AT A GLANCE
ARTS PARENTING
Children’s Repertory Theater
Imagination Stage in Bethesda,
Maryland, presents two unique
shows for kids in repertory this
month: “Zomo the Rabbit: A
Hip-Hop Creation Myth” and
“Thumbelina.” Repertory theater features
the same company of actors
performing in different shows
during a particular time period.

“We love the rep format at
Imagination Stage because in
addition to two stories, our young
audiences get a terrific lesson in
theatricality,” says Janet Stanford,
founding artistic director. “Not only
does our versatile set transform
from one world to another, our
performers are seen playing wildly
different characters.”
Nominated for a Helen Hayes
award during its original 2009 run,
“Zomo the Rabbit” is a hip-hop
adaptation of a Nigerian folktale.

The story puts a local spin on the
global tradition of trickster tales,
taking place at various Washington,
D.C., landmarks. It plays through
March 22.

Making its world premiere,
“Thumbelina” reimagines Hans
Christian Andersen’s classic fairy
tale as a multimedia play using
live video projections, puppetry,
dioramas and other theater
magic. Inspired by Kamishibai,
a form of Japanese street theater,
it tells the story of a tiny girl on a
mission to find her place in the
world. “Thumbelina” runs through
April 5.

Both performances are best
for ages 4 and up. Tickets cost
$15-$35. For more information,
visit imaginationstage.org. T
—PJ FEINSTEIN
EDUCATION Special Needs Forum
Montgomery County Public
Schools (MCPS) will host its
annual “Extraordinary Minds in
MCPS” Forum on March 18 to
inform parents of children with
autism spectrum disorder about
public school placements and
services for students with
special needs.

The evening will begin with
an introduction to MCPS’s
ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS/THITAREESARMKASAT
autism services, which provides
support to approximately 2,300
autistic students. Then parents
can participate in informational
breakout sessions designed to
help them play a meaningful
role on their child’s Individual
Education Program (IEP) team.

The two hour-long sessions
will cover a variety of topics,
including organizational strategies
for students, transition planning
and resource and funding
opportunities. The “Program for
Education and Enrichment of
Relational Skills” and “Unstuck
and On Target” curriculums as
well as the “Zones of Regulation”
program will also be discussed.

This free event will be held
at Julius West Middle School,
Rockville, Maryland, from 6-9 p.m.

For more information, visit
xminds.org/event-3739056. T
—PJ FEINSTEIN
Quick tips for a
calmer household
OK, first, a bit of a disclaimer: There
are no real quick tips to making your
kid-filled household immediately
calmer, says Maryland-based
parenting coach Cindy Shuster. As
much as we might want that magic
wand, what we have instead are
easy entry points to parent better
and to change the energy dynamic
in a room.

Here’s how: First, Shuster says,
keep in mind “where we are plugged
into the negative behavior.” She
uses her own family of three boys as
an example. After dinner, she might
have sent the boys downstairs
to play, relieved for a moment to
herself. And they might have played
well together for a while, but “the
second the mayhem broke out, they
got my biggest energy,” she admits.

The accusations of “why can’t you
play nicely” flew.

Sound familiar?
Instead of losing our cool, parents
in this situation could praise the
good behavior — the cooperation,
the inside voices and more — while it
was happening.

“The same excitement we show
their bad behavior, we need to show
them when they are doing things
right,” she says.

Tantrums? The same principle
applies. Give those outbursts so
little energy that they are no longer
exciting for the child.

“We need to be more mindful
about how we are showing up,”
says Shuster, who was a classroom
teacher before she became
a certified parenting coach.

That included completing a
graduate program with 100 hours
of pro bono coaching. She now
coaches parents across the country
and holds community workshops
for parents.

Want more of her insights? Find
her at parentcoachcindy.com. T
—JESSICA GREGG
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