Playing Outside!!

Remember when you were growing up?  Playing outside all day until someone called  "DINNER"?  Days spent at the soccer field, climbing trees, camping, playing kick the can or perhaps exploring your hometown parks? Kids and outdoor play are a natural combination, but, they are memories that many of today’s kids will not have without guidance.

"A typical U.S. child spends mere minutes a day on unstructured outdoor play versus more than seven hours in front of an electronic screen, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Research shows that spending time outdoors has a host of mental and physical health benefits, including:

• Decreased stress
• Improved physical fitness
• Better distance vision
• Reduced symptoms of ADHD" 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/minding-the-body/201308/helping-kids-connect-nature

So what can we do? How do we get them outside and off those screens and excited about nature? One idea that has been fun for us is Geocaching. It combines technology and the outdoor in a way kids will LOVE!!

According to the website  Geocaching 101
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

WANT TO START?  YOU CAN! RIGHT HERE IN DAKOTA COUNTY!! 
Go to this link
(www.co.dakota.mn.us/parks/Activities/Geocaching/Pages/default.aspx)

Here you will find coordinates for cache locations throughout Dakota County Parks. Once you have the coordinates for a cache, visit the park and try to find the cache using your GPS.

Do you want to read about great stories first? Here's a story from The Geocaching Blog:

Sometimes history sneaks up on you… while you’re trying to preserve the future. It happened to a group of geocachers clearing garbage from a roadside marshland just west of Calgary, Alberta. The geocaching event is called a CITO (Cache in Trash Out). The group cleans up geocaching friendly locations. They had already found and removed a room-sized carpet, a fractured row boat and a steel rope. The location they chose to help cleanup is a wild space frequented by migratory birds. Jean-Francois Cianci (known in the Geocaching word as Monkeyturtle) was headed back to the meeting area when his team decided to clean up one more patch of land

Go here to finish the story!!

Happy Geocaching and please comment here or send me an email (mgkinship@aol.com) if you do go and send PICTURES too!!

 

 

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February Fun!!

Hi all you lovely mentors!! 

Are you ever stuck for something to talk about?  Need some conversation starters? When you ask your mentee how their day was do they say "fine"  or when you ask  what they did today, do they reply with "nothing".  I get that a lot as a mom of 4 kids ages 9-17. 

A great idea we have at our house is the question jar.  I find questions and I cut them in strips and either we go around and everyone gets to answer the same question OR everyone picks their own.  

Here are some great ideas:

1. Tell me the 5 best things about you?

2. If you could have the following superpower, which one would you pick? The ability to fly, have super strength or be able to turn invisible?

3. If you were trapped on a deserted island & could pick a famous person to be with, who would it be?

4. If you could never be served two vegetables again, which would you choose?

5. Who do you think your family would prefer you to become: An NBA ballplayer, the mayor, a famous explorer, or a movie star? Why? Which would you prefer?

6. Which of your friends do you like the most? Why?

7. If a genie could grant you any 3 wishes, what would they be?

8. What profession do you want to be when you’re older?

9. Who was the best teacher you ever had? Tell me why?
 

10.What would the ideal teacher be like?

11.What college would you like to attend?

12.How much privacy would you like? What time of the day would like to be alone, and why?

13.What is your favorite meal?

14.Do you believe men and women are equally smart? Why or why not?

15.Do you ever have a dream that comes back over and over? If so, what is it like?

16.Is there anything you pretend you understand, but you really don’t? What is it?

17.Which of the following choices do you think would be best, and why?

 Dinner with everyone at the table and the TV on with your favorite program.

 Dinner in which everybody took what they wanted and no one had the same thing.

 Dinner with the whole family together and no TV on. 

18. .If you had to have a disability, which one of these would you pick, and why? Blindness or Deafness? Why?

19.Are you afraid to fly?

20.Tell me who you think are the 3 greatest musicians in the world? Why?

Try it and let me know how it goes!  And if you have other great questions- please share!!

 

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Making Memories

This is one of the most touching and descriptive pieces I have read on mentoring.  This was a Kids 'n Kinship match from a few years ago.  I am sure you will love reading it too!!  Feel free to leave a comment on the blog!!

MENTORING MEMORIES 
By Karen Kitchel
Twelve years ago, I became the mentor of twin five-year-old girls whose Mom came from Sudan. Among the many fun “firsts” I got to share with them was their first carousel ride, first visit to a library, first time to go fishing, and first time they heard the word “college.” My daughter was a freshman at a local university, and one Saturday when they had an open house, I decided it would be fun to take the girls to campus. On the way there, they asked “What is college?” What a treat it was for me, as a mentor, to introduce them to the concept
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During the next eight years, we enjoyed baking a lot of cookies and spending Sunday afternoons together. While the girls were both soft-spoken and usually very quiet, I figured they were enjoying the relationship because they never turned down an opportunity to get together. Because their Mom was raising five kids in a small apartment on an entry-level salary, I knew their exposure to many things I take for granted was very limited.

I believe mentoring isn’t about having someone tell you what a great person you are or what a difference you are making. Rather it’s an opportunity to experience first-hand what another life might be like, and perhaps to share the joy of just being together with people you otherwise might never meet. I was suddenly sad the day I heard my beautiful mentees and their family were moving to Alaska and had no forwarding information. Then came one of the happiest days of my life five years later when I opened the door to find these two beautiful girls had come to visit me. I could not have been more thrilled when they said they remembered the Saturday we went to visit college, and then proceeded to tell me how they were both applying to various colleges next year — one to study criminal justice and the other pre-med. I would never assume that our one little college visit at age five had a direct impact on their decisions, but one of the great benefits of being a mentor is that you never know the impact you might have. And while their visit was short before returning to Alaska, their heartfelt words about how they want to stay connected, made me ever so happy to have been their mentor.

For me, the experience of being a mentor has been a unique blessing. I’ve had the chance to meet some people and experience a part of their life situation which I never would have been able to do. The reward perhaps is a richer life for all and memories that last a lifetime.

About the author:
Karen Kitchel is a Community Volunteer who is passionate about helping those who are homeless or disadvantaged. Previously she served as President of Cheerful Givers, a nonprofit organization, and Director of BI University at BI Worldwide. She can be reached at karenkitchel@comcast.net

Chat Group Information!!!

Mentor Reminder: 

We have some new guidelines  for 

2 Chat Group Training's Required Per Year!

Ongoing training directly impacts the quality and outcomes of mentoring relationships. It motivates you as a mentor, helps you handle the challenges that arise in your mentor relationship, lets you know you have support from staff, and allows you to talk with other mentors To this end, all mentors are required to attend a minimum of 2 chat sessions over the course of a calendar year. This is not optional.   You need to document your chat attendance using your mentor portal.  

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Hooray it is here - the Chat Topic you have been asking for:

Truancy and Educational Neglect

We are delighted to welcome Beth Kaler and Ryan Miller from Dakota County Truancy as well as Kristie Janusch from Dakota County Social Services.  Beth, Ryan and Kristie will share their considerable experience and wealth of knowledge through a power point presentation on:

- what happens when a student does not go to school?

- what are the differences between elementary and secondary school refusal

-what are the laws for school attendance?

- can the county compel attendance?

- are there tips for mentors to support families and encourage their mentees away from school refusal?

- what are some causes of educational neglect or truancy or avoidance?

The presentation will be followed by a lively discussion among mentors celebrating successes and seeking support for challenges with their matches.

Details:

Register with us now!  email Rita at rykinship@aol.com to let us know you can join us!

Date:  Thursday February 9 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm

Location:  Western Service Center, 14955 Galaxie Avenue, Apple Valley MN  55124

Room:  L139 (this is to your left after you come through the main entrance, down a hallway - We will have a sign out)

Snacks:  We will have waters and snacks for everyone

We sought the expertise on School Refusal because some of our mentees have been dealing with this.  Even if you are not dealing with this right now, you can be prepared and in the know.  These three staff from the county are top notch and you will gain a lot of knowledge!  Plus you will learn from and share with other mentors.

Please remember that we now require attendance at a minimum of TWO Chat Training's annually.  Let's get the New Year started off well!