Staten Island Children's Museum Presents Three Weekly Live Stream Events for Kids and Parents

For families who want more connectedness and interactivity during this time at home, the Staten Island Children's Museum is offering a series of live stream events that happen Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays each week on Zoom, the video and audio conferencing platform. The link to join the sessions is accessible through the home page of the Staten Island Children's Museum at www.sichildrensmuseum.org

On Fridays, at 3:00 pm, dance and movement therapist, Anjoli Chadha works with children ages 6 through 13 years of age leading them through stretches and warmups and guiding them as they jointly choreograph a dance performance. Newcomers are very welcome and give the returning participants an opportunity to teach some of the moves they have developed.

On Saturdays, child development expert, Dolores Reig hosts Parenting During a Pandemic, an interactive presentation. This Saturday, May 23, at 1:00 pm, her topic will be How to Get your Child to Listen which will be followed by a Q&A and time for caregivers to connect and share ideas with one another and with the staff. Access to the live stream is available by registering through a link on the home page of the Children's Museum at www.sichildrensmuseum.org. Audree Zimmerman, of West Brighton, who attended the talk on May 16, shared that "It was helpful to hear expert advice that gave me a reality check about my expectations regarding some behaviors of my child that are actually developmentally appropriate at her age."

On Mondays at 11:00 am, Ms. Chadha leads a Dance and Play Circle for children ages 3 to 6. Children and their caregivers are encouraged to stretch, dance, play homemade instrument, and share with each other about their day. Brief meditation and yoga are incorporated into the fun. "My son really did enjoy the class, and Anjoli was so warm and encouraging." explained Nicole Negron, of Silver Lake, "We had fun dancing together and he seemed very ready to engage in loosely structured play like that, since his school has been closed."

The live streams are a part of the Children's Museum's new initiative: At Home with SICM: a program offering FREE online resources for parents, teachers and other caregivers to use at home during this time of social distancing. These resources provide enriching and fun activities on an array of topics for families with children ages 2 and up. They can be found at the webpage: https://sichildrensmuseum.org/at-home-with-sicm/

Anjoli Chadha facilitates dance and healing work in Staten Island with adults and children. She is a performing artist, born in Coney Island and raised in India. She choreographs and performs all over New York. In November of 2019, Chadha was selected as one of two Artists in Residence at the Staten Island Children's Museum in a program funded by the Staten Island Foundation. Until the pandemic struck, she had been developing interactive pieces for intergenerational audiences that integrated the Museum's exhibits and spaces. Her sessions will continue through the first week of June.

Dolores Reig has worked in Early Childhood for over 30 years, founding a Montessori Preschool, conducting workshops and mentoring parenting groups, developing curriculums, and teaching Child Development at CSI. She is currently an Educator at the Staten Island Children's Museum and an Adjunct Professor at Wagner College. She maintains a private practice as an Early Childhood Consultant and Motivational Parent Coach.