The weather has been getting colder, but programs have been heating up here at the Knocks. Check out some of the action so far during our Fall Session 2!

 

Mondays

Around the World in 4 WeeksAround the World in 4 Weeks

In this program, Warriors learn about a different country each week through presentations, native guest speakers, and cultural activities. In just our first two weeks, Ade Onayemi shared family stories and photos from Nigeria, we played hockey with Josh Laird from Canada, and ate pierogi and read Polish folklore with Beata Kruss Dabrowski. We are looking forward to guest speakers from Kenya and South Korea to round out the program. Warrior Alex Kolovitz received an award for communication for asking some great questions during Week 1, while Alex Stevic received a leadership award for sharing Polish culture alongside his mother Beata during Week 2. “It was really good!” said Stevic. “Everybody liked it. I wish everybody got to see it. I am 100% proud of my Polish heritage.”

Cooking 102: Mastering Kitchen Equipment

In the follow-up to the popular Cooking 101 program, OK Culinary Director Joe Hart has taught two groups of Warriors how to make Eggs Benedict from scratch through the first two weeks! They began by making homemade Hollandaise sauce in a food processor, moved on to grilling the Canadian bacon, poaching the eggs and toasting the english muffins. Lastly, they assembled the dish and dug in! Both weeks turned out great and it seemed that the Warriors really enjoyed the cooking process as well as the “eating” process. “I like cooking because I get to try new things,” said Dana Wax.

Community OppsCommunity Opps

In this recurring Community-based program, Warriors have been working on making ornaments and other items to sell and display at the 2nd Annual Warrior Holiday Breakfast coming up on December 13th! The Warriors are getting creative by making different type of snowflake ornaments! They are also preparing for the breakfast by making table number and other items that will be used at the breakfast. One of the awards for this program went to Dana Wax for Leadership for was helping out her fellow Warriors with decorating table numbers and contributing great ideas! “It was fun getting ready for the big Holiday Breakfast!” said Wax. Be sure to make your reservation for the Holiday Breakfast here!

Stay Safe - Peer LedStay Safe (Peer-Led!)

In Mike White and Joe Hines’ peer-led safety program, Warriors toured the River Forest Fire Department.”We went to the fire house and we were walking around. My favorite part was the fire truck, the ambulance, and the firemen. I had fun today!” -Mike “Beef” White Jr. In Week 2, Warriors discussed a safety code and made badges to show that they are safety certified. Mike and Joe have done an excellent job!

 

 

Wednesdays

GreenlineGreenline Wheels

Each week, a different group of Warriors heads to Greenline Wheels in Oak Park for spin classes with our friend David! “I like going to Greenline,” said Stevic. “Riding a bike is fun and a really good workout!”

Holidays Around the World (Peer-Led!)

In Week 1, Georgia and Becca taught us about Christmas and we decorated Christmas cards. In Week 2, Georgia and Becca taught us about Hanukkah, we decorated our own dreidels and then learned to play the game! The Warrior Code Award went to Karisa for Respect.

Yoga (Peer-Led!)

Sarah led a 40-minute Hatha Yoga class via YouTube, concentrating on breathing and stretching exercises. Sarah did an awesome job staying focused for both sessions and received the award for Leadership for the day!

Sign Language (Peer-Led!)

Billy and Maddy C have been teaching their friends some basic sign language words and phrases!

 

 

Fridays

Mens ClubMen’s Club

In response to last Winter’s “Ladies Night” program, male Warriors now have the chance to learn how to be gentlemen, while “bro-ing out.” In the first program, Warriors brainstormed rules to be included in the Warrior Gentleman’s Code then had a WWE-themed day complete with a balloon wrestling smackdown and an arm wrestling tournament. Patrick O won a leadership award for his hilarious balloon-popping wrestling technique.

Wellness Warriors

We started our workout by dancing! First we did ‘Teach Me How to Husky’ and then a few Just Dance videos, then went to the gym to play basketball. Erik won the award for teamwork for being a great team player and made sure even the other team had a chance to play.

Creative WritingCreative Writing

During our session, we explained briefly what creative writing was. We had the Warriors pick a topic and write about it. We encouraged creativity and fun. We then had the Warriors write a short biography about themselves. Then we also did an original Mad Lib story where Warriors threw in their ideas for the nouns, actions, and verbs. We then shared all of our stories within the group. The award went to Rebecca for leadership. We chose her for her extensive writings and her ability to take initiative with the whole program.

Breakfast for Dinner

The theme for cooking this session is “Breakfast for Dinner.” For the first program, the group cooked a delicious feast of pancakes (blueberry, chocolate chip, and regular) and sausage!