See Us in Action!

Learning About and From One Another -  The intention of the learning experiences in this unit are to help students turn attention away from themselves and toward others. The lesson focused on understanding others' emotions in context, mindful listening and exploring ways in which human beings are the same and different. The theme of the these lessons is empathy.

Our questions of the week were...

Can you think of something that makes you feel happy and excited? Who might feel differently? How would you know they feel differently?

Why is being a mindful listener important?

What 3 things can I tell my family about the brain? What do I wonder about the brain?

What did I discover today about who I am on the inside? What did I learn about someone else?

Think of a time when you were kind to someone? How did it make you feel?

Navigating Emotions! We have been identifying and noticing emotions and emotion families, expanding emotional vocabulary, learning ways to balance our own emotions and determining when emotions could become "risky emotions". 

Our questions of the week were......

What emotions did I notice in myself or someone else today?

What are some new words to describe emotions that I learned today?

What emotions might turn from a spark to a forest fire?

How can I help myself or someone else keep emotions balanced and healthy?

Can you guess which emotion each veggie face is showing?

2025 -2026 Connect! Program is going strong! The first three weeks we reviewed "Kindness", "Resiliency" (The Green Zone), and "Strengthening Attention". We also focused on learning about the brain - and how our brain and breath affects our behavior. 

Our questions of the week were....

Where have I noticed kindness today?

When was I in the Green Zone today?

How can being aware of my breath help me respond in a calm way?

Session 3 is in full swing! We have been exploring the theme: "Strengthening Attention and Self Awareness".

We learned that focusing our attention is like shining a flashlight on an object and we can notice details. We can also strengthen our attention by practicing.  For example: bringing our mind back when it wanders, not falling asleep, having good posture and using our reticular activating system (RAS) to filter out unimportant information all strengthen our attention. We also practiced mindful eating, mindful walking and spent time creating mindfully. We focused on our breathing  using various techniques including bumble bee breath, breathing buddies, and crocodile. We also honed our listening skills using the singing bowl to  focus, calm our minds and bodies allowing us to rest in the green / resilient zone.

The Aspen Chapel Gallery partnered with the Connect! program to exhibit an art show. The featured local artists visited us at Connect! to experience the children in action and gain inspiration for their artwork. This was a lovely way to join in community and share the program.

At the beginning of each class, we meet as a whole group to learn about how the brain and nervous system works, explore new practices, share experiences relating to the theme and read the "joke of the day."

Lightening up is a great way to be in the green zone. We always have a "joke of the day".

At Connect!, we build meaningful relationships and make connections!

In session #2, Building Resiliency, the children created "treasure boxes" containing personal resources and practices to self regulate, calming their minds and bodies to stay in the "green zone".

  The younger students created "Where Have I Noticed Kindness Today?" frames and compiled Connect!'s Book of Kindness in session #1.

In Session#1 - Exploring Kindness, the older students made personal heart maps to frame. 

Building A Better World - Session #3 - January 2024

We are exploring ways to show kindness to ourselves, others and the Earth. Each student is creating their own "Kindness Passport" as we travel from our inner selves, to awareness of others, to caring for Earth.

Question of the Week 5 - How do I make a difference?

Students took home certificates in their kindness passports indicating they were kind to themselves, others and the Earth.

Question of the Week 4 - Where do I feel connected to Nature and how do I give back to Nature?

Students created a watercolor painting to show a place where they felt connected to Nature and also decorated reusable bags.

Question of the Week 3 - What act of kindness can I do for someone I don't know? 

At Connect!, we made unique snowflakes and trail mix with messages for people in our valley who are unsheltered.

Question of the Week 2 - What act of kindness can I do for someone I know?

Question of the Week 1 - What can I do to take care of my inner self?

Question of the Week - When did I walk in someone else's mental shoes?

We learned about Dr. Emoto who did experiments with water and found that water responds to positive thoughts and words. Water actually has a memory! Since the earth's surface and our hearts and brains are 70% water - our thoughts and words make a difference!

Plants have water in them, too. What kind words can you say to plants?

Session one of Connect! began on Tuesday, September 19th with new families and old friends joining us.

The questions of the week have been:

What positive self talk can I use when I experience difficulty?

What positive things can we say to ourselves, others and the Earth?

Think of a time when you were kind to someone. How did it make you feel?

Healthy Mind Platter Stations 

See our resource page for more information about the Healthy Mind Platter

Can you guess what emotion each veggie face expresses?

Common Human Needs - Responses from Connect! Students

What does your body need to be healthy and grow?

Water

Fresh Healthy Food

Sleep 

Shelter 

Clean Air/Oxygen

Exercise

What do you need in order to learn?

Teachers/Scientists

Your Healthy Brain

Letters/Numbers

Pencils

Schools

Listening/Attention/Focus

5 Senses

Memory

What do you need to feel "Just Right" on the inside? (Balanced)

Feel Safe

Kindness

Sleep

Friends

Celebrations

Play

Love

Feel Comfortable

Family

Calmness

People

Laughing

Nature/Outdoors

Deep Breaths

Feel Included

Singing can help us stay calm. Following are lyrics from our gathering song:

May you be free from danger

May you be happy

May you be healthy

And may you be filled with peace.

Our questions for weeks two and three are:
When was I in the green zone today?

How does being aware of my breath help me respond in a calm way?

Connect! began session one this week by reading All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman. The students engaged in movement and art activities centered around our theme of Navigating Emotions.

The question for this week is... Where Have I Noticed Kindness Today?