So, Parents,
Did I ever mention that I'm not personally the biggest fan of mini-golf? But, it's a rite of passage. There will be birthday parties, teens like to do, plus it's so convenient. In addition, it is an easy and great way to help kids focus on their executive functioning skills. Rather than whacking the ball to and fro, we focus on helping them to position themselves, hold their hands in a reasonable putting position, keep score, and compliment/pay attention to others.
I would liked to have started earlier in the session, but it was simply too hot out for your kids to play. So, we gave out tokens for the arcade games, and those went quickly. For the second round of tokens, we required them to play with another child or watch in order to avoid them spending their tokens (quickly) in the machines that act like a very quick game of roulette.
One minor crisis, but it resolved, thankfully. Our procedure in public places is that we initially attend to the exits. Stasi was at the front exit from the time we entered, and I knew there weren't any children behind me at the entrance to the min-golf leading from the arcade. So theoretically, it shouldn't be possible to misplace a child, they're all there right in front of me. We had eight kids tonight and both Stasi and I continually count to ensure we have everyone. Suddenly, there were only seven. Stasi remained at the front while I circled around, unsuccessfully, looking for the child and calling his name. I check the boy's restroom, no luck, at which point I began to develop a slight feeling of panic. I informed the staff at Castle Park we had a missing child and continued calling his name.
Finally, we located him, after repeatedly calling his name loudly, discovering him glued to a television set in the darkened corner where he couldn't easily be seen. He had only been ten feet away and hadn't gone anywhere inappropriate, but the not responding was unexpected and threw me off. Fortunately, it was all over in a matter of a few minutes, but this is exactly the kind of thing I work so hard to avoid. After that we had them remain in pairs for the rest of the time they were in the arcade the rest of the outing proceeded uneventfully.
During mini-golf we assigned team captains who both selected their teams and kept score. This worked out quite well. Having them write down the players' scores and initially, making sure they kept track of who had which colored golf ball was a useful exercise.
It took a few holes for the group members to develop sufficient cohesion to function as a group of players, but for the most part the change was evident in both their body language and their interest in each others' playing.
The game, however took a really long time, slightly over an hour. As a result, there wasn't really time to sit and have a snack as planned, so we rushed them through getting bags of chips for those who wanted them. The second team wasn't fully able to finish, but by skipping a couple of holes at the end they were able to putt into the 18th hole.
The group ended on a positive note, although it was a little more rushed than I would have liked. The main tasks: working and cooperating in a group, using good sportsmanship, staying safe, and generally building group cohesion, all were important areas of focus.
We will be soliciting feedback from your children at the next parent meeting, as well as parent feedback. There will be an online telemeeting as well. I am also looking into the idea of having a working parent meeting to review behavioral procedures that we use in the group plus to provide more detailed information about how I view your kids in terms of areas to target and what interventions to use.
Bruce
