Explore the Teen Brain

Explore the Teen Brain

Posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

I became fascinated with brain research more than 20 years ago when science began to really get inside the human brain and explore it. I’ve done my best to keep up over the years as [...]

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Take a Quiz to Find Your Style

Take a Quiz to Find Your Style

Posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

It’s always interesting to find out more about yourself. I think that’s what life is really about–finding out who we are and then becoming the best of that. So, whether it’s the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, [...]

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Upset the Stagecoach

Upset the Stagecoach

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

This is a great game I learned when I first started working in Urban 4-H with Rick Hofmaster. It is hilarious and has a sneaky way of helping people become comfortable speaking in front of [...]

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Run Like a Kenyan

Run Like a Kenyan

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

This program caught my ear tonight; how hard would it be to make a living running marathons? Salina Kosgei has done so since she was 16 years old, and won the 2009 Boston Marathon by [...]

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Develop Young Voices

Develop Young Voices

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Providing opportunities for making choices and speaking out are critical components of a model positive youth development program. But it’s challenging to do this with a large group of kids who may want to go [...]

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Start Your After-School Group

Start Your After-School Group

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

It’s so exciting to be able to get a jump start on starting Chrysalis After-School groups for the next two years, knowing that the funding is there for your established groups. The program is going [...]

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Visit the Art Center!

Visit the Art Center!

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

You and your group really should see the Tara Donovan show at the Des Moines Art Center. It blew me away! The scale, texture and rhythm are astounding, not to mention the materials she uses! Tara [...]

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Teach an Easy Card Game

Teach an Easy Card Game

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

I’ve taught and played Speed for about a million years now, with literally generations of kids. I still love it but unfortunately my daughter can almost always beat me. I usually have to play until [...]

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Build a Team with Keys

Build a Team with Keys

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

I had the neighbors talking the day I cleaned and took apart 12 old computer keyboards for the Chrysalis After-School Kits out on my front deck last fall. Each CAS kit has a set of [...]

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Bust the Cliques

Bust the Cliques

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Cliques, gossip, put downs and relational aggression continue as difficulties for the girls’ groups. On the spring survey, about half the girls said gossip and put downs happen at least sometimes in their groups, and only about [...]

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