Crazy Wisdom Kids in the Community: Socially Conscious (And Distant) Kids’ Art & Personal Development Programs After the Toughest Parenting Year Yet

By Laura K. Cowan

It has been a challenging year for group events, to say the least, as many kids’ programs around Ann Arbor went virtual or were suspended. The situation dragged on so long, I decided to create my own after-school program for half-grown kidlet—a mashup of virtual art programming and trying to get her out of the house and off her screen. Surprisingly, she adapted quite well to being home, so the biggest challenge was getting her moving again. I started thinking: what about all the other parents out there who are sick of researching which programs are still running or don’t have the brain space to plan enriching activities anymore? What if we came up with a plan for this year that didn’t depend on virus numbers to succeed? Here’s what I came up with. It’s pretty simple, though I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, as I was, with some unique programs out there right now to choose from.

Mama’s Master Plan:

Virtual kids’ programming for social support after school.

Activities that bring some normalcy back without the paranoia of the virus shutting it down.

Don’t worry about another single thing. Have a coffee.

Here are some suggestions for you, if you’re trying to plan out spring or summer and are just at the end of your rope when trying to find good activities for the kids, not to mention socially conscious ones. I hope this takes the edge off the research, because I don’t know about you but besides not knowing what day it is or whether I’m expected to wear pants, I have had it up to my forehead trying to re-plan my kid’s schedule over and over and over as conditions change. This is our plan, and we’re sticking with it, at least until the next ridiculous unforeseen crisis, in which case we will probably live out of a van and sell wind chimes. I joke, but you know what I mean. It’s time to get out of the house, even for this introverted writer. Forget vacation planning. We just need a day out of these four walls. 

Read Related Article: Leslie Science & Nature Center: Adventures and Education in a Park in the City

Spiritual Programming For Kids

Many religious gatherings are still in session, but less structured programs are in suspended animation. I did find one still operating that is quite inclusive to many belief systems and is focused on community service, something I feel gets left off the table with so many other priorities that come with raising a child. The Ann Arbor Interfaith Center for Spirituality has moved their youth circles online to Zoom. Aside from potential privacy concerns with the link being posted publicly (have you been Zoom bombed yet?),  I think this could be a great way to connect with other kids, as well as staying in touch with their frequent community service and activism opportunities for young people. It tends to lean toward older kids in this group but stay tuned for activities for all ages. As virus numbers hopefully come down toward the latter half of this year, expect programs like this to gradually resume more normal events.

For more information about Interfaith Center events, visit interfaithspirit.org/youth-education/.

Personal Development? In a Pandemic? 

How could you possibly add another to-do? Well, like meditation practice, martial arts for kids are a great way to weather a pandemic, because it feels as good as it is good for you. Asian Martial Arts Studio in Ann Arbor is a traditional dojo on Fourth Street downtown that teaches Chinese and Japanese martial arts, including a kids’ program that combines karate, kung fu, and aikido. I have taken kung fu at AMAS in the past and noticed while I was in the dojo that the kids’ program taught quite a bit of discipline and personal development in a positive way. I think you’ll find this is true with a number of programs around town, such as Keith Hafner’s Karate on Main Street and the great kids’ karate program at the YMCA we’ve tried that’s part of the Ann Arbor Karate Club, all of which have different flavors on the same idea. Group exercise classes are back in session in Michigan but require certain restrictions such as ventilation precautions. If your kid isn’t high risk, you might consider getting them involved in a martial art this year to get them back in shape or reconnected with friends after remote schooling, while they also have the opportunity to learn self-control and find the self-confidence that comes from physical and mental personal mastery.

Sensei Charlie Rooney teaches the kids’ karate program at AMAS. I asked him about the benefits of kids studying martial arts from a consciousness standpoint. “I think that martial arts help kids develop in five ways,” Sensei Rooney said. “Exercise, focus, confidence, the value of correct technique, and the importance of avoiding violence.”

That last one surprises people when they first join the martial arts. Learning proper martial arts teaches you to avoid violence, and to use it as a last resort of self-defense, not to bully or show off. Sensei Rooney said martial arts are also good physical exercise, “developing strength, endurance, agility, and coordination. As you know, nearly all of us get too little exercise, kids included.”

So why martial arts this year, besides getting out of the house? “It teaches the importance of focus,” Rooney told me. “We practice concentrating on the current task in the face of distractions through games and ippon kumite (two person fighting drills).” 

It seems to me that the pandemic has created a distracted quality in me, at least, from being overly busy juggling too many priorities. But when I make time for martial arts, it keeps my body healthy and cues my mind to focus and calm down, to remember that I am not lost in an endless haze of “Blursday,” as our family calls the phenomenon of never remembering what day it is without the usual scheduling cues. “Internal” martial arts programs you could try after a basic kid’s program can add to that basic regimen of physical martial arts by offering additional instruction in meditation, body posture, and sometimes energy healing and martial applications for energy principles. If your kid is an esoteric type, a kids’ martial arts program, even a start from scratch one like most of them are, is a great way to get them started on a routine that can lead to more mindfulness practice and body awareness in a healthy way down the road. 

“[Martial arts are] another way for children to learn the practical importance of doing things the right way,” Rooney explained to me. “For example, with good technique even a small child can break boards without much effort. With poor form, they just can’t do it.” 

“Repetition is another part of the learning process that martial arts stress,” Rooney said. “You won’t maintain balance while throwing an opponent until you have practiced the technique hundreds of times. You will still be improving after years of practice.”

So, beyond the regular practice, discipline, and self-control required for martial arts, how is personal development taught to children? “When one of the children asks, we will discuss violence and the martial artist’s attitude to it,” Rooney gives as an example of how these things come up in class. “I think most of the children understand very well (better than my generation did at their age) that violence is a last resort, only to be used in defense, never to be considered as a solution for a real-life problem. However, it is probably helpful for the message to be reinforced by another set of adults.” This seems particularly useful to me as the mother of a kid who gets along great in school but occasionally runs into a bully and has only been taught non-violence by parents and school staff. Martial arts are a good way to address things kids often don’t know how to ask. Also, this year, it seems to me that martial arts are a great stress reliever, and many kids are struggling with frustration and pent-up energy. 

At AMAS, kids wear loose-fitting clothes for the first few classes and then purchase uniforms after deciding to stick with the art. This is common to many classes, though a free, standard-issue colored belt is often given to children beginning karate and uniforms vary by dojo. 

To learn more about martial arts options for kids at AMAS, you can call Sensei Karl Scott who runs the dojo at 734-994-3620 or email karls@a2amas.com. To learn more about AMAS kids’ program, visit a2amas.com/childrens_program.php. Keith Hafner’s Karate is at karateisgoodforyou.com. The Ann Arbor YMCA programs for kids can be found at annarborymca.org.

A Unique Opportunity For Kids To Learn An Ancient Flower Arranging Art

Some art studios shut down during the pandemic or offer remote programs and DIY home art kits for pickup, but did you know kids can learn other art forms such as Ikebana flower arranging? This might be for the older set depending on level of interest and skill, but it’s pretty inclusive and might even be a nice family activity to replace movie night. Ikebana is a flower arranging art form taught in Ann Arbor at Matthai by local Ikebana International Chapter #183. President Liz Larwa told me that they’re currently showing a video once a month featuring “an expert in Ikebana doing a demonstration of about eight arrangements using various flower and branch materials and containers.”

The demonstrator explains what he or she is doing during the arranging. Videos run on every third Tuesday evening of the month and repeat the third Thursday afternoon each month. 

“We gladly welcome teens to join us—and their parents, too,” Larwa said. “A challenge is put out to viewers to try to make their own arrangement based on one of the principles demonstrated in the video. They send a picture to me and describe their arrangement. We then show them during the next video meeting.”

Larwa said that the videos are a wonderful way to expose those who are new to Ikebana to those who are experienced in this ancient art form. “Ikebana has been around since the fifteenth century and is practiced all over the world.”

Currently the local Ikebana chapter is not holding any classes in person but are in the process of trying to design a full online class. “Once the pandemic is over, we will be very willing to try to set up some kind of special series of classes for teens. We normally meet at Matthaei once a month on Thursday afternoons,” Larwa said. 

You can learn more about Ikebana flower arranging classes online by emailing a2ikebana@gmail.com. For in-person class information post-pandemic, contact Matthaei Botanical Gardens at (734)647-7600. Their class listings are at mbgna.umich.edu/.

Community Art To Support Your Neighborhood Space

Mary Thiefels of TreeTown Murals is a beloved local community artist who works with children and adults to plan out community murals that express a community sentiment of identity and wishes for a better future. The Ann Arbor Public Schools are a big collaborator with TreeTown Murals, and Thiefels also offers a paint by number mural project for groups that allow kids to collaborate on a general design and then fill in colors in a grid with Thiefels and her co-founder husband finishing out the final painting. We were wondering how people might still get together to create community art in a time of social distancing and were happy to hear that Thiefels found solutions to the challenges currently facing group activities for kids and continues to offer group projects with social distancing measures in place. Thiefels told me:

“Art can be socially conscious: The excitement of being able to make something that represents their school and that collaborative element [excites kids]. Through an activity process, we have a process to draw out ideas, have kids work on their own, then team up with other people. The end result, even if a young person has painted a small area, is a sense of ownership. When it’s a public piece, with kids bringing people together to show others, it brings people together to leave a legacy for the community.”

Thiefels’ projects are often large scale. You’ll see her work on buildings downtown, or in the public schools. Though this is an activity that requires a larger group budget and more planning ahead, I thought it would be lovely to offer a kids’ activity or community family activity that people could pursue if it were a right fit, purely because the pandemic has so impacted communities that some groups might want to create art to express their experience and celebrate still being able to come together to create. 

Thiefels explained:

Art develops individual character and is an agency for what kids want to say. The youth population is often told what to do, where to go. The freedom to express is mind-blowing. We’ve had tears and group hugs. Often there’s a struggle to get everyone’s vision, or a struggle in the painting process, seeing different skill levels for example. When kids see it come together, there’s a stepping back. Young people I’ve worked with have developed art careers they were so inspired.

In a time when many young people are feeling isolated, how wonderful would it be to sponsor a community art project that brings together kids and families to express their experiences of the last year and envision a better future through art? 

During Covid-19, Thiefels said many contracts were cancelled or delayed, but “a couple were moved from a public space to our shop.” The TreeTown team works in their shop to complete projects, then delivers and installs on site. “Small numbers of people in groups or outdoor work are still possible,” Thiefels said, “with masks and distancing. We’re still open to working with any party.” 

TreeTown Murals has worked with the Neutral Zone, sponsors a group of artists to paint downtown Ann Arbor shop windows for Christmas, and has also created murals for the new Natural History Museum, but they’re also open to kids’ events and are working with Clague on a mural remotely in 2021. I know I’ve often been surprised at how my daughter is feeling this year. If you have an out of the box idea for how to bring your neighborhood group together through art, you might consider this unique option to leave a lasting mark of kids’ self-expression on your community.   

Learn more about TreeTown Murals on their website treetownmurals.com.

Official and Do-It-Yourself Family Environmental Cleanup Opportunities

So, what about do-it-yourself activities? I know my planning circuits are blown at this point, but I have been thinking of ways to get outdoors and keep teaching my daughter about community service and environmental cleanup. At least, that’s the track running in the back of my mind behind all the other things I need to juggle. Maybe we just need a break to get outdoors. 

There is a retired gentleman who walks down Huron River Drive every day the same time I would drive kiddo to school (or these days, driving a fur baby to the vet while kiddo remote schools), and he picks up trash in a plastic bag. I greatly appreciate people like this who take time out to keep their local areas clean and am always sure to wave a thank you and give him space on the side of the road. There are programs through the City of Ann Arbor this year where your family can get out to learn about land stewardship or to walk in city parks, but I was thinking this year might be a good time for me to start a personal practice like the gentleman by the river that is more self-sustaining. What if it becomes a mindfulness practice for you to pick up trash around your neighborhood on a daily walk, to pick local wildflowers (in a sustainable fashion: never take all of a plant in a given area or harvest from private property) or to keep trails clean in your local park while socially distancing and getting outdoors? Are there programs that are going under-funded this year where you could volunteer with your kids and get them out of the house? 

We just don’t know how long this is going to drag on at this point, so instead of focusing on initial safety and practical planning through the pandemic, I’m switching over to making sure our family has a regular check-in to make sure everybody is okay, and then hopefully doing more outdoor activities in the summer that give us space to move around without worrying about who is not wearing a mask or how many people might be at an event. I’m protective of kids, but I just don’t have the energy to worry anymore, so I’m creating a schedule around activities that give us a little breathing room while keeping us focused on the positive. If you’ve found ways to do this, I’d love to hear from you about your experience. 

If you’d like more structure to your outdoor mindfulness activities right now, there are a few City of Ann Arbor programs you can join. The Stewardship Network's Huron Arbor cluster gathers via Zoom these days for “informal discussion on a monthly topic with volunteer and professional land stewards, plus others interested in nature. Free of charge.” Recent meetings included Jason Frenzel, who facilitates current and potential watershed stewards, talking about taking the long view on environmental restoration. 

Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation also runs a Featured Walk of the Week through its new Park Walks program, “inviting you to get outside and take a walk in nature. You can explore the featured walks on your own or attend a hosted walk. No registration is necessary.” You can log pictures with the hashtag #a2parkwalks on social media and win prizes by tracking hiking goals. 

You can subscribe to City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation programming at a2gov.org. Many other environmental programs are up in the air right now, but there is a local wiki on volunteer opportunities for youth and teens at localwiki.org/ann-arbor/Volunteer_opportunities_for_youth_and_teens and learn about other opportunities for kids at www.ecocenter.org.

Hang In There, Mom and Pop

The kids might be struggling to remote school, or maybe they love it, but you’re concerned life is nothing but screen time. I know. And who knows when things go back to any recognizable form of normal? For the time being, like I’m sure you are, I’m focused on family first and getting through this. I hope if you have the energy, some of these kids’ activities give you some rabbit trails to follow to some enjoyable activities that are healthy, mindful, and that your kids will enjoy. Hang in there. Every storm runs out of rain. And kids socially conscious programming in Ann Arbor will again be as great as it ever was—maybe even more diverse and accessible in the long run.

Laura K. Cowan is the Kids in The Community columnist for Crazy Wisdom Journal, and also writes the Healers of Ann Arbor column. She is a tech and wellness journalist from Ann Arbor, and also runs Cronicle Press, a tech blog and content marketing consultancy for tech startups and small businesses. You can reach her at laurakcowan@gmail.com or visit www.cronicle.press

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