The Nature-Mood Connection?

I have a guilty pleasure that I indulge in while waiting for appointments. For me, it's the chance to sit back, relax and read a magazine, something I might not allow myself time to do otherwise. I was recently waiting for a Doctor's appointment and flipped through a Health Magazine (October 2007-perhaps the Doctor's office needs a new subscription?). Sometimes, flipping through magazines also affords me the opportunity to learn something new, affirm or reconsider my opinion on an idea or theory.

I came across an article discussing the value of going for a walk in a park. It cited a study published by researchers at the University of Essex in London. "While any kind of exercise is thought to be a mood booster, where you take a walk can make a big difference. A study found that people who stroll for an hour through green spaces like parks and nature preserves are more relaxed, energetic, and confident than those who amble through a shopping mall. The fresh air, sounds, and colorful scenery in nature offer positive stimulation for the senses." (p.100) I whole heartedly agreed with this statement, and it was nice to read that there was some level of scientific study to support it.

I know that I for one, was a bit tired and cranky from the demands of the day prior to getting outside with a group last week. I was happy, more relaxed, and laughing upon our return, ready for what the rest of the deay would bring. The group members appeared to have experienced a similiar shift as well.

Perhaps this is also part of the reason why, although we had a grand time of playing some partner games out in the park, by in large, everyone's favorite part was stopping to notice the tiny brillant green buds that are slowly opening on the trees.

We're looking forward to taking our on-going social thinking groups outside the box a bit and out into nature over the next few sessions-to breathe in the fresh air and watch as the earth wakes up.

Welcome Spring!

Behind the Scenes at the NEAQ

Two groups had a wonderful visit "behind the scenes" at the New England Aquarium. Accompanied by a Marine Educator, we were able to tour an area where scientists work and see the tanks from different views and angles than most of the visiting public. We were amazed by the giant lobsters and by the escape artist octopus! We also had the opportunity to see Harbor Seals getting their teeth brushed-a first for all of us. Both groups spent time watching the Penguins inside the Aquarium-great for some declarative communication together.

We wanted to share some photos that were taken by some of the trip members. It was a new and different way for us to experience the Aquarium-and we hope to have the opportunity to do this again.

Flexible Thinking

The development of Flexible Thinking skills are always a goal of our groups. Being able to consider multiple meanings, intentions, perspectives, etc, is a key trait for human connection and communication. It's also something that can be quite challenging at times, for many of our group members. For those of you who want to find out more, Michelle Garcia Winner and Dr. Steven Gutstein, among others, write about this topic at length.

One of our group members brought in a book to share with the group (that's exciting in and of itself!) called, You've Gotta Be Kidding! The Crazy Book of Would You Rather Questions. This book has a variety of "would you rather questions ranging from serious to disgusting to silly"(use your imagination)-in other words, very interesting to second and third graders! Initially, these sort of questions caused a bit of anxiety for other group members. They weren't quite sure how to interpret them. "Was the question serious?" "Would I really be asked to eat that?" "Why would someone ask that?", "What does it mean?", or even "That question is so strange-maybe the other person is teasing me?" Over the course of a few weeks, it's become a great child centered tool to explore all the different perspectives and flexibility involved in this task.

This past week, the group decided at snack, that they'd like to come up with their own "Would You Rather" questions-and post them on our blog. At one point, a child came up with a rather disgusting question (from an adult's perspective) at least. Rather than saying the question was inappropriate, the leaders wondered aloud WITH him, about what people reading our blog would think of us if they read that question. On his own-he thought about it and adjusted his answer-he wants readers to think good things about us! Ahh-the efforts to develop social thinking skills are working.

Hope you enjoy our current questions (albeit food centered-but all their own ideas):

Child 1: "Would you rather have pizza with vegetables AND bubble gum on it? Or Carrot flavored ice cream?"

Child 2: "Would you rather have broccoli cake or asparagus juice?"

Child 3: "Would you rather have ice cream on top of ice cream on top of ice cream? or Ice Cream?" (You'd be ice creamed!) *laughter*

Child 4: Would you rather race a nascar around Mt. Everest or climb to the top of the Empire State Building-on the outside.

Leader: Would you rather go to school in the summer time or go to camp during school vacations?

Maybe something like this can become an interactive, flexible thinking dinner time activity at your house.

The Superflex Group Blogs

We made a Rainbow Tower using gears at choice time. The Rainbow Tower is like the colors of Roy G Biv. (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet). We want to show it to more people than just the ones in our group. It's really too bad that one of our group members was sick when we made this.

Harry Potter "Try It"

Although we were hoping the Harry Potter Movie would be released on time-we made a new flexible plan to have a Harry Potter Movie Night at AOB headquarters. A great group of girls joined us to create a "Hogwarts style" setting. We enjoyed pizza, magic wands, and non-alcoholic butterbeer! It was a great way to spend a Friday night together with some really cool people. And...we'll plan another HP "Try It" for the movie release in Theaters-stay tuned!