In today’s lesson, you will each be building your self esteem. Having good self esteem means that you are proud of yourself, feel confident, and believe in yourself even if things don’t go right the first time. Having good self esteem takes time to create so it is important to work on it each day. Take some time this week to think about the worksheet below. You can just think it in your head, write it down or even draw it. I want all you little ones to see yourself the way us teachers see you and that is amazing children who can do anything you put your minds to!
Below see a quote from Dr. Seuss. Celebrate who you are and how we are all different. We are all unique and that is what makes the world so beautiful.
Today we are all going to watch a read aloud "Strictly No Elephants". This is a story about some animals who get left out of a special group because they are different. It's a story of being left out but also a story of friendship. As you are listening to the story, try to think about how each of the characters feel? What zone are they in? Try to think how YOU would feel if someone treated you this way. The way the characters solve their problem is wonderful and the real message is "NEVER LEAVE ANYONE BEHIND".
Hi second grade friends! Today you will be learning about some new friends:
Superflex & The Unthinkables
You might remember the poster of our therapy dog Stella using her flexible thinking and defeating Rock Brain when outdoor recess was canceled. Click the link below to hear a story about Superflex beating the Unthinkables!
Hi friends!! Today you will be hearing the last social thinking book with Evan, Ellie, Jesse, and Molly. Our last book’s title is Sharing an Imagination. This is something you do everyday! Sharing an imagination with friends is lots of fun. In school, you did this a lot during recess. Now at home, I bet you are using your imagination by yourself and with your family.
(Click the link above and scroll down until you see the book title, click and enjoy!)
Try sharing your imagination with family this week! Maybe you’ll pretend to have an ice cream store at your house or a dinosaur in your backyard! Have fun!
I have recorded a story for you this week. It's called "Llama Llama Mad at Mama!" Little Llama is in the RED ZONE because he DOES NOT want to go shopping with his mama! Let's see how he handles his feelings.....
Discussion questions: How did you know Little Llama was getting angry? What did his face look like? What did he do when he got angry? What did Mama Llama do to help calm him down? What did Little Llama do to make things better? What can YOU do when you feel angry?
Hi Second Graders! Today you will learn 5 simple steps to help yourself control your anger that you feel in the Red Zone. Remember, it is OK to feel angry but it is really important to learn how to control it so you don't do unexpected things that you later feel bad about like hitting your brother or sister when they are annoying you. Click the video link below to learn these 5 steps.
Now it is your turn to try at home. The next time you feel angry use these steps:
Hi Kindergarten Kiddos! It is time for our next social thinking book. The title of this week's book is Smart Guess. I think you guys will like this book because the kids have a snow ball fight! Take the time to listen and learn about how to make Smart Guesses. We make smart guesses at both home and school.
This is the second part of the Self-Regulation lesson. Remember last week we talked about how YOU have the POWER to get back to the GREEN ZONE when you feel upset, worried or angry. Practice the calming strategies below and PICK 2 that you plan to use when you need to calm down.
We thought you would enjoy this video and wanted you to remember that WE are with you in your memories and your hearts even though we can't be together right now. We miss you so much and cannot wait until we can all be together again!
Hi All! Your kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders all have some knowledge of Size of the Problem. With everyone being stuck at home together, more problems are happening. Take a look at the short video below to give you some ideas on how to implement this at home. I like the example she gives saying that her child viewed no goldfish at the store as a big problem - this is our reality right now. Helping your kids gain a sense of awareness of their reaction size is a really great life skill to learn at a young age.
Hi 2nd Graders! Oh how I miss you all!! In today's lesson we will be talking all about breathing. I know, it might sound silly but controlling our breathing helps us get back to the calm & happy Green Zone.When we take short fast breathes, it tells our mind to be worried, scared, or mad. When we take slow, long, deep breathes it tells our mind to feel calm, safe, and happy. Try doing at least one of the breathing techniques from the link below each day. A nice place to practice might be laying in your cozy bed.
Check out the link below with lots of ways to control your breathing.
Hi Kids! We are onto our next book today! So exciting! I do miss reading these books to you very much in your classrooms. Check out the link below to see the next story read aloud. The Title of book 8 is Flexible & Stuck Thinking. You will see the kids go on an ice cream adventure!
This week will be a two part lesson on self-regulation. This mean how to use some tools to calm down when we want to get back to the GREEN ZONE. Below you will find some fun movement activities to practice that can be used as tools. They are called HIIT work out, meaning High Intensity Interval Training. This can be used to wake up your body when you are bored, tired or sad in the BLUE ZONE and it can also help you calm down when you are worried , frustrated or mad and in the YELLOW ZONE or RED ZONE.
Try it out and choose which ones are your favorites! Then you can use these whenever you need to self-regulate or get back into the GREEN ZONE.
We ALL need reminders at times. Many of us have been cooped up with our children for quite awhile now and when emotions are running high we may react to our children by saying things that are not helping the situation or getting us to our intended goal or end result. This box below is a nice reminder for everyone on how to clean up our verbal responses to our children to quickly diffuse intense situations.
Hi Friends! Seeing people wearing masks is a bit strange & scary because it it something new that we are not used to. Most of you kids probably have not seen many people with masks on since you are staying home, which is good! You may see your adult loved ones wearing a mask if they have to leave for work or the grocery store. Or you may even have a mask yourself. Even for me, at first I felt surprised each time I saw someone with a mask and having to wear my own mask. With time, I now feel comfortable seeing people with masks and wearing a mask myself. You might just need time to adjust too. This is our new normal for now, and it will probably change as the days go by. Remember to use your flexible thinking during this time of change and just "Go With the Flow". If you think about it, wearing a mask is kinda cool! Doctors & nurses wear them everyday and they are like superheros. If you have your own mask, try decorating it and making it colorful. This will make it less scary and help you feel more comfortable. And remember, it is perfectly safe to run and play in your yard. It is actually really healthy to be active and get SUN while social distancing.
You did such a great job this year learning all about the ZONES of Regulation! We had just started talking about tools what we can use when we want to get back to the GREEN ZONE right before the school closure. Here is a great table showing different tools you can try.
Now work with a grown up or older sibling to draw a picture showing which tool you would use the most for each zone! Then when you are experiencing different feelings you will have a personal plan to get back to the GREEN ZONE!
This video helps us think about our feelings in a different way. It shows us that we are separate from our feelings. They come and go - and we can observe them - without getting swept up by them. There's a really clever way of remembering this - our mind is like a pond full of fish. The fish are our feelings. If we remember to Be The Pond, we'll let those feelings just swim by.
Whenever you feel like your feelings are taking over, close your eyes, take deep breaths and picture a pond full of all kinds of fish. Think of the wet and cool feelings of a pond, and the sounds of water, the feel of bubbles and get back to being the pond!
Hi Kindergarten Kids! In today’s video, we get to see the BIG dinosaur with a BIG problem. With big problems, it is ok and expected that people have big reactions like crying and yelling. With big problems, it takes a lot of help from a lot of people and a lot of time to make it better.
Now that we have talked about each problem size, next time you have a problem, try figuring out which size it is. Then try to match your reaction to your problem size. Have a wonderful week! Xoxo Ms Darsch
In today's video you will learn how anxiety is actually a good thing! You probably did not know that but when you feel anxiety it is your body's way of protecting itself. When we feel anxious our body goes into what is called - Flight, Fight, OR Freeze.
Flight means your body is getting ready to run away.
Fight means your body is getting ready to protect itself.
Freeze means your body actually gets stuck and does not even more.
We all experience these feelings and it is completely normal!
Next time you are feeling anxious about something, try to figure out how your body is feeling. During these moments, tell yourself that these feelings will PASS. Anxiety does not stay with us forever, it comes and goes. Just remember to take some deep breathes to help control it.
In our friendships, each one has it's own special qualities. Think about your friendships and what makes them special. Make a list of ingredients in your friendship soup. Some of the ingredients in my friendships are: silly, funny, loyal, happy, thoughtful, & fun!! Watch the video below and then make your recipe for friendship soup.
This week we will be having you watch a video about feelings. The book is called "The Way I Feel" by Janan Cain. We thought this was a good one for all grades because after hearing the news of not returning to school we know there are lots of feelings about that. Are you feeling Disappointed? Frustrated? Are you Thankful for your time with your family. It is okay to have different feelings about this. We want to make sure that you talk with a trusted grown up or sibling about your feelings.
We want you to know that we miss you and love seeing you in your morning meetings and will continue to post videos, stories and Stella updates for you!
Flipping your lid is an expression used when people lose control of their anger. This happens to everyone! Check out the video below to learn what happens in your brain when you flip your lid. Very interesting!
Here is Stella and her little sister Lucia enjoying the sun after they both got clean and brushed! Now let's hope Miss Stella doesn't find any muddy puddles that she likes to jump in! :)
Today is Earth Day and I wanted to share this video with you!
Here are some ideas of ways you can make our Earth a better place! Turn of lights when you leave a room. RECYCLE Buy items with recyclable materials Plant a garden Take shorter showers Unplug your devices when you are not using them *Use reusable bags at the grocery store Clean up trash in your neighborhood, parks and playgrounds Feed the birds *Due to the Corona virus we cannot do this right now, but it's a good tip for the future.
YOU CAN HELP MAKE OUR WORLD A BETTER PLACE !
Connecting comments during conversations is a social skill. Watch the video below and notice how the kids feel when their friend does not connect their comments during their conversation.
Today we are going to talk about Handling Disagreements.
When two people don't agree on something BIG feelings can occur. We may feel upset or angry. Disagreements happen on playgrounds, during gym, at recess and at home. We can easily solve disagreements if we use some calm down tools (deep breaths, take a break, walk away, five finger breathing) and follow the advice in the video below!
Now that we have been home for several weeks the fighting among your children may have increased. This is to be expected! All of our busy schedules have ended and family members are spending a lot of time together. While I am sure some of this time has been enjoyable, I know other times have not. Here is a helpful article to help some of the sibling rivalry that may be going on in your home. And always remember....giving yourself a time out to regroup and take a few deep breaths always help ;)
Enjoy the weekend everyone!
Today you will learn a meditation technique to use when having to wait for something. Lots of kids have a hard time when they have to wait for something, especially something they really want. All you have to do is focus on your 5 senses while you are waiting. You can help your little ones focus on their 5 senses by making it into a fun I Spy game. When focusing on the 5 senses, it helps ground kids which makes them feel more comfortable and relaxed.
In the video below, Cookie Monster is waiting for his cookies to bake. You can imagine this is really hard for Cookie Monster because he loves cookies SO much! Next time you have to wait for something, try this Monster Meditation technique.
Hi Second Graders! In today’s lesson you will learn when to just think things in your mind or to say them out loud. At Forestdale, we use the words Thought Bubbles and Speech Bubbles to talk about what should be said and what should be kept inside. Check out the video below and try to guess which thoughts should stay as Thought Bubbles. Xoxo Ms. Darsch
Hi Kindergarten Kids! In today’s lesson, we start book number 7! You will see Evan, Ellie, Jesse and Molly with their dinosaur friends. The title of this book is Size of the Problem and today we are focusing on small problems. There will be more videos to come with the rest of the book. Xoxo Ms.Darsch
Preschoolers have done such a GREAT job all year understanding feelings and the ZONES of regulation! Here is a video with Murray from Sesame Street hosting a game called "Name that Emotion!" Come play along with me friends:)
Stella wanted to wish you all a Happy Spring! She celebrated Easter yesterday with her family. Another dog friend of hers celebrated Passover with their family. Another dog friend just enjoyed the warm temperatures this weekend. Did you celebrate a holiday this past week?
Warmer temperatures are on their way my friends! Have a great week :)