Response
Training
Programs

A Simple tip for Saving the World or family vacation

This summer edition of Response eNews is all about a low impact activity that can be used at work with clients, at home alone, at family reunions, or while on vacation. It provides an opportunity to interact with others in close proximity without ever having to speak a word usually words of encouragement do get spoken, though). Response is always on the look out for exercises that provide a common goal for the good of all, making this pastime a win-win and our choice for this summer of 2009 eNews.

This summer’s tip has proven to de-escalate conflicts. It has even brought together quarreling siblings in a family setting and introverted clients working with community members at day treatment programs. What then is this great tip? Why it is a puzzle, of course.

Take the following scenario at a recent family reunion with Response CEO and The Family’s CD (Chief Dishwasher) Alexandria Windcaller. Our yearly family gathering brings relatives from afar all living in close proximity for a week. It is a group that ranges in ages from teens to seniors. We are a mixed family of very different cultures all under the same roof, North Americans, Lithuanians, Uruguayans, Japanese and (yikes) teens from Orange County California. Talk about a good time that like most families has the potential to implode.

To combat relative fatigue we always make sure to have a 1000 piece puzzle on a centrally located table. The puzzle gets us all working together one piece at a time. Many a late night is spent with grandparents standing side by side the young ones cheering for each other as they find the missing piece. It is an intimate setting with no expectation to talk and yet the conversations that take place are priceless.

Puzzles are an economically friendly choice of entertainment, since many can be found at thrift stores or tag sales for under a dollar. There are puzzles for all ages and a variety of sizes from 50 pieces to 100, 500, 1000, and more.

If you only have one table in the room for eating and puzzle making, try placing a piece of cardboard under the puzzle. This will make moving the activity a breeze during meal times.

We hope you have the time this summer to do a puzzle. You won’t be disappointed and you might find out that this is one heck of a great way to visit with your family.