2nd Grade to 5th Grade

Our second to fifth grade programs cover bullying, safe touching and Internet safety as well as programs for children dealing with domestic abuse at home.

Bullies,Targets and Upstanders (bystanders)

In small group discussion and through role playing, children analyze relational aggression scenarios, including bullying, cliques, etc. from the perspective of the target, bystander and those practicing bullying behavior. Greater emphasis is placed on upstander intervention and leadership for social change than is done in K-1 presentations. This program includes age-appropriate analysis of:

• Assertiveness versus aggressive behaviors
• Effective management of anger and disappointment
• The rudiments of problem solving
• Perspective taking and critical thinking

Feeling Safe

This program builds on the foundation of Safe Touch, Unsafe Touch with a higher level of challenge and understanding for older children. The presentation includes “What would you do if…” scenarios that promote brainstorming of possible responses to uncomfortable situations, including typical lures used to manipulate a potential victim.  There is also greater discussion of our internal alarm system that lets us know when something doesn’t feel quite right (heart pounding, stomach churning, etc.)

Cyber Safety: Being Safe in an Electronic World
(4th & 5th grade)

This curriculum explores dangers such as bullying, harassment, exposure to inappropriate material and sexual predators – all of which students can encounter whether they use the computer for research, social networking or entertainment. Safety planning around e-mails and instant messaging, chat and game rooms, pop-ups, and lurking are all addressed in this program.  This very interactive curriculum can be customized for the teacher to address age-appropriate electronic media dangers unique to her/his class.

Strategies taught to reduce on-line vulnerability include safe-guarding of personal information in profiles and screen names, comprehension of on-line vocabulary, surfing safely, recognition of the lures that can move on-line danger to real life contact, identifying morphing on-line personae and reporting dangerous behaviors.

This curriculum can also be customized to address safe use of cell phones, use of technology for stalking, sexting, and dangers in video games with online play capacity.

Something’s Happening At Home
(a curriculum dealing with domestic violence)

This program is geared toward the child who witnesses domestic violence at home. Either through puppetry or group exploration of hypothetical situations, this program provides a safe environment that will encourage disclosure to an adult support person(s).

The central character is a child upset about unhappy things happening at home, like anger and yelling. S/he’s not sure what to do about it and even thinks s/he may be at fault. Children in the audience help the character to define feelings of anger and stress, handle those feelings constructively, identify boundaries of responsibility, and find healthy conflict resolution skills and strategies for staying safe and happy. In this process, all children build empathy.

Interactive Book Reading

Our interactive book readings using a trained actor/facilitator read to students is an exciting and memorable way to empower and educate children.  We utilize acting and voice techniques to bring books and characters to life in a lively, animated reading style that fully engages children while teaching about issues of bullying and safe/unsafe touch.  Following the reading is a discussion of the characters and the issues the book presents along with activities, such as role-playing.  Through these stories, students learn empathy, healthy and effective communication, boundary setting, the definition of bullying and safe vs. unsafe touching as well as whom to go to for help.