The Childrens Room » Art

Arlington Workshop: Writing Our Way Through the Dark

dsharff@childrensroom.org — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:10:05 +0000

Pamela Powell will lead an ongoing writing workshop “Writing our way through the Dark.” An opportunity to express one’s inner thoughts and feelings about loss – to write, to grieve on paper, to read aloud, or not; this group is for anyone at any stage of grieving a loved one, or wanting to write about that person in all their complexity.

Pamela has been leading writing workshops and teaching writing for over 18 years on both coasts. She is the author of The Turtle Watchers (Viking ‘92), numerous articles, short stories, and poetry. A number of personal losses this year led her to offer this workshop.

When: Wednesdays 10 – 12

Cost: $120 for each 6 week session. Next session begins Feb. 5, 2010 (doesn’t meet Feb. 17)

Where: Mourning Dove Studio, Arlington Center

To register: Call 781.290.7356 or email: Ruth@mourningdovestudio.com

Art therapy: Pottery night helps kids express their grief

cshannon@childrensroom.org — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:26:34 +0000

A pottery night at local Maryland studio helps children and their families in their grieving process.
Parents as well as children are invited to join in the art making, reminding us that making art isn’t just for “kids stuff”.

Click here to learn about how these parents and children used art to connect with each other and express their grief.

Simmons Alumni and Professional Development Day Features The Children’s Room

bclarke@childrensroom.org — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:39:51 +0000

On Friday, April 17th, the alumni of the Simmons College School of Social Work will be treated to several presentations from reprentatives from The Children’s Room as part of the college’s alumni programming.

The Keynote Speaker for the event is one of the founding board members of The Children’s Room Phyllis Silverman who will present on the topic of How Our Views Have Changed. Phyllis continues to research current issues on child bereavement and leads the research committee at The Children’s Room. The committee is comprised of professionals from Tufts University, Wheelock College, Harvard University and other programs.

Program Director Donna Sharff and Program Manager Colleen Shannon will present an interactive and inspiring workshop session on The Heart of Grief: Facilitating Creative Arts Expression in Grieving Children and Teenagers.

The day long conference concludes with a performance by The Children’s Room Teen Performance Troupe.

For more information on the conference, visit the Simmons website.

A String of Memories

bclarke@childrensroom.org — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:44:10 +0000

“This was my great grandmother’s memory string,” Laura told Whiskers in a loud voice. “Then it was my grandmother’s, then my mother’s, and now it’s mine.”

The Memory String by Eve Bunting is a book about a girl named Laura who tells her cat what each button stands for on her precious memory string. Since her mom died three years before, the buttons and memories mean a lot to Laura. The buttons all have special meaning, like the button from Laura’s birthday dress, or the khaki button from her dad’s uniform when he went to war, or the white button from her mother’s nightgown.

Making a memory string is a way to remember family history, and that’s just what kids at The Children’s Room can do when they make one of their own. Listening to the book being read aloud to them is just one way to get ideas for how to make a memory string. Children in our groups can also choose from a large donation of beads that have been collected for the launch of this special project, where kids can paint wooden beads or make beads out of clay, then add them to beads or buttons from home.

Children’s Room Consults with AFD Theatre on Their Production of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play: Rabbit Hole

dsharff@childrensroom.org — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:44:46 +0000

When Arlington Friends of the Drama Theatre Director Kevin Mark Kline wanted to find someone to talk with the Rabbit Hole cast about how families deal with grief, Production Manager Ginger Webb began to make inquiries. Ginger soon found that all inquiries led her to The Children’s Room.

Rabbit Hole is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a family faced with the tragic death of their young child. When Ginger called The Children’s Room, Program Director Donna Sharff saw her inquiry as a unique opportunity to fufill part of the organization’s mission: to educate the community about grief and loss. Donna and Program Volunteer Johanneke deVries spent an hour and a half talking with the cast and answering their thoughtful questions about grief and grieving families. This play mixes humor and deep poignancy to authentically portray the complex issues and challenges that grieving families face and, ultimately highlights the resiliency of the human spirit. We have had the opportunity to attend a rehearsal and highly recommend AFD Theatre’s production of this prize winning play which opens Friday, February 13 at 8:00 p.m. For more information, visit the AFD Theatre website.

Join us for the Facing Peace Exhibit Opening Friday, November 14th at Lesley University

bclarke@childrensroom.org — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:05:27 +0000

You are invited to attend an inspirational exhibit to be held at the Marran Gallery at Lesley University. We encourage everyone to attend the exhibit and the opening reception.

The Children’s Room is proud to to support Lesley University. Many of our staff and volunteers are alumni, and we are pleased that they are supporting such important work.

Our mission is to support grieving children, teens and families. Families that have been the victims of violence need our extra attention and support. We are honored to work with the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and promote Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month from November 20 to December 20.