April 2024 Newsletter

“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen

Editorial 

Dear Dawn to Dusk Community,

A part of my daily morning routine includes listening to inspiring and motivating talks on various topics. One of the speakers I frequently listen to and admire is Simon Sinek. Simon speaks with authority on what he terms, The Infinite Game. In the mid 1980s, a philosopher by the name of Dr. James Carse wrote a little book called The Finite and Infinite Games and in this book he defined the two terms. 

On Thursday, March 28th, we held our Q1 2024 Training day on-site. Once every quarter, typically the last Friday of March, June, September and December, our program is closed and the entire day is dedicated to learning and development. This past Thursday, led by Emily Pope, our Director of Program Management, and Jayshree Iyer, our BCBA, we learned about Verbal De-escalation and Physical Restraining techniques. Thanks to their efforts and the team’s participation, we are a bit better than we were at the beginning of last week.

Wish us continued improvement and empowerment and wishing you good health and wellbeing always. 

~Sesh Subramanian

Life Skills and Growing Independence

Snack and Pack: The concept of “patience” as a virtue, that the more we have the more “good” we are, is a concept that does not totally jive with our approach to really anything at Dawn to Dusk. Rather, we view patience as a skill: something that can be learned, practiced, and grown through frequent and consistent application in various situations and environments. At Dawn to Dusk, we focus on embedding opportunities for everyone to practice patience and other important skills throughout the day, particularly during the general daily tasks such as our Snack and Pack Up time that occurs at the end of every day before the participants leave the center to go home. At the end of the day, we recognize that many of the participants are eager to board the buses to go home and relax after a busy day of activities, outings, and socializing with peers at the center. The participants follow the structure of this time by going to their lockers, packing up their personal items to bring home, and returning to the auditorium with their belongings to enjoy the afternoon snack and clean up their areas before waiting for their bus to be dismissed to go home. The structure provided at the end of the day helps the participants to practice patience and procedure, strengthening their ability to complete the tasks independently over time and provides a smooth transition to the end of the day.

Other Activities:

• Money Management: In March we focused on Money Management in Life Skills activity sessions. From practicing coin identification and sorting to introducing value, the participants engaged in focused learning objectives and followed each session up with games aimed at reinforcing the number sense and recall for all participants involved. We look forward to continuing the Money Management activities in April in addition to revisiting community safety guidelines and best practices.

• What’s Cooking? To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the participants made their very own healthy version of a Shamrock Shake using fruits and veggies in What’s Cooking. Many were skeptical about adding green veggies to a smoothie, but upon the taste test, no one could even tell how healthy the smoothie was! The participants also worked together in groups to follow an old family recipe, shared by our wonderful Activities Director, Maureen, to make the most delicious and authentic, homemade Irish Soda Bread! The bread was enjoyed by all for the end of day snack in March, and the participants who made the bread were thrilled to be able to share their finished product with the entire program.

• Morning Meeting:  Each morning after breakfast, we gather in the auditorium for the Morning Meeting, a session that has become an essential element to our daily routine. Just like the news, at the center, we are able to convey the daily happenings of our program including reviewing the date, the weather, any outings and scheduled trips, and discussion about our monthly and weekly themes. You may notice that the weekly themes include songs from various decades and genres, and tie into our overarching monthly theme. Each morning during the meeting, we listen to the weekly theme song. In April, we are looking forward to learning to play some of the songs in music activity sessions and practice playing and singing together as a group. The Morning Meetings help to set the tone for the day and provide a general overview of the daily schedule, which helps everyone to feel prepared for the day and the week

Self Expression Through Creativity

Creative Writing: Engaging in Creative Writing sessions at Dawn to Dusk offers participants the opportunity for self-expression and skill development using written language. During a recent activity, the participants were provided with a prompt to which they were instructed to consider and write a response. The prompt, following with one of our weekly themes in March, asked the participants to consider the following: if each of them had $1,000,000.00, what would they do with it? To gather ideas, the participants first listened to the song “If I Had $1,000,000.000” by The Barenaked Ladies. Following this, the group brainstormed together. Some participants shared their ideas of donating the money to various causes they care about, while others envisioned burying it somewhere adventurous to keep it safe, while others considered how they could spend the money to help others, and some considered how much of the money they would need to buy some personal items. Whether through independent writing or verbally dictating ideas to staff members, or using communication devices and/or pictures and non-verbal communication methods, the participants expressed their creative spending ideas to answer the prompt. These activities not only stimulate imagination but also cultivate essential communication skills and abilities in a supportive setting where everyone is encouraged to express themselves in the way that works for them.

Other Activities:

• In Artist’s Study we explore one artist for each project. The participants learn about the chosen artist’s life and influences, the technique and style used along with the various media used, and then apply those techniques to create a project inspired by the style of the artist, thus expanding their knowledge of the art world and providing opportunities for mimicry, inspiration, and the continued building of fine motor skills, following directions and procedures, sharing, patience, and collaboration during each and every session. In March, the sessions focused on exploring the art of Origami.

• Beads, Buttons, & More: In March the participants applied the color-by-number procedure to their projects, although instead of paint or markers, they were provided with a giant bag of buttons. “Buttons?!” you may ask, and the answer is yes, buttons! The participants in this activity had a similar initial reaction, but throughout the course of the sessions, we found that sorting buttons by color first then by color and size required attention, focus, and fine motor skills. After the sorting came the fun- the participants chose the color and size buttons needed to fill in the spaces and create beautiful mosaic-like button portraits of various nature scenes. We are excited to continue to work on all of these skills in April and will be planning a large-scale collaborative project in the near future! 

• Our Get Creative activity sessions are as popular as ever, and it is not hard to understand why: exploring different media and artistic processes, working in multiple stages, sharing ideas and exercising personal choice and preference within each project provides boundless opportunities for creative self-expression and results in completely unique and beautiful pieces that add color and personality to the walls of our center, representing the various ideas, talents, and points of view of each participant.

Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing

We are proud to offer Dawn to Dusk's Health Matters program at our center, which is led by our experienced Nurse Mike. The program focuses on helping individuals improve their overall health and wellness by incorporating full body motion paired with mindful and intentional movements. This month saw the participants following along with Thai Chi and Yoga flows to promote the mind-body connection, as well as compound movements during aerobic exercise including squats, lunges, and boxing movements that work the entire body and large muscle groups.

Exciting news at Dawn to Dusk- our Garden Club makes its return this April! The participants are eagerly anticipating getting their hands dirty and nurturing new growth in our beloved Dawn to Dusk Garden. Through activities like prepping the garden and soil, planning out our garden scape, planting the seeds, tending to the seedlings and eventually planting them once viable, the participants will revisit their gardening skills and knowledge and refine fine motor skills while exercising a tolerance for a little dirt and messiness. Additionally, gross motor skills will be honed as they aim hoses and follow directions to ensure the garden thrives. With each task, the aim is not only to restore the garden but also to bring fresh vegetables and fruits back into our center, nurturing a sense of pride and connection to nature among participants when we get to eat the fruits (and veggies!) of our labor in the coming months!

Other Activities:

In March we continued our volunteer work with the Franklin Food Bank by packing paper bags with non-perishable food items and canned goods, as well as adding decorative touches to the bags for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, adding vibrant rainbows and festive green illustrations. The Food Bank has shared with us that the decorative touches and well wishes added to the bags bring smiles of gratitude and appreciation to the faces of the shoppers, which in turn brings smiles of gratitude and appreciation to everyone working so hard here to provide these essentials to the people who need them. It feels good to do good, and we look forward to plenty more opportunities for both at Dawn to Dusk each day.

In Community Collaborative sessions, the participants turned their citizenship efforts toward our Dawn to Dusk community. In March they began exploring the art of Origami in Artist’s Study sessions, and in Community Collaborative they looked at different uses and ways we can use Origami to add extra flair to the program space. Working together to create petals, everyone got involved in the construction of intricate and delicate flowers that required collaboration and communications to assemble using all the flowers that were created with the individual petals. Collaborating within our community is what helps us continue to build and strengthen the Dawn to Dusk community every single day.

Leisure and Recreation

In group games such as BINGO, participants immerse themselves in a dynamic blend of cognitive challenges and social interaction, eagerly identifying numbers and letters on their own board and helping their friends who may need it, while patiently awaiting the next called-out number. Their engagement extends beyond mere gameplay, as they exercise decision-making prowess, deliberating whether to cover the free space immediately or await instruction, all the while fostering independence and adaptability when specific numbers have yet to be called. Throughout the session, staff play a pivotal role, offering encouragement and gentle redirection as needed, ensuring that each participant remains actively engaged and immersed in the fun-filled atmosphere.

Other Activities:

•  In our morning Book Club sessions the participants gather in the quiet room, settling into comfy recliner seats, for a cozy literary experience. They listen to the story as it is read aloud by staff and some brave participants who have begun volunteering to read a page at a time, answer questions, and engage in discussions after the reading is complete, fostering a relaxed yet enriching atmosphere for sharing thoughts and enjoying reading together.

• During Social & Leisure Time after lunch, participants engage in social interactions, chatting with friends and starting conversations, while also having the autonomy to choose activities they wish to participate in. Some may opt for a quiet breather in between the busy day, perhaps enjoying a walk outdoors or relaxing in the quiet room. This period fosters a sense of independence and personal choice, contributing to a well-rounded and important period of our program.

Community Corner

We are delighted to highlight the exciting adventures our participants embarked on throughout March, exploring various local spots and enjoying delicious dining experiences. From quiet visits to the Monroe Public Library to lively bowling sessions at Knob Hill Country Lanes, and of course everything in between such as shopping outings at Dollar Tree to reinforce the skills worked on in Money Management, our program outings provide dynamic and engaging opportunities to connect with our larger community. Participants honed essential social skills, including understanding personal space, respectful communication with peers and community members, and practicing good manners and community safety protocols during these outings. Witnessing their growth and enjoyment in these community interactions fills us with pride!

Throughout March, our participants savored the scrumptious flavors during lunch outings at some of our favorite local eateries, including Monmouth Junction Diner, Sigri Indian BBQ, Chipotle, and Nanami Sushi. These outings provided invaluable opportunities for practicing life skills such as patience, money management, and community engagement. Participants eagerly reviewed menus and prepared their orders ahead of time, showcasing their increasing sense of independence and ownership in these tasks. Their dedication to putting learned skills into practice and fostering positive relationships with restaurant staff is truly commendable. We are thrilled by their progress and achievements as they continue to flourish in our program.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the Day Program, please contact Emily at: emily@dawntoduskwellbeing.com          

Photo Gallery

Enjoy some special moments and smiles in our photo gallery here.