Social Emotional Learning During the Summer 8/3/2020

Suggested activities can be repeated and you can choose what to enjoy at any time during the week.

I hope you enjoy them!

Activities to Choose From For All Grades

Book Club

You Are a Social Detective by Michelle Garcia Winner "In our brains there are all types of "smarts." Some people have really great computer smarts, music smarts, sports smarts, math smarts or even Lego smarts!..but did you know we use our social smarts too?" Preview the August 14th Summer Social Group selection as well as important content and vocabulary for the 2020-2021 school year with your child. In Social Group, we will talk about what is "expected behavior", why we practice expected behavior and how to use our "social smarts" among other skills. (As an extension, feel free to explore all the different types of "smarts" each family member has!)

Recreational SEL

In Social Group, we talk about strategies to help us manage our strong emotions, solve problems or navigate moments when we feel uncomfortable. For example, one might put a cold cloth on one's face to "cool" down when upset or angry. Another strategy to help feel calm is to take three deep breaths. One of my favorite strategies to help stay cool on a hot summer day is to make and enjoy a Lime Rickey in a shaded outdoor area.

To make a Lime Rickey, you will need:

4 table spoons of Simple Syrup (one half cup sugar melted in one half a cup of hot water and cooled in advance)

Ice cubes

12 ounces of ginger ale; seltzer or a mix of the two depending on how sweet you would like the drink to be

The juice from one half a lime (or one table spoon of lime juice if you do not have a lime to squeeze)

Please note, sugar and ginger ale sweetened with sugar can be replaced with sugar substitutes for those who cannot have sugar. Sweeten to taste!

Here is a video with the instructions: Make your own Lime Rickey!

Enjoy! *sip, sip!

What other strategies can you come up with to help your body and brain stay "cool" and calm?

Field Trip!

Take a field trip to the Museum of Science in Boston! They are offering a live streaming program free to all who register! Check out their schedule for the up and coming events? Museum of Science Live Stream Events' Schedule

Optional Fun Activities

Big Black Bear by Wong Herbert Yee The main character of this story does not use his "social smarts!" Though we read this selection for our 7/31/2020 Summer Social Group, I invite you to enjoy it again and again with your child. It provides a wonderful spring board to think about what makes a good friend (or not a good friend); why it is important to use ones manners or "expected behavior" and how does one "fix it" after having made a mistake.

Mindfulness At the beginning and ending of our 7/31/2020 Summer Social Group, we practiced the mindfulness exercise "Breathing Ball". This can be practiced with or without an actual sphere that expands and contracts. The concept is simple as the exercise is all about helping your child focus on their breath. Breathing in, the student can pretend their balloon or ball or bubble is getting bigger by moving ones hands as if an object they are holding gets bigger. And conversely, when breathing out, pretend the object gets smaller by moving ones hands inward toward each other. Here is another mindfulness exercise that also helps bring attention to ones breath. Dr. Chris Willard's Hand Breath