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Registration Still Open!

We have spots left in all our groups -- Tween Tribe (3rd-5th graders); Tween Tribe, Jr. (1-2nd graders) and Tween Beat (dance for 1-5th graders).

Register today!

Talking is at the heart of the Tween Tribe experience. Good thing, too, since as Triber Audrey put it, “I was born to talk.” You said it, girl! An inside look at the hopes and fears of tweens, in their own words.  

What's Up in Our Tribes

For both of our age groups, the opening themes for both Tribes is learning about the concept of developing “Soul Sisters” and how to have meaningful communications with a tool called a Talking Stick. .  

Welcome.

Our mission is to help girls understand their own emotions and learn how to create authentic, nurturing friendships. We use the ancient tools of storytelling, circle sharing, creative movement and artistic expression to help girls experience and express their full selves. The Parent Tribe is a blog and e-newsletter designed to educate the parents and caregivers of tween-aged girls. We hope you will enjoy reading it, whether or not you have a child in one of our Tribes. Subscribe 

Book Review: Everything Tween

The Everything Tween Book: A Parent’s Guide to Surviving the Turbulent Preteen Years by Linda Sonna, PH.D.

Linda Sonna writes a simple, easy to read guidebook about raising tweens. She defines tweens as children ages 8 to 13 who have typically been thought of as uneventfully “in between”’ the dramatic stages of toddlers and teens.

Sonna clarifies that tween times are not really uneventful and easy, cautioning us that, “now especially, it is imperative for adults to consider how to usher this historically neglected group through the difficult period of being a tween.”    


Walk Like an Archtype: Learning Through Stories

Our original Tween Tribe stories teach the girls through metaphor and example.

Based on the Jungian notion of Archetype, each character in our Tween Tribe stories are archetypal in nature. This means that they represent univeral human experiences. An archetype teaches through exaggeration. Myths and legends employ archetypes, in the forms of gods, goddesses and other larger-than-life figures.

In our Tween Tribe / Lunch Bunch series, the archetypes are: Wendy Whiner, Betsy Brooding, Beatrice Bully, Suki Spaced-Out, Shenika Shy and Nelly Know-It-All.

The girls love these characters, and have offered suggestions for other archetypes they want added (for instance, a jokester and someone who can’t stop talking).

To help the girls get in touch with their inner bully, know-it-all, shy girl — and so on — we had them walk like each girl in the story. Embodying a character is a quick way for girls to “get inside” the emotioanl reality of these archetypes.