6th Annual Bright Ideas Conference 

Region 5 Professional Development                 Day for ASOST Programs 

 

Do you work with school age children in before school, after school or during the summer? If so, please join your Out-of-School Time colleagues and take part in an exciting and hands-on Professional Development Day.  

Choose your Top 3 training Choices:

 

Course 1: Curriculum Hacks for OST Time Programs: Join this workshop to Hack Your Curriculum!  Planning fun, appropriate curriculum for OST Program can be challenging.  In this workshop we will explore  a variety of options for curriculum in OST programs such as Project Based, Child Centered, STEM & more!  Come ready to explore and share your best Curriculum Ideas and Hacks.

Presented by Donna Jasak, Early Childhood and OST Consultant

Course 2: Making and Tinkering with Loose Parts:   This work shop will address making and tinkering starting with why it fits into a STEM curriculum. The workshop will also address the importance of open ended questions when doing making and tinkering. Participants will explore materials and tools and will use a children’s book to try to solve a problem from one of the many books available.

Presented by Dotti McDevitt, Early Childhood and OST Consultant

Course 3: The Frugal Educator: This work shop will address the importance of saving money and using what you have for your classroom. We will explore where to get inexpensive materials and how to transform them into usable classroom items. Participants will get some hands-on time to develop items.

Presented by Dotti McDevitt, Early Childhood and OST Consultant

Course 4: Embracing Positive Risk Opportunities: What is risk and why do children need to take it? More and more research in the field shows that allowing children to take risks and surmount challenges leads to increased resiliency, self-esteem, independence and executive function. Finding the right risks to embrace can often be challenging.  Gain concrete tools and relevant hands on practice that will allow educators and administrators to determine the difference between a risk and a hazard.  Gain experience with tools used in active outdoor programs such as nature and forest schools across the country. Gain concrete experience utilizing Risk to Benefit assessments, safety planning, and boundary setting. We will work together to tailor these tools to fit your unique programs and empower you to make your programs more open ended, and challenge-friendly, in a context that meets state and federal safety standards and addresses child safety, while building trust and increased comfort level between educators, parents and active children in fun and joyful atmosphere!

Presented by Katherine Horion, Early Childhood and OST Consultant

Course 5: Beyond The Playground: Nature for Urban and Suburban Setttings: Look at your program’s outdoor space in a whole new way! Discover fresh ways you can utilize your outdoor space to enhance curriculum, increase engagement, and open up to new potential. We will introduce the concept of viewing the playground as an outdoor classroom while exploring strategies for integrating nature activities into your daily routine, that can alleviate stress for both staff and children. Learn how incorporating nature can create more schedule flexibility and improve behavior. Engage in guided dialogue with colleagues and interact with hands on sample activities, to discover ways of incorporating nature curriculum and outdoor play into any setting, within a wide range of comfort levels and backgrounds.

Presented by Katherine Horion, Early Childhood and OST Consultant

Course 6: Using a Child-Centered Curriculum Approach In Out Of School Time Program: Curriculum should offer experiences that help children learn about themselves and the world around them.   Planning for the curriculum is based upon the educator’s observations of and conversations with children regarding their needs, strengths and interests. This is the foundation of curriculum development that serves to engage children in learning.  This shifts the role of the educator from the one imparting the knowledge to the one enhancing learning by working with the children and guiding them!
In this training, we focus on the importance of helping children build confidence in their abilities and increase engagement in learning using a child-centered approach in afterschool program planning.  A child-centered approach focuses on planning based upon children’s interests and unique needs as well as integrating the educator’s talents and interests in planning.  Join us as we weave together strategies to support learning by exploring children and educator’s strengths and talents, interests and needs, and program goals.  We will also explore how to engage families and access community resources as a comprehensive approach to curriculum planning.  

Presented by Katey Grossman, The Insitute for Education and Professional Development, Inc.

Course 7: Get Your Play On: “Get Your Play On!” focuses on building SEL skills through dialogic reading activities to build around literature, while also incorporating exciting interactive games and PE activities. Participants will learn practical strategies through collaborative small group discussions and how to incorporate physical education and cooperative games to provide a strong platform for integrating SEL standards into everyday curriculum.

Presented by Jason Feid, M.Ed, Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP)

Course 8: Creating Healthy & Active Learning Environments: This training will provide participants with an overview of the Health and Physical Education standards, Federal Government Health and Movement guidelines, and how to incorporate them in classroom learning experiences.  Participants will learn how they are the first line of defense against childhood obesity and adopt new methods to create a foundation for daily movement routines that can be sustained through life. Participants will discover how important it is to create movement breaks to help create better learning outcomes.

Presented by Karen Hughes, Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP) Laurie Carpentar

Course 9: Conflict Resolution Protocols in Afterschool Programs: This workshop covers conflict resolution strategies and temperaments. Participants will learn child to child conflict resolution protocols through direct teaching strategies through literature, as well as within “teachable moments”, when conflicts erupt. A look at personality and temperaments, and activities to address and meet the individual needs of these temperaments (the “controller”, the “social butterfly”, the “peacemaker” and the “loner”) using common games and activities.

Presented by Laurie Carpentar, Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP)

Course 10: Understanding and Supporting English Language Learners and Bilingual children in Out-of-School Time Programs: This training will support OST professionals in reaching out to and serving a diverse population of Out-of-School Time children. Participants will explore the challenges and the many rewards of working with ELLs and Bilingual children in Out-of-School Time settings,and learn practical tips and ideas that educators can use in their programs.

Presented by Mary-Ann Roberts, Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP)