School Programs

The M & M*TEAM provides educationally driven, student interactive memory hook programs. The use of awesome ventriloquist puppetry, mind boggling sleight of hand artistry and captivating stories usher all ages into an exciting learning environment.

Program Offerings

Choices: Accepting Responsibility

A constant challenge for youth today is making the best choice after considering the available options. The "how-to’s" of wise choice selection and the affects on one’s self and others is examined.

Major points presented and discussed are:
-When you make a choice, you may get more than you bargained for.
-A choice becomes part of you and shapes what others think of you. Unwise choices may trap you.
-Even though people are different on the outside, everyone is very much the same on the inside. Positive feelings, respect, pleasantness, fairness and concern are desired by all.
-If you make "air-head" or thoughtless choices, you may get stuck with unpleasant consequences.
-Problems must be handled or they’ll tie you in knots on the inside as well as hurt the relationship. Talk to someone who can help take the "knots" out.
-If you do not work together or if you make unwise choices (i.e., drugs, theft, lies, hitting, name-calling, etc.), you’ll use up everything and get nothing in return.
-Wise or unwise choices always have consequences and affect the balance.
-An unwise choice repeated can get a grip on you. The key is within yourself, called self-control, not just who you’re with or where you are.
-If wise choices are made, renewing and fulfillment of your body, mind, and relationships have a chance to occur. You are not locked into a choice because others do it. You can choose for yourself. We can start a new standard of life or stick to the "old tested ways of healthy living, sound decisions, and responsible actions."

Age-Geared Themes

Choices: Accepting Responsibility
Non-violent Conflict Resolution
Respecting Yourself and Others: Cultural Diversity
Drug-Free: Say Yes to Life
Self-Esteem and Me
Peer Pressure vs. Your Choice
Everyday is Earth Day

Non-violent Conflict Resolution

Our program’s goal is to help the audience learn to assertively and directly face potential conflict in a non-violent and rational problem-solving way.
Assertively addressing potential conflict in a cooperative, non-threatening manner is essential. There are some points under the theme, "Choices and accepting responsibility," that relate to "Conflict resolution," also.

The following are areas upon which parties agree in order to solve a problem.
-Resolve the conflict.
-Tell the truth.
-No interruptions.
-No put downs.
-No fights.
-Forgive, forget it, and move on.

Respecting Yourself and Others:Cultural Diversity

The goal of this program is to examine the following points:

-Liking oneself requires accepting responsibility for personal choices.

-Self-perception often governs or shapes how one treats those around him.

-Differences in people’s appearances, belief-systems, and traditions may provide constructive bridges to understanding, friendship, and growth. The same difference may on the other hand be used as building blocks to a wall of indifference, mistrust, and resentment. How one handles differences makes the difference.

-Though we are different on the outside (hair color and style, body shape and size, clothing styles, ethnic traditions and beliefs), we are all very much the same on the inside (desire for acceptance, respect, care and concern, as well as wanting good things for our future).

-Daily choices are made when dealing with people of different beliefs, traditions or cultures. There are consequences of those choices. Time wisely spent learning about another’s cultural behaviors and sharing our cultural differences may build bridges to greater understanding, respect, and acceptance. Criticizing, condemning and fighting over the differences often reap unpleasant results and builds walls of indifference.

-We must work together for all our sakes or walls of indifference, prejudice and distrust may result.

-We explore ways to express our questions about another’s culture or belief system in non-offensive, non-violent ways.

Drug Free: Say "YES" To Life

The following points are shared:

-Reasons for saying "NO" to drugs from a health and wellness perspective are explored.

-Alternatives that fill one’s life with fulfilling things (sport, education, hobbies, friends, etc).

-Creative ways to state your "no use" position, while encouraging your friends to not use as well.

-Drugs treat everyone the same in many ways.

In addition, some points from the theme, "Choices and Accepting Responsibility" are shared.

Self-Esteem and Me

Developing a balanced view of oneself and our interrelationship with others is examined.

-Liking oneself requires accepting responsibility for choices made.

-How one views self, often governs how one treats those around him.

-Even though we are different on the outside, all people are very much the same on the inside.

-Making wise choices, living a healthy life style and treating each other with mutual respect combine to shape how one feels about oneself.

-Several enabling skills of making decisions are incorporated under this theme.

Peer Pressure vs. Your Choice

This theme combines the main points of "Choices: Accepting Responsibility" with those of "Self-Esteem and Me."

Everyday is EARTH DAY

-Respecting the environment, examining benefits of accepting responsibility and doing our best to protect natural resources are discussed. Brain storming the positive aspects of conservation are also examined.
-Every Day should be earth day when it comes to respecting our resources, others and ourselves.
-Negative outcomes of disrespectful actions are positive outcomes of protecting our environment. Daily actions (littering, "street art, graffiti, and tagging" are discussed as once known as graffiti.
-Accepting responsibility for personal conduct helps maintain a balanced life and environment.

Though we make individual choices, principles of nature, life and relationships apply. For the most part, life choices have predictable outcomes though accidents and other people’s choices may affect the outcome. You can have control over the outcome of your choices. Some of these principles are: A. The harvest principal: what you sow you reap. B. Do to others, as you would have them do to you. C. Every action has a corresponding reaction or a cause and effect on the environment or on relationships. D. Consequences of a choice are unavoidable though they can be minimized.