By: Rikki Siegel, Preventionist
The 2023-2024 winter season is off to a great start at Wellspring Center for Prevention. Preventionists are teaching all different programs in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout Middlesex and Monmouth Counties. I am so excited to be back at Wellspring after being on maternity leave and was able to jump right into one of our elementary programs.
Currently, I am teaching several rounds of our program, Forest Friends. Forest Friends is a program taught to elementary students in kindergarten and first grade. The program teaches students how to resolve conflict, cope with feelings of sadness, implement anger management strategies, express their feelings, make positive decisions, and tell the truth. The students learn these skills through activities using visuals, interactive games, and discussion. The students learn how to express their feelings using an “I” Message, resolve conflict with the Solution Stoplight, and differentiate positive and negative choices using real-life situations. The students enjoy participating and being a part of the lesson each week and especially enjoy our weekly puppet shows!
Each week, the students can participate in a puppet show with up to seven forest characters. These characters include five young animals, Timmy the turtle, Sally the snail, Chippy the chipmunk, Ally the alligator, and Flippy the frog, and two older animals that play role models, Samantha the snake and Tommy the turtle. The weekly puppet shows review the topic for that day using scenarios from the perspective of the forest animals. The animals work together to solve everyday problems they face, teaching the students that it is important to work together to solve problems and to get help when needed. Students look forward to the puppet show and are very eager to participate. Forest Friends is a great program that Wellspring provides. The feedback each year from teachers and students helps keep this wonderful program going.
If you would like more information about Forest Friends or any of our other school-based programs please contact Mara Carlin, Director of Prevention Services; mara.carlin@wcpnj.org.
Photo by Kenny Eliason