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Learn About Life, Make New Friends Imagine eight middle school-aged girls at a restaurant giggling over silly jokes, carefully examining the menu to make their selection, feeling a little nervous about placing their order with the wait staff, and generally excited to be out dining together. Some are very talkative and ask a lot of questions of their friends while others are quieter and usually provide limited answers. Their parents, in this case mothers, are not with them but only a table away having their own brand of good time. All the girls are happy to be there with friends. This night out is a manners lesson for Learning for Life Troop #65. What is Learning for Life? It’s an excellent organization which I have been part of for nearly 3 years that provides social opportunity for children while also teaching them life lessons. As we all strive to teach kids social skills, creating social opportunity is sometimes overlooked. Learning for Life is one of many ways to create an opportunity for kids to socialize. In all the seminars I have given over the years, I’ve found that most parents and educators are unfamiliar with the Learning for Life organization. Learning for Life’s mission is to enable young people to become responsible individuals by teaching positive character traits, career development, leadership, and life skills so they can make ethical choices and achieve their full potential. The mission is a perfect fit for families who need to teach life skills to their children and can accomplish this with a group of friends.
Learning for Life provides a scouting-type of environment with troops and troop leaders and is sometimes supported by scouting organizations. The programs are also used in schools to teach character development. For children with special needs, it is an excellent opportunity to get together with other children and develop friendships while learning life skills. Learning for Life offers various programs depending upon grade level. The descriptions of each are located at the end of the article and at the Learning for Life web site at ww.learningforlife.org. Our focus is on the Champions Program since it is structured specifically for children with special needs. The other program descriptions are for children of all abilities.
The Champions Program: Achieving Self-Sufficiency
The special-needs curriculum teaches youth with mental disabilities/challenges the life skills they need to achieve self-sufficiency. The program focuses on and enhances coping skills. Areas covered include the following:
• Self-concept. Youth develop an awareness of personal, social, and civic responsibility.
• Personal/social skills. Youth learn ways in which emotions affect the behavior of self and others.
• Life skills. Youth are taught basic skills for independent living, such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, and job preparedness training.
The teacher's edition of the Champions curriculum presents 57 lesson plans in 12 themed chapters. Chapters include:
• Safety
• Calendar
• Self Concept
• Parts of the Body
• Grooming
• Clothing Care
• Dressing
• Human Growth and Development
• Nutrition
• Wellness
• Table Manners
• Meal Preparation
The Learning for Life program is exactly what Social Smart Kids is all about. It’s creating social opportunity for children who may not have a strong social connection to kids at school. It’s a chance to bring kids from other towns together, have kids gather together on a scheduled basis, and to give new friendships a chance to take hold and grow.
Our troop started out fairly small and grew over time. The groups can integrate boys and girls but our group prefers to remain girls only (sorry guys!). We have one troop leader who schedules the meetings and reserves the meeting facility but the lessons are shared by all the parents involved. We ask parents to stay with their children for the hour-long meetings and to help out as needed. We kick off our year with a planning meeting to decide meeting dates which are generally every other week and we decide who will guide each lesson. The Learning for Life Champions program comes with a book of lesson plans that we share among all families who are involved. The lessons are a great guide, but oftentimes, the parents in our group will have an idea for a lesson that is unique so we give parents the right to be as creative as they care to be. The girls in our group have also come up with great ideas for new topics that we have addressed. We have asked family members or people in the community to come speak to the group. We’ve had dentists, firefighters, police officers, middle school health teachers, and wellness educators. We have also tapped into the talents of high school students who can earn volunteer credits needed for graduation. The end result is a better understanding of life skills while deepening the friendships of the kids in the group. For more information about creating a Learning for Life troop in your area, contact Learning for Life at www.learningforlife.org. In the greater Lowell area, contact Dan Bush at 978-372-0591.
For more about Learning for Life’s other programs see below or visit www.learningforlfe.org.
Seekers' Program (Kindergarten—2nd Grades)
The Seekers' Program offers an integrated approach to character development designed for kindergarten through 2nd grade youth. The program blends character development, life skills, academic learning, and outdoor experiences into a comprehensive program geared help students successful handle the complexities of contemporary society, reinforce social skills, critical and creative thinking, ethical decision making, conflict resolution, and build their self-esteem. The 8 core character traits promoted in the Seekers' Program are:
1) Respect 2) Responsibility3) Honesty/Trust, 4) Caring/Fairness, 5) Perseverance, 6) Self-Discipline, 7) Courage, and 8) Citizenship, A group of Life Skills lesson plans with themes like Safety and Classic Literature are also included.
Discoverers' Program (3rd—4th Grades)
The Discoverers' Program combines character development, life skills, academic learning, and outdoor experiences specifically designed for 3rd and 4th grade youth. It mirrors the Seeker's Program by providing an integrated approach to character development. The age appropriate, grade specific lesson plans focus on the same 8 character traits as the Seekers' Program: 1) Respect, 2) Responsibility, 3) Honesty/Trust, 4) Caring/Fairness, 5) Perseverance, 6) Self-Discipline, 7) Courage and 8) Citizenship. Life Skills with topics on Youth Protection, Hobbies and Art lesson plans are also part of the Discoverers Program.
Challengers' Program (5th—6th Grades)
Specifically designed for the cognitive and developmental levels of 5th and 6th grade students, the Challengers' Program continues Learning for Life's character education emphasis by integrating components of both the Seekers' and Discoverers' Program. The Challengers' Program focuses on the same 8 character traits as Seekers' and Discoverers: 1) Respect, 2) Responsibility, 3) Honesty/Trust, 4) Caring/Fairness, 5) Perseverance, 6) Self-Discipline, 7) Courage, and 8) Citizenship. Life Skill themes such as Money Management and Fire Safety are an added feature.
Builders' Program (7th and 8th Grades)
The Builders' Program is a comprehensive, four-tier blend of elements focusing on Character Education, Career Education, Building Relationships, and Citizenship for students in the 7th and 8th grades. Lesson plans in both the 7th and 8th grade books are designed to reinforce social, academic, and career education skills in various areas, such as critical and creative thinking, conflict resolution, decision making, interpersonal relationships, practical life skills, self-esteem, writing and language arts, citizenship, and personal fitness. There are 44 lesson plans in each of the Builders' Books, ranging in topics from "Peer Pressure: Who Can I Trust," to "Self Assessment of Skills and Abilities," to "Problem Solving: The Intricacies of Relating to Others." The lessons are action-oriented and uses teaching techniques such as role-playing, small group discussions, and reflective and moral-dilemmas exercises. In addition, many of the same value-added features included with the Seekers', Discoverers', and Challengers' Programs are also part of the Builders' Program, including community speakers, mentors, outdoor experiences, field trips, and teacher training.
Navigators' Program Senior High (9th - 12th Grades)
The Navigators' Program is designed to extend the learning experiences taught through Learning for Life's Builders Program for seventh and eighth grade students. Just as the word "navigators" implies, the program serves to guide youngsters in making a successful transition from high school into real-world endeavors, including post-secondary education, acquiring a job, being a productive citizen, and establishing and maintaining positive relationships with others. There are two (2) books in the Navigators' series. One book is entitled: "A Personal Compass for Daily Living". It includes lessons in three chapters:
• Habits of Character
• Service to Others
• Ethical Dilemmas
The second book is called "A Roadmap for the Future". Lessons in this book are included in these chapters:
• Life Skills
• Career Education
• College Life
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