Club NF in the Past Year
APRIL 2013 CLUB NF
On April 6, 2013, the Washington University Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center in collaboration with the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation hosted their April Club NF Event at Fun Spot Skating Center in Belleville, IL. The April program highlighted fine motor skills through shoelace tying and gross motor skills through roller skating. In addition, parents had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Kim Sirl, a psychologist specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapy for children between the ages of 4 and 12.
The morning began with all the families joining together with Amy Westfall, ODT OTR/L, to pratice shoelace tying. Amy encouraged the parents to participate in fun shoelace tying relays to set a fun mood for the kids. A favorite relay was when the kids volunteered their dads to be blindfolded while tying their shoes as quickly as possible! After the relays, the parents went to their talk and the kids continued to work with Westfall on shoelace tying skills. They practiced making knots by making jewelry and played with fun colored and textured shoelaces to practice making bows.
After that, it was time to put their newly practiced skills to work and put on roller skates! The kids had a blast skating around the rink and playing fun roller skating games such as “limbo” and “boys vs girls skating”.
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WINTER 2013 CLUB NF
On January 26 and February 2, 2013, the Washington University Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center in collaboration with the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation hosted their Winter 2013 Club NF Event Get Your Game On! The winter program highlighted the benefits of playing as a family and focused on building community amongst our families.
The January 26, 2013 session was held at Tropicana Bowling Lanes. Families spent the first hour bowling as a team and then switched up lanes and did a Crazy Bowl while meeting new families and friends. The bowling session encouraged kids to practice gross motor and attention skills as well as fostered team spirit and community building.
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The February 2, 2013 session was a board game relay held at the Maryland Heights Community Center. Families explored new games by rotating through various game stations every 15 minutes. No family member had the exact same path to ensure everyone got a chance to meet and play with someone new. The board game session encouraged kids to practice fine motor skills, gross motor skills, attention skills and communication skills.
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FALL 2012 CLUB NF
On November 3 and 10, 2012, the Washington University Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center in collaboration with the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation partnered with STAGES ST. LOUIS to host the Fall 2012 session of Club NF. The Fall program highlighted the benefits of participating in theatre as a means of building self-confidence while improving motor skills and attention. Members of STAGES ST. LOUIS led theatre games and taught participants scenes and dances from Seussical —the musical comedy based on the beloved children’s books by Dr. Suess. The morning’s activities culminated in a showcase for the parents.
While the kids were making theatre magic, parents had the opportunity to participate in a focus group aimed at increasing our understanding of the needs of our families who are raising children with NF1. This educational activity was organized by Karen Balakas, PhD, RN, CNE.
Below are some photos from the Fall 2012 Club NF session.
SUMMER 2012 CLUB NF
On August 11 & 18, 2012 , The Washington University NF Center in collaboration with St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation hosted a summer session of Club NF. The summer program highlighted the benefits of participating in physical activity to improve motor coordination, gross motor skills, attention, body strength, visual perception and sensory processing. The activities included an indoor tee-ball game, fun races, and playing with a giant parachute.
Parents had the opportunity to participate in a focus group aimed at increasing our understanding of the needs of our families who are raising a child with NF1. This education activity was organized by Karen Balakas, PhD, RN, CNE.
The day finished with a swim session for the families.
Below are some photos from the Summer 2012 Club NF session.
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To view photos from older Club NF events. Please visit our CLUB NF ARCHIVE
