Week 2
Online Classroom Challenge—“Can’t Stop the Feeling” Video Treasure Hunt
We often talk about how our body can feel big emotions. Check out this video featuring the Second Step Family as they sing and dance their way through their office. Can't Stop This Feeling!
Can you spy the Second Step Puppy, Calm Down Posters & more? Here is a checklist to keep track of all your "finds"
https://www.cfchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/resources/activities/nye-video-activity.pdf
Mindfulness Activity—Gift of You
| By: Committee for Children (https://www.cfchildren.org/blog/2018/12/mindfulness-activity-gift-of-you/)
It’s a busy world out there, and the holidays can make it seem even busier. With all the celebrations and gift-giving swirling about, it can be difficult to remember to stop . . . take a breath . . . and remember the little things that are most important.
That’s why our mindfulness app, Mind Yeti,* is featuring its premium session “The Gift of You” through December 2018 and through early January. This five-minute session helps kids slow down and see how something as simple as their presence can be a true gift to their friends and loved ones.
Teachers and families can listen along and learn together that being present is a present you can always give. It’s truly the best gift of all. A gift from your heart.
Go to Mind Yeti to register for free and access “The Gift of You” audio session today.
Instructions for a free children’s mindfulness activity
This activity below (which you can print for your classroom) has been adapted from the premium Mind Yeti session “The Gift of You”, and you can help students realize one of the best gifts they can give is themselves.
- Say: Let’s take a deep breath in . . . and let it out . . . Take a breath in . . . and out.
- Say: Would you like to give someone you love a present?
- Give example: What if you gave them a gift from the heart. A gift of you.
- Say: Think about someone you care about. Picture this person in your mind. A friend. A grandparent. A sister or brother. Your mom or dad.
- Give students about 10 seconds to think about this person.
- Say: Take a moment to think of a time when the two of you were happy being together. Maybe you were playing together or reading a story. Take a moment and remember that time together.
- Give students about 10—20 seconds to think when they were happy with someone.
- Say: How did you feel? Happy? Comforted?
- Give the students 5 seconds to breathe, pause, and think.
- Say: Any time you want to give the people you care about a gift, you can. Just spending time with someone and being truly present is a gift. A gift from your heart.
Like this activity?
Our innovative web and mobile iPhone app Mind Yeti provides mindfulness audio sessions that teachers and parents can use in supporting social-emotional skills and helping children and their adults learn and thrive.
In this special bonus episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, we meet Dr Sherri PhD. She's a developmental psychologist, and gives us some tools to help parents talk to kids about feeling anxious about the news. With a lot of kids home from school due to Corona Virus concerns, we hope this episode helps you talk to your smaller persons about changes in their schedule, or fears about the world at large.
For more information, head over to CfChildren.org.
Macho Supreme, the toughest space marine in the galaxy, is at Scotty’s door – and he can’t get out! Can he make it through the doorway and boldly go inside for a playdate? With a little help from Scotty, Macho learns that accidents happen to everyone, and that it is totally macho to ask for help.
In this episode, we talk about accidents. Sometimes things happen even if you didn’t mean them to – like Macho Supreme getting wedged into a doorway. Scotty helps Macho Supreme learn that accidents (like getting stuck) happen to everyone, and that when they do, it’s okay to ask for help.
Practice asking for help or apologizing when accidents happen. Think with your child about something silly that might happen by accident. Then, think about how you would address the situation, and whom you might ask for help.
Songs in this Episode: Macho Man by the Village People
Mindfulness
When we are changing our routine it is important to find ways to stop, breathe and find a calm place. Many students find that they love yoga.
Yoga can be a way to:
- Manage Stress
- Increase focus
- Connect with others
- Stay Healthy
Please check out some kid friendly yoga videos (https://preschoolinspirations.com/kid-yoga-videos/) that can be fun to do alone or with the whole family. These videos are perfect for a rainy day in the living room, or grab a towel and enjoy them outside in the sun! Enjoy!
Executive Function
"Executive Function: Executive function (EF) is a broad term used to describe the complex processes that people use to accomplish their goals. EF processes include: organizing, prioritizing, shifting flexibly (cognitive flexibility), accessing working memory, and self-monitoring. Success depends on students' ability to plan, organize and prioritize tasks, materials, and information, separate main ideas from details, think flexibly, memorize content and monitor their progress. It is important to help students to understand how they think and learn, and to teach them to use strategies to break down challenging tasks in school and in their daily lives. You can help your students learn to use EF strategies by modeling how to use strategies successfully and helping students reflect on their strategy use." -WWW.SMARTS-EF.ORG
Please check out this parent resource for elementary parents to address planning & production: