September 17, 2024
Life Skills and Science Disguised as Fun
Kids build self-esteem, boost socialization skills, and understand science concepts with giddy ghosts, mushy marshmallow peeps, and faux scented snow! Is your curiosity piqued?
“I saw an opportunity for some unique curriculum for children that revolves around helping kids feel great about themselves disguised in wacky concepts,” instructor Lisa Lombardi explained. “They don’t realize the back door method being used to teach life skills because they are having so much fun. I wanted to do something that would help kids build self-esteem, ward off worries, release more happiness, and elicit more social communication.”
Halloween Gore-tastic Hour Lab, Candy Stem Detectives, Meet Me at the Donut Bar, and Santa’s Snowstorm Lab are all youth and teen classes currently open for registration. According to Lisa Schroeder, Special Interest Coordinator at Palatine Park District, “Lisa is a great instructor not only because of her vast knowledge of what she is teaching, but her incredible ability to make learning actually fun for the participants,” she said. “All of Lisa’s classes are a lot of fun for kids and they don’t even realize that they are learning life skills. Participants walk out of Lisa’s classes with increased self-esteem, coping skills, socialization skills and so much more that isn’t part of typical school curriculum.”
“It really is a comprehensive fun fusion concept pairing up a life skill with a dose of S.T.E.M. all masked in outrageous zany experiences,” Lombardi said. “Sometimes the science piece is missing and then it is just wacky fun and a life skill like confidence, worry management, and self-esteem.”
Lombardi uses traditional holidays as a springboard for her curriculum. “Families connect with that “celebration” and those workshops tend to be a bit more in demand,” she commented. In addition to holidays, Lombardi acts on inspiration when she feels it and creates new opportunities.
Hands on activities, along with communication keep participants engaged. She uses oversized props that are exciting to kids and make them laugh. Don’t be surprised to see a funhouse mirror (we can change the way we feel and laugh by looking at things from a different view), a giant bubble gum ball (stretchy thinking is good) or an inflatable shark (building friend networks and managing worries). “The kids smile ear to ear when these props come out, but I assure you I have their attention, as this is a different and motivating way to learn what might seem like a boring lesson,” she said.
Participants always leave class with a hands-on project they create along with a souvenir from Lombardi for trying their personal best. “There are lots of compliments and reinforcement from me to each child in the class which fills their buckets and has them leaving, hopefully, feeling like a million bucks!”
Lombardi has been instructing at Palatine Park District for almost eight years and has built a catalog of over 50 different programs as part of her business, Lisa Lombardi Coaching Inc. She also holds certification in life coaching.
Lombardi gets many “repeat workshop friends”. “They return to my workshops for the high quality of instruction they receive and to garner that “good vibe” feeling that happens when we work on a skill and ignite it in a power hour Lisa Lombardi class,” she said. “It’s fun to meet kids so young and see them grow up through the years. I hope my workshops influenced them a bit. I love being a part of their history. My hope always is that something we do together or say helps them to live their best life.”
So next time your kids are nibbling on a decadent donut think about a Lisa Lombardi life coaching class at Palatine Park District. Kids will not only enjoy a donut they’ll learn how to strategically handle life’s “holes”, and they just might find the jelly inside!
