Next Step Teaches & Facilitates

We’ve used the MACA Poverty Simulation since 2011; during the pandemic we developed an online version of this powerful tool. If you have a large group (50-80) the in-person version is ideal, but if your group is small, or spread over a wider area, or your time is limited, the online simulation accomplishes a lot of the same goals as the roleplay. Our team that can put together a powerful experience that will:

• Give your group a glimpse at the challenges faced by people with limited incomes every day and month
• Increase your group’s empathy toward others
• Open new lines of communication among participants

Martha and Ashley teach yoga at local studios and for organizations like Polk County Conservation, Drake University and LICA. Shelly is a regular teacher at summer programs in Urbandale. We’re pros at making the many benefits of yoga accessible to every body through:

• The use of chairs and props
• Controlled breath and pranayama
• Adapting yoga practice and myth to the needs of diverse groups
• Yoga for mental health

Mindfulness is such a buzz word these days, but the team at Next Step delved into the concept before it was on magazine covers! We use and teach many techniques; some are collected in our Mindfulness & Movement Activity decks, but we’ve already added enough to start another deck. Let us bring you a fresh take through approaches like:

• Walking meditation
• Journaling
• Controlled breath & pranayama
• Developing your own mindfulness practice
• Gratitude practice

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the recommendations about what to eat and how to be healthy. We do a lot of teaching as part of our work with the farm to school work. Shelly teaches Pick A Better Snack at elementary schools for Des Moines Public Schools. At Next Step we stick to the basics:

• Eat lots of fruits & veggies
• Eat local
• Get plenty of exercise
• Go outside
• Eat sweets, fats, and processed foods in moderation (or not much at all? well, maybe not)

Science and math often show up on surveys as the most difficult to teach. When the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) came out in 2011, there was a mix of excitement and terror!

But the basic scientific skill is asking questions, guessing what the answer might be, and then testing your guess. Setting up simple experiments can be done in any classroom, and they will keep students engaged in learning. Next Step staff can help you:

• Develop simple science experiments using inexpensive supplies and equipment
• Help with step-by-step instructions
• Tie your favorite activities to science standards
• Teach science concepts outdoors

Being a parent or teacher is more challenging than ever in these post-pandemic, digitally connected times. Not that it hasn’t always been a tough job!

We need to pull out all the stops on what we know about how young people grow and learn to meet the challenges that they are presenting. There is so much we can do to help them grow strong and resilient. teaching and youth development.

The Next Step team draws from experience and experiments in education and youth development:

• The experiential model, and hands-on education
• Research on resilience; protective factors and other youth development research
• Learning styles research
• Best research and practice on parenting throughout life