Evergrow Educational Resources
Adventure QT Workshops
Somewhere between bedtimes and busy schedules, it’s easy to lose the thread of real connection. Adventure Quality Time (QT) gives you the chance to find it again — no phones, no distractions, just you and your child connecting and playing.
Adventure QT are parent-child workshops created by Lauren Mizus and Dr. Lauren Messina. Through guided play, gentle coaching, and a whole lot of imagination, you’ll walk away with tools to bring the connection back to your relationship with your child.
Meet Adventure Aquarium
Our flagship workshop, Adventure Aquarium, invites families to build an entire underwater world together — from scratch, side by side.
Here’s what happens during your play session:
Get Settled. Name tags, a welcome circle, and a quick overview of what’s ahead — including a fun first look at our signature Manatee Mood Meter.
Learn Together, Separately. Kids head off to play a game. Meanwhile, parents get a quick, judgment-free primer on the “Inquisitive Playful Self” — a simple mindset shift that changes how play feels for everyone.
Reunite & Check In. Parents and kids come back together and use the Manatee Mood Meter to check in with each other before diving in.
Dive Into Adventure Aquarium. The heart of the workshop. Together, your family will: Decorate your aquarium. Pick trinkets to bring your world to life. Play — fully, imaginatively, together. Decide on your underwater world and start brainstorming.
Wrap Up & Take Home. Every family leaves with keepsakes from the session and a personalized take-home guide to keep the connection going at home.
Throughout the session, trained facilitators quietly observe and offer thoughtful, written feedback — highlighting what’s already working and gentle opportunities to grow.
What Makes It Different
It’s guided, not taught. There’s no lecture, no worksheet, no “doing it wrong.” Just real play, real presence, and real-time support from facilitators who are there to help, not judge.
It’s built on research-backed connection, made playful. Every part of the workshop — from the Manatee Mood Meter to the Inquisitive Playful Self skill — is designed to build the trust and attachment that helps kids feel secure enough to explore, ask questions, and come to you when it matters.
You leave with more than a memory. Every family takes home:
Aquarium coloring sheets (finished and blank, for more play later)
-
-
-
- Two keepsake characters
- A Manatee Mood Meter, to keep checking in at home
- A personalized After Adventure Parent Guide with reflections from your session
- Quality Time tips and Adventure Aquarium instructions, so the fun doesn’t stop when the workshop ends
-
-
Is This Workshop for You?
Adventure Aquarium is for any caregiver and child (ages 4-8 years old) who want to:
Carve out real, distraction-free time together
Feel more confident and present during play
Build a simple, repeatable way to check in emotionally with each other
Have an hour of genuine, joyful fun — no agenda required
You don’t need to be “good at” playing. You just need to show up.
Ready to Dive In?
Spots are limited to keep each session personal and give every family the attention they deserve.
Adventure QT: Adventure Aquarium workshops are hosted in collaboration with Third Space for Kids in Bethesda, Maryland.
More Adventures Await
Bring Adventure QT to You
Love what Adventure Aquarium offers but want it closer to home? We’ll come to you! Adventure QT travels to schools, homes, and community spaces to bring the same guided connection and play directly to your parent-child pairs — wherever you are.
Bubbles & Bonding
Want an intimate, at-home experience? Bubbles & Bonding brings the magic of Adventure Aquarium into your living room, with a small group of parent-child pairs for an even more personal, cozy version of the workshop. Perfect for a playdate with purpose.
More Worlds, Coming Soon
The adventure doesn’t stop at the ocean. We’re diving into new worlds soon: Adventure Zoo, Adventure Safari, and Adventure Outer Space — each one designed to spark a new kind of imaginative play and connection. Stay tuned!
Your Adventure QT Facilitators
Lauren Mizus, MA, LICSW
Lauren Mizus is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of experience helping families build stronger, more secure relationships. She’s spent her career in the trenches of real connection — from managing youth mental health programs to supporting refugee families, to working one-on-one with parents navigating the everyday challenge of staying present with their kids.
Lauren holds master’s degrees in Social Work (University of Vermont) and Psychology (The New School for Social Research), and is trained in EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. She’s led clinical teams, supervised the next generation of therapists, and published on best practices in her field — but what she loves most is the moment a parent and child find their way back to each other through play.
As co-creator of Adventure QT, Lauren brings all of that expertise into the room in the most unclinical way possible: through imagination, trinkets, and play. Her approach is rooted in research on attachment and connection, but her goal for every family is simple — help you feel confident, present, and closer than when you walked in.
Lauren A. Messina, PhD, LCMFT, DipACLM
Dr. Lauren Messina has spent over 15 years helping families build stronger connections — as a licensed Couple & Family Therapist, a researcher, and an assistant professor. She holds a PhD in Family Science from the University of Maryland and is a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, bringing a whole-person, evidence-based lens to everything she does.
Before co-founding Evergrow Therapy & Wellness Collective, Lauren spent nearly a decade as a scientist and educator with the Department of Defense’s Consortium for Health and Military Performance, where she led teams building resilience and holistic performance programs for the military across the country. She’s taught family science at the University of Maryland, published widely on relational health and human performance, and been trusted by organizations to help people connect more meaningfully — especially those under real pressure.
As co-creator of Adventure QT, Lauren takes all of that research and experience and turns it into something simple: an opportunity for real, joyful play with your child. Her work is grounded in the same science she’s spent her career studying — attachment, communication, and what actually helps relationships thrive — now translated into imagination, playing, and a Manatee Mood Meter instead of a classroom or a military base.
Disclaimer
Our educational resources are not a substitute for therapy and should not be considered medical advice.