Today we had 14 kids come for the first summer session. I have to tell you.... they were simply GREAT! Usually group members do not follow directions this well until a few sessions into the program, but not your kids. Since it's the first day, we're getting to know them all and they're getting to know each other.
The day began with them learning each others' names, followed by them choosing nicknames, talked about different restaurants they liked, and different kinds of prizes they wanted to earn in the upcoming raffles.
We also went to Gelsons for our snack around 10:20am and stayed there for 1/2 hour. Returning to the office, we took a poll about healthy and less healthy snacks. You will seeing more about this in a future blog. Before we knew it, lunch time rolled around and the group chose to go to Numero Uno, a 3 minute walk. It was at the restaurant we encountered some of our first problems (very mild though). Some kids couldn't make a food choice, some spilled their drinks, and others used the bathroom frequently. One child pinched and briefly went to a different table, then returned after what"seemed like 20 seconds" (so he said, but really it was closer to five minutes). Most of them used "please and thank you" spontaneously and, in general, the three other counselors rated their behavior as "good."We returned and they helped me write this entry (won't be doing that everytime!) and we talked about what kinds things they were willing to change to earn even more tickets, both in group and outside of group. It was a little boring for them, until we began talking about where they wish to go for the community outings and what behaviors they wished to change. One of the counselors gave me feedback that she thought it may have caused a loss of momentum (spent about 20 minutes) and I think she was right. My interest and intention was to see how well they recalled details as a group and, to this end, it was a useful exercise for me.
The day ended reasonably uneventfully, although a few things occurred that are worth mentioning. First, a couple of the group members, who had been stable and essentially "fine" throughout the day, became a bit emotional. My strategy for that is to try to help them get back into control pretty quickly, and both did, taking less than 4 minutes for each.
The other thing that occurred had to do with parent pickups. It really helps us if parents are either waiting at the white metal barrier at the southwest end of Gelsons. Coming to get your child or motioning for them to come to you makes it hard for us to keep track of everyone and get the necessary parent signouts. So please, help us out on this one!
Looking forward to Wednesday!
Bruce
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