Camp MakeBelieve Kids Blog

Reading Literacy and Camp MakeBelieve

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:57:16 -0500

The national estimate of the percentage of adults lacking basic reading literacy is 14.5% and there is an estimated 16 million high school dropouts (ed.gov). Reading skills begin to develop before children ever set foot in a classroom. For kids that are exposed to books from birth, reading comes easier than for children that do not have that experience.

Camp MakeBelieve offers reading, writing, thinking, and imaginative lessons throughout the entire program. Not only do these lessons benefit social and emotional skills, they develop reading skills that at-risk children may not have been exposed to in the home environment.

In the United States, the average academic achiever enters school having spent 1,350 hours of story time with an adult, whereas low achievers come to school with only 25 hours (Children's Literacy Initiative, 1999). Incorporate our program into your after-school program to see great improvements in reading skill and comprehension. You can purchase the Camp MakeBelieve Kids program here!

Preventing Youth Suicide through SEL

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 01:02:19 -0500

Preventing Youth Suicide through SEL: A Collaborative Approach

National School Social Worker Conference - Boston, MA - March 27 - 30

Thursday, March 29 from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the Stuart Room.

Presenters

Pamela M. Goldberg, BSN, LMFT

Brianna Kolhoss, MS, MFT Int

Abstract

Girls are quickly catching up in successful suicide endeavors-- hanging becoming the weapon of choice. Already vulnerable from hormone overload and peer pressure, girls often become hypersensitive to what may appear as innocent female behavior, and can create the perfect storm leading to suicide. This interactive presentation will demonstrate how mental health professionals can train and support educators, support staff and police officers so they may implement Social and Emotional Learning to our youth in the prevention of suicide.

Social and Emotional Learning in Schools

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:24:33 -0600

Social and Emotional Learning programs benefit not only students, but the school community as a whole. More and more schools across the country are exploring the SEL process, and studies are being conducted on the effectiveness of character education. There have been several recently published studies indicating great improvements at schools that have been utilizing a weekly character/social skills building study.

Fox Chicago News conducted an interview on the topic recently- here is an excerpt (available in entirety here):

“We call this social and emotional learning because we believe that these skills can be learned, they can be taught and learned, and that is a big difference,” said UIC psychology professor Roger Weissberg.

Weissberg is one of the world’s leading experts on social and emotional learning (SEL).

New research shows your academic IQ is not enough. You must also have emotional intelligence.

It's a concept FOX Chicago News did a story on nearly 20-years-ago. We put several young children of FOX staffers through the grueling cookie test where a child was left alone with a cookie and told they could eat it but, if they waited, they would be rewarded with two cookies. The idea was to test the child’s ability to resist their impulses.

“That was based on a correlational study, that kids who could delay gratification, do better. The big question is, can you teach them to delay gratification, can you teach them to manage themselves better,” Weissberg said.

Weissberg says the answer now is, yes we can.

A study conducted by Oregon State University concluded that after implementing an SEL program, suspensions decreased by 72 percent at one school, with teachers praising the results. Here is an excerpt of that article (available in entirety here):

The latest study, being published by researchers from Oregon State University in the Journal of School Health, found for the first time that teachers believed this approach improved “overall school quality” by 21 percent, with parents and students agreeing in slightly smaller numbers. It was based on findings from racially and ethnically diverse schools, half using the program and half that did not.

“Improved social and character skills leave more time for teachers to teach, and students to learn and be more motivated,” said Brian Flay, an OSU professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences. “What we’re finding now is that we can really address some of the concerns in our schools by focusing more on character in the classroom.

We encourage you to learn more about social and emotional learning! Our program is easy to follow, fun, and so beneficial.

Camp MakeBelieve Kids and Sport-Social

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:48:54 -0600

Sport-Social is an adaptive sports and social interaction center in Las Vegas offering therapeutic lessons for children with autism and special needs. Sport-Social is currently offering our program, and is a wonderful example of how our program can be used in a variety of educational, social, emotional, and physical settings!

At Sport-Social, the Camp MakeBelieve Kids program is a class that meets once per week for 1.5 hours. Half of that time is spent on the program- discussion, role-playing, and classroom activities. The other half of that time is spent in the “warehouse” where kids participate in a group sport. Sport-Social is utilizing our great program in a way that is fun, beneficial, and challenging.

Sport-Social offers our program at two levels- Level 1 is for students who have a hard time listening to instruction. This level offers one instructor for every two students. Level 2 is for students who have some conversational, physical, and social abilities. It is perfect for kids that have a difficult time making and keeping friends.

You can find out more about Sport-Social and how they utilize our program in conjunction with theirs on their website. If you are interested in learning more about how our program can benefit your after-school or supplemental program, contact us today! The Camp MakeBelieve Kids program is available for purchase on our website.

National PTA Take Your Family to School Week

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:51:58 -0600

Each February, Take Your Family to School Week is held to pay tribute to PTA’s legacy of building family-school partnerships. Parent involvement in student’s lives and the school community is very important, and PTA is important at every level. There are early childhood PTAs, special education PTAs, elementary/middle school PTAs, etc. We would like to encourage you this month to check out your local PTA and find out what they are currently doing in your community.

If your child’s school is hosting an event this week, make every effort to attend! If you missed an event, talk with your child’s teacher and find out how you can help out one day this spring. Maybe there is a field trip you can chaperone, or an after-school event looking for volunteers. Being present at school not only allows you to witness a small slice of your child’s daily life, but also shows your child that what he or she is up to is important.

Just as parent involvement is important in school life, it is also important for parents to be involved when it comes to after school programs. Our Camp MakeBelieve Kids program believes in the importance of parent involvement, and we have developed a “Parent Memo” to help bridge the gap between lessons and home. Each guidebook includes Parent Memos (found at the end of each lesson plan) allowing you to learn along with your children. Learn more about our program and the Parent Memo portion here!

SEL and Prevention

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:43:15 -0600

Social and Emotional Learning programs are essential to preventing high-risk behaviors before they happen. During the elementary years, behaviors typically associated with older students are often not given much thought. Research has shown however that social and emotional learning programs focused on younger children can very positively impact their lives and prevent those risky behaviors well in advance. According to an article posted on casel.org:

In a recently completed meta-analysis of 213 evaluation studies of SEL programs for children preschool to high school SEL, participating schools saw a 44% decrease in suspensions, and a 27% decrease in other disciplinary actions. SEL programming reduces high-risk behaviors both by enhancing student attachment to school, and by giving children foundational skills to make healthy and ethnical choices, resist negative social influences, and manage their feelings in productive ways.

Learning these great skills early on helps students to not only make positive choices as they are learning to do so, but to also continue making those positive choices throughout their teenage years and into adulthood. The goal is to teach students to make productive and healthy choices that will enrich their lives and help them create successful futures.

Our program focuses on building skills that give children the confidence to do what they know is right, basically to be good, follow the rules and behave appropriately, whether anyone is watching--or not. You can learn more about our 8 Step program here.

Benefits of SEL

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:12:29 -0600

According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, schools that create socially and emotionally sound learning and working environments, and that help students and staff develop greater social and emotional competence, in turn help ensure positive short- and long-term academic and personal outcomes for students, and higher levels of teaching and work satisfaction for staff.

SEL improves students’ positive behavior and reduces negative behavior.
SEL is also associated with significant improvements in students’ academic performance and attitudes toward school.
SEL prepares young people for success in adulthood.

Camp MakeBelieve Kids is a social and emotional learning program that works. Our program is a complete package for helping professionals and parents. You can read more about this great program and the importance of SEL here, and you can purchase our program here!

Encouraging Communication

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:41:23 -0600

When your child seems down or overly tired, it may be because they have something on their mind and aren't quite sure how to talk about it. Or perhaps they simply don't want to talk about it. Our program encourages thinking outside the box when it comes to expressing feelings, and and through the program kids find it is easier to share what is on their mind.

As the Holiday's draw near...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:08:30 -0600

We take the pleasure in extending our sincere "Thank You" to all those who partnered with Camp MakeBelieve Kids, inspiring children to learn & grow emotionally and wishing you health and happiness this Holiday Season & prosperity in the New Year. We look forward to continuing our partnerships and developing new ones in the coming year.

Obesity, Kids, and Camp MakeBelieve

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:58:00 -0600

In the U.S. 20% of children are obese. Billions of dollars have gone into studying why kids are obese, and, now we, as a nation, have discovered; food is over-processed, not enough fruits and vegetables, drinking our calories, poor choices, lack of nutritional education, physical education removed from schools, school lunch rooms serve horrible foods, the fat gene, too much television and more.