Sunshine Circles® Promote Positive Relationships in Your Classroom Using Interactive Play Groups

1. Sunshine Circles®Promote Positive Relationships in Your Classroom Using Interactive Play Groups Phyllis B. Rubin, CCC-SLP, PsyD The Theraplay Institute Private Practice, Oak Park phyllis.rubin@comcast.net Chicago Metro AEYC, January 27, 2012

2. Resources • Trainings in Sunshine Circles for school districts will be available soon. Contact The Theraplay® Institute: • 1840 Oak Ave., Suite 320 , Evanston, IL 60201 • Phone: 847-256-7334, Fax: 847-256-7370 • www.theraplay.org for research summaries. • e-mail: info@theraplay.org • Play with Them: Theraplay® Groups in the Classroom, Rubin and Tregay, Charles C. Thomas, 1989.

3. What are Sunshine Circles? • 99% interactive play groups that build positive relationships and classroom communities in action. • Leader leads and participates. • Playful and fun. • Accepting and positive. • Valuing and caring. • Focused on cooperation. • Intentionally involve touch and proximity.

4. What Does Healthy Interactive Play Teach? • 1st Sunshine Circles experience. • High 5 hello. • Circle rules • Check-ups • Copying game • Pass It Along • Balloon Bop • Peanut butter - Jelly • Sharing (treat, thanks, soft touch, hug). • Sunshine Song.

5. What was your experience? • Did you feel safe? • Did you have fun with others? • Did you feel connected with your peers? • Were your needs respected? • How did you feel about yourself? • What does this teach you about yourself and others? • How would this help your group?

6. What can “SC” do for your children? • Rules are simple, easy to understand and follow. • Physical and emotional safety is valued. • Everyone feels important and respected. • Mutual caring is valued. • Feelings are noticed and accepted. • Cooperation is emphasized over competition. • Joy is enhanced and shared. • Adult carries-over Circle values into the classroom. • Child-adult relationship grows stronger.

7. What can “SC” do for your children? • Consistent with social-emotional curricula. • Create warm, positive relationships. • Build resilient classrooms. • Children better able to tolerate frustration and/or ask for help. • More peer teaching, more sharing leads to smoothly running classroom. • Build social communication skills. • Good for children with various special needs, identified or not.

8. Circle Rules • No Hurts! • Helps kids feel important and cared about. • Increases respect for needs of others. • Stick Together! • Helps kids feel connected to others. • Helps develop ability to cooperate and problem solve. • HAVE FUN! • Creates shared joy. • Builds confidence. • Unspoken rule: The Adult is in Charge! • Helps kids feel guided and supported.

9. Creating the Sunshine Atmosphere • Teacher takes a playful, leadership role. • DOING is more important than TALKING. • Accept all behaviors except for hurting oneself or others. Negative as well as positive feelings are accepted. • Use Circle rules to manage behaviors positively and respectfully. • Choose activities that are cooperative, not competitive.

10. Rituals of Sunshine Circles • Check-ups • Acknowledges each child. • Shows caring. • Children get attention without having to ask or act up for it. • Food Share • Children learn to give and receive. • Ending Song or Chant • Provides closure.

11. Literature and Music • Books: • Greetings Sun, Phillis and David Gershator. • Foo, Richard Thompson. • The OK Book, Things that Make you Feel Good/Bad, Todd Parr. • Yo! Yes?, Chris Raschka. • Mean Soup, Betsey Everitt. • How Are You Peeling? Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers. • CD Albums: • It Starts In The Heart, Becky Bailey, Jack Hartman. • All Day Long, Dr. Jean - Dr. Jean.org • Tony Chestnut & Fun Times Songs, The Learning Station.

12. Ending Sunshine Experience • Hello __. We’re glad you’re here today. • Check-ups • Cold Potato – Hot Potato • Silly Bones • A-Tooti-Tah • Weather Report • Book • Song - (If you’re happy)