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Summer

The End-of-Summer Bucket List

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The End-of-Summer Bucket List

posted on Visit NJ

Summer’s not over yet! Make the most of these final days of warm, sunny weather and leisure time with this last minute summer bucket list of fun things to do in New Jersey.

Pick your own fruits at a nearby U-Pick farm.
From strawberries at DeWolf’s U-Pick Farm (New Egypt) to blackberries at Terhune Orchards (Princeton) to apples at Mackey’s Orchard (Belvidere) it’s easy to see why New Jersey is called the Garden State. Make the most of summer’s bounty by stocking up at a nearby U-Pick farm.

Take in dramatic sunset views from a boat cruise.
New Jersey has seemingly endless options when it comes to boat cruise ideas, but few compare to a stunning sunset cruise. See what all the fuss is about with a Friday Night Cruise on the Navesink River.

See some sweet rides at a classic car show.
Sizzling summer nights are the perfect time to see hot rods and hot rides at one of the many car shows throughout New Jersey. Visit Cape May’s Classic Car Show in mid-August, Historic Smithville’s Car Cruise that takes place every other Friday evening or Washington’s Sizzlin Summer Nights Car Show & Drive-in Movie in mid-August.

Watch a FREE movie under the stars.
All across New Jersey, towns are featuring FREE summer night movies in local parks. For the perfect cheap date idea or a great kid-friendly evening — pack a picnic and find a free summer movie in a park near you.

Ride your bike along one of the boardwalks or bike trails.
From beachfront boardwalks to wooded trails, there are plenty of places to ride your bike in New Jersey, and there’s no better time to get your pedal on than right now. Find a spot to ride with these bike trails in New Jersey.

Get in some shopping on the boardwalks and at the outlet malls.
The cooler evenings of late summer are the perfect time to wonder the boardwalks looking for great end of summer deals. Or head to New Jersey’s famous outlet malls for some of the best deals to be found anywhere.

 

Stuck indoors with your kids? Tips to get the wiggles out

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Stuck indoors with your kids? Tips to get the wiggles out

written by Maria Leider, DPT, posted on Allina Health

It can be challenging to find activities to do with your kids when you are stuck indoors due to coronavirus (COVID-19) or cold and snowy weather. Here are my ideas for mastering the #StayHomeMN challenge and how you can get the wiggles out while indoors.

We recommend that children and teens from ages 6 – 17 get an hour of moderate activity per day. Toddlers and preschoolers should participate in active play throughout the day. This can be challenging. Luckily, there is a lot that you can do indoors to help your child.

Indoor activities

  1. Build a fort with blankets and pillows. Grab cushions and pillows, and drape blankets over furniture to make a fort inside. It’s a great place for a slumber party!
  2. Indoor treasure hunt. Place clues around the house that lead to a treasure at the end.
  3. Microscavenger hunt. Grab different knickknacks around the house and give clues on where to find them.
  4. Have a disco. Make a playlist of your favorite tunes and have a dance party.
  5. Indoor obstacle course.  Set up an obstacle course to crawl, climb, hop and jump through.
  6. Balloon badminton.  Paste Popsicle® sticks on paper plates, blow up a couple balloons and play balloon badminton indoors.
  7. Plastic bottle bowling. Save plastic bottles and set up your own bowling alley.
  8. Indoor balance beam with tape.  Tape zig zags, squiggles and circles on the floor for your children to practice all of their balance beam tricks.
  9. Laser string maze. Tape string all over in a hallway and pretend you’re a spy navigating through it.
  10. Hot lava game. Rearrange the furniture to avoid stepping on the hot lava floor.
  11. Indoor ice skating. Step on a couple pieces of parchment paper and glide across the carpet.
  12. Bring outdoor activities inside. Bring the hula hoop or jump rope inside, or use tape to create a hopscotch game on the floor.
Click here to continue reading

Summer Reading: Book Lists and Tips for Every Age

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Summer Reading: Book Lists and Tips for Every Age

written by the Brightly Editors, posted on Brightly.com

School’s out for summer, which means the summer reading fun is about to begin! With no homework or packed schedules to worry about, those long, lazy days of summer are the perfect time for kicking back with a good book.

Because summer reading can be both fun and educational, we’ve compiled everything you need to help kids read and learn over the summer months. Download our Rock ‘n’ Reading Adventure Park Reading Tracker for a fun, enriching reading experience that encourages kids to expand their reading horizons, and use our book recommendation lists to fulfill each prompt. Plus, find tips on stopping the summer slide, print out activities to keep kids entertained, explore funny audiobooks for families on the go, and so much more!

Click here for Summer Reading Ideas!

Exploring the World Through Sensory Bins

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Exploring the World Through Sensory Bins

written by Janel Plunkard, posted on Macaroni Kid

Sensory play is a magical way for young children to explore the world around them. Engaging their senses not only sparks curiosity but also enhances cognitive and physical development. Sensory bins are a fantastic tool to provide children with hands-on, interactive experiences that foster creativity, problem-solving skills, and sensory awareness.

The Benefits of Sensory Play

Before we delve into the creative world of sensory bins, let’s take a moment to understand the incredible benefits they offer to young minds:

1. Sensory Development: Sensory bins stimulate the senses, helping children refine their sensory processing abilities.

2. Fine Motor Skills: Manipulating various textures and objects in sensory bins enhances fine motor skills, aiding in developing hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

3. Language and Communication: As children explore sensory bins, they describe their experiences, fostering language development and communication skills.

4. Cognitive Growth: Sensory play encourages problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity as kids experiment with different materials.

5. Emotional Regulation: Engaging in sensory activities can have a calming effect on children, helping them regulate their emotions and manage stress.

6. Social Skills: When kids play with sensory bins in groups, they learn to share, negotiate, and cooperate, building essential social skills.

Click Here for Sensory Bin Ideas

PEC Girls Confidence Summer Bootcamp

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Does your daughter need a boost of self-confidence? Introducing Girls Confidence Summer Bootcamp at PEC!

Individual & group session available – 4-6 Summer sessions tailored to your Summer schedule.

For more details & information, contact Michelle Molle Krowiak at: mkrowiak@psychedconsult.com

2024 PEC Kids Summer Sessions!

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PEC Kids Summer Sessions

Have you been thinking about starting therapy sessions for your child, but you just can’t make it work during the school year?

Does your child struggle with any of the following:

  • Anxiety
  • Impulse control
  • Emotional Regulation
  • Social Skills
  • Executive Functioning
  • Phobias

We offer:

  • Play therapy
  • CBT & DBT therapy
  • EMDR
  • Social Skills training
  • Parent coaching/therapy
  • ADHD Executive Function skill building

Our therapists are offering Summer therapy sessions both virtually and in-person.

Please contact us for more information:

Call our office at 973-400-8371 or email Deb at dmillard@psychedconsult.com

PEC Girls Confidence Summer Bootcamp

Posted on

Does your daughter need a boost of self-confidence? Introducing Girls Confidence Summer Bootcamp at PEC!

Individual & group session available – 4-6 Summer sessions tailored to your Summer schedule.

For more details & information, contact Michelle Molle Krowiak at: mkrowiak@psychedconsult.com

"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Julie C.
"Dr. Matheis has a remarkable ability to understand the unique needs of her patients and address them constructively. She builds strong, meaningful relationships with patients and their families, encouraging trust and collaboration. When working with my son who struggles with autism-related anxiety, she created an environment in which he was able to calm down and open up to her in ways I had not seen before. She was able to reach him and helped him work through his crisis/problem. Most importantly, she empowered him to move forward."
- N.L.
"Dr. Matheis is amazing. She has tremendous resources and loads of energy. She is not willing to accept anything less than the most effective results for her clients. She made me feel as if my son was her top priority throughout the entire process. I would, without reservation, give her my highest recommendations.  Thank you, Dr. Matheis!"
- Anonymous
"Dr. Matheis has an amazing ability to read kids and connect with them. She has been an invaluable resource for our family over the past several years and has helped us with everything from educational consulting, to uncovering diagnoses as well as family therapy. Working with Dr. Matheis never feels clinical and most importantly, our children love and trust her. We can not thank you enough Dr. Liz!"
- Anonymous
"My teenage son had been seeing Dr. Matheis through his senior year of high school, as he was only diagnosed with ADHD at 16 years old.  Dr. Matheis came highly recommended from our pediatrician and she has done wonders for our son as well as our family, navigating new ways for him to deal with his diagnosis without the use of medication.  She taught him ways to organize himself and even when something did not work for him, she patiently continued teaching him new ways to keep himself on track.  She has also helped us as parents to understand how his mind works so that we did not continue to blame his lack of focus on him, rather on his unique way of thinking.  Thank you Dr. Matheis!!!!"
- LG
"Dr. Liz is the best! Our family was directed to her by our Pediatrician to assist with figuring out severe mood changes, severe anxiety, strange new fears and food aversion that had come onto one of our children literally overnight. After just a couple of visits, she suggested that the issues may actually be rooted in a physical issue and suggested we immediately take our child to be swabbed for strep, because Dr. Liz suspected PANDAS (a pediatric autoimmune disorder brought on by strep). The same Pediatrician that suggested Dr. Liz would not do the swab (they do not believe in PANDAS and we no longer go there) but I took my child to my doctor who did the swab and it was positive for strep. When our child went on antibiotics, within 24 hours all symptoms went away and our child was back :-) Dr. Liz then recommended a PANDAS specialist who helped us and our child is in complete remission and is happy and healthy. We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Liz for her knowledge of all things, even the most remote and unusual and for helping us so much! Thank you!"
- Anonymous
"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Anonymous
"Thank you, Dr. Liz. Although we have told you countless times, it will never feel enough. You have listened when J could barely speak and continued to listen when he was sad, angry and confused. You've challenged him and directed us in our roles as parents. You've helped J face his fears while the list evolved and changed, and yet you've stayed committed to 'the course.' We pray that your children realize that time away from them is spent helping children learn and that vulnerability is a sign of strength and bravery."
- June I
"My son was admitted to an Ivy League school when only 2 years ago, you assessed him and saw his struggles, his Dyslexia. We are grateful that he no longer has to carry that deep feeling of inadequacy or shame that must have kept him so self conscious and from reaching his potential. He has the PERFECT program for him. He has A's in high math and economics. He became a Merit Scholar, a Boys State legislature, the HEAD captain of the football team and help a job ALL while studying and managing his classes and disability. I am PROUD of you, a young doctor, who knows and sees the vulnerability of children and helps them recognize "it's NO big deal" God bless."
- Anonymous

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