Kid Talk Flipbook For Review 05.10

For example, one child stated, “If I hadn’t argued with my dad that morning, he wouldn’t
have had a heart attack.” It is important to carefully and thoroughly explore magical
thinking and shed the light of truth on it. It takes gentle reinforcement.
Scream Boxes: materials needed for each child are a shoe box with a lid, a paper towel
tube (or similar length of heavy cardboard tube such as from gift wrap), lots of
newspapers and colorful duct tape. Pre-cut a sunburst in the middle of one short end of
the box. Poke the tube through about 2/3 of the way. Wad up half sheets of newspaper
as tightly as possible and stuff them very tightly into the box all around the tube. The
more newspaper, the better the insulation. When it gets to the point that you need help
to hold the lid down, duct tape it closed. It takes two people: one to hold and one to tape.
Cover every edge where air or sound could “leak out” with duct tape, including the tube.
If done well, you can scream into the tube and hear only a little squeak. It works.
Pop Popcorn with No Lid: an air popper works. We use a West Bend Stir Crazy
Popcorn Maker for broader distribution of the popcorn. Place the popper on a large sheet
or tablecloth that is no longer needed. It may get oil stained. Heat a small amount of oil,
ask a child to pour in the half cup of popcorn and stand back. The kernels are extremely
hot when they pop out, so safety precautions are essential. We make protective “bibs”
out of plastic grocery sacks to shield the children’s clothing. Protective goggles are
essential and add to the fun. This becomes a time of shrieks and laughter as kids try and
catch popcorn in their bowls. It takes several batches to pop enough corn for all the kids
to fill their paper bowls – not necessarily their appetites. Have a salt-shaker handy. We
like to serve apples or apple juice with the popcorn. The kids enjoy cutting the apples
with the corer and wedge cutting kitchen tool. Ask the children what they think our snack
has to do with anger and guilt that we’ve been talking about. What does it have to do
with Grief Vomit? What can it help us remember to do when our emotions “pop?” (Grief
Vomit, Ouch! And Unlimited Take-backs.)
Safety Note: We always advise caution and extreme care when handling bleach or working with
hot materials. It is the responsibility of the facilitator(s) to ensure the children’s safety and wellbeing
at all times during the sessions. Please ensure you take all possible steps to protect
everyone from hot oil and hot popcorn by using eye, skin and clothes protection, and our
recommendation is that only facilitators should handle the containers with bleach.
76