Hi Parents,
Today, being our first day, is what we call our "Close to Home" session. We will be heading back to the office after your children have been dropped off and doing introductions, basic group rules and giving everyone an idea of what lies ahead.
Sophie is here today with your kids. If your child is afraid of dogs, she will likely leave them alone. We gradually introduce them to being near her and not overreacting when they see her. They will also see other children petting and interacting with her, which is a form of social modeling.
Snacktime should occur around 10 AM and will most likely occur at Gelsons market. We typically start in the produce section and the Gelsons produce staff will wash everything for us. We may also get some chips and, because it's summer, bottles of water. This is one of the naturalistic opportunities for your children to practice decision-making, negotiating, and free-form conversations.
Returning from snack, we would either start a project or play some games, depending on the mood of the group.
We have a lunch reservation at Maria's Italian Kitchen for 12 noon and will likely be there 75 to 90 minutes. We plan to be back at the office by around 1:30 PM in order to help them settle in and prepare for a magician from the Magic Apple who will be coming at 2 PM for short magic show and teach your kids some magic tricks. This activity will last about an hour. This is the first time we are doing this, so hopefully will go off without a hitch.
After the magic show/activity, we will either work on a project or play games for about 30-45 minutes.
There will be an optional afternoon snack around 3:45 PM and the day will likely conclude with them watching some short animations which we will be discussing as a group. However, this can change depending upon what we feel is best for them at that moment in time.
You should have received your "Parent Tips" sheet which has instructions on how to reach us during the day. Looking forward to seeing everyone together.
You are welcome to make comments below. Just remember they are public, not private, and can be viewed by anyone.
Dr. G.
P.S. This morning we completed our first animation project. Look under "View Projects" at www.lunchgroups.com .
P.P.S. The LUNCH Points Program will be available tomorrow later morning. Here's the tutorial your kids created:
P.P.P.S. We had an opportunity to work on goal-setting and all of the students participated. This information will be available for review at the first parent session.