Magnificent Marvelous Teamwork | By: Committee for Children Today's blog was written by Committee for Children Program Developer Tonje Molyneux, who consulted with Art with Heart in a revision of their book, Magnificent Marvelous Me. Judging by name alone, nonprofits Committee for Children and Art with Heart (AwH) appear to have little in common. But when invited to do some consultation work for AwH, I learned our missions are in fact closely aligned. And I also learned that teaming with this magnificent organization was a marvelous opportunity to advance the missions of both our organizations. My consultation work began with a review of the revised edition of AwH’s Magnificent Marvelous Me coloring and activity book. Originally designed as a therapeutic tool for use with children whose siblings were seriously ill, AwH’s goal for the revised edition was to broaden the resource’s reach, making it an appropriate tool for any child going through a difficult time. As such, the first purpose of my review was to make recommendations for content changes to widen the book’s audience. The second required that I put on my program developer hat and refine the content to reflect research-based best practices for social-emotional skill development. Reviewing Magnificent Marvelous Me was a pleasure. It embodies AwH’s philosophy of “healing kids through creativity” with forty-five activities that teach kids to use the creative process as a tool for coping with challenging times. The illustrations—done by professionals who do art for kids’ magazines, books, games, and TV shows—are fun, and the activities engaging, but I quickly realized that the power of each page went beyond using art as an outlet. Each page is carefully designed to promote key social-emotional skills that can boost kids’ resiliency and coping skills. It became clear to me that Magnificent Marvelous Me is a complement to our K-5 Second Step program, which is designed to promote students’ social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills. This same notion had already struck AwH’s founder and executive director, Steffanie Lorrig. So for the next phase of my consultation work, we collaborated on an alignment chart (also called a “crosswalk”) between the K-5 Second Step program and Magnificent Marvelous Me. Working with another consultant, Anne Basham, and AwH Program Manager, Nancy Stillger, we developed a crosswalk designed to help educators and counselors identify key Magnificent Marvelous Me activities that complement and support the learning in the K-5 Second Step program’s four main areas of instruction. We were really on a roll, so we began work on another project to extend the benefits to the kids: the Magnificent Marvelous Me Resource Guide. The guide will flesh out each activity identified in the crosswalk and provide discussion questions, extension activities, and partner activities teachers and counselors can use with small groups of children to further support their social-emotional skill development. A pilot program is underway in local Seattle schools. Here’s what pilot counselors are saying: “The discussions were lively and students had a chance to connect what they are learning in Second Step to the activity. It gave us another chance to talk about strategies that help us to feel better, which is always valuable. With the younger kids it helped to reinforce the concept that feelings change” (in reference to the Magnificent Marvelous Me activity “Grumpy”). “This lesson was an excellent complement to what we are doing in Second Step. It gave kids a chance to practice reading facial expressions and also gave them an opportunity to determine how much energy the character had” (in reference to the Magnificent Marvelous Me activity “Face It!”). Finally I was invited to review the latest AwH therapeutic activity book: Ink About It. Designed for struggling ‘tweens and teens, the book features writing and art activities that help youth adjust to life’s ups and downs and lead them toward social-emotional wellness. It’s a book I wish I’d had to help get me through the turmoil of adolescence, and I have every confidence it will help many do just that. Art with Heart’s mission is to improve the lives of high-risk youth with therapeutic tools and programs that promote mental health and well-being. Committee for Children’s mission is to foster the social-emotional development, safety, and well-being of children through education and advocacy. The magnificent marvelous teamwork with Art with Heart has enabled both our organizations to advance their missions. By finding the ways in which we are the same, and working together to promote common goals, we’ll also be more successful in having a positive impact on the lives of children and youth. And that sounds like a magnificent marvelous outcome to me! Read a review of Magnificent Marvelous Me. Read a review of Art with Heart’s newest book: Ink About It.