rEcess Toolkit by 99 Balloons

LEADERSHIP TEAM TRAINING MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS Words to Know..............................................Page 2 rEcess Distinctives.......................................Pages 3-7 Non-Negotiables......................................Pages 8-11 Risk Management...................................Pages 12-15 People First Language...................................Page 16 Top 5 Policies.........................................Pages 17-20 Additional Policies..................................Pages 21-23 Ready to Launch....................................Pages 24-30 What We Provide...................................Pages 31-33 Resource Appendix................................Pages 34-59

Visit www.99balloons.org/leadership to watch the complete Leadership Team Training Video. Use this Leadership Team Training Manual to follow along as you watch the training video. All Leadership Team members should watch the training video upon joining the Leadership Team.

WORDS TO KNOW Before you push play on the Leadership Team Training Video :: Here are a few concepts for you to be familiar with that are mentioned throughout the Leadership Team Training Video and Leadership Team Training Manual.

Parent Packet This form must be filled out by every family before being invited to rEcess. This form provides detailed information needed to best support each child/children with disability.

1:1 Track This is the track of children with disability that attend rEcess. It is so labeled because each child within this track requires a dedicated volunteer for the night.

Sibling Track This refers to the brother/sister of a child with disability that comes to rEcess. A oneto-one ratio with siblings is not required (as it is for the 1:1 Track); however, it is recommended and we want to ensure that each sibling receives focused attention to make rEcess the best night of their week.

Leadership Team This refers to the group of folks who help launch, organize, and implement rEcess in their community. Each Leadership Team member must go through leadership training and is equipped to make rEcess a safe and fun night for all. 2

RECESS DISTINCTIVES What is a Leadership Team? The rEcess Leadership Team is made up of 6-12 trained and capable individuals prepared to answer questions at the night of a rEcess event. rEcess shouldn’t live and die on one person; it’s important to have a team of folks who want to make rEcess happen in your community. It should be easy for your rEcess volunteers to identify the Leadership Team. For example, have your Leadership Team wear the same bright-colored shirts at each event, or give each Leadership Team member a lanyard name tag that can also hold a copy of the emergency plan. Another suggestion is to have a “HUB” table in a main area of your facility where your Toileting Person, Medical Professional, and at least one person from your Leadership Team can be found throughout the entire night. This way your volunteers know they can come to the HUB table to find the folks they need.

RECESS DISTINCTIVES

Sample Schedule It’s important to understand that we like children to be able to dictate what they do throughout the night. As a Leadership Team, you may plan specific games, crafts and activities for the night, but these things primarily serve as a guide and support for volunteers to know what options are available. The kids can weave in and out of these activities as they want to. Your leadership is responsible for developing a structure for your rEcess, but here is an example of how you might plan out your night. 5:30pm - Volunteers Arrive 5:30-6:30pm - Volunteer Meal & Huddle Time - Share announcements, go over the “Top 5” policies, inform them on the craft/activities for the night. 6:30pm - Families Arrive - Children are checked in, medication is dropped off. 6:30-7:30pm - Free Roam - Kids can eat, play, do crafts, go to sensory room, etc. 7:30-8:00pm - Large Group Activity 8:15-10pm - Cool Down, Movie - Energy level goes down and parents begin picking up children.

Church Toast This night exists to acknowledge and encourage the parents of children with disability by providing a place crafted for families like their own. We desire to build a loving community around these families through a night that takes care of them so they can better take care of the ones that have been entrusted to them. Some of your rEcess families may have been burned by the church prior to rEcess in some for or fashion. Show them grace and understanding, and welcome them to rEcess.

RECESS DISTINCTIVES

Honestly, the model of rEcess can make it difficult to build any sort of relationship with the parents as we invite them to go somewhere else for the night. However, please encourage your volunteers to make efforts to communicate with the parents on the front and back end of a rEcess and use those opportunities to build a relationship with them. If possible, we also suggest meeting one-on-one with new families before your first rEcess event. Going forward, this could be done at your actual rEcess night. Have the family come about 30 minutes after normal check-in time, and designate someone on your Leadership Team to give them a tour as well as meet with them briefly to learn more about their family. If you’d like, you can have buddies set aside to hang out with their children while the parents meet with your Leadership Team member. This is a great way to initiate a better relationship with them and to help them get a feel for what rEcess is all about.

RECESS DISTINCTIVES

No expertise needed. rEcess exists to allow individuals with no expertise to come and engage families experiencing disability. We honestly believe that doing so will change you for the better and we have seen it happen time and again. We have policies in place that will help make it a safe and fun night for you, the volunteers, the kids, and the parents.

“If You’re not comfortable, we’re not comfortable.” Encourage your volunteers to be open and honest with your Leadership Team if there is something making them uncomfortable. When it comes to rEcess there is no reason to suppress fears and just tough it out. We want volunteers to feel confident in their ability to work with the child they are paired with. As a part of your site’s Leadership Team, please be available to help answer any questions that volunteers have along the way as to how to deal with scenarios or any specifics about a diagnosis or any other topic. There is also a designated On-Site Medical Professional at every rEcess event that can help answer questions and assist in emergency situations.

Holistic Ministry - Including Siblings The Sibling Track refers to the brothers and sisters of children with disability that attend rEcess. It is important to understand the value of a rEcess night for siblings. These families must often divert energy and time from their typically developing children in order to accommodate the child who has more needs for help, doctor appointments, therapy, etc. This is your opportunity to make a night for and about siblings by engaging them in conversation, playing with them and seeing to it that their night is a hit. See rEcess as an opportunity to pour intentional love, energy and focus on siblings as well. 6

RECESS DISTINCTIVES

rEcess also allows siblings to see other families like their own in a world that can feel as if their situation is unique and strange. For both siblings and kids with disability, we want rEcess to be the greatest night of their week! We want it to be so much more than “babysitting”. Instead, we hope to foster relationships with these kids, encourage them however it may look, and have a blast.

NON-NEGOTIABLES The Non-Negotiables are baseline items that each rEcess site must adhere to in order to use the rEcess name as well as the tools we provide.

1) Establish a Leadership Team Your Leadership Team should be made up of 6-8 people. It’s a good idea to have your Leadership Team members commit to serving for one year, and to establish specific roles they will be performing for your rEcess. Suggestions for a healthy Leadership Team: Oversight and Leadership - This is someone that provides upfront leadership for your volunteers and families at the actual rEcess night, and ensures the adherence of volunteers to the Policies and Procedures. Someone has to be willing to be the bad guy if needed, and let people know that rEcess maintains a high standard and if they cannot meet that standard, then they will be asked to not come back. Workhorses - There are certain people you can count on to do most anything, and you will need them to do any and all things that pop up on a rEcess night. Moving chairs, putting away tables, purchasing craft supplies, taking out the trash, etc. Administration - A monthly event will require that someone is working in the inbetween to ensure details are followed up with. This could include completing background checks, organizing and filing important forms and packets, helping with communication, and keeping up with rEcess Hub registration. Medical Point Person - We will cover the Risk Assessment policies later, but having a medical professional on your Leadership Team would be ideal.

NON-NEGOTIABLES

Global Point Person - This is someone that communicates with 99 Balloons regarding Global opportunities for your volunteers to plug in. Sibling Track Coordinator - Depending on the number and ages of siblings that participate in your rEcess, you may want to use the Sibling Track Curriculum to have specific activities tailored for your older siblings. It is helpful to have one person head up that Sibling Track and manage the volunteers, activities, and schedule for that group of siblings. rEcess Director - This is the main contact for 99 Balloons.

Remember, all of these Leadership Team roles are suggestions for a starting point. Having these various roles represented on your Leadership Team will help ensure that your rEcess is organized and that all the details are covered.

NON-NEGOTIABLES

2) Confirm Facility and Check Availability The church facility is often well-suited to host a rEcess night, but many churches may not have a building or an opening on their schedule. In thinking through a location, here are some significant factors to weigh: Approval - Getting approval to host rEcess at the location. Kids - Is the space kid-friendly? Think crayons, spills, and basically all other things that accompany groups of children. Access - Accessibility and usability of the space for wheelchairs and walkers is important. See the Resource Section at the end of this guide for an Accessibility Guide. Bathrooms - Check for functionality for individuals with disability. Space - Consider the actual amount of space that you will be using during the night. We have found that it is useful for a sense of togetherness and ease of oversight to not be too spread out at a location. Likewise, too small a space can limit your ability to invite additional families or accommodate siblings.

3) Adhere to Risk Management Policies The Risk Assessment policies are important, and seek to ensure the safety for the children that will attend your rEcess event. We will cover the Risk Assessment policies in depth later in this guide. All four parts of the Risk Assessment policies are required in order for you to start a rEcess.

4) Develop a Plan for Volunteer Training All volunteers must be trained prior to being paired with a child at rEcess. There are several options for Volunteer Training; please see the Resource section of this guide for details on the different training options available.

NON-NEGOTIABLES

5) Determine How You’ll Run Background Checks Volunteer must also be background checked prior to being paired with a child at rEcess, including all members of your Leadership Team. Your site will need to determine how you will run background checks. Most sites are able to use their church system to run volunteer background checks. If you need 99 Balloons to suggest an option for obtaining background checks, please email recess@99balloons.org. 99 Balloons requires that all background checks for rEcess sites meet the following minimum criteria: • Multi-State Criminal Database Search • Sex Offender Search • Dates at Listed Addresses • Validity of the SSN Provided • Age/Date of Birth

6) Agree to Implement Top 5 Policies Each rEcess site must implement the Top 5 policies and procedures. These policies are covered in the following section.

Our rEcess Plan (For New rEcess Sites) The Our rEcess Plan form details the Non-Negotiable information for your site. Prior to your first rEcess event, your rEcess Director must submit the Our rEcess Plan form to 99 Balloons. Once you have submitted your rEcess Plan, you may begin recruiting volunteers and families to participate in your rEcess program.

RISK MANAGEMENT The Risk Management policies help ensure that your rEcess event is a safe place for families to drop off their children with special needs. Risk Management contains four parts: • Parent Packet • Advisory Professional • On-Site Professional • Emergency Plan

RISK MANAGEMENT

1) Parent Packet: The specific information pertaining to each child with special needs is provided through the Parent Packet - a detailed document that is filled out by each family in attendance prior to attending rEcess for the first time. A family interested in coming to rEcess must first complete a Parent Packet. Each site will then make the decision on whether or not their site is set up to invite that child to attend. The Parent Packet is what makes the volunteer an “expert” on that child. Each volunteer must thoroughly read through the Parent Packet for the child they are paired with at each rEcess night.

2) Advisory Professional: The Advisory Professional is a medical professional that looks over all Parent Packets to determine if your site is currently able to invite that child and family. • If so, then you can invite the family to join your rEcess program. • If not - if you currently don’t have space or you’re not comfortable with the current staff/team you have - then let the family know that you are looking for the missing piece and will let them know once their family can begin coming to rEcess. One child could change everything, therefore every new Parent Packet requires reassessing the sufficiency of rEcess’ on-site care.

3) On-Site Professional: The On-Site Professional is a medical professional present at all rEcess events. They must look over all of the Parent Packets for the children that will be attending in order to become familiar with any important information regarding the children present. The on-site professional also serves as the Go-To person for the night in the case of an emergency. Be sure that they understand this prior to the start of your event. 13

RISK MANAGEMENT

On-site medical professionals could include doctors, nurses, EMTs, physical therapists, occupational therapists or speech therapists. Having a team of medical professionals at your rEcess is ideal. We’ve found that many pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapists love to help out at rEcess as they are keenly aware of the need for such a night. They are also able to help volunteers with activities for the children and generally have a high comfort level with the very children at your rEcess or children who are similar to the ones they interact with daily. Your Leadership Team is responsible for letting volunteers know who the designated On-Site Professional is at each rEcess event.

4) Emergency Plan: Each rEcess must have an emergency plan of action to be carried out in the event of an emergency, and everyone on your Leadership Team should be aware of the Emergency Plan. Have at least one hard copy on hand at each rEcess night. Your Emergency Plan should address the following: • Clearing the are and quickly assessing the course of action • Identifying the “Go-To” person on site in the case of an emergency • Contacting parents and determining who will do so • Assessing whether to call 911 or not, and who makes the call • In case of transportation, the procedure of what hospital to go to, what information will be taken with the child and what pair of volunteers will take the child.

In the Resource Appendix of this guide you will find a template to help you establish an Emergency Plan for your rEcess.

RISK MANAGEMENT Emergency Plan Details: _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

PEOPLE FIRST LANGUAGE Using appropriate language respects the individual, honors the family and sends a message to the community. The words we say and the words we use are important to persons with disability and their families, and reflect the way we honor and respect them. You can show your love and compassion and care through the words that you use. Try to use “child with special needs” vs. “special needs child”, or “child with autism” vs. “autistic child”. Words to Avoid:: • Retarded • Crippled • Deformed • “Suffers from...” • “Victim of...” • Wheelchair-bound • Unfortunate Language is important, but the heart behind the language trumps all. We do not desire to produce a culture of policing everyone’s words; just be sure not to limit the person by the words that you use.

TOP 5 POLICIES The Top 5 refer to five mandatory policies for all rEcess events. The adherence to the Top 5 policies enables rEcess to be a safe place for all involved. They exist for the safety of the children as well as your own safety. Volunteer Training will stress the importance of adhering to them. These are the policies that a Leadership Team will need to enforce at a rEcess night, and these are the policies that can result in a volunteer being excluded from future events if violated.

1) Food: All children - both the sibling track and the 1-to-1 track are only allowed to eat any food they brought with them. They are not allowed food from the volunteer meals or any other source. Many children follow specific diets, have an inability to swallow certain foods sufficiently, or have various allergies. It is very important to only feed them their own 17

TOP 5 POLICIES

food. If a child did not bring food, their volunteer should notify the Leadership Team and you can then phone the parents regarding a meal.

2) Medicine: Any and all meds are not to be distributed by volunteers. If a child requires any medicine during rEcess, then the parent or guardian will need to fill out a Release for Medication Administration that authorizes the onsite medical professional to administer or a member of the Leadership Team to administer. This includes over-the-counter medicines as well as prescriptions.

3) Medical Emergencies: In the case of a medical emergency, please notify the designated on-site medical professional present that day. The Leadership Team is responsible for communicating who the designated on-site professional is to all volunteers before families arrive. In the case of other emergency situations, follow the emergency plan as well as sitespecific plans (fire routes, exits, etc.). The Leadership Team as well as the on-site professional should know and have access to the emergency plan.

4) Parent Packet: All 1-to-1 volunteers must look over the Parent Packet for the child they are paired with prior to the child’s arrival. Before families arrive at a rEcess night, volunteers should have a designated time to see which child they are paired with for the night and ask any questions regarding their Parent Packet.

TOP 5 POLICIES

The on-site medical professional and Leadership Team should be available for reference and assistance.

5) Abuse and Toileting: Reporting Abuse Each rEcess program is a mandatory reporter- meaning they are required to report abuse or suspected abuse. If there is reason to suspect a child is being abused, follow this procedure: • A volunteer should inform the rEcess Director immediately, telling them of the reasons for suspecting abuse. • The rEcess Director and volunteer should then find and follow appropriate channels in their state to file a report with the proper authorities.

Avoiding the Appearance of Abuse As a rEcess program, we want to make sure that the church is above reproach when it comes to potential child abuse or allegations. We ask that all volunteers and Leadership Team follow these guidelines: 1) Never Alone: Volunteers are never to be alone at any time, with any child, in any room. Have “floaters” available to accompany volunteers and children into a room as needed. “Floaters” should not be assigned to a child for the night; they are simply available as needed to help prevent volunteers from being alone with a child. It is a volunteer’s responsibility to find a space with additional volunteers present or to request the assistance of a floater. 19

TOP 5 POLICIES

2) Toileting: These policies apply to all children, both 1-to-1 as well as siblings. The Leadership Team is responsible for communicating who the designated toileting person(s) is to all volunteers before families arrive. The designated toileting person may not be a man. Depending on the number of children at your rEcess night, it may be helpful to have 2-3 designated toileting persons. Diaper changes occur only through the designated toileting person or persons for the night, with another volunteer accompanying (never alone). If a child is not in diapers: • But does need assistance with toileting, this also must only go through the designated toileting person for the night, with another volunteer accompanying (never alone). • And does not need assistance with toileting, but may still need supervision while in the restroom, then there must be 2 volunteers that accompany (never alone). Public restrooms with individual stalls are great for kids that need supervision. The volunteer and another buddy can wait outside the stall, which allows for privacy and supervision. • And does not need assistance nor supervision, then the child can go to the restroom by themselves while their volunteer waits outside of the restroom. Train your volunteers to preserve dignity of the person they are serving. In addition, if a child soils their pants or shirt, their volunteer should put on their clean clothes. If they did not bring extra clothes with them, then the Leadership Team should contact the parent to come and pick up their child or bring a change of clothes.

ADDITIONAL POLICIES 1) Social Media: We would love for volunteers to share about their rEcess experiences with others as we think everyone should know about rEcess. However, in order to respect the privacy of your rEcess families, we ask that everyone honor the following guidelines regarding sharing pictures online:

HUB PHOTOS Upload photos to the rEcess Hub website to share with volunteers and families in live time. *available for rEcessPlus sites

ADDITIONAL POLICIES

• Do not post the child’s full name online or through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc). • Be respectful with photos that are taken. • Check the child’s Parent Packet to see if a family has given permission for photos to be taken prior to sharing them online. *Follow church policies if they vary.

2) Quiet Areas: Have designated quiet areas at your site. Some of your rEcess kids may have issues with sensory sensitivity, so it is helpful to have designated spaces that they can use if needed.

3) Classroom Safety: Non-latex gloves and hand sanitizer are available in all rooms. Make sure rooms are free from obstructions that could cause injuries. Look out for toys that may become a risk. Use age-appropriate toys for children - this may be trial and error. Keep supply closets secure to prevent injuries and lock them if possible. Volunteers should remember to wear gloves when they are likely to touch blood or body fluid. Hands should be washed thoroughly after removal of gloves. A First Aid kit is on-hand at each rEcess event.

ADDITIONAL POLICIES

4) Sickness and Illness Policy: 36 hour rule:: A volunteer should be free of illness and symptoms for at least 36 hours before attending a rEcess event. If a volunteer is sick, they should notify the Leadership Team as soon as possible. Remember that we are working with some children who are medically fragile. A cold could be a big deal for some of our rEcess kids.

READY TO LAUNCH The information in this section is not found in the Leadership Team Training Video, but it is important information for Leadership Teams, particularly those who are launching a new rEcess.

Start Small We encourage you to consider starting small while your Leadership Team gets their feet wet. It’s perfectly fine to serve 5 families or less for your first rEcess event. Over time, you can add families each additional month as you are able. In order to incorporate this start small strategy, you would only need somewhere around 10-15 volunteers for your first event, many of which will probably be your Leadership Team. Also, it may make sense to place your public unveiling (announcing during church service, showing a video, etc.) more around the third month of rEcess rather than before the first event. We have found that one of the most counter-productive things we can do is to get volunteers inspired and then they come and are not actually needed for the night. Schedule permitting, if you think it would be beneficial for someone from 99 Balloons to come and share the story and vision behind rEcess to your church, volunteer team, or potential volunteers, please contact us to discuss those options.

READY TO LAUNCH

Volunteer Roles There are lots of different roles that volunteers can play at rEcess aside from working directly with children. Many times folks want to help out, but don’t necessarily want to be paired with a child for the night. Here is a list of other ways folks can serve at rEcess: Welcome/Registration: It is important to have someone that can warmly greet families as they arrive. Many times families experiencing disability have negative experiences with others, especially within the church. So it is important to make their rEcess experience as warm and positive as possible. Food Servers: As a way to thank your rEcess volunteers, it’s nice to have dinner provided for them at every rEcess event. It would be great to have someone that can help you organize meals, find community groups to provide meals, ask local restaurants to donate meals, etc. Photographers: Having photographs or video from your events can help tell the story and include those that couldn’t be there. rEcessPlus sites can use rEcess Hub to upload photos; it’s often helpful to have a designated photographer go around and take pictures throughout the night. Floaters: It is incredibly important to have volunteers at your event who are not assigned to a child. These folks can be available throughout the evening to assist other volunteers with any needs that may arise. rEcess events can only happen if there are extra eyes, ears, and hands available at all times. Security: As a suggestion, you may want to have certain volunteers who are responsible for ensuring that children don’t leave the building and that incoming persons know where to go, and whether or not they should be entering at all.

Schedule and Frequency When and how often your rEcess is held is something for your Leadership Team to decide based upon what factors best serve your families, volunteer availability, etc. Most sites host a rEcess event a set time monthly (i.e. first Friday of the month) based upon a school year or year-round. From a broad rEcess perspective, all sites should kick off their rEcess events in the month of September. This is merely to align all of the sites for purposes of communication and does not need to influence your decisions. From our perspective, we like to make sure and introduce new tools, information and resources in advance of September for rEcess program to use in the upcoming year.

Support Options Each site can pick which level of support best fits their needs and budget. The following two pages provide information on rEcess Support Options. 26

READY TO LAUNCH

Potential rEcess Costs We have tried to create a model of respite care that keeps costs very low. This allows us all to focus on what we want to do, instead of worrying about raising sufficient funds. In addition to launch and support, the following are some potential costs associated with rEcess: Volunteer Dinners: Depending on the time of your rEcess event, you may need to provide a meal for your volunteers. There are numerous ways to offset this cost, including donations from local restaurants or asking community groups to provide a meal for your volunteers. It’s a great way to pull more people from your church community in to be a part of your rEcess night. We always ask the meal provider to go above and beyond if possible. We prefer to honor our volunteers by providing a meal they actually look forward to eating. T-Shirts: Volunteer t-shirts go a long way in making the night look more professional. We have volunteer t-shirts available for purchase and typically place orders in the summer to be ready for September launches. We also have Leadership Team shirts available in a different color to help your Leadership Team stand out during rEcess nights. Background Checks: Background checks are mandatory for all volunteers. Your church may already have a provider and many rEcess sites are able to use the church’s existing background check service to complete background checks for rEcess as well. If your church currently doesn’t have a provider, we can recommend one for you. “Volunteer Pack”: You can also offer your volunteers the option to purchase a “Volunteer Pack” for $20 whereby they receive a rEcess t-shirt and also cover the cost of their own background check.

READY TO LAUNCH

Supplies: As you organize your event, you may find some miscellaneous expenses such as craft supplies, printing parent packets, mail-outs, etc. Something that might be helpful is to create an Amazon Wish List for your rEcess with games, craft supplies, first aid items, and any other necessities you might need. Share your list on social media and invite folks to donate needed items for your rEcess program. Sensory Room: If your budget allows, creating a sensory space for rEcess would be ideal. You can do this in a variety of ways with a variety of budgets. If this is something you are interested in, contact rEcess@99balloons.org and we’d be happy to talk through ideas for how to develop a great sensory space for your rEcess kids. We’ve also put together an Amazon Wish List for you to view a list of items that we recommend for creating a sensory room on a low budget. To view the Wish List, go to www.amazon.com and click on the “Wish List” tab at the top right menu. Select “Find a Wish List” and search by email: info@99balloons.org. This will pull up our Sensory Room list.

WHAT WE PROVIDE Leadership Team Training Leadership Team Training is a specific training for all members of a rEcess Leadership Team. The training goes a little more in-depth than the typical volunteer training, and allows Leadership Team members to feel more equipped and informed regarding their rEcess program.

Volunteer Training All rEcess volunteers must go through training before they are paired with a child at rEcess. There are several different models for Volunteer Training. Please refer to the “Training Models and Script” booklet for more information about how to train your Volunteers.

Annual Toolkit The rEcess toolkit is offered to rEcessPlus partners on an annual basis. It contains the latest training resources, curriculum and activities for the year, sibling curriculum, and additional updates and resources to help make your rEcess program as smooth and fun as possible.

Conference Calls From September through May, rEcess Leadership Teams are invited to join in on the monthly conference calls with 99 Balloons staff. These calls are a time for you to ask any questions related to respite or disability ministry, and get feedback from the 99 Balloons team as well as other rEcess sites.

Ministry Consulting If you have a question on broader disability ministry, we’d love to help by connecting you on the phone with a 99 Balloons ambassador, or by bringing in someone from our team to train your staff team, speak at your church, or train your volunteers.

WHAT WE PROVIDE

rEcess Hub rEcess Hub is the online home for all rEcess sites. It includes online registration for your families and volunteers to sign up for your next event. rEcess Hub admin features include: Adding Events Your dates will be inputted on the website each year. However, admin users can also create events by going to the “Admin Site” in the menu and clicking on “Events”. Users can click on the “Events & Photos” tab in the menu to view a list of upcoming rEcess events and see whether or not they’ve already registered for the next event. Registration Under the “Events” link in the Admin Site, click “View Registrations” to see which families and volunteers have signed up for that event. You’ll also see a tally total at the top, and New Volunteers will be highlighted under the volunteer tab. You can export a spreadsheet that will include all registration information for both volunteers and families. Volunteer Training Videos Click on the “Training” tab in the menu to access Volunteer Training videos. You can then go to the “Users” list on your Admin Site, and click on individual names to see whether or not they have watched the different training videos. Background Checks Through the “Users” link in the Admin Site, you can click on individual users and manually edit whether or not they have completed a Background Check. You will still need to run the actual background checks through whatever service you already use (through the church, etc.). But this is a great way of keeping track of volunteers that have been background checked. Photos For rEcessPLUS sites: The “Events & Photos” tab in the menu allows you to upload and view photos for rEcess events that you are registered for. You can view photos from your past three rEcess events. 32

WHAT WE PROVIDE

Resources The Resource Appendix at the end of the Leadership Team Training Manual provides additional tools and resources for rEcess.

What You Provide Place. People. Elbow Grease. We’ve developed a model for rEcess to make things as smooth as possible for you and your church to build relationships with families experiencing disability and have a safe and fun respite program.

RESOURCE APPENDIX The following Resources are found in the pages of this section. These forms and documents are also available for download in the Resource section of the rEcess Hub by title. • “Steps to Building a rEcess”, Pages 36-37 :: This timeline is for folks who are wanting to launch a rEcess program at their church, and gives details and timing for each step in the process. • “Monthly Timeline”, Pages 38-39 :: This timeline is for rEcess Leadership Teams to reference as they prepare for rEcess each month. • “Common Diagnoses”, Pages 40-41 :: This document highlights some common diagnoses that may be found at your rEcess site. 34

RESOURCE APPENDIX

• “Parent Packet”, Pages 42-51 :: This 10-page document is the current Parent Packet form for rEcess families. New families much complete the entire packet prior to being invited to rEcess. Existing families must update any necessary pages each year; if no updates are needed, they must initial the bottom of each page at the start of the year to confirm that the packet is up-to-date. If parents choose to fill out the form on their computer, they must use Adobe Reader in order for it to save and print properly. • “Sibling Info Form”, Page 52 :: This form accompanies the Parent Packet to provide information that is pertinent to the care of each sibling. Parents must fill out one Sibling Info Form for each sibling that attends rEcess. If parents choose to fill out the form on their computer, they must use Adobe Reader in order for it to save and print properly. • “Volunteer Reference Form”, Pages 53-54 :: All volunteers under the age of 18 must submit three reference forms as a part of their process for becoming a rEcess volunteer. Use Adobe Reader to edit the form to include the address and contact information for your particular site. • “Incident Report”, Page 55 :: Use this form to file a report on any incidents that occur at your rEcess event. You must also send a copy of any Incident Report forms to rEcess@99balloons.org • “Administration of Medication Form”, Page 56 :: Parents must fill out this form whenever their child (sibling or 1:1) has any medication that needs to be administered at rEcess. • “rEcess Recap :: Top 5”, Page 57 :: This rEcess Recap highlights the Top 5 policies, and can be used during Volunteer Training or Volunteer Huddle Times. • “Emergency Plan”, Page 58 :: This template provides an example of an appropriate Emergency Plan for rEcess. • “9 from 99”, Page 59 :: This can serve as a basic primer to share with church members and staff on their journey towards inclusion.

Resource found at recesshub.com

RESOURCE APPENDIX

Resource found at recesshub.com

RESOURCE APPENDIX

Common Diagnoses 1) Autism Autism is a specific type of developmental disorder that causes various language, social and behavioral impairments for affected infants and children. It is often described as a tendency of the child to withdraw into oneself, ignoring much of what goes on in the environment. Common Characteristics:: - Moderate to severe speech problems (unusual speech volume, rate or pitch; speaking in monotone; repetitions) - No imaginative play - Problems making friends or interacting with others - Making unusual, repeated movements - Becoming attached to a specific object - Often some mental retardation, from mild to severe; may have average or above average intelligence but have some distortions of thinking Considerations:: - If physical contact upsets the child, avoid touching them. - Allow child to have favorite object. - Encourage positive behavior by providing a reward such as a desired privilege. - Encourage interaction with others as he/she is able, but be careful not to force social interaction. - Don’t expect the child to participate when imagination is required. - Social interactions are difficult; don’t take it personally if there is a lack of connectionor warmth.

2) Cerebral Palsy Cerebral Palsy is a group of various disorders that all cause problems for children in the areas of posture and movement, especially with abnormal muscle tone (either too relaxed and floppy, or too tight and tense) and poor coordination. Common Characteristics:: - Poor posture and movement (trouble with walking, running, sitting up)

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- Trouble with eating, speaking, drooling - Vision and hearing problems - Potential cognitive impairment - Difficulty with daily activities and self care (toileting, etc.) Considerations:: - Assist the child with movement and keep him safe from falling or injury (no rugs or toys left on the ground; use caution with steps or uneven ground). - Help the child with eating as needed. - Find out the child’s self-care limitations and help him with these activities as needed. - Encourage the child to participate in activities he is capable of doing. - Speak clearly and allow him to see your face if he has hearing problems.

3) Down Syndrome Down syndrome is a genetic disease, also called Trisomy 21, that is caused by having one extra chromosome. Common Characteristics:: - Low muscle tone - Some degree of mental retardation - Social and friendly nature Considerations:: - Focus on the child’s strengths and not weaknesses. - Find tasks and activities in which the child will be able to succeed to reduce frustration. - Help the child’s development of physical abilities by involving him or her in games that practice running, skipping, jumping, or arts and crafts with painting, drawing and cutting. - Encourage play opportunities with other children.

Resource found at recesshub.com

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Resource found at recesshub.com

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page 1

an initiative of 99 Balloons, Inc.

Parent/Guardian Information Child’s Name Child’s Primary Diagnosis (please be specific)

Mother! !

Father! !

Last Name

First Name!

Guardian

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET Address City!

Mother! !

Father! !

Last Name

State!

Zip

Email Address Home #!!

First Name!

Cell #

Guardian

Address (if different from above) City !

State!

Zip

Email Address Home #!!

Cell #

Mobile Phone Number(s) in use while child is at rEcess: (please be sure to leave this contact number during rEcess Check-In) ex: Year Aug 2015 Signature Jane Doe Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

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page 2

Emergency Information In the event of an emergency, the following person may be called and is authorized to pick up my child. (Positive identification must be provided before your child will be released.) Name! !

Relationship

Mobile Number

In the event of an emergency, I give the rEcess staff or any emergency medical personnel permission to transport my child to the nearest hospital for medical treatment in the event that I cannot be located. I consent for necessary emergency treatment by the medical staff for my child in the event I cannot be reached to make arrangements at the time of illness or accident. Child’s Full Name!

Child’s SSN

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET Date of Birth!

Place of Birth

Date of last Tetanus

Please list all known drug allergies:

Please list any medications that are taken on a regular basis:

Will medication be needed during rEcess? !

No!

Yes

If yes, please complete the Release for Administration of Medication form.

Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

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page 3

Insurance Information Insurance Carrier!

Insurance Phone #

Group #!

Policy #

If insured is different from child:: Insured’s Name!!

SSN

Address

Relationship to Child

Primary Physician! Physician Phone

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET Preferred Hospital!

Does insurance information apply to all children?!!

Address

Yes!!

If no, please include insurance information on the Sibling Form(s).

Party Responsible for Payment:: Name! !

State! !

Home Number! !

Relationship to Child

Address City!

Zip

Employer

Parent/Legal Guardian Signature:!

Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

Work Number

Year _____ Signature ________

Date:

Year _____ Signature ________

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page 4

Sibling Information Please list all siblings attending rEcess:: Sibling 1: Name! !

Age!

Date of Birth

Sibling 2: Name! !

Age!

Date of Birth

Sibling 3: Name! !

Age!

Date of Birth

Age!

Date of Birth

Sibling 4: Name! ! Sibling 5:

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET Name! !

Age!

Date of Birth

Please complete the additional “Sibling Info Form” to provide additional details and information for each sibling.

Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

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page 5

Physical Needs Vision:!!

Normal! !

Impaired!

Blind

Hearing:!

Normal! !

Impaired!

Deaf!

Hearing Aid

Motor:! !

Head Control!

Rolls Over!

Sits!

Crawls !

Braces!!

Cruises

! !

Walks! !

Walker!

Crutches!

Wheelchair

! Toilets independently ! !

Toileting Skills:!

Wears a diaper!

Needs Help

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET !

Being potty trained!

Staff can help by:

! !

Potty trained, needs assistance

Eating Habits:! !

No Restrictions! !

Staff can help by:

Can take nothing by mouth ! !

Soft foods only! !

Bottle

Food & Environmental Allergies (please list all, e.g. wheat, dairy, cedar, cats, etc):

Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

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Communication Communicates with: ! !

Words!

Sentences!

Babbles!

Sign Language

Phrases!

Gestures

Other (Please describe):

Can understand what others say: !

All the time!

Most of the time!!

Some of the time

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET Behavior: !

Outgoing!

Shy!

Adapts to new situations well!

Adapts to new situations with difficulty

! !

Responds to correction well! ! !

Responds to correction with difficulty

Sometimes threatens others!

Sometimes hits, bites or hurts self/others

Sometimes attempts to run away!

Hyperactive and/or ADD

Plays in groups

My child responds to separation from his/her parents by:

My child is best comforted by:

My child lets someone know what he/she wants or needs by:

Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

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page 7

Misc. My pet’s name is: Favorite Toy: Favorite Stuffed Animal: Favorite Color: Activities my child likes (music, coloring, group activities, independent play, etc):

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET Fears or dislikes (i.e. dogs, balloons, loud noises, etc):

My child needs encouragement to:

Please do not ask my child to:

My child learns best when:

My child participates more when:

Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

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page 8

Declaration of Consent & Waiver of Liability We at rEcess look forward to serving you and your child through our rEcess respite night. rEcess seeks to provide a nurturing and safe environment for the care and training of your child in our program. However, no matter how careful our staff and volunteers are, accidents can occur. To make certain that your child is participating in these activities with your full understanding, knowing consent, and informed parental guidance and instruction of your child, we ask that you carefully read and sign this form. If you have any questions about this program or policies, please refer them to the Leadership Team of your respective rEcess program. In consideration for the services provided by ! ! ! ! ! ! through its rEcess program, I agree to the following terms and conditions of my child’s participation.

Agreement to Participate and Waiver of Liability: To assist! ! ! ! ! ! ! in providing the best care for my child during rEcess, I agree to provide them with accurate and complete medical information about my child, including all special medical, physical, mental and emotional needs or disabilities that my child may have, on the Parent Packet, and to immediately update such information as developments occur from time to time.

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET I understand the risk of injury to my child inherent in a program whose participants consist of individuals with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities, who may exhibit violent or impulsive behavior or suffer from epileptic seizures. During any of the rEcess programs and activities, including but not limited to fellowships, respite nights and family events, my child may engage in activities such as nature hikes, sports activities utilizing balls or other game equipment, contact with animals, amusement equipment rental and playground equipment.

To the extent permitted by law, I(we) assume all risks of injury to my(our) child, including those caused by accidents or by the acts of other participants. To the extent permitted by law, I(we) further agree to release 99 Balloons, Inc. and ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! , as well as any additional church or organization or business that assists with putting on rEcess or holds rEcess activities in their facilities, their staff, volunteers, directors and agents, of all liability for injury or illness to my(our) child or for damage to my(our) child’s property arising during any rEcess program or event due to any cause, including the negligence of any party, but not including the gross negligence or willful misconduct of 99 Balloons, Inc. and! ! ! ! ! ! , their staff, volunteers, or agents. I(we) agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless 99 Balloons, Inc. and ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! , their staff, volunteers or agents from any claims, demands, actions, causes of action, lawsuits, damages or costs resulting from the actions, or failure to act, on the part of any person or organization, including those of 99 Balloons, Inc. or ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! , their staff, volunteers and agents, including the negligence of said parties, but not including the gross negligence or willful misconduct of said parties, which may result in injury to my(our) child or the personal property of my(our) child. Children’s Names (please list all children attending rEcess) Parent/Guardian Signature!

Date

Parent/Guardian Signature!

Date

Must be signed by both parents or guardians Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

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page 9

Permission/Authorization Agreement Please read the following statements carefully and initial in the designated space indicating that you have read, understand, and agree to the provisions. ! !

! !

I understand that rEcess is a “free source initiative”; therefore, although each rEcess program adheres to some fundamental practices, 99 Balloons, Inc. does not oversee nor ensure the

safety of each rEcess program.

Questions regarding policies and safety concerns should be presented to the Leadership Team

! !

for your specific rEcess. All rEcess logos, best practices and policies are distributed freely as a tool to individuals and organizations seeking to assist the special needs community. Each

Leadership Team is empowered to tailor their rEcess program to their facility and community.

! !

With that said, feel free to contact us at info@99balloons.org in the event of concerns in need of reporting.

I have fully disclosed to rEcess all pertinent facts about my child’s special needs and accept full

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET !

responsibility for failure to do so.

I will supply all necessary food, drinks, snacks, and diapers/wipes for my child.

In the case of an emergency or accident, I understand that EMS (911) will be called. I authorize

EMS to administer any medical treatment, medication, or appliance deemed necessary by EMS.

I also authorize transportation by EMS to the nearest appropriate medical facility, as determined

by EMS. I understand that I will be responsible for payment of all EMS, hospital and physician

charges for emergency services to my child.

Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

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page 10

Publicity Release rEcess is a respite care program designed to lessen the stress of families caring for a child with special needs. Because we will want to reach as many families as possible, we may publicize the program through television, radio and newspapers. The use of your name, your child’s name and/or picture is strictly voluntary. If you want to participate in our effort to help other families learn about rEcess in the future, please sign below.

I consent for my child/children to be photographed. The pictures may be used for press releases, journal articles, or other positive publicity related to respite programs. Parent/Guardian Signature!

Date

EXAMPLE PARENT PACKET

Year _____ Signature _________

Year _____ Signature ________

Resource found at recesshub.com

an initiative of 99 Balloons, Inc.

Sibling Info Form rEcess is open to siblings and we’d love to have them join us! Please complete one Sibling Form per sibling in order to provide information that is pertinent to their care. Siblings Information

Child’s Name:!!

Date of Birth:! !

Age:! !

Male! !

Female

Hobbies and Personal Interests:

Please share any information about your child that would help us ensure a great rEcess experience including any medical information we might need to know:

Medical and Insurance Information Child’s Primary Physician: ! !

Insurance Provider: ! !

Phone: !

Policy Number: Thank you for helping us get to know your child!

Resource found at recesshub.com

RESOURCE APPENDIX

Reference Form for Volunteers rEcess, an initiative of 99 Balloons, is a monthly respite program provided for children with special needs. These events are typically hosted by churches that long to serve families within their own community. The program allows parents a night off so they can do whatever they want or need. Volunteers provide one-to-one attention for children with special needs. Siblings are also invited to participate in the “sibling track” which provides them with their own exciting activities. Students under the age of 18 who wish to volunteer must provide three written references from nonfamily members attesting to their character and ability to work with children. Please answer the questions below and add any comments you wish to make about the applicant. We ask that the person filling out this reference form please return it directly to 99 Balloons via mail or send your responses via email with the subject line “rEcess Reference for [Applicant’s Name]”. Mailing Address: 99 Balloons, P.O. Box 10934, Fayetteville, AR 72703 Email Address: info@99balloons.org

Name of Volunteer Applicant: ______________________________________________ Name of Person Filling Out Reference Form: __________________________________ Email Address of Referral: _________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________

Date: ________________________

1) How long have you known the applicant? _________________________________________________________________

2) How do you know him/her? _________________________________________________________________

3) Have you ever witnessed the applicant working with children? If so, please explain. __________________________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

4) Do you have any hesitations on this applicant volunteering with special needs children as well as siblings of special needs children? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

5) Assuming you have children, would you allow this person to work with your child? Why or why not? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

6) Is there anything else you would like to share about this applicant? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Thank you! By completing this form, you enable us to better serve our families and volunteers. If you have any questions, please contact us at: info@99balloons.org.

Resource found at recesshub.com

RESOURCE APPENDIX

! ! ! Incident!Report! ! Date:&_____________________________& Time:&____________________& Name,&Age&and&Gender&of&Child&who&was&Injured:&

_____________________________________________________________________________&

Address/City/State/Zip&____________________________________________________& _______________________________________________________________________& Date&and&Time&of&Accident:&_________________________________________________& Describe&in&detail&how&the&child&was&injured,&including&location,&names&and&actions&of&all& children&and&adults&involved.&&_______________________________________________& _______________________________________________________________________&

_______________________________________________________________________& Describe&the&child’s&injuries&and&what&action&was&taken&to&treat&the&injuries.& _______________________________________________________________________& _______________________________________________________________________& How&and&when&was&the&parent&notified?& _______________________________________________________________________& Please&list&names&and&phone&numbers&of&witnesses&to&the&accident.& 1. ________________________________________________________________& 2. ________________________________________________________________& 3. ________________________________________________________________& Your&name,&address&and&phone&number:&_____________________________________& ______________________________________________________________________&

Resource found at recesshub.com

PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN’S RELEASE FOR ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION The undersigned parent/legal guardian of __________________________________________ hereby requests the rEcess program operated by ____________________________________ to administer or supervise administration of medication. As a condition to its agreement to administer any medication, it is required that the medication be either over-the-counter or prescribed by a licensed physician or other authorized prescriber and that it be furnished by the parent/guardian of the child in a container which is clearly labeled as follows: •

child’s name

•

medication name

•

dosage

•

time when the medication is to be given.

It is understood that the medication is administered solely at the request of and as an accommodation to the undersigned parent/guardian. By signing this release I hereby authorize the rEcess On-Site Medical Professionals to contact the physician, if necessary, to clarify any written order. Our policy requires that medications (both prescription and over-the-counter) be given directly to the OnSite Medical Professional upon arriving at the rEcess event. The medication will be administered according to the physician’s written order/treatment plan, and parent permission. Child Name __________________________________________________________________________ Printed Name of Physician/Authorized Prescriber ____________________________________________ Physician Contact Number ______________________________________________________________ Parent/ Guardian Signature ______________________________________________________________ Date ___________________

Resource found at recesshub.com

RESOURCE APPENDIX

Resource found at recesshub.com

RESOURCE APPENDIX

Emergency Plan In case of an emergency, the Leadership Team is responsible to have other kids and volunteers move to another area while the plan is followed. Taken from the Parent Packet:: In the event of an emergency, I give the rEcess staff or any emergency medical personnel permission to transport my child to the nearest hospital for medical treatment in the event that I cannot be located. I consent for necessary emergency treatment by the medical staff for my child in the event I cannot be reached to make arrangements at the time of illness or accident. In the case of an emergency or accident, I understand that EMS (911) will be called. I authorize EMS to administer any medical treatment, medication, or appliance deemed necessary by EMS. I also authorize transportation by EMS to the nearest appropriate medical facility, as determined by EMS. I understand that I will be responsible for payment of all EMS, hospital and physician charges for emergency services to my child. Steps in the case of an emergency:: 1) Clear the area except for persons assisting you. 2) Leadership Team decides if: 1) Individual needs to go to hospital. • If so, two volunteers must accompany child. • Proper seating is required to transport. 2) Can wait on parents to arrive. 3) If hospital/medical professionals are needed, Leadership Team decides: 1) Whether us or parents will transport to hospital? 2) Call 911? 4) Leadership Team contacts parents. 1) Have information on decision ready to pass on. 2) Be ready to describe the current status of the child. 5) Once situation is handled, make a written account of the situation, how it occurred, what steps were taken, etc. CLEAR > TRANSPORT OR 911? > CONTACT FAMILY > WRITE IT DOWN

Resource found at recesshub.com

RESOURCE APPENDIX

CURRICULUM The rEcess Curriculum includes 8 months of planned events. Each month has a different theme, along with two options for Large Group activities, two craft options, and movie suggestions for each month.

LARGE GROUP OPTION A:: Don’t Drop the Asteroid! Supplies: Balloons of different sizes and colors.**, small sheets of paper, music, small prizes. Prep: Write simple challenges on pieces of paper and stick them inside the balloons. You will need one balloon/challenge for each child at rEcess. Here are some examples of challenges: - Do the moonwalk across the floor - Sing your favorite song in a funny voice - Say your abc’s backward - Spin 5 circles with your wheelchair - Pat your head while rubbing your stomach - etc... How to Play: In this outer space large group game, the little space explorers must keep all the asteroids (balloons) up in the air while the music is playing. When the music stops they all grab an asteroid and you call out a color. Whoever has that

colored asteroid must pop it and complete the challenge inside to win a prize. The game continues until all Explorers have received a prize. **Latex Allergies** If you have children with latex allergies, typical balloons are a no go! You can purchase mylar or plastic balloons. Example found here http:// www.qualatex.com/qualatexbubbles/, or choose the alternate activity.

LARGE GROUP OPTION B:: Martian Rock Scramble! Supplies: Aluminum foil, small prizes. Prep: Crumble up the aluminum foil to make your Martian rocks. For extra fun, wrap the foil around small prizes or tickets that can be redeemed for prizes at the end. How to Play: In this game the outer space explorers must try to collect as many Martian rocks as they can and race them back to their ship. When all the rocks have been collected the explorers can open them up and share the prizes inside. To play have the Martian (adult volunteer) stand in the middle of the playing area surrounded by the Martian rocks, or hide the Martian rocks through out the facility. The little explorers wait on either side of the playing area until the word GO. Their space shuttle can be a basket or bucket to collect their rocks in. Add a Twist: If you need to add a twist to make it more interesting or to better intrigue your siblings then add a Martian Guard(s)! The Martian guards the Martian rocks and if he tags an explorer they must drop any Martian rocks they have and run back to their space shuttles.

CRAFT OPTION A: Paper Plate Alien Supplies: White paper plate, different colors of square tissue paper, construction paper, popsicle sticks (optional) Instructions: 1)Have children glue pieces of square tissue paper onto the plate. 2)Then take construction paper and cut out eyes, horns and mouth for the alien. 3)(Optional) Attach popsicle stick to the paper plate so kids can use it as a mask.

CRAFT OPTION B: Toilet Paper Roll Rocket Supplies: Paper towel rolls/toilet paper rolls, construction paper, stickers, foil Instructions: 1)Take the toilet/paper towel rolls and cover with foil. 2)Cut squares of construction paper and roll them in a point to make the top of the rocket ship. 3)Take the same construction paper and cut little semicircles for the bottom of the rocket ship. 63

4)Use various stickers to decorate the rocket! This craft requires preparation due to collecting the toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS Wall-E, Space Jam, Space Buddies

PINTEREST BOARD - pinterest.com/99balloonsorg Be sure and check out the rEcess Pinterest Board for additional activities that you can pull into your night.

LARGE GROUP OPTION A:: Fish, Fish, Shark Supplies: None How to Play: This game is the same as duck, duck, goose but instead of saying "Duck, Duck, Goose" they say "Fish, Fish, Shark". You can also exchange the terminology to be more "Nemo" friendly and say Dory, Dory, Bruce! Have children sit in a circle with one staying out. That child becomes "Nemo" and he/she walks around the circle tapping each child on the top of the head. With each tap they say, "Dory" until they choose one to be "Bruce". Bruce is the shark so the person chosen as Bruce will jump up and chase "Nemo" around the circle. If Nemo makes it back to the open spot, they sit down. The child still standing becomes Nemo and thus the game continues.

LARGE GROUP OPTION B:: Finding Nemo Supplies: 1 to 3 Blow-up Nemo’s (found on Amazon) Prep: Hide the Nemo’s around the facility before Large Group starts. 65

How to Play: Tell your kids a story about Nemo being lost and that he must be found. Turn the kids loose to find the blown up Nemo’s around the facility. Some of them should be hard to find or the game will move too quickly.

CRAFT OPTION A: Crab Hat Supplies: Red construction paper, orange construction paper, orange and black pipe cleaners, googly eyes, some sort of adhesive (glue, hot glue, staples) Prep: Cut the orange and black pipe cleaners into fourths. Instructions: 1)Have children cut a thick strip of red construction paper to fit to the size of their head, and glue/ staple the ends together. 2)Glue/staple two of the orange pipe cleaners to the red construction paper and create claws with the orange construction paper. 3)Glue the claws to the orange pipe cleaners. 4)Glue two of the black pipe cleaners to the top of the hat. 5)Take the googly eyes and glue to the black pipe cleaners.

CRAFT OPTION B: Paper Bag Jellyfish Supplies: Paper lunch bags, paint or markers, googly eyes, scissors Instructions: 1)Have the kids paint or color the paper bags. 2)Take the scissors and cut strips of the bottom of the paper bag to create their tentacles. Cut as many strips as desired. 3)Glue googly eyes onto the newly made jellyfish.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid

PINTEREST BOARD - pinterest.com/99balloonsorg Be sure and check out the rEcess Pinterest Board for additional activities that you can pull into your night.

LARGE GROUP OPTION A:: The Great Turkey Hunt Supplies: Feathers, small prizes, see craft section for instructions on how to make simple turkey hats Prep: Select 5+ volunteers to be the Turkeys. Their costumes can be as simple or elaborate as you like. How to Play: You can’t have thanksgiving rEcess with out turkey! So…lets send your kids on a hunt. In this activity volunteers will dress up as turkeys and hide through out the building moving around occasionally. Gather all of the kids together in one space. Explain to the children that _______ number of turkeys have escaped from Old MacDonald’s Farm. It’s their job to bring them home in time for Thanksgiving! When the kids find a turkey, each turkey will give them a feather. Kids can keep their feathers or trade them in for a small prize. If the kids cannot catch all the Turkeys before the time is out, Farmer MacDonald won’t be able to sell his turkeys and will lose his farm!!!

LARGE GROUP OPTION B:: Thanksgiving Bingo Supplies: Bingo cards for each participant, pieces of paper or markers to indicate a filled box, a bingo tumbler for extra fun, a caller. Prep: Go to the 99 Balloons Pinterest page for November to find several different bingo games you can download and print off. How to Play: Nothing is more exhilarating than Turkey Day themed bingo! Check with your children’s ministry to see if they have a bingo tumbler for an authentic touch. Use the cards you download/print from the 99 Balloons Pinterest page to play a few rounds of Thanksgiving Bingo.

CRAFT OPTION A: Turkey Cone Hat Supplies: Brown party hats, orange and red construction paper, googly eyes, feathers, glue Prep: Cut the orange and black pipe cleaners into fourths. Instructions: 1)Kids can glue different color feathers to the back of the brown party hat. 2)Cut the orange construction paper into a square and fold it diagonally. Use this as the beak., 3)Cut a gobbler out of the red construction paper. 4)Attach the googly eyes above the beak and the gobbler. 69

CRAFT OPTION B: Paper Bag Turkey Supplies: Brown paper bags, cotton balls, tissue paper (different colors), string, construction paper (black, white and orange), red balloons Instructions: 1)The kids will take the brown paper bag and stuff some cotton balls into it. 2)Take the string and tie a bow, synching the brown paper bag in half. 3)Take small strips of tissue paper and glue them up on the top back of the synched brown paper bag. This will represent the feathers. 4)Take the construction paper to make the eyes and beak of the turkey, and place those on the paper bag above the string that synched the turkey. 5)Lastly, place the deflated red balloon near the beak to serve as the gobbler.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS Pocahontas, A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving*, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving* *Both of these movies are only about 20-30 minutes long, so you could potentially watch both.

PINTEREST BOARD - pinterest.com/99balloonsorg Be sure and check out the rEcess Pinterest Board for 70 additional activities that you can pull into your night.

LARGE GROUP OPTION A:: The Live Christmas Present Supplies: Gift wrap, tape, bows, ribbon, etc. (Enough for the number of teams and amount of decor desired) How to Play: Divide up into teams, with one volunteer designee on each team. Each team will be given wrapping paper, tape, ribbon, bows and other sorts of wrapping supplies. Each team will have five minutes to gift wrap one designated volunteer from head to toe. The more decorations the merrier! Then at the end, each team will have a chance to get in front of the group with their gift-wrapped leader and show everyone their work.

LARGE GROUP OPTION B:: Christmas Karaoke Supplies: none Prep: Load popular Christmas carols onto a playlist and make sure sound is available.

How to Play: Play a song, and give kids a chance to shine by singing karaoke-style in front of their friends! Works best to play the actual track, not the karaoke version, in case the kids forget the words.

CRAFT OPTION A: Christmas Tree Hat Supplies: Green party hats, various sizes/colors of pom poms, hot glue Instructions: 1)Kids will use hot glue to attach the pom poms onto the green party hat. They can then wear these hats for the rest of the night!

CRAFT OPTION B: Popsicle Snowflakes Supplies: Popsicle sticks, glitter glue, markers, stickers, sequins Instructions: 1)Take 4 popsicle sticks. Glue two of them perpendicular, and glue the other two sticks to make an “X”. 2)Glue these two sets of sticks together to form the snowflake. 3)Decorate your new snowflake any way you’d like! 72

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS Polar Express, Elf, The Muppet Christmas Carol, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

PINTEREST BOARD - pinterest.com/99balloonsorg Be sure and check out the rEcess Pinterest Board for additional activities that you can pull into your night.

LARGE GROUP OPTION A:: Blanket Sleigh Supplies: Large blankets, gift-wrapped boxes, Santa decor for participants to wear How to Play: Divide the group up into teams, varying on size. Each team will have one large blanket (or “sleigh”) manned by two volunteers holding two close corners of the blanket either over their shoulder or by their waist. When music plays, one kid will sit or lay down on the blanket, holding a wrapped gift, and the volunteers will “race” to deliver the gift (Obviously, the pace will be slow, and the volunteers won’t be as concerned with racing as they are with giving the kids an enjoyable sledding experience) and will go around a cone or chair and back to the line where the kid will hop off the blanket, hand the gift to another kid who will then hop on the blanket, and repeat until each kid gets a chance to deliver gifts like Santa!

LARGE GROUP OPTION B:: Snowball FIght Supplies: Masking tape, lots of printer paper (check your church’s office recycling for some free snowballs Prep: Tape a long line down the middle of the large group area. 74

How to Play: Have a few hundred (varying on the size of the group) pieces of white printer paper crumbled up into balls, or “snowballs,” scattered throughout the playing area. Divide the group into two teams, one on either side of the piece of tape. When music plays, it’s a free for all to try to get as many snowballs on the other team’s side as possible before the music stops. If needed, take a quick pause, regather snowballs to the middle of the room, then start over. Go for as long as you want.

CRAFT OPTION A: Penguin Hat Supplies: Black construction paper, orange construction paper, markers, glue sticks Instructions: 1)Have children cut out the black construction paper to fit a strip around their head. Instead of cutting a straight edge, one of the sides will have a rounded bump. 2)Then the kids will cut out small “French fry” shapes out of the orange construction paper and glue them onto the rounded edge of the strip, facing out, to make the penguin hair. 3)Cut another orange strip of construction paper and craft it into a loop. Glue the loop where the mouth would be for the penguin. 4)Use the markers to draw on eyes, etc. 5)Connect either end of construction paper with glue to create the hat! Enjoy!

CRAFT OPTION B: Polar Bear Mask Supplies: White paper plates, markers, white construction paper, scissors, glue sticks, popsicle sticks Instructions: 1)Kids will take the white paper plates and color a nose, eyes, and face on the back of the plate. Kids can cut the eyeholes out if they would like. 2)Cut ears out of the white construction paper and use the glue sticks to attach the ears. 3)Attach the popsicle stick to the bottom of the bears face. 4)If the kids have cut the eyeholes out, they can use the Popsicle sticks to create a mask!

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS Frozen, Happy Feet

PINTEREST BOARD - pinterest.com/99balloonsorg Be sure and check out the rEcess Pinterest Board for additional activities that you can pull into your night.

LARGE GROUP OPTION A:: Animal Matching Supplies: Index cards, pens, music Prep: Write types of animals onto index cards, writing two of each animal on separate cards. How to Play: Give a kid/volunteer pair one card. Disperse the cards so that there are two of each animal handed out. Tell the pairs to look at the cards, and keep it a secret. When music starts (Preferably The Lion Sleeps Tonight) people will only be allowed to communicate using the sound of your animal. The goal is to find your match in the group with the same animal, only using your animal sounds! When you find your pair, sit down together.

LARGE GROUP OPTION B:: Through The Jungle If... Supplies: Index cards, pens Prep: Write types of animals onto the index cards.

How to Play: Have everyone split into two groups on either side of the room, with a volunteer in the middle. Give a kid/volunteer pair one index card. The volunteer will call out descriptions of animals, using the term “Through the Jungle If…” For example: “Through the Jungle If… your animal has sharp teeth… your animal has spots… your animal is fast… your animal eats a lot… your animal roars… your animal can fly… etc.” If the category applies to your animal, then you will walk across the room making your animal noise. It’s fun when categories are called that require everyone to cross, as well as when categories are called that require only one or two people to cross. Use as many “Through The Jungle If-s” as you have energy for! For a twist you can add a hunter in the mix to tag kids out.

JUST FOR FUN Jungle Selfie! At the end of the game(s) divide the group up into parts, with one volunteer in each group with a phone. The goal is to fit as many people as possible into one selfie picture. In a smaller group, try to get every kid bunched together for a fun selfiestyle picture. Have everyone do their best animal pose for the picture.

CRAFT OPTION A: Monkey Hat Supplies: Brown and tan construction paper, stapler, glue, googly eyes Instructions: 1)Have kids cut the construction paper to a thick strip 78

long enough to fit around their head. 2)Use the stapler to connect the ends into a circle. 3)Use the tan construction paper to create a mouth and ears for the monkey. 4)Use the glue or stapler to attach the ears and mouth. 5)Glue on the googly eyes, and have fun!

CRAFT OPTION B: Paper Plate Snake Supplies: Paper plates, scissors, glue, red construction paper, crayons/markers Instructions: 1)Kids can color the paper plate with crayons/ markers. 2)After the plate is fully colored, take the scissors and cut the plate in a spiral motion till you reach the center. Make sure the center of the plate is a somewhat big circle. 3)Take the circle in the center and pull up. This will form the snake! 4)Draw eyes on the head, and cut a tongue out of the red construction paper. Glue the tongue onto the bottom of the head.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS Tarzan, Rio 2, Madagascar, The Lion King

PINTEREST BOARD - pinterest.com/99balloonsorg Be sure and check out the rEcess Pinterest Board for additional activities that you can pull into your night.

LARGE GROUP OPTION A:: A Princess Visit Supplies: Costumes - princess, prince, knights, etc. Prep: Ask a volunteer or folks from your church if they would like to volunteer to be a Princess this month. How to Play: Have some folks come dressed as Princesses and Knights to visit the kids during Large Group time. If possible, have them perform a little skit.

LARGE GROUP OPTION B: Billy Goat, May We Cross Your Bridge? Supplies: Masking tape Prep: Tape a line on the floor of one side of the room; this will act as the “finish line”. How to Play: Select one person to be the billy goat and have him stand in the center of the playing area. The other kids stand approximately 150 feet from him, with the finish line on the other side of the billy goat. Together, the group of kids will yell “Billy goat, billy goat, may we cross your bridge?” He answers by saying “only if you are…” and describing something worn by one or more players. For example, he 81

might say “You can cross only if you are wearing a red shirt.” Anyone wearing a red shirt runs across the playing area toward the finish line, avoiding the billy goat, while the billy goat tags as many players as possible. Tagged players become goats and help catch other kids. The game continues until everyone is caught. The last child becomes the new billy goat.

CRAFT OPTION A: Fairytale Wands Supplies: Popsicle sticks, construction paper, sequins, markers, glue, feathers, paint, string, etc. Instructions: 1)Cut a star out of the construction paper and decorate however you want. 2)Attach (glue) the star to the popsicle stick and add string or ribbon hanging from your star.

CRAFT OPTION B: Fire Breathing Dragon Supplies: Green cups (plastic or paper), red/orange paper streamers, hot glue, googly eyes, popsicle sticks Instructions: 1)Have kids cut pieces of the red or orange streamers and glue them to the inside of the green cup. The streamers should be longer than the length of the cup. 82

2)Glue the bottom of the googly eyes to the side of the cup, so they stick up! If you don’t have googly eyes, you can make eyes out of construction paper. 3) Glue the tip of your popsicle stick to the bottom of the cup to make a handle to hold your fire-breathing dragon!

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS Tangled, Cinderella

PINTEREST BOARD - pinterest.com/99balloonsorg Be sure and check out the rEcess Pinterest Board for additional activities that you can pull into your night.

LARGE GROUP rEcess Talent Show Prep: Send an email to your families one month in advance so kids have plenty of time to prepare their talents. Recruit a few volunteers to bring some talent of their own. How to Play: Historically this is one of our rEcess site’s favorite evening of the year. At the rEcess Talent Show almost anything goes! Singing, dancing, magic tricks, telling jokes, etc... Recruit a couple of gregarious MC’s, have them dress the part and turn them loose!

CRAFT OPTION A: Paper Plate Banjo Supplies: Thick-weight paper plates, markers, paint, stickers, beads, paint sticks, rubber bands, glue Instructions: 1)Stack two thick-weight paper plates and staple them together for durability. 2)Let the kids paint the stacked plates their favorite 84

colors and decorate them with stickers. 3)Attach a paint stick to the back of the stacked plates and glue beads to the end as the pegs. 4)Finally, add strings by stretching rubber bands around the stacked plates.

CRAFT OPTION B: Microphone Supplies: Toilet paper rolls, black construction paper, small styrofoam craft balls (optional), foil, star stickers, sticky foam shapes, tape or hot glue Prep: 2-3 weeks before, email your volunteers and let them know you are collecting toilet paper roll inserts for this month’s craft. Have them bring them to rEcess, or try and collect them beforehand to ensure you will have enough. Instructions: 1)Take a toilet paper roll and have the child cover it in black construction paper. 2)Take a styrofoam craft ball and covered that with foil. If you’re not using styrofoam craft balls, just roll foil into a big ball. 3)Tape or hot glue the ball onto the toilet paper roll. 4)Use stickers and sticky foam shapes to decorate your microphone.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS High School Musical

PINTEREST BOARD - pinterest.com/99balloonsorg Be sure and check out the rEcess Pinterest Board for additional activities that you can pull into your night.

SIBLING TRACK CURRICULUM This section provides programming specifically for siblings that attend your rEcess. We recommend using these activities for children ages 6 and up, while some of the intentional activities cater more to pre-teens. It is ultimately up to your Leadership Team as to how you’d like to use this resource.

This sibling curriculum includes the following components for each month:

ICE BREAKERS MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT POW’S AND WOW’S - UPS AND DOWNS OF THE WEEK HIGH ENERGY GAME INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY LOW ENERGY GAME OPTIONAL OLDER SIBLING MOVIE RECOMMENDATION SCHEDULE Time Frame

Activity

20-45 Min

Introduction/Icebreakers

20 Min

Pow’s and Wow’s

30 Min

Minute-To-Win-It

15-20 Min

High Energy Game

20-30 Min

Intentional Sibling Activity

15-20 Min

Low Energy Game

90 Min

Movie

AS YOU GO Volunteers can use the “AS YOU GO” questions throughout the night as additional ways to interact with sibs. Find a full list of questions in the Resource section of this guide.

Some of the activities in this curriculum have been adapted from Sibship activities.

SEPTEMBER Supplies Needed: Name Tags, Markers, Ball, 10 Apples, Letter(s) of Dear Aunt Blabby

ICEBREAKERS FACE TAGS Make a name tag more fun by having the kids create their own name tag. Have them draw a self portrait of themselves on the name tag. As participants arrive give them a name tag and a wide array of colorful drawing utensils. These self portraits can be as realistic or as outlandish as the artist desires. Next they write their names on the name tag. Attach the name tag to their clothing. Facilitators can model their artistic abilities by also creating a name tag.

GROUP JUGGLING Stand in a circle gently toss a ball back and forth, establishing a pattern. Call the name of the person to whom you are throwing as you throw the ball, and keep your eyes on the person who always tosses you the ball. Once this pattern is established add another ball, and then another ball.

AS YOU GO What should we know about you? What should we know about your sib?

MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT APPLE STACK Have the player try to stack 5 apples on top of each other.

POW’S AND WOW’S While still sitting in the circle have each person tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them in the past week.

HIGH ENERGY GAME CAT AND MOUSE Children pair up with each other, link arms and scatter in their pairs around a playing field/area. One or two are picked to be 'It' and chase the pairs. The object of the game is for one of the chasers to hook onto the arm (elbow) of one of the pairs, when they do so the other one of the pair must leave and becomes the chaser (It). The game carries on until desired.

INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY DEAR AUNT BLABBY Explain that siblings have been writing in to the agony aunt at your local newspaper, but that she needs help in knowing how to answer the letters. Get one sibling to choose a letter and read it out. That person has first go at answering it, then others join in with their advice/opinions. Dear Aunt Blabby, My sister is 7 years old and has epilepsy. It is my birthday soon and I am worried in case she has a fit in front of my friends. It frightens me sometimes when she has fits and I don't want her to scare away my friends, what shall I do? Michelle Dear Aunt Blabby, I am fed up with my mom and dad. I have got a brother with a disability and he gets more attention than I do. If my brother does anything wrong they never seem to say very much but if I do anything wrong I always get into trouble. Sometimes I feel really angry. Ashley Dear Aunt Blabby, My brother makes me really mad. When I go out to play with my friends he cries and wants me to stay in with him. He is not allowed to play outside because he has no road sense and sometimes I feel guilty to leave him. Do you have any ideas? Drew *FIND A FULL LIST OF “DEAR AUNT BLABBY” LETTERS IN THE RESOURCE APPENDIX OF THIS SIBLING TRACK GUIDEBOOK 91

LOW ENERGY GAME KNOTS Arrange group members in a circle, standing shoulder to shoulder. Tell everyone to put their right hand up in the air, and then grab the hand of someone across the circle from them.Everyone then puts their left hand up in the air and grabs the hand of a different person.Check to make sure that everyone is holding the hands of two different people and AS YOU GO that they are not holding hands with someone directly next to them. Tell Do you like hanging out with your sib? group members to untangle What do you do? themselves to make a circle without breaking the chain of hands.If group members break the chain they need to start over. Time how long it take for them to untangle themselves. See if they can break their record.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS THEME: OUTER SPACE Wall-E, Space Jam, Guardians of the Galaxy

OCTOBER Supplies Needed: Vaseline, cotton balls, construction paper, markers, crayons

ICEBREAKERS TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE Begin by sitting in a circle. Have each player come up with two facts about themselves that are true and to create one “fact” that is false. One at a time the players share their facts with the group. Once the player has shared the other players guess which one is false and which ones are true. Examples: I have two sisters. My family lives on a farm and I play on a baseball team. Actually I do not live on a farm I live in the city.

MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT COTTON BALL NOSE Put Vaseline on each player’s nose. Each player has to transfer cotton balls from one plate to another without using his/her hands.

AS YOU GO How would you describe your relationship with your sib?

POW’S AND WOW’S While still sitting in the circle have each person tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them in the past week.

HIGH ENERGY GAME FOX AND CHICKEN To play line up the group in a single file - except for one player. That player is the fox! Have everyone in line hold the waist or shoulders of the person in-front of them. These are the chicks, and the player at the head of the line is the Mother Hen. At your cue the fox attempts to catch the last chick in the line. The mother hen is trying to protect the chicks from preventing the fox from catching the last chick. When the last chick in line is caught, this chick falls behind the fox and holds onto the fox’s waist or shoulders as he tries to get more chicks. as more chicks are caught the fox line eventually gets longer than the mother hens. The game continues until all of the chicks are caught.

INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY HAND OF SUPPORT As a group, discuss with siblings the idea of a support network – the people who will be there to help us when times get tough. Mention the people who can often help 94

siblings: mom, dad, family members, social workers, teachers, nurses, sibling workers, GOD (praying) – ask the siblings to shout out their ideas and write them on the board or large piece of paper as a reference. Then discuss how sometimes when we are going through a tough time the first person who we think to talk to may not be there (e.g. mom may be with brother at hospital, dad may be at work). That is where the hand of support comes in as a reminder of the other people who can be there to help. Siblings draw around their hand onto the colored paper and then cut out the hand shape. One side they decorate with a pattern or materials to make a pleasing picture that they would want to look at again. On the other side they write down the name of the specific people who support them – one person on each finger. (Laminate if possible to protect the hand). The hand is then ready to be taken home and hung on the wall with the pattern showing to the world. When the sibling is concerned and needs to talk to someone they can then turn it over and look at the people who could help them.

LOW ENERGY GAME GIANTS, WIZARDS, ELVES This active game is similar to "rock, paper, scissors”. Divide the group into two teams. Each team huddles together in their respective safe zones and chooses to be giants, wizards, or elves for each round. They then come to the middle to face the other team, making the gestures and sounds of their chosen character. • Giants: stand on tippy-toes and roar. • Wizards: crouch down and pretend to cast a spell while saying "Shazam!"

• Elves: get down very low and cup their hands onto their ears to mimic pointy ears while screaming "eeee!" • Giants beat elves, elves beat wizards and wizards beat giants. The winning team of each round then tries to capture as many members of the other team as they can before they run back to their safe zone or time is called. If both teams choose the same character, they all go back to their respective huddle and choose again. Play continues until one team has captured all the rest of the participants or until the time is up.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS THEME: UNDER THE SEA Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo

NOVEMBER Supplies Needed: Feather, bucket, flag, handkerchief, balloons (enough for each child to have one)

ICEBREAKERS HAVE YOU EVER...? Have everyone sit in a circle, except for one, who is standing inside it. The person standing asks a "Have you ever" question. (ex. Have you ever been to the ocean?) If anyone else has done this they have to get up and quickly sit in another person's chair. However, they can't sit in a chair that's next to theirs. After all run to their new chairs, one will be left and they will ask the next question.

MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT FEATHER BREATH Give each player a feather and have them blow it across the room into a bucket. The feather must be kept in the air at all times and no body parts may be used to help the feather. An easier version of this is to just keep the feather in the air for 1 minute without trying to move it across the room.

POW’S AND WOW’S While still sitting in the circle have each person tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them in the past week.

HIGH ENERGY GAME CAPTURE THE FLAG Divide into two teams and mark the middle of the playing area using a rope or chalk to mark the boundary between the two teams areas. Each team then hides a flag or handkerchief in their half of the playing AS YOU GO area. The object is for each team to find/ get the other teams flag without getting Do you think your sib has affected caught. A player can be caught when your personality? How? they are in the opposing teams area and are tagged by a member of that team. If a player is caught they are sent to a jail on the opposing teams side and are out of the game, unless they are released by a team member who has not been caught. The team that finds the other teams' flag first wins. If playing in a large hall or gym, have a circle with few cones at the back of each teams territory in which to put to the flag.

INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY BALLOON FEELING Introduce the activity by asking the siblings if they think that we all have different feelings at different times. Ask them to name some of the feelings that siblings can have about their brother or sister. Ask for some nice feelings, and some 'not so nice' feelings. Tell them that these are normal feelings that all brothers and sisters have at different times. Ask each sibling to stick a label on a balloon and stand in the middle of the room. Tell them that when the music starts playing the group must work together to keep all the balloons in the air at the same time, and when the music stops each person catches a balloon. Then ask one of them to read the label on his/her balloon and to think of a time when he or she has felt that way. For example a child may say he felt happy on his birthday, or sad when her sister was in hospital. Play the music again and repeat until each child has a turn (or after several turns if the group is large).

LOW ENERGY GAME SIGHTLESS SCULPTURE Divide the participants into groups of three people; you can make a group of four if you need to. Each person in the group will be given the title of either the artist, the model, or the clay; in the group of four there will be two artists. Blindfold the artist, and have the model pose into a character (ex: superman, muscleman). Help the 99

artist feel the shape of the model. The artist then moves parts of the clay (legs, arms, head, and torso body) into the same position as the model body. When the artist feels that the clay looks just like the model, he or she will say WA-LAA. The artist then opens his or her eyes to see if the model looks like him or her. Then everyone in the group gets a different title and the process starts over. Variations: Depending on your participants, you can have all the groups do the activity at the same time, or have just one group do the activity while the other groups watch. Or have two groups do the activity at the same time, and then have the other groups be the and vote for the most accurate sculpture.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS THEME: THANKSGIVING/HARVEST Pocahontas, Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

AS YOU GO Do you have any good stories about your sib?

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DECEMBER Supplies Needed: Roll of toilet paper, two balloons per person, musical instruments, sheet of paper

ICEBREAKERS TOILET PAPER SHARE Everyone sits in a circle and a new roll of toilet paper is passed around. Each person is asked to take "as many sheets of toilet paper as they think they will need" ... with no other explanation. Each person is then asked to tell the group as many things about themselves as they have sheets of paper. For example: If one person took 4 sheets from the toilet paper roll then they would tell the group 4 things about themselves.

MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT DEFY GRAVITY Give each player two balloons. Have the players try to keep both balloons in the air for 1 minute. To make this even more difficult, have each player use only one hand to keep the balloons in the air.

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POW’S AND WOW’S While still sitting in the circle have each person tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them in the past week.

HIGH ENERGY GAME CRISS CROSS Simple game! Divide into 4 teams. Send each team into a corner. The object of the game is to see which team can get to the opposite (diagonal) corner the fastest, using the method the leader calls out (eg. if the leader calls out "hopping," the teams must hop to the opposite corner). This will create quite a "bottleneck" or "traffic jam" in the middle each time. Keep score of which team wins each crossing. First team to 5 wins. Good Crossing Methods: • Hopping • Wheel barrel (one person holding a partner's legs while they walk on hands) • Crab Walk • Sprint

AS YOU GO Do your friends get along with your sib? Do you tend to pick friends who are likely to get along with your sibling? How?

• Backwards Walk • Skipping 102

•Crawling •etc...

INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY MOOD MUSIC

Write different feelings onto pieces of paper. Fold them up and put them into a suitable container. The sibling selects a piece of paper and looks at the feeling. The sibling picks an instrument and plays it in such a way as to express the feeling. You have to guess what the feeling is. Repeat by taking turns to choose a feeling and play the instrument.

LOW ENERGY GAME

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

AS YOU GO Is your outlook on life different from your friends outlook on life? How?

Players are paired up with a partner. Players stand in two lines, shoulder to shoulder, with partners facing each other. Participants are given approximately 30 seconds to look at their partners, taking in all details about the individual. The leader then instructs the two lines to turn around and face away from their partners. Both lines have 15-20 seconds to change one thing in their 103

appearance (for example, change their watch to their other wrist, unbutton a button, remove a belt or jewelry, etc.). The change must be discrete, but visible to the partner. The players are told to turn back to face their partners and have 30 seconds to discover the physical change that their partner has made. Repeat several times, then change partners.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS

THEME: CHRISTMAS

Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Home Alone

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FEBRUARY Supplies Needed: Small package of M&M’s, spaghetti noodles, penne pasta, hula hoop, package of paper to make book, stapler, markers, pens, crayons

ICEBREAKERS M&M GAME This icebreaker is played like the toilet paper game from last month, except with M&M’s. Everyone sits in a circle and a bag of M&M’s is passed around. Each person is asked to take "as many M&M’s as they think they will need" ... with no other explanation. Each person is then asked to tell the group as many things about themselves as they have M&M’s. For example: If one person took 4 M&M’s then they would tell the group 4 things about themselves. Or attach a certain question to each color of M&M. Tell them not to eat the M&M’s until it is their turn. For each M&M color have a category that they must say one thing about themselves. AS YOU GO Red = Family, Blue = Personal, Green = School, etc. Play this with What do you want people to know Skittles or other colored candies. about your sib?

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MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT NOODLE PICK-UP Place six uncooked pieces of penne pasta near the edge of a table. Give the player an uncooked spaghetti noodle to hold in his/her mouth and use to try and pick up the penne noodles. This is much harder than it sounds!

POW’S AND WOW’S While still sitting in the circle have each person tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them in the past week.

HIGH ENERGY GAME RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT Start with everyone along the starting line. When you say 'Green Light' everyone will move towards the finish line, When you say 'Red Light' everyone must immediately stop. Start a new round when everyone gets across the finish line or when most players make it across the finish line.

AS YOU GO What do you tell your friends about your sib’s disability? Do they ever ask questions?

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INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY MY SIB & ME Have the participants fold a piece of paper in half, making a book. Next have them open the book and write “My Sib” on one side, and have them write or draw their sib’s favorite (or least favorite) foods, games, toys, and so forth. Then have the participants repeat on the other “Me” side, and tell them to write their favorite (or least favorite) things. Make sure to match categories among all kids. When everyone is finished, asked the kids to compare the sides, discussing how many things are similar and different.

LOW ENERGY GAME HULA HOOPLA GAME Split into two teams have the kids line up in two lines. Have each member of a team hold hands and tell them not to let go. Teams then try and get a hula hoop from one end of the line to the other and then back again without letting go of their hands.

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS THEME: ARCTIC BLAST Frozen, Snow Dogs, Ice Age 107

MARCH Supplies Needed: Doughnuts, string or twine, rope, balloon

ICEBREAKERS FAVORITES Ask three questions about themselves. Sit in a circle and have each participant share about their favorite things. Examples: What is your favorite food/fruit/vegetable. What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite TV show? What is your favorite holiday? What is your favorite color?

MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT DOUGHNUT CREW Tie a string around a doughnut and hang it in-between two chairs. Using only their mouths, have the players try to eat the entire doughnut without letting it fall off of the string.

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POW’S AND WOW’S While still sitting in the circle have each person tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them in the past week.

HIGH ENERGY GAME HUMAN FOOSBALL Divide into two teams and have both teams sit down in a row (either on the floor or in chairs) facing each other. Using a balloon as a ball, teams remain seated and have to keep the balloon in the air (unlimited hits each side). Points are scored when a team gets the balloon over all of the opposing team and it hits the wall (indoors) or beyond a boundary (outdoors). Points are also gained when balloon lands on the ground of the opposing team.

AS YOU GO How do your friends describe you?

INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY FEELINGS-ON-A-ROPE Have two volunteers hold a rope. Have the kids stand next to the part of the rope that represents how happy you would feel in each of the following situations. One 109

end of the rope represents not very happy and the other end is very happy. The choice of where to stand is up to them. • You are allowed to have the day off from school • You get an A for a school assignment • You are invited to a birthday party • You drop your ice cream cone • Family outing with your brother or sister who has a disability • Having friends come over • Going to the same school as your brother and sister with a disability •Playing with your brother or sister •Add your own

LOW ENERGY GAME SIMON SAYS

This traditional favorite will never get old. To start, choose one player (probably an adult for the first round) to be Simon. The rest of the players will gather in a circle or line in front of Simon as he calls out AS YOU GO actions starting with the phrase “Simon says”: “Simon says…touch your toes.” Do you think your sib knows he/she The players then have to copy Simon’s has a disability? action, touching their toes. If Simon calls out an action without uttering the phrase 110

“Simon says,” the kids must not do the action. If a child touches his toes when Simon didn’t say…, he or she is out of the game. There are lots of great ways Simon can trick players into doing actions when Simon didn’t say: Simon can perform an action without uttering a command, or he can perform an action that doesn’t correspond with the command. Fun! The last player left in the game wins and becomes the next Simon.

MOVIE THEME: INTO SUGGESTIONS THE JUNGLE

Jungle Book, George of the Jungle, Tarzan, Jumanji

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APRIL Supplies Needed: Boxes of tissue, dodge ball, paper plates, construction paper, markers, two objects (i.e. keys, marble, water bottle)

ICEBREAKERS TELEPHONE Line up the participants in a straight line. Have the first person come up with a phrase or movie quote. Then the first child turns to his/her neighbor and whispers the message. That participant then whispers to the next person and so on. Challenge the group to be as accurate as possible. The last person will announce out loud what they heard and will likely have a garbled message. If desired, have the group discuss where the breakdown occurred and what this activity teaches. (Miscommunication can cause disagreements and even hurt feelings.)

MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT RUNNY NOSE Give the player a full box of tissues. Using only one hand, have the player pull all of the tissues out of the box (one at a time!) in under one minute. 112

POW’S AND WOW’S While still sitting in the circle have each person tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them in the past week.

HIGH ENERGY GAME DODGE BALL DOCTOR Dodge ball variation. Divide into 2 teams with each team going to opposite sides of the hall/playing area, each choosing a doctor which they keep secret. (You may need 2 doctors for larger groups.) Play a game of Team Dodgeball with teams throwing one or more soft balls at the legs of the opposing team to eliminate the other team by getting AS YOU GO all its players out. When someone is hit below the knee, they must sit. The Doctor however may touch the When you were younger, did you ever injured and bring them back into wish you had a disability so your parents play. would pay more attention to you? Hint: Players shouldn't just pop up when touched as this will give away the doctor. Also, a decoy touching kids as well is recommended. When the Doctor is hit, the team's only hope is their skill.

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INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY THAT BUGS ME AND THE LOVE BUG Staple two paper plates together, plate side towards the middle. This is the body of the bug. To prepare cut out shapes and legs on construction paper. Have the participants write down something that bugs them on a leg to attach to the plate. Questions can be, ‘What bugs you about school?’ ‘What bugs you about your relative?’ ‘What bugs you about yourself?’ Ask the participants to share what they have written as they attach the leg to their bugs. The love bug is the same activity, ‘What do you love about your sibling?’ ‘What do you love about school?’ ‘What do you love about your relative?’

LOW ENERGY GAME RED-HANDED

Students stand or sit in a circle. Leader gives two objects (keys, water bottles, goggles - whatever you have) to students on opposite sides of the circle from one another. Students must pass the objects to one another - they may pass in either direction, but they must only pass to students on either side of them. When a student ends up with both objects, he or she is "caught red handed." At this point, they can either be "out" or receive another consequence while still in the game (e.g., making a silly face, singing a song).

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MOVIE SUGGESTIONS THEME: FAIRYTALES Cinderella, Ella Enchanted, Tangled, Shrek

AS YOU GO What makes you proud of your sib?

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MAY Supplies Needed: spool of string or wool, beans, straws, egg, spoon, brown paper bags, markers, glue, magazines

ICEBREAKERS WEB GAME You need to have a spool of string or wool for this game. Ask everyone to stand in a circle. Hold on to the end of the string and throw the ball/spool to one of the kids to catch. Once they catch the string or wool have them answer a question.

AS YOU GO Holding the string they then throw it to another member of the group. Eventually this creates a What is your pet peeve? web as well as learning some interesting things about each other! At the end of the game you could comment that we all played a part in creating this unique web and if one person was gone it would look different. In the same way it's important that we all take part to make the group what it is, unique and special. Sample Questions: • If you had a time machine that only works once, what point in the future or in history would you visit? • If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? • If your house was burning down, what three objects would you try and save? 116

• If you could talk to any one person now living, who would it be and why? • If you HAD to give up one of your senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting) which would it be and why? • If you were an animal, what would you be and why? • Do you have a pet? If not, what sort of pet would you like? • Name a gift you will never forget? • Name one thing you really like about yourself? • What's your favorite thing to do in the summer?

MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT THIS SUCKS Place a small amount of beans on a table and give each person a straw. Place a bowl on a table about ten feet away. Give the contestant one minute to suck a bean onto the straw and run it to the other bowl. Whoever can do the most in a minute wins!

POW’S AND WOW’S While still sitting in the circle have each person tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them in the past week.

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HIGH ENERGY GAME EGG-CELLENT RACE Relay race! Create two teams. Each player has to run while balancing an egg (raw or hard boiled) in the bowl of the spoon. If the object falls off players would have to stop, pick it up and replace it before running on again.

INTENTIONAL SIBLING ACTIVITY INSIDE/OUTSIDE BAG How we are feeling on the inside isn't always what we show on the outside. Inside/ Outside allows participants to represent artistically how they feel and what they choose to share with others. Share with your participants an example, preferably a humorous example, of when you felt one way but acted another way. Perhaps you were really irritated by someone but had to smile anyways. Or perhaps you were embarrassed by something your mom did but needed to pretend that nothing happened. Point out to the kids that most of us do that now and then, and for some people much of their life is like that: The outside is different from the inside. Tell them that with this activity, they'll be able to represent the inside/outside feelings they sometimes have. Although this can be about feelings the kids have about their sibling it doesn't have to be; it can represent feelings they had at a certain time or how they feel all the time.

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For the bag activity, set up a table with paper bags, kid and family magazines, glue, markers, and so forth. Have the kids rummage through magazines and cut out pictures that represent their feelings. Have them glue the “outside” feelings to the outside of the bag and have them either glue or place the “inside” feelings inside the bag. Have the kids share their artwork with the group ask them who they have to share their inside feelings with; it might be a parent, a favorite aunt or uncle, a friend, a fellow foursquare volunteer, a pet or stuffed animal.

CALL ALL VEGETABLES

LOW ENERGY GAME

Have the participants sit in a circle (close enough for everyone to hear). Ask everyone to choose a vegetable name for themselves (i.e. carrot, broccoli, celery, etc.). Going around the circle, have each person say his or her chosen vegetable name. One participant starts the game with Celery (his or her own name) calling Carrot, then calls another participant and so on.

THEME: TALENT SHOW

MOVIE SUGGESTIONS

High School Musical

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RESOURCE Dear Aunt Blabby: This is for the September “Intentional Activity”. Cut these strips of Dear Aunt Blabby letters to hand them out to siblings for the activity.

Dear Aunt Blabby, My sister is 7 years old and has epilepsy. It is my birthday soon and I am worried in case she has a fit in front of my friends. It frightens me sometimes when she has fits and I don't want her to scare away my friends, what shall I do? Michelle

Dear Aunt Blabby, I am fed up with my mom and dad. I have got a brother with a disability and he gets more attention than I do. If my brother does anything wrong they never seem to say very much but if I do anything wrong I always get into trouble. Sometimes I feel really angry. Ashley

Dear Aunt Blabby, My brother makes me really mad. When I go out to play with my friends he cries and wants me to stay in with him. He is not allowed to play outside because he has no road sense and sometimes I feel guilty to leave him. Do you have any ideas? Drew

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Dear Aunt Blabby, I have a problem at school with my friend. They sometimes ask me what is wrong with my brother who is disabled. Once my teacher even asked. I never know how to explain it. Can you help? Sarah

Dear Aunt Blabby, My younger brother Tony has autism and likes flapping his hands and humming. I have a problem at school with my friends, when he comes with my mom to pick me up they ask. what is wrong with him and start laughing.What can I tell them. Jess

Dear Aunt Blabby, I am fed up with my mom and dad. My older brother Tom has asperger's and often goes in my room and takes things. They tell me to ignore him but I can't. I hit him and get into trouble and that's not fair cos he started it all. Please help! Mark

Dear Aunt Blabby, My older sister Karen has autism. She makes me so mad cos when I go out with my friends Karen gets excited so my mom asks if she can come too and Karen likes the park but when we have to leave she starts screaming and everyone looks at me. Sometimes I run out of the house before she is ready but then I feel guilty because she has no friends. Should I just leave her? Tracey

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Dear Aunt Blabby, My mom is always helping my younger sister Sasha and I'm left out. Mom says it's because Sasha has asperger's and needs more help but I think Sasha is just lazy and needs to try harder. Mom says she is too tired to come shopping with me but still takes Sasha to the park. Why is it so unfair? Sammy

Dear Aunt Blabby, I love going bowling with my family but we hardly ever go. My little brother Carl always ruins it by having an outburst before we set out. Dad says it's because he has autism and hates change. But why does he enjoy it when we do go? Why is autism so confusing? Kevin

Dear Aunt Blabby, My friends don't know I have a sister with autism. Saleema doesn't go to my school and so I never mention her. But mom wants to give me a birthday party and Saleema will be there. Saleema still wears diapers even though she is 7 and she can't talk properly. I usually get along with her but I know my friends will laugh. How can I tell my mom I'm ashamed of Saleema? Aziz

Dear Aunt Blabby, My little brother William is really cute and loves playing with trains. I help him get ready and look after him when we play outside. I thought he would be coming to my school but Dad says he has autism and that's why he gets a bus to the special school in the next town. Will William ever get better and come to my school? Liam

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Dear Aunt Blabby, I think I have autism. I have two younger brothers – Jack has Aspergers and Tim has autism. I like watching videos again and again and I know that people with autism have obsessions. Mom tells me I haven't got it but how does she know I have not caught it? I'm worried. James

Dear Aunt Blabby, I am really fed up at school. When my older brother Chris has a kick off, everyone comes to get me to calm him down, even though he's in the year above me. At playtime and dinner time I have to stay with him because he has no friends. I wish he would just go to another school but mom wants him to go to a normal school. Help! Frankie

Dear Aunt Blabby, My older brother Jordan will only eat brown food. That is very weird! Why won't he eat any other colors? We never go in cafes now because he has a tantrum if there's nothing he likes. What do you think? Claire

Dear Aunt Blabby, My little sister Demi looks normal but she's not! If she doesn't get what she wants she starts screaming and kicking. This is not good because when we're in a shop my mom just gives in. When I've done it I get told off, Demi doesn't! At home we always have to watch what she wants. Will things get better? Harry

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RESOURCE As You Go:: Copy and cut these questions into strips each month and hand them out to your volunteers. Encourage them to use these questions as conversation starters for the siblings present.

What should we know about you?

What should we know about your sib?

How many kids are in your family?

Describe yourself to someone who can’t see you?

How would you describe your relationship with your sib?

Do you like hanging out with your sib? What do you do?

How do your friends describe you?

What do you want people to know about your sib?

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Do you think your sib knows he or she has a disability?

Do you have any good stories about your sib?

Is your outlook on life different from your friends outlook on life? How?

Do you think being a sib has affected your personality? How?

What makes you proud of your sib?

When you were younger did you ever wish you had a disability so your parents would pay more attention to you?

Do your friends get along with your sib? Do you tend to pick friends who are likely to get along with your sibling?

What do you tell your friends about your sib disability? Do they ever ask questions?

What is your pet peeve? !

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VOLUNTEER TRAINING MODELS & SCRIPT

VOLUNTEER TRAINING MODELS Pick your Volunteer Training Model Select the model you plan to use for Volunteer Training: rEcessBASE:: ! LIVE TRAINING rEcessPLUS:: ! DIGITAL, WITHIN EVENT ! LIVE, WITHIN EVENT

! DIGITAL, OUTSIDE OF EVENT

All potential rEcess volunteers must be trained and background checked BEFORE they can be paired with siblings or the 1:1 track. The following are a few ways to get your volunteers trained and ready to be a part of rEcess.

Shadowing Potential volunteers may “shadow” another volunteer at a portion of the rEcess event before or after training in order to give them an experience of what the night is like. However, before shadowing, you will need to ensure that they are aware of the rEcess Top 5 policies & procedures.

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rEcessBASE Training Options rEcessBASE sites have access to all of our digital tools for training volunteers but the volunteer leaders do not have access to Volunteer Training Videos through rEcess Hub.

A copy of the Volunteer Training Manual is included in the rEcess Toolkit. You can also find a digital copy on the rEcess Hub.

• Feel free to use your own material, stories & experiences to train volunteers on your church's rEcess specifics, God's heart for disability as well as the value & importance of siblings within the rEcess model of ministry. • Go over ALL of the rEcess policies & procedures with your volunteers. These are non-negotiable pieces of being a rEcess that each and every rEcess volunteer must remember and comply with. • Do a walk through of your rEcess space being sure to point out exits, hazards, designated quiet spaces and places off-limits. • Have potential volunteers fill out any necessary background check forms. Run the background checks before your next rEcess event. Volunteers must be background checked BEFORE being paired with any child in the sibling track or 1:1 track. 128

rEcessPLUS Training Options rEcess Plus sites have access to the volunteer training vides via rEcess Hub. All volunteers that sign up on the Hub will be able to access the Volunteer training videos.

Volunteer Training WITHIN a rEcess Event or Training Event This outlines how you can provide volunteer training to potential rEcess volunteers during a rEcess event. This outline applies also for those who do not train volunteers at a rEcess but have periodic trainings available for new volunteers.

DIGITAL TRAINING: Requirements: • A screen connected online or to a computer to show Volunteer Training Videos from rEcess Hub. • A facilitator. • Volunteer Training Script. • Volunteer Training Manuals for participants. • Background Check forms.

A copy of the Volunteer Training Script and Volunteer Training Manual is included in the rEcess Toolkit. You can also find a digital copy on the rEcess Hub.

Steps: • Play our 3 required Volunteer Training Vignettes from the rEcess Hub Training section. • Vignettes:: God's Heart for Disability, rEcess Policies & Procedures, Siblings. • Running time:: Approximately 43 minutes • Use the Volunteer Training Script to facilitate conversations and relationships in between the videos & to recap the materials as a group together.

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• Volunteer Training Manuals are provided for participants in order for them to follow along as well as to reinforce the training materials. • Do a walk through of your rEcess space being sure to point out exits, hazards, designated quiet spaces and places off-limits. • Have potential volunteers fill out any necessary background check forms. Run the background checks before your next rEcess event. Volunteers must be background checked BEFORE being paired with any child in the sibling track or 1:1 track.

LIVE TRAINING: Requirements: • A Volunteer Trainer from your Leadership Team that has thoroughly reviewed the Volunteer Training Videos & Volunteer Training Manual. • Volunteer Training Manuals for Participants. • Background Check forms. • Optional: A screen connected online or to a computer to show one or more of the Volunteer Training Videos from rEcess Hub. Steps: • Leadership team member trains volunteers using the 99 Balloons' rEcess training materials. • Feel free to use your own material, stories & experiences to train volunteers on your church's rEcess specifics, God's heart for disability as well as the value & importance of siblings within the rEcess model of ministry.

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• Go over ALL of the rEcess policies & procedures with your volunteers. These are non-negotiable pieces of being a rEcess that each and every rEcess volunteer must remember and comply with. • Do a walk through of your rEcess space being sure to point out exits, hazards, designated quiet spaces and places off-limits. • Have potential volunteers fill out any necessary background check forms. Run the background checks before your next rEcess event. Volunteers must be background checked BEFORE being paired with any child in the sibling track or 1:1 track.

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Volunteer Training OUTSIDE of a rEcess Event or Training Event This outlines an option for volunteer training outside of a rEcess event or planned training event.

DIGITAL TRAINING: Steps: • Inform your 1st-time volunteers that they must watch the 3 required Volunteer Training Videos online through rEcess Hub BEFORE coming to your rEcess. • Track their progress on rEcess Hub through the “Users” section of your admin access. • Have a leadership team person serve as a "rEcess Facilitator" to help all new volunteers feel welcomed. • Do a walk through of your rEcess space being sure to point out exits, hazards, designated quiet spaces and places off-limits.

You can find the rEcess Recap in the “Resource” section of your Leadership Team Training manual, or online on the rEcess Hub Resource page.

•You MUST reiterate the rEcess Top 5 to all new volunteers through use of the rEcess Recap.

• Have potential volunteers fill out any necessary background check forms. Run the background checks before your next rEcess event. Volunteers must be background checked BEFORE being paired with any child in the sibling track or 1:1 track.

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VOLUNTEER TRAINING SCRIPT Instructions This tool is to be used as a guide to help someone train new volunteers at a rEcess site. Please do not read this verbatim as it would be a tragedy to bore your volunteers. Rather, allow this to help organize your time and serve to prime the pump as you introduce people to the fun that is rEcess. Remember, you will never get this much time with these volunteers again. When they come back, they will be paired with a child and they will hit the ground running. Our videos set you for success by allowing the heart behind our work as well as the policies & procedures to be covered thoroughly; however, no video can do what you will be able to do with your time with these volunteers. Your role is to begin a relationship with them; you can do yourself & rEcess a huge favor by imparting the larger vision of rEcess, training them with excellence and beginning a relationship whereby they feel valued and empowered (not just used).

Best Practices • Use name tags and incorporate the names of the volunteers as you initiate discussion throughout the training.

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• Set a comfortable atmosphere; serve cookies, coffee or something. • Use humor if you’re funny. If you’re not, be you and don’t try to be Tina Fey. • Make sure everyone knows that questions are welcomed. • If you do not know the answer, don’t make it up. Let them know that you will ask someone on the Leadership Team or with 99 Balloons.

Welcome Be personable & initiate a welcoming tone to all. Remember that this is most likely many folks’ first experience of disability in any way and they may be a bit hesitant.

Pass out Background Check Forms to be filled out and turned in.

Example Training Script Experience of Disability?

“Okay everyone before we get started with our rEcess training, I’d like to get to know each of you a little better…. !How have of you experienced disability in your own life (family, friends, ! peers, school, etc)?” o Listen to answers. o Ask follow up question. o When appropriate, tie their own stories into the individuals and families that are served by rEcess.

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! ! ! !

“Some of us may have a lot of experience with disability and some of us may have none at all; !either way, we are so glad you are here and we ! believe our training will provide you some helpful information as we seek to work with families and persons experiencing disability.”

What Brought You to rEcess? !“What or who brought you to rEcess today; why did you choose to give up !time and come to serve? ! ! !

! ! !

We have partnered with 99 Balloons in order to bring rEcess to our !! community…you can learn more about them and how they got started by accessing the intro video on rEcess hub…”

(OPTIONAL) PLAY VIDEO: “99 BALLOONS: HOW WE GOT STARTED”

rEcess Provides Community

! !

“rEcess was born out of a desire to surround and serve families ! ! experiencing !disability as a way to bring them into the community of the ! church.

! ! ! !

Often times, families experiencing disability say that they feel isolated as their experience is different than the typical and many things that ‘work’ for the world and other families do not quite work for them. Some common ! experiences that may prove more difficult for some our families are:

• Going out to eat at a restaurant.

• Sending their child off to school.

• Getting a babysitter. 135

• Attending a church service.

! ! !

And so rEcess is a way to meet families experiencing disability right where they’re at and invite them into community through a night designed !! specifically for families like theirs.”

Why Respite? What do you think, why is it that we have chosen respite as the way to ! surround these families? ! !

! !

You can watch a video on why respite is a great starting point for ! ! relationship at rEcess Hub.

(OPTIONAL) PLAY VIDEO: “INTRO TO RESPITE” ! !

Respite is a great starting point with

• volunteers,

• families,

• kiddos with disability

• and siblings.

! !

But it’s about more than respite. rEcess is a starting point for relationships. And God is about our relationships with one another and with Him. !What does the Bible say about disabilities? Anyone remember something from scripture off the top of their head?

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!When have you seen the church - at large - serve persons with disability !well? When have you seen the church - at large - fail families and persons ! experiencing disability? !

Let’s now look to just that….a brief overview of God’s heart for disability.”

(MANDATORY) PLAY VIDEO: “GOD’S HEART FOR DISABILITY”

“And so God cares deeply about ALL persons that He has created. And He is clear in scripture about how He wants His body, the church, to function. • rEcess is NOT ministry TO persons with disability. • But ministry ALONGSIDE persons with disability. • Because every person created in the image of God has worth, gifts and value. !How is God’s picture of what He desires His body to look like different from !culture’s values or societal norms? What values of our culture tend to ! ! marginalize or devalue persons with disability?”

(MANDATORY) PLAY VIDEO: “rEcess VOLUNTEER TRAINING” ! !

“Let’s quickly review the Top 5: 1)All children - siblings and 1:1 - are only allowed to eat any food they brought with them. 2)Any and all medication are not to be distributed by volunteers. They go through the on-site medical professional. 137

3)In the case of a medical emergency, notify the designated on-site medical professional right away. 4)All 1:1 volunteers must look over the Parent Packet for the child they are paired with prior to the child’s arrival. 5)Report abuse and avoid abuse - Volunteers are never to be alone at any time, with any child, in any room. Any toileting and diapering help must go through the designated toileting person(s). !Does anyone have any questions or need clarification?” ! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! !

(If you get asked a question that you do not know, please say so and do not feel as though you need to create an answer on the spot. Simply tell ! them you will look into it and feel free to ask ! other leadership team ! members or email us at info@99balloons.org and be sure to get back to them with what you find.)

! ! ! !

“At rEcess, it is important for you to understand that we are a ministry to the whole family. This Includes the brothers and sisters of those with disability. We call this the Sibling Track and it is our goal to make rEcess the best ! night of the week for everyone here.

! !

Let’s watch together and learn about the unique challenges and ! opportunities that face our siblings.”

(MANDATORY) PLAY VIDEO: “SIBLINGS” ! ! !

! !

“If you would be interested in serving specifically with siblings, be sure to let us know. 138

!Can you think of any ways that siblings may unintentionally feel like “glass !children” at a rEcess event? How we can be intentional as a group to make sure that siblings feel valued !and loved within a rEcess event?”

Global

! ! !

Not only do we partner with 99 Balloons through rEcess right here in our community, but we also have opportunities to partner on a global level with their work with persons with disability. You can find out more about the ! following global opportunities at 99balloons.org:

! !

• Go on a global trip with 99 Balloons to work with persons with ! disability.

! !

• Watch the Notable documentary film series that 99 Balloons has ! ! created about the experience of disability in other cultures.

! !

• Join the 99 Network with a gift of $9.99 or more monthly that goes straight toward funding global projects benefitting persons with disability.

(OPTIONAL) PLAY VIDEO: “GLOBAL INTRODUCTION”

Q&A !“Does anyone have any questions at all about anything you’ve seen or ! !heard or about anything at all pertaining to rEcess?”

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Invitation to Come Again

! ! !

“There is no rEcess without folks who jump in to make it happen. If you are feeling like rEcess is a place you would like to serve, please register for our next rEcess event through your account !on rEcess Hub ! ! ! ! (www.recesshub.com).

! ! !

This concludes our rEcess training for the evening. Can we pray together over rEcess as well as over your involvement and role with rEcess moving forward?

Prayer

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VOLUNTEER TRAINING MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS Words to Know..........................................Page 143 rEcess Distinctives...............................Pages 144-148 Top 5 Policies.....................................Pages 149-153 Additional Policies..............................Pages 154-155 Risk Management...............................Pages 156-158

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WORDS TO KNOW Parent Packet This form must be filled out by every family before being invited to rEcess. This form provides detailed information needed to best support each child/children with disability.

1:1 Track This is the track of children with disability that attend rEcess. It is so labeled because each child within this track requires a dedicated volunteer for the night.

Leadership Team This refers to the group of folks who help launch, organize, and implement rEcess in their community. Each Leadership Team member has gone through leadership training and is equipped to make rEcess a safe and fun night for all.

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RECESS DISTINCTIVES Know your Leadership Team The rEcess Leadership Team helps ensure rEcess is a safe, smooth, and fun night for all. Get to know your Leadership Team and know that they are available to answer any questions you may have.

“If you’re not comfortable, we’re not comfortable.” When it comes to rEcess there is no reason to suppress fears and just tough it out. We want to help make you confident in your ability to work with the child you are paired with. Please do not shy away or feel bad for letting us know that a particular child, diagnosis or pairing makes you uncomfortable. We want to know this information 144

RECESS DISTINCTIVES

and we count on you to let us know. It will not offend anyone and will only serve to make our night better. You may find that given experience and answers, you will surprise yourself with the situations in which you become comfortable. Please ask any and all questions that you have along the way as to how to deal with scenarios or any specifics about a diagnosis or any other topic. Truly, if you’re not comfortable, then neither are we. In addition to the Leadership Team, there is a designated On-Site Medical Professional at every rEcess event that can help answer questions and assist in emergency situations. A great time to ask questions and seek help will be the time allotted at the beginning of the night to look over the Parent Packet. However, if any questions come up during the rEcess event, please ask the On-site Professional or rEcess Leadership Team for help or guidance concerning your questions.

Sample Schedule Kids get to dictate their night, but here is an example of what your rEcess could look like. 5:30pm - Volunteers Arrive 5:30-6:30pm - Volunteer Meal & Huddle Time - Share announcements, go over the “Top 5” policies. 6:30pm - Families Arrive 6:30-7:30pm - Free Roam - Kids can eat, play, do crafts, go to sensory room, etc. 7:30-8:00pm - Large Group Activity 8:15-10pm - Cool Down, Movie - Energy level goes down and parents begin picking up children.

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RECESS DISTINCTIVES

Understand Families This night exists to acknowledge and encourage the parents of children with special needs by providing a place crafted for families like their own. We desire to build a loving community around these families through a night that takes care of them so they can better take care of the ones that have been entrusted to them. Some of your rEcess families may have been burned from the church prior to rEcess, or they are often having to advocate for their child. Show them grace, love and understanding. Honestly, the model of rEcess can make it difficult to build any sort of relationship with the parents as we invite them to go somewhere else for the night. However, please make efforts to communicate with the parents on the front and back end of a rEcess and use those opportunities to build a relationship with them. You are the ones that will connect with parents through conversations on specifics and sharing how the night went. If additional needs or prayer requests surface, please pass those on to the Leadership Team so that possible continued service is available.

No expertise needed. rEcess exists to allow individuals with no expertise to come and engage families experiencing disability. We honestly believe that doing so will change you for the better and we have seen it happen time and again. We have policies in place that will help make it a safe night for you, the kids, and the parents. Just be willing to have a blast.

Flexible Schedule It’s important to understand that we like children to be able to dictate what they do throughout the night. Your Leadership Team may plan specific activities for the night, but the kids can weave in and out of these activities as they want to. 146

RECESS DISTINCTIVES

People First Language Using appropriate language respects the individual, honors the family and sends a message to the community. The words we say and the words we use are important to persons with disability and their families, and reflect the way we honor and respect them. You can show your love and compassion and care through the words that you use. Try to use “child with special needs” vs. “special needs child”, or “child with autism” vs. “autistic child”. Words to Avoid:: • Retarded • Crippled • Deformed • “Suffers from...” • “Victim of...” • Wheelchair-bound • Unfortunate Language is important, but the heart behind the language trumps all. We do not desire to produce a culture of policing everyone’s words; just be sure not to limit the person by the words that you use.

RECESS DISTINCTIVES

accommodate the child who has more needs for help, doctor appointments, therapy, etc. This is your opportunity to make a night for and about siblings by engaging them in conversation, playing with them and seeing to it that their night is a hit. See rEcess as an opportunity to pour intentional love, energy and focus on siblings as well. rEcess also allows siblings to see other families like their own in a world that can feel as if their situation is unique and strange. For both siblings and kids with disability, we want rEcess to be the greatest night of their week! We want it to be so much more than “babysitting”. Instead, we hope to foster relationships with these kids, encourage them, and have a blast.

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TOP 5 POLICIES The Top 5 refer to five mandatory policies for all rEcess events. Your compliance is vital and cannot be overstated. Deviating from these Policies and Procedures will not be permitted, and may result in a dismissal from future rEcess activities. These policies exist for the safety of the children as well as your own safety.

1) Food: All children - both the sibling track and the 1-to-1 track are only allowed to eat any food they brought with them. They are not allowed any food from the volunteer meals or any other source.

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TOP 5 POLICIES

Many children follow specific diets, have an inability to swallow certain foods sufficiently, or have various allergies. It is very important to only feed them their own food. If a child did not bring food, please notify the Leadership Team and they will phone the parents regarding a meal.

4) Parent Packet: All 1-to-1 volunteers must look over the Parent Packet for the child they are paired with, prior to the child’s arrival. Before a family can start participating in rEcess, they must fill out a Parent Packet which provides specific information pertaining to their child and their needs.

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TOP 5 POLICIES

Before families arrive at a rEcess night, you should have a designated time to see which child you are paired with for the night and ask any questions regarding their Parent Packet. You should know that one child better than anyone else at rEcess. The on-site medical professional and Leadership Team should be available for reference and assistance.

Avoiding the Appearance of Abuse As a rEcess program, we want to make sure that the church is above reproach when it comes to potential child abuse or allegations. We ask that you follow these guidelines: 1) Never Alone: Volunteers are never to be alone at any time, with any child, in any room. Each rEcess will have designated “floaters” who will accompany a volunteer and the child into a room as needed. If none are available, then the volunteer and child need to remain where others are present.

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TOP 5 POLICIES

It is a volunteer’s responsibility to find a space with additional volunteers present or to request the assistance of a floater. 2) Toileting: These policies apply to all children, both 1-to-1 as well as siblings. The Leadership Team is responsible for communicating who the designated toileting person is to all volunteers before families arrive. The designated toileting person may not be a man. Diaper changes occur only through the designated toileting person or persons for the night, with another volunteer accompanying (never alone). If a child is not in diapers: • But does need assistance with toileting, this also must only go through the designated toileting person for the night, with another volunteer accompanying (never alone). • And does not need assistance with toileting, but may still need supervision while in the restroom, then there must be 2 volunteers that accompany (never alone). Public restrooms with individual stalls are great for kids that need supervision. You and another buddy can wait outside the stall, which allows for privacy and supervision. • And does not need assistance nor supervision, then the child can go to the restroom by themselves while their volunteer waits outside of the restroom. If a child soils their pants or shirt, put on their clean clothes. If they did not bring extra clothes with them, then contact the parent to come and pick up their child or bring a change of clothes.

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ADDITIONAL POLICIES 1) Social Media: We would love for you to share about your rEcess experiences with others as we think everyone should know about rEcess. However, in order to respect the privacy of your rEcess families, we ask that you honor the following guidelines regarding sharing pictures online:

HUB PHOTOS Upload photos to the rEcess Hub website to share with volunteers and families in live time. *available for rEcessPlus sites

2) Quiet Areas: Remember that there are designated quiet areas due to some of our children’s issues with sensory sensitivity. It is your job to help us ensure that the rooms marked “quiet” as well as the overall night, in general, stays calm. Be sure and note whether or not your assigned child’s Parent Packet mentions sensitivity to loud noises.

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3) Classroom Safety: • Make sure rooms are free from obstructions that could cause injuries. • Look out for toys that may become a risk. • Use age-appropriate toys for children - this may be trial and error. • Keep supply closets secure to prevent injuries and lock them if possible. • Volunteers should remember to wear gloves when they are likely to touch blood or body fluid. • Hands should be washed thoroughly after removal of gloves. A First Aid kit is on-hand at each rEcess event and non-latex gloves and hand sanitizer are available in all rooms.

4) Sickness and Illness Policy: 36 hour rule:: A volunteer should be free of illness and symptoms for at least 36 hours before attending a rEcess event. If you are sick, please notify the Leadership Team as soon as possible. Remember that we are working with some children who are medically fragile. A cold could be a big deal for some of our rEcess kids.

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1) Parent Packet: The specific information pertaining to each child with special needs is provided through the Parent Packet - a detailed document that is filled out by each family in attendance prior to attending rEcess for the first time. Volunteers will arrive before families, which allows time for you to see who you have been paired with and read over the Parent Packet. When reading over the Parent Packet, you should make mental notes of the particular needs and interests of the child you will be working with. Certain issues may arise at a rEcess night that you will need to be on the lookout for. Example: Tommy has autism and his Parent Packet mentions that he does not respond well to loud noises. The volunteer should anticipate any large group activity or loud movie and encourage Tommy away from them beforehand. Example: Martha has cerebral palsy and uses a walker to help her get around when she walks. The volunteer should pay particular attention and provide assistance to Martha around uneven footing or slick surfaces. 156

RISK MANAGEMENT

Example: The Parent Packet notes that Lance is prone to bite when he gets excited. The volunteer needs to keep a watchful eye and anticipate situations that might arouse this response, and protect other children, themselves, and volunteers accordingly. The Parent Packet allows you to be the expert on the child you are paired with for the evening. It is unlikely that all volunteers will be able to retain the specifics related to every child. This is why we pair one volunteer per child with special needs. The 1to-1 ratio allows you to focus on making rEcess a great, safe night for one child.

2) Advisory Professional: A medical professional looks over each Parent Packet and advises the Leadership Team on things to be aware of in regard to particular diagnoses or children before a family can be invited to a rEcess event. One child could change everything, therefore every new Parent Packet requires reassessing the sufficiency of rEcess’ on-site care.

3) On-Site Professional: A medical professional present at all rEcess events is and a valuable asset for families, volunteers and the Leadership Team. The on-site medical professional at each rEcess event has looked over the Parent Packets for the children that will be attending the event and is familiar with any important information regarding the children present. The on-site professional also serves as the Go-To person for the night in the case of an emergency. On-site medical professionals could include doctors, nurses, EMTs, physical therapists, occupational therapists or speech therapists.

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Each volunteer will need to be aware of the on-site professional at each rEcess event.

4) Emergency Plan: Each rEcess has an emergency plan of action to be carried out in the event of an emergency. Emergency Plan Details: _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

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DISABILITY, INCLUSION & THE CHURCH ANNUAL CONFERENCE HELD EACH SPRING IN FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS

LET’S COLLABORATE

to strengthen the Christian response to disability by including all persons within our communities More details and information available at:

ENGAGE.99BALLOONS.ORG

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www.99balloons.org

@99balloonsorg

info@99balloons.org

@99balloonsorg

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