Company.
  • A “Tree Time” read-aloud, education segment, and activity for children ages 4-8.

National Portrait Gallery’s Portraits of African-Americans

This comprehensive collection of famous faces is a national treasure, featuring brief bios and photographs, sketches, and paintings of everyone from Frederick Douglas and Jackie Robinson, to Shirley Chisholm and former President Barack Obama.

  • View the portraits on Google Arts & Culture.
  • Take a Black History Month virtual field trip at US museums on Google Arts & Culture.

National Museum of African-American History & Culture’s Joyful Fridays

Though the NMAAHC is closed during the pandemic, they’re offering webinar-style Zoom classes featuring literature, discussion, and art, geared toward kids ages 4-8, taking inspiration from the Joyful ABC Activity Book series. On the 26th, they’ll be creating protest word paintings. Past activities include hat-making, portrait art, and sculpting from recycled materials.

  • Register for the live class, Fridays 11-11:45 – it’s free.
  • OR collect your resources and watch the videos on-demand.

We celebrate Black History Month as part of embracing a multicultural world and an important step in raising children who are wiser and kinder. If you liked this list, be sure to check out Shine’s “How To Raise a Culturally Sensitive Kid.” You will find a diverse and inclusive atmosphere at any of our upcoming classes, camps, parties, and workshops. We are open and operating under all the CDC and local COVID-19 protocols.

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The Importance of Working with Natural Art Materials

September 30, 2020/in Guide, Learn, Make /by Shine

The sight of auburn leaves against a crisp blue sky and smells of autumn are enough to make any New Yorker want to craft with nature’s finest art materials. Inside your home, you may be stocked up on glitter, pipe cleaners, and pompoms – only to find your children enjoy building rock piles, picking flowers, and collecting acorns just as well. At Shine, nature-inspired, naturally-sourced art materials are among our favorite camp projects. Continue reading to learn how to invite more natural beauty into your lives and get inspired by fall art ideas.

Why We Love Crafting with Nature

  • Materials are readily available. You don’t have to drive to the store to start an art project. You need only go into the backyard or to a local forage-friendly park to find nearly everything you need. Kids often become inspired on a whim, so the availability of natural art materials is an obvious bonus.
  • Art materials are free of charge. Mother Nature gives to us freely. It’s all too easy to spend more than $100 in a craft store. The materials you use may not last forever, but snapping a photo for posterity is all it takes to have those memories last a lifetime.
  • Natural art materials are ecofriendly. Glue and paint contain a lot of nasty chemicals. Most glitter and tape are nonbiodegradable. The production of art materials leads to greater CO2 emissions, global warming, and transportation-related pollution. All of this can be avoided with the use of nature’s art materials. By having your kids create using nature’s finest offerings, you are raising a next-generation conservationist.
  • The supplies are versatile. While it can be nice to experiment with an all-in-one craft kit, there are limitations to the projects you can ultimately make. On the other hand, there is an endless range of crafts that can be made using items like acorns, feathers, flowers, leaves, mud, nuts, pinecones, rocks, sand, shells, sticks, and twigs.
  • Nature evokes creativity. Henry David Thoreau once said, “It is the marriage of the soul with nature that makes the intellect fruitful, and gives birth to imagination.” The mind blossoms when it has to seek out something round for eyes, rather than relying on a generic set of store-bought Googly-eyes. It takes creative problem-solving to get the leaf to stick onto a rock without glue.
  • It’s a healthier way to create. Sourcing from nature forces us outdoors. We could all use a bit of sunlight and fresh air this time of year. Grab a sweater and your favorite basket to start collecting a bin of materials you can use today or during the winter.

Natural Alternatives To Common Craft Materials

Consider replacing some of your most commonly-used craft supplies with natural ingredients:

  • Paper – Leaves, bark, rocks, sidewalk
  • Popsicle Sticks – Sticks from trees
  • Pipe Cleaners – Flexible plant stems
  • Beads – Shells or acorns
  • Paint – Clay, berries, vegetable dye, or crushed flowers mixed with water
  • Ribbons – Long grass or plant leaves
  • Googly Eyes – Spotty leaves and a hole puncher
  • Buttons – Branch slices with two holes drilled
  • Glitter – Red bottlebrush flower, Lilly Pilly flowers, mica

Easy, Nature-Inspired Fall Crafts To Try Today

Fall is the perfect time to enjoy these leaf-based arts and crafts:

  • Leaf Butterflies: Use a stick as the body and leaves as the wings, with marker detailing.
  • Leaf Stained Glass: Draw on contact paper, stick leaves overtop, and press to window.
  • Leaf Zoo: Different shape leaves can be made into a whimsical elephant, fox, or parrot.
  • Leaf Fox Faces: Leaves lend themselves to make the perfect fox ornament or magnet.
  • Leaf Prints: Use nature’s stamper; dip leaves into paint and press onto a surface.
  • Leaf People: Rocks, twigs, flowers, leaves, acorns, and whatever you find come to life.
  • Leaf Garland: Dip leaves in wax and string across a doorway for festive décor.
  • Mason Jar Leaf Lanterns: A flameless tea candle and leaf jar is the perfect nightlight.
  • Leaf Crown: Fasten leaves into crowns with staples, floral wire and tape, or string/hole.
  • Pinecone Leaf Turkey: Gear up for Thanksgiving with this great place-setting craft.

If necessary, you can preserve leaves using glycerin or wax paper for better longevity.

Check out our Pinterest board for more fall craft ideas, from Bark Owls to Pumpkin Seed Trees. If you live in the NYC/East End, you can also contact Shine to enroll in one of our classes, workshops, or parties, where you’ll find all the materials and instructions needed to make beautiful natural crafts.

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How To Raise A Culturally Sensitive Child

August 22, 2020/in Guide, Learn /by Shine

It’s never too early to begin the conversation about race with our children. Yet, research published last year reveals most people are avoiding the topic. Only 10 percent of parents discuss race “often” with their children. Black parents (22%) are more likely than whites (6%) to talk about race with their children. Fifty-seven percent of parents “rarely” or “never” talk about gender with their kids and nearly 35 percent of parents “never” talk to their kids about social class. Less than a third of parents of 3-5 year-olds discuss race and ethnicity “sometimes” or “often.”

Parents may shy away from directly addressing skin color and other physical traits in hopes of raising a “colorblind” child, but researchers and educators have found that, in the absence of strong leadership, children fill in the gaps with their own rudimentary prejudices. Children are not inherently “racist,” but they do notice differences, form natural biases, and even judge people based on perceived differences.

The year 2020 will not only go down in history for its pandemic, but for the awakening of society to the Black Lives Matter movement and the cries for equality and justice. Parents can do their part in creating a more culturally sensitive society by teaching young babies and children how to be kind, compassionate, and fair to peers from all races, cultures, and religions. Here we share a few startling facts about racial identity observed in young children and offer suggestions for tackling the issue with the under-six crowd.

It’s Never Too Early To Start The Conversation About Race

School-age may seem like a natural time to talk about diversity, but studies show Kindergarten is much too late to start the conversation. Babies are already watching and forming their own preferences:

  • “At birth, babies look equally at faces of all races. By three months, babies look more at faces that match the race of their caregivers” (Kelly et al, 2005).
  • “Children as young as two use race to reason about people’s behaviors” (Hirschfeld, 2008).
  • “By 2.5 years, most children use race to choose playmates” (Katz & Kofkin, 1997).
  • “Expressions of racial prejudice often peak at ages 4 and 5” (Aboud, 2008).
  • “At five years, Black and Latinx children show no preference toward their own groups, as compared to White children at this age who are more likely to be strongly biased in favor of whiteness” (Dunham et al, 2008).
  • “By Kindergarten, children show many of the same racial attitudes held by adults in our culture. They have already learned to associate some groups with higher status than others” (Kinzler, 2016).
  • “Explicit conversations with 5-7 year-olds about interracial friendship can dramatically improve their racial attitudes in as little as a single week” (Bronson & Merryman, 2009).

Bright little minds are always trying to assign rules for what they see around them. They’re looking for patterns – who lives in the homes they see, who is the hero of the movie, what clothes and cars do people have, how are parents and children interacting at the playground, and who seems to have particular jobs or roles at the supermarkets, grocery stores, banks, schools, and other locations they visit frequently. Children often infer that the differences they see are natural, justified, and based on meaningful inherent differences between the groups they see operating in society. The silence of adult bystanders inadvertently allows myths and biases to persist, therefore reinforcing patterns of systemic racism.

What You Can Do To Raise A Culturally Sensitive Child

Make space for your child’s respectful curiosity. 

Parents can encourage a child’s natural curiosity and questioning, but reframe the narrative in a direct-but-compassionate manner. For instance, if a child asks about skin color, explain that skin comes in many different colors, but it still works the same way to protect our bodies. By the same token, though we may look different on the outside, we have many of the same hopes, dreams, and feelings on the inside. “The Skin You Live In” is a great children’s picture book exploring this subject. Some parents have compared the concept to ice cream to help little ones understand; ice cream comes in many different flavors — vanilla, chocolate, or butterscotch – but they’re all good in their own ways. If you’re not sure how to respond to common questions kids have, see what neuropsychologists, educators, and parenting coaches have to say.

Start with Sesame Street.

Since the beginning, Sesame Street has been intentional about including diverse voices in its cast of human and muppet characters. From children in wheelchairs, with same-sex parents, or Afghani citizenship, to muppets with autism, HIV, or parents in jail, a wide range of perspectives and topics can be presented in ways that are inclusive and easy for kids to understand. Big Bird alone can’t do all the teaching – parents still need to help children make that leap from fantasy to reality – but multicultural programming is a positive reinforcement for the honest, direct conversations that need to happen amongst family members. 

Build an #OwnVoices library.

The #OwnVoices book list is a useful shorthand for books featuring diverse characters written by people who share those identities. As a collective, these books open the door to marginalized groups and invite more voices to share their stories. Reading Partners offers a list of children’s picture books from #OwnVoices, including a book by former president Barack Obama! EmbraceRace.org offers another well-curated list of books featuring diversity.

Choose diverse toys.

Children learn through play. Providing a variety of toys for a child to play with might mean giving girls Hot Wheels cars and STEM toys, or dolls and play kitchen foods for boys. It could be stocking that play kitchen with foods from around the world. It could mean buying a pack of crayons that accounts for every different skin tone and hair color. The Every Mom published a list of 20 diverse toys that make great gifts.

Foster healthy esteem.

“Happy, well-adjusted kids tend not to be bigots,” as KidsPeace Director of Psychology Peter Langman, Ph.D. put it. “Kids who feel like they aren’t valued tend to look for targets—someone they deem ‘different’—to release their own anger and frustration.” Building esteem is especially important for kids who feel singled out for some reason. Use positive reframing – as in “your hair isn’t frizzy; it’s just happy!” or “your nose isn’t too big – you are still growing.” Teach your child it’s important to stand up against bullies – that it’s sometimes necessary to say, “I don’t like your name-calling and I want you to stop.” Praising a child for effort, giving out routine chores, encouraging new hobbies, and spending quality time together are all ways to foster a child’s budding competence, identity, and esteem.    

Celebrate multicultural holidays.

One of the easiest and most fun ways to engage with people from other cultures is to share in different holiday celebrations. During these periods, school-age children in particular will notice that children may or may not share their same holidays. Parents can use these times to teach about where a particular holiday originated, why people celebrate it, and what traditions make it special. Celebrations might include African American holidays like Kwanzaa and Juneteenth, Hindu holidays like Diwali and Sankranti, Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas, Jewish holidays like Hanukkah and Rosh Hashana, Muslims holidays like Eid and Ramadan, or Mexican holidays like Dia de los Muertos and Cinco de Mayo. Read a book, watch a movie, make a craft, cook a recipe, visit a museum, attend a local festival – there are many ways to participate.    

Get involved in the community.

Since the flawed suburbanization and urban renewal projects of the 1970s, many families inadvertently find themselves stranded in neighborhoods lacking diversity. American Poet Maya Angelou once said, “When you know better, do better.” Parents are the best role models of tolerance and acceptance – not just in speech, but in action. Seeking out friendships and social networks with families of different races should be prioritized – whether it’s through team sports, performing arts, hobbies, clubs, music classes, toddler play groups, community service projects, or church groups. If you live in the New York City region, Shine offers creative multicultural programming combining art, science, music, storytelling, and play that is welcoming to families from all walks of life. By sharing common interests, children become comfortable playing and working with people from cultural backgrounds that may be different from their own.

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Best Places to Shake Off Your COVID-19 Blues on Long Island’s East End

July 18, 2020/in Guide, Learn, Party, Play /by Shine

As we prepare to enter the fifth month of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s only natural to worry about the mental and emotional toll the isolation is taking on your child and family. You may yearn for normalcy, but worry about the risks of returning to family fun as usual. Many of the places you used to take the kids are still closed and highly anticipated summer events have been cancelled.

What’s a parent to do?

It’s important that we shine our inner lights, so our children remember this summer as a time of growth and enrichment, not stagnation. The places we love may be operating a little differently, but in some ways, timing your visit during this low-traffic time makes it better.

To help, we’ve curated a list of idyllic places to spend a safe, enjoyable summer afternoon on Long Island’s East End. Also, we offer the latest scoop on day camps that are running with expanded safety protocols, offering a fun, educational environment that isn’t so dependent on parental supervision.

LongHouse Reserve

LongHouse Reserve is a 16-acre sculpture garden dedicated to reflecting world cultures and inspiring creativity. Here you’ll find a maze-like environment of giant chess boards, lotus plant ponds, and futuristic solar panel art installations. Two hours should be a good amount of time to take in the surrounding beauty and 60+ works of art.

The garden re-opened to the public on June 17th — but due to COVID-19, visits are by timed ticket reservations ONLY. Day trips are $15 and Twilight Tours $30, but be sure to plan a week or two in advance, as tickets are selling out.  

Everyone is required to wear a mask, except children under two – who must be kept in strollers. Restrooms and water fountains are closed, benches are roped off, INstore is closed, and six-foot social distancing with other groups is advised.  

Bridge Gardens

The five acres of Bridge Gardens provides a welcome respite for birdwatching, painting, photography, and nature study in the heart of Bridgehampton. The mix of community gardens, demonstration plots, and ivy mazes makes it the perfect oasis for picnicking.

Bridge Gardens is open daily from 10-4 with free admission. Out of an abundance of caution, the Peconic Land Trust has switched their tour programming to virtual Zoom meetings instead.

Madoo Conservancy

Established by artist, writer, and gardener Robert Dash, Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack is a registered historic site replete with fairytale cottages, Chinese ponds, unique artwork, and enchanting gardens.

Madoo Conservancy opened for the season on June 22nd. If you wish to visit the Madoo Conservancy, visits for groups of 10 or less are now by APPOINTMENT ONLY. The garden is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 12-4pm through October 10th, 2020.

All guests are required to wear face masks, which can also be found on-site if you do not have one. Guests are asked to wash their hands upon entering and using hand sanitizer upon leaving.  Strollers are not permitted and there are no public restrooms at this time.

The $10 admission fee is waived, thanks to a generous grant from the Barry Friedberg and Charlotte Moss Family Foundation.

Amber Waves Farm

Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett has received praise for their safety-first approach to produce cultivation during the COVID-19 crisis. Normally, this time of year, there are pizza-making workshops, farm tours, and story hours for kids – but specialty programming has been placed on hold in light of recent events. Even so, Full Moon Suppers are on the calendar starting in August, and you can always stop by for a box of produce and a bite to eat.

The Café opened for the 2020 season on June 13th with breakfast and lunch orders available to-go or to enjoy at their socially-distant picnic tables from 8am to 4pm. Guests are asked to wear masks any time they are on the property, except for when dining. You can also shop the market and order a produce box for next-day curbside pickup online. The staff is required to wear gloves and face coverings while working at the market.

Looking for a safe enrichment environment for your children?

Summer camp for ages 4-11 is a little different this year, with pods very limited in size to keep everybody safe. We have three full days of programming (9:00 am to 2:30 pm), with a few spots left.

Monday outdoor sessions at LongHouse Reserve will meet in two groups of 10, with no other camps on-site. Wednesday and Friday sessions at the Children’s Museum of the East End from July 20th through September 4th offers an exclusive opportunity to visit the museum while it is closed to the public.

Beyond the size limitations, Shine educators are strictly adhering to ALL State of New York and CDC protocols. Parents are to stay in the car during pickups and drop-offs. We will ask you a few questions, such as whether anyone in your household has experienced COVID-like symptoms in the past 14 days, tested positive, or come into contact with someone who has confirmed or suspected coronavirus. Campers will have their temperatures taken and wash their hands thoroughly before the day begins. Teachers and counselors will be wearing masks when interacting with children, remaining at a distance whenever possible, and sanitizing surfaces and materials frequently.  

Children will receive the same high-quality Shine programming we’ve curated for the past six years. Carolina Fuentes and Drumanawé will be stopping by with their unique combination of music and movement. Mondays feature Chris Sahr’s fine arts groups and a coach from Super Soccer Stars. Wednesday Workshops bring in local farmers and artisans. Fridays include art with Chris Sahr and fun interactive STEM activities with Snapology.

Shine will be taking summer excursions to all of the places mentioned here. Check out some of the places we’ve been with the kids so far, from strawberry fields to beaches on our Instagram. We’re also working on adding private museum access and guided walks at SoFo in the coming weeks as well. Contact us to inquire about availability and the latest partnerships.

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5 Simple Things You and Your Kids Can Do To Give Back During the COVID-19 Quarantine

May 5, 2020/in Guide, Learn, Make, Party /by Shine

“The darker the storm, the brighter the rainbow.”

By now, you’ve had a few weeks to adjust to the “new normal.” You likely have a routine, you’ve explained the situation to your children, and you’re busy keeping up with school work. Yet, you may also be feeling tinges of emptiness, anxiety, or helplessness. During a time of crisis, it can be cathartic to reach out to others. Use this time productively to demonstrate the kindness, charity, and thoughtfulness you want your kids to assimilate. Joining together in a service project bonds the family closer together and helps your children with anxiety and boredom as well. 

1. Take care of your own.

First and foremost, practice social distancing! By now, scientists have talked until they’re blue in the face about the dire need of flattening the curve by staying at home with your immediate family members. With reduced work hours and homeschooling in full effect, you’re likely to be spending a LOT more family time these days.

However, don’t forget about family members who may be missing your family or enduring the quarantine in complete isolation from others. Make it a habit – if not daily, then at least weekly – to catch up with grandparents, cousins, friends, or even your child’s classmates.

Many people are using FaceTime, Zoom, or the House Party app to visually connect with others. You can also tape video messages on your smartphone and text them directly to others. Another alternative (for longer videos) is to upload them to YouTube, list them as “unshared” to keep them unsearchable, and send the link to your desired recipient via text or email. You can also create beautiful works of art with the kids to mail to loved ones the old-fashioned way with a stamp. Share a little bit of your day with other parents who are also feeling their way through this Brave New World of homeschooling.

2. Lend a helping hand to your neighbors.

Consider what you can do for your neighbors, particularly the elderly or homebound. Use this template to print out viral kindness postcards to place in mailboxes, offering assistance – whether it’s picking up a few items from the store, completing yard work, or making a friendly wellness call.

If you’re feeling too cooped up and need to get out into the community, New York Cares is in need of volunteers to help with a number of projects. You might pack meal bags for delivery to seniors, bag produce, or serve at a local food pantry. 

Show your support for neighborhood walkers by posting one of these popular rainbow signs in your window with an encouraging message. Some kids are also using sidewalk chalk to write messages of cheer, hope, love, and togetherness. You might consider thanking “essential personnel” that may be coming to your home, such as a postal worker or delivery person.

3. Make sure there’s enough food for everyone.

A number of organizations are providing for the hungry. More than 80,000 New Yorkers filed for unemployment in March, so we can only assume the number of people who suddenly can’t afford groceries is skyrocketing similarly. You can feed five people for $1 with your donation to The Food Bank of NYC.

Make it a family affair by using this opportunity to talk to your kids about the importance of giving money to local food banks. You might read a book like Maddi’s Fridge or Last Stop on Market Street to help younger child understand that some children are less fortunate, particularly during economic downturns like the one we’re facing now. 

Charities like City Harvest openly encourage young volunteerism. Kids can get involved with the “Draw Hope To Drive Hope” campaign by: coloring or designing a donation food truck or lunch bag. Socially share using hashtag #WeAreCityHarvest to raise awareness, then mail the finished illustration to drivers on the front lines at drawhope@cityharvest.org or City Harvest Food Rescue Facility, 55-01 2nd Street, Queens NY 11101, ATTN: Francesca. Do your part by sending in a financial contribution; just $15 feeds 55 children for a day. You can double your donation amount by texting LUNCH to 20222, which will not only make a $15 donation, but will include a matched amount from Danone North America (up to $100K).

Of course, you’d hate to hear that all your favorite restaurants have gone out of business after this is all over. Order out from your favorite NYC eatery offering takeout at least once a week to support your local community. As an added bonus, you can donate to restaurants that are raising funds to feed busy healthcare workers.

4. Adopt a pet.

Now that you are spending more time at home, it could be the right time to expand your family. Adopting a pet is a loving gesture that your kids will really enjoy. New animals require lots of attention during their initial adjustment phase, with a structured routine, lots of play, and daily training sessions. Be sure you specifically check off the box to search “good with children.”

Animal Care Centers of NYC is not allowing tours of the buildings as per usual, but if you see a pet that pulls at your heart strands on their website, a care coordinator can set up a meeting. You may also consider donating animal food, cleaning supplies, bedding, leashes, collars, and bowls to a local animal shelter. They are always in need.

5. Help classmates celebrate their birthdays.

It can be difficult for children to cope with having a quarantine birthday. They miss out on all the special treats they’ve seen other kids receive on their birthdays earlier in the school year – be it a crown, a special song, or cupcakes brought in by parents. They may also be missing out on a party with friends, presents, and a place they really love.

Reach out to your child’s teacher to find out who is celebrating a birthday coming up. For classmates your child is not besties with, you can simply create a “Happy Birthday” sign to send virtually – or you might record a video to pass along. Organizing a virtual Zoom Party can be a fun way to get the whole class together, at least for a song.

For friends, cousins, and classmates your child is closer to, you might consider sending a small gift and calling them up for a video chat. Some families do car parades, sending their drive-by wishes, honking horns. You might place balloons on a porch railing, decorate the yard, or draw chalk messages in their driveways (with parental permission, of course!) 

If your child is the one having a quarantine birthday, consider different ways to make the day special. Create a balloon waterfall to rain down on your child when he or she opens the door in the morning. Pick a theme. For instance, you might pitch a tent and have a pretend campout at home or set up a projection screen movie. Set up a scavenger hunt where one present leads to another throughout the house and yard. Spend the day cooking a favorite ethnic meal or baking together, filming your child’s contribution like a cooking show. FaceTime with friends and family throughout the day. Families have been doing dress-up princess tea parties, beach parties with blow-up pools full of pillows and blankets in the living room, and ice cream sundaes.

We look forward to seeing you in our classes and workshops after the quarantine is over! 

And while still in quarantine, click here to learn more about our craft bags and online classes!

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Caregiving for Our Beautiful, Unique Children on the Spectrum in the Time of Covid-19

April 23, 2020/in Guide, Learn /by Shine

One in 59 Americans fall somewhere on the Autism Spectrum. April is National Autism Awareness Month with the theme of “Celebrating our Differences.” The upending of routines, support services, and positive outlets during these unprecedented times is acutely felt by your child right now. While autism affects people in different ways, there are a few common experiences: a child with autism may feel overwhelmed by changes in routine, suffer information overload, or experience increased anxiety.

Perhaps you are also feeling very much that way right now! If you’ve found your way here, we know you are patient, kind, and committed to meeting this challenge head-on. We offer the following suggestions and coping strategies as a general guideline. Perhaps not everything will be the right fit for your home, but take what you can and do reach out to your child’s school or a local autism group if your needs go beyond these recommendations. 

Set a Schedule.

Establishing a “new normal” with a predictable schedule is paramount to stable life at home. Pajama days are fun for the weekend, but you don’t want “slouching” to become the new normal. It’s okay to sleep in a bit later to ensure your child is well-rested, but set the expectation that you will all get up, get dressed, and have breakfast like usual.

It helps to do something that signifies the start of the school day. While you’d normally get in your car and drive to school, perhaps you take a brief walk around the block to get fresh morning air into your lungs and mentally prepare for the day.

A manageable at-home routine might include:

  • School work – This is best done early, while your child is fresh. If your child starts to feel restless, try an exercise break, rather than pushing too hard.
  • Exercise – Take as many short exercise breaks as you can throughout the day!
  • Lunch – Enjoy your favorite balanced meal of protein, fruit, veggie, and fun snack. 
  • Activity – While you’re resting and digesting, give your child a puzzle to do or play a board game together. If you have household chores to do, invite your child to help. Baking together is a pleasant way to spend time together. (Here are some family-friendly recipes for the upcoming Eastern Orthodox Easter, Cinco de Mayo or National Puerto Rican Day.)
  • Downtime – Offer an hour of device or TV time. Some families are taking this time to learn a new hobby like watercolor painting, digital piano playing, or knitting. Reading or listening to an audiobook could be a nice, quiet activity before dinner and bedtime routine.
  • Social time – Setting up a weekly Zoom chat with family members, cousins, or friends from school can help your child practice social skills, combat feelings of loneliness, and share what he or she has been doing over this extended break.

Every day may not be perfect, but do your best to remain consistent and you’ll see your child thrive on the new schedule in no time.

Create visual cues.

Try to stay consistent each day. Make several visual charts for your child’s reference:

  • Communication of Expectations — “First chicken nuggets, then ice cream,” or “First puzzle, then iPad,” or “First get dressed, then brush teeth.”
  • Daily Schedule — There are many different types of visual schedules — or create your own!
  • Bathroom Etiquette – Use toilet? Use paper? Flush? Wash hands?
  • Meal Time Talk – How was your day? Today I ________. Please pass the _______.
  • Meal Etiquette – Small bites. Lips together. Look up.
  • Door Reminders – “Close door when finished” can help keep your fridge cold.
  • Time – Use a colorful sand timer to provide a sense of moving along from task to task.

Visual cues give your child greater sense of certainty, control, and ownership over the day. 

Communicate open and honestly.

Older children may be full of questions and anxiety at this time. They will look to you to be the confident, protective leader that grounds them. Explain that you will have your schedule, wash your hands, practice social distancing, and stay safe. (Check out our guide on how to talk to kids about Covid here!) 

Design a space.

Now that your child will be home all day, take a room by room assessment to determine if added childproofing must be done. For instance, you may need to tuck away medications or other dangerous items, fasten furniture to the wall, block off stairs, or lock windows and doors.

Beyond basic safety, your child will appreciate having a distinctive working space – a worktable, a cozy sensory pea pod reading nook, or just someplace relaxing where distractions are minimal. Work in natural and dimmable lighting, as well as natural accents like plants or a hammock, if possible. Use a desk caddy or rolling craft organizer to arrange supplies.  

Move every day, without exception.

Getting outside is ideal. Kick a soccer ball in the backyard. Playing frisbee or hopscotch. Take a walk around the neighborhood or local park (being mindful of social distancing, of course.) If it’s cool or rainy outside, try fun GoNoodle dancing or Cosmic Kids Yoga for mindful movement. 

Address the challenges.

Telehealth support using video-based consultations can be helpful for handling challenging behaviors. It can be helpful to jot down “What happened,” “What it looked like,” and “What happened afterward” to relay to your support team, so they can help you identify patterns and progress. 

Reward good behavior.

There are many ways to work positive incentives into the day.

  • Sticker Charts – Some children respond well to sticker charts that lead to a special book, small toy, or choice activity. You can tailor these charts to your child’s particular area of difficulty. For instance, you might award a sticker for every 30 minutes spent on-task, or for getting through the transition from bath to pajamas without a fuss.
  • Choice Box – When your child seems restless or disengaged, use a fun Choice Box to ignite focus again. Rotate the items from day to day, such as fidget spinners, stress relievers, spinning tops, rainbow scratch art pads, Play Doh, sticker books, puzzles, finger paints, light-up toys, stuffed animals, music instruments, essential oil smelling bottles, pipe-cleaners, puppets, bubbles, or whatever is of interest to your particular child. 
  • Bonding – We all have our struggles. Maybe your child is struggling to finish a journal entry or trying hard to reduce Echolalia. Be sure to recognize your child’s efforts and celebrate small victories with a hug, praise, a living room dance party, ice cream social, or a popcorn-and-movie night. 

In all of this, remember to be kind to yourself and take a moment to breathe… to just BE. It’s helpful to have goals, but we don’t want our schedules to run over us like a steamroller. If one day your child wants to bake cookies, play with Play Doh, and run in the wet grass, FLEX. Tomorrow is another day. Some days will be more productive than others, whether you are a family supporting someone on the spectrum or not. In those trying moments, all you can do is your best. You may have to step out of the room to belly breathe or you may have to dial moral support from time to time. That doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human. Though you are focused on caregiving for your child, remember to eat well, get your rest, stay active, limit news consumption, and set goals for yourself, too. Carve out small pockets of time to use with purpose and do an activity that centers you. When all this is over, you always have a home at Shine. Stay safe out there!   

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10 Nature Walk Games and Activities

April 16, 2020/in Guide, Learn, Play /by Shine

A breath of fresh air is a precious gift. With quarantine measures still in effect, there has never been a better time to take a nature walk with your family. Be sure to travel with just the members of your immediate household (now is not the time for a play date meet up!) and stay at least six feet away from others. Choose less-traveled trails and be sure to follow updated NPS guidelines.  

10 Fun Family Nature Walk Games and Activities

Many children thrive on the freedom of running down wide open paths, climbing on logs, examining animal tracks, and spotting wildflowers. Depending on the day or the kid, a nature walk may not be as enjoyable for your child as it is for you – particularly if there is no playground in sight. It won’t be long before little legs tire and your four-year-old is begging to be carried. These games and activities can help distract your child to the point of fun to avoid potential meltdowns. (Note: Having water and snacks handy and allowing moments of rest help, too!)

  • Five Senses Observation: Encourage your nature walker to be more in tune with the five senses like our animal friends. Ask the children to listen with their “deer ears” by cupping their hands around their ears, palms forward, to hear what’s ahead – or palms backward to hear what’s behind them. Look with your “owl eyes,” forming binoculars with your hands, to imitate the fixed-forward stare of an owl. Moisten your “dog noses” with a little water from your bottles to “smell better,” whether it’s bark, leaves, trees, or flowers. Use your “snake tongues” to taste the air, sense which way the wind is blowing, or gauge the temperature. Tiptoe on “fox feet” to observe birds or bunnies on the trail without disturbing them.
  • Giddy-up: Encourage your children to pretend they are riding “horsies” down the trails. Have them locate sources of food and water for their pets, make gates out of natural materials, and use secret passwords to pass through. You can also pretend you’re on the Oregon Trail with your caravan of wagons, trying to survive the obstacles and dangers you stumble across. The Choose Your Own Adventure books can be a fun way to get kids excited for the pretend trip.  
  • Play Doh: Simply bringing a lump of Play Doh or soft molding clay on your walk can change the whole experience. Start off by showing the kids how acorns, rocks, branches, leaves, and bark can make different imprints. Take turns making prints and guessing what the original object was. You’ll find the game slows down even the busiest toddlers, causing them to think more deeply about the little visuals along the path, rather than simply racing to get around the next curve. Kids can also make faces using natural objects with their pieces of dough. 
  • GoFindIt: A pack of cards is an easy accessory for your walk. Each card has a word to inspire creative scavenger-hunting, such as “furry” “red,” “thin” or “crunch.” Smaller children can try to find one card at a time, while older kids could look for up to 10 items at a time or even compete in teams. 
  • Nifty Nature Belts: Nature walk veteran parents swear by bringing a backpack, pail, or jacket with deep pockets at the very least for all those treasures your kids want to collect along the way. If you like to travel light and don’t want to end up carrying all these cherished trinkets eventually, try outfitting your child in a belt made of Duct tape (sticky side out). Pebbles, flowers, sticks, fossils, moss, leaves – these can all be brought along on the nifty nature belt, much to your amateur designer’s delight.
  • Ninja Nature: Not everyone is inclined to stop and smell the roses. For the most active child, the delight of a nature walk is found in physical interaction with objects and spaces. The Ninja Nature Scavenger Hunt invites your family to find: a log to balance on, a tree to climb, a puddle to jump over, a rock to throw in the creek, an incline to climb up, a path to skip down, an open area to run in, a grassy hill to roll down, a rock to jump off, and a shady tree to rest beneath. Print a copy of the list to check off the items as you go.
  • Follow the Leader: Kids like to be large and in charge. Let them take turns leading your way. Encourage them to reasonably venture off-the-beaten-path around fallen logs and over rocks. Allow your child to dictate how people follow – be it skipping, clapping, humming a song, thumping your chest like a gorilla, lumbering like an elephant, flapping your arms like a bird, staggering like a zombie, moving in cheetah speed, or crawling at a turtle’s pace. Switch leaders after a set amount of time or at a particular landmark.
  • Photo Walk: There are kid-friendly photo and video cameras on the market for all budgets and style preferences. If you’re the sort of person who takes a lot of family photos, no doubt your kids have picked up on that and would like to emulate your adult behavior. Empowering them with user-friendly point-and-shoot cameras can open the world of possibility, where they are the stars of their own nature program. It can be interesting to see the world through their perspective. For a fun twist, have your adventurer walk ahead on the trail and take a close-up of an object along the trail – fungi, crack in the rock, or knot in the tree, for example – and have the group try to located it. Another fun idea is to allow your child to bring a favorite model dinosaur or stuffie to photograph on various adventures along the way.
  • Camera: You don’t necessarily need to bring a camera with you to create this fun game. Designate one person a “camera” and another person a “photographer.” The cameras closes their eyes and walk slowly, guided by the photographers, to a special location. The photographer can have the camera crouch down or turn to face a particular view. As soon as the proper positioning is achieved, the photographers lightly tap the cameras on their heads and the cameras take in the view for a few seconds. Cameras and photographers can then switch roles. At the end of the exercise, the group gets together to talk about the “photos” they took and what made the “pictures” unique or special.
  • Geocaching: Geocaching turns your phone or GPS device into a compass directing you to real treasure hidden by others active in the sport. The prizes can be anything from a Matchbox car, to a piece of costume jewelry, to stickers, to books. Some containers are meant to be viewed and logged with your name and date into the small notebook provided in the cache. Other geocache might run by a “take one, leave one” system, so you’ll want to bring a few small items with you to leave just in case. There are multiple sites, each with its own unique twist. You’ll find the most listings at Geocaching.com, but you’ll need to become a paying member for access to all features. Opencaching.us has fewer listings, but all features are accessible for free. Terracaching.com favors scenic, but remote, locations and offers a competitive leaderboard system for avid fans. Not only is there this “secret world” to unearth, but the navigation often takes you to scenic and historic places you may not have otherwise discovered.

Why Hike? Nature Is Medicine!

Perhaps the fact that there’s nothing else to do is an excuse to break out of habit and spend more time than usual outdoors. There are many compelling reasons to make family walks part of your routine going forward, however. 

  • Emotional Health: Multi-study analysis has shown walking in nature reduces anxiety, depression and negativity. Time in the forest is crucial for reducing chronic stress and maintaining a stable mood, thanks to the cortisol-lowering scents of pine, fir, cedar, and cypress. “Highly sensitive” individuals especially find a sense of calm in nature, according to psychologists. There’s a reason why people living in areas with more trees have lower prescription rates for antidepressants!
  • Physical and Mental Fatigue: Though it may seem counterintuitive, hiking is actually one of the best fatigue treatments, according to Dr. Mike Evans, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto. Numerous studies have demonstrated that children perform better on attentional tasks after taking a walk in a park setting, which allowed for involuntary attention as their minds wandered to whatever stimuli beckoned from the surrounding environment. “Attention Restoration Theory” posits that nature walks in forests and wide open spaces – as opposed to urban city walks, for example –gives us the opportunity to rest, reflect, and restore ourselves.
  • Heart Health: In a Japanese study of 280 participants, walking in the woods decreased cortisol concentrations by more than 15%, reduces average pulse by 4%, and decreases blood pressure by 2%.
  • Weight Management: An hour of leisurely walking can burn 292 calories. Add in a few inclines, uneven terrain, obstacles, and increases in pace to burn up to 433 with a more arduous “hike.”   
  • Immune System Function: After spending a weekend camping in the woods, a group of Tokyo researchers measured significantly higher amounts of cancer-fighting Natural Killer cells that lasted in their immune systems for a month.

April 22nd is Earth Day, so get out there and enjoy the blessings Mother Nature has to offer.

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Storytelling Activities for World Storytelling Day

March 16, 2020/in Celebrate, Guide, Learn, Read /by Shine

World Storytelling Day is celebrated on the spring equinox and during the following week. This year’s festivities kick off Friday, March 20th and the 2020 theme is “Voyages.”

Storytelling has played an integral role in passing on cultural knowledge, beliefs, and traditions from one generation to the next. Without cave paintings, Bard stories, or recorded myths, so much human history would be lost forever.

Consider the many ways storytelling enriched the lives of people around the world:

  • Thanks to early storytellers like Aesop and Homer, the ancient Greeks were familiar with stories dating back to 12th century BCE.
  • Ancient Egyptians told detailed narratives about life, death, and their belief in an afterlife in picture form, as preserved hieroglyphics show.
  • In medieval Europe, troubadours relayed histories and information about neighboring communities, as well as presenting topics for political debate.
  • The Norse Viking sagas were the culmination of nearly 300 years of oral storytelling tradition by the time they were finally published and shared with the world.
  • Storytelling saved the life of Scheherazade, the heroine of 1,001 Arabian Nights.
  • In West African regions, griot storytellers served as historians and politicians – a tradition still thriving in Mali, Senegal, and Gambia.
  • In Australia, Aboriginal storytellers were performance artists who entertained during the long, dark winter months.
  • The Native Americans used stories as a way of imparting values, character traits, and tribal identity upon their young.

What started as Sweden’s “Alla Berättares Dag” (All Narrators Day) in 1991 has now spread around the globe from South Africa and Singapore, to Canada and Croatia. As Indian storyteller Vyasa said in the poem Mahabharata: “If you listen [to a story] carefully, at the end, you’ll be someone else.”

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate World Storytelling Day in 2020, consider one of these activities…

1. Learn the art of storytelling.

The Art of Storytelling by Pixar was produced with Khan Academy to take students on a full curriculum of using human interest and emotion to tell a story. Filmmakers from Pixar share insights into how to develop storytelling skills that can be particularly useful in the elementary school years. The videos are just three or four minutes long per section and are followed by writing prompts and activities that facilitate learning. The idea that “we are all storytellers” is a meaningful point to share with our children.

2. Play a game.

The award-winning “Tall Tales” game inspires your family’s storytelling by providing thought-provoking settings and characters. The rest is left to your imagination! Younger children will immediately launch into free play, while older kids might find inspiration in the five rule variations. Small figurines come with the game, so it is recommended for children past the age of putting random objects into their mouths.

3. Write your own creative “voyage” story as a group.

Folding stories were classic 80s sleepover games. The story begins with a title or opening line prompt. Each person writes two lines of text. Ideally, the last sentence will end abruptly to leave a thought-provoking start for the next player. The paper is folded so each of the players can only see what the person immediately before them has written. Once the paper gets around the group a few times, the first writer will read the whole story from start to finish.

Here are 15 story prompt ideas to get you started…

  • I don’t know how I am going to get home. Worse yet, I am alone and have to…
  • The water is always calm when I go out at 4 a.m…
  • Many things get the hair on the back of my neck up, but nothing more so than…
  • From behind a lacy curtain she watched as four riders galloped toward the house…
  • There are a few rules to live by if you want to survive an overseas voyage on this ship…
  • When I opened my eyes, I found myself sitting…
  • The rain fell hard, for the third week in a row…
  • The moment I stepped out of the plane, I knew I had come to the wrong place…
  • I don’t know the first thing about flying a hot air balloon, and yet, here I am…
  • My hair blew back in exhilarating fashion with each beat of the Pegasus’ wings…
  • The only thing that could get me back to that island is gold… well, and love for adventure…
  • The entire city was in ruins…
  • “Pssst, wake up,” someone said into my ear in the dead of night. “I have a mission for you…”
  • There’s an island where all lost items turn up. I woke up, cold and wet, on the beach…
  • Humans return from Mars for the first time. But something is not quite right about them…

4. Read with your children.

There are countless literary “voyages” you can take with your children. Perhaps you have favorite stories you read in your childhood you’d like to share with your children. The New York Public Library’s list of most-checked-out books of all time is likely to remind you of a few! Otherwise, try these:

  • Usbourne’s Illustrated Stories from Around the World

Why: Dive into 10 classic folk tales from India, China, Japan, the US, England, Scandinavia, Russia, Greece, the Middle East, and South Africa, which feature interesting characters like a talking tree, an ill-tempered genie, and a greedy witch. Kids will love the bold, colorful illustrations that accompany each story.

Ideal Ages: 3-8

  • Geronimo Stilton’s The Amazing Voyage (Kingdom of Fantasy #3)

Why: Geronimo Stilton is the publisher of The Rodent’s Gazette newspaper. In this colorful, 320-page adventure, he returns to the Kingdom of Fantasy to find the land plagued by endless winter. He travels by magical talking ship, hoping to restore peace and springtime to the land by contending with a threatening volcano and rescuing the Queen of the Fairies.

Ideal Ages: 5-8

  • Miroslav Sasek’s children’s classics: This Is Ireland, This Is Munich, This Is Israel, This Is NY, etc…

Why: These picture books combine charming illustrations with simple explanations of the sights, character, and traditions of each region covered. 

Ideal Ages: 5-8

  • Hugh Lofting’s The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

Why: In this chapter book, the voyage of Doctor Dolittle is told by 9-year-old Tommy Stubbins, a crewman and naturalist accompanying the animal healer to Spidermonkey Island. After surviving a perilous shipwreck, Doctor Dolittle, Polynesia the parrot, and Chee-Chee the monkey meet a wondrous sea snail who holds the key to a great mystery. Parents and children alike will enjoy this adventure from start to finish. Afterward, you can watch the movie!

Ideal Ages: 8-12

  • Choose Your Own Adventure books OR Oregon Trail “choose your own adventures.”

Why: The reader is not just a passive entity in these unique books. The reader acts as decision maker and storyteller as well, choosing which actions the characters should take to determine the end of the story. With the original R.A. Montgomery series, you and your child can journey through the jungle, Mayan ruins, under the sea, the highest mountain peaks, and even out of this world, into space. With the Oregon Trail books, you can voyage across America in a covered wagon circa 1850, while trying to avoid perilous conditions from wild animals and natural disasters, to strangers, and sicknesses – with 22 different endings to choose from. 

Ideal Ages: 8-12

  • Angela McAllister’s A Year Full of Stories: 52 Classic Stories From All Around the World

Why: This treasury combines myths, fairy tales, and legends from around the globe with a story for every week of the year. The 12 chapters correspond with the 12 months of the year and match stories to important holidays, festivals, events, and seasonal themes.

Ideal Ages: 8-12

5. Speak with an elder.

If your child has grandparents living, plan a day to visit and hear stories from the older person’s life.

You can use these prompts to get grandma or grandpa recalling childhood memories:

  • What’s your earliest childhood memory?
  • Who was your best friend? What did you do together?
  • What places do you remember fondly?
  • Describe your mother’s kitchen. What were family dinners like?
  • Describe the most unusual place you have lived or visited.
  • Were you ever injured or ill during your childhood? What was that experience like?
  • Do you have any quirky relatives in your family tree? Tell us about them.
  • What values did your parents try to instill in you as a child?
  • What sayings or expressions did you hear often while growing up?
  • Describe your most memorable family vacation.
  • Describe your favorite holiday traditions.
  • What was your most beloved toy like?
  • How are you and your parents alike or different?
  • What personal achievements made you proud?
  • What was one lesson you learned the hard way?

All and all, World Storytelling Day is the ideal opportunity to focus on reading, writing, and recollecting. You can find many, many more ideas at StoryArts.org that are ideal for the classroom or at home. If you’d like to carry on the tradition, consider joining one of Shine’s workshops or year-round classes, where we combine storytelling, music, art, cooking, and play from cultures around the world.

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