On November 8th, performers from Puppets in Education will be visiting MES to teach our students about anxiety, what it is and how to manage it. Lessons will occur during health classes: grades K-4 will watch an interactive puppet show, grades 5-6 will participate in a workshop. For more information, check out the links below. Thank you Vermont Agency of Education for fully funding this important learning experience for our students.
In wellness we are using a program called Feel Your Best Self (FYBS) as part of our mindful moment. FYBS teaches simple coping strategies to promote emotion regulation, all arranged in three categories: Calm Yourself, Catch Your Feelings and Connect with Others. These types of coping strategies are important life skills, and when used regularly, can promote emotional well-being. For more information, check out: Feel Your Best Self.
In wellness, we learned how to listen with our whole bodies through the book Whole Body Listening Larry at School. Whole body listening is more than just "hearing" with the ears. It also includes:
In wellness, we have been practicing mindful breathing using Alphabreaths. We have tried A - Alligator and B - Butterfly Breath. Today we learned that when all of the parts of our brain are working together we are being mindful. We think before we act. We are focused and our bodies are safe. When we are unmindful we act without thinking. When we are unmindful, others feel uncomfortable and it is harder to learn. We practiced being mindful with a game, cat and mouse.
Today in wellness we had our first lesson from MindUp, a research-based curriculum aimed at helping student focus their attention, improve their self-regulation skills, build resilience to stress, and develop a positive mindset in both school and life. Today students learned about three important parts of the brain, using their two fists as a visual (see drawing below):
In kindergarten wellness, we started the year by exploring our names. We began by reading two books, My Name is Yoon and Chrysanthemum. At home, students learned more about their names from their families, such as how their names were chosen and do they have any special meaning or significance. Students will be sharing what they learned over the next several weeks. We also did an art project using yarn. I was so impressed by how focused they were as they traced their names in glue, chose the just right yarn colors and carefully placed each string on each letter. Check out their work above!
In wellness we have been working on differentiating between things that are in our control, like our thoughts and feelings, and those that are out of our control, such as the weather. In kindergarten, we read Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Next, we sorted his experiences into two categories: in his control and outside his control. Then students worked in pairs on a similar sorting activity using problems they might face. Finally, we talked about how focusing on things outside our control can lead to unnecessary stress and how focusing on what is in our control can help us to solve problems and make changes to reduce stress.
In kindergarten, we are using books from the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems to explore friendship topics, such as:
In wellness we read The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions by Anna Llenas. We learned that we can sort our feelings into categories based on how they feel in our bodies.
In wellness we read Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall. In it, the young Jabari works up the courage to take a big, important leap - jumping off the diving board! He feels ready. He has finished his swim lessons and passed the swim test. But when his dad squeezes his hand, he squeezes back. Jabari Jumps is a great story about being brave, overcoming our fears and that it's okay to be scared of something new. Below is a link to a read aloud of the book and some discussion questions.
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Jason StevensonSchool Counselor - Avid Hiker - Reader - Lego Enthusiast Archives
January 2024
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