Guess the Feeling
I wanted to share this great video created by Disney that allows you to “Guess the Feeling” of the characters from the movie Inside Out. It goes perfectly with what we talked about last week in the “Finding Feelings” lesson. Check it out and see if you can guess the feelings while you watch…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOkyKyVFnSs.
Gratitude
Right now we’re all stuck at home with the people we’re stuck at home with. I imagine many of you have had a good days and bad days. You may have fought with siblings or parents.
It’s important to take time each day to focus on the good things. Like how you’re helping each other or maybe focus on how you could do more to help each other.
A really easy thing to do is either sit down as a family once a day and each person take a turn thanking somebody for something. Or just by yourself sit down and make a list of things that you are grateful for.
Here’s mine:
1. My daughters are doing an amazing job at entertaining themselves when my husband and I need to work.
2. I get to connect with students regularly.
3. I have been able to spend lots of time in the garden and it’s bringing me a lot of happiness.
What about you?
My COVID-19 Time Capsule
Take a moment and think about the fact that you are living through history right now. This activity is something you can fill out and show to future generations.
2020 Covid-19 time capsule sheets1
MindUP
The team behind MindUP (The Goldie Hawn Foundation) are offering free MindUP activities for students to use at home. There are two different guided brain breaks as well as activities that will be updated weekly.
https://mindup.org.uk/mindup-activities/
Anxiety Resource
EASE (Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators) is an excellent program that I highly recommend for teaching fun and practical strategies for managing anxiety. The team at EASE has adapted their classroom activities for use at home so that parents and caregivers can support their child’s mental health during the pandemic.
This link will take you to several activities grouped by grade level (k-3 or 4-7).
Move Your Body Mindfully!
Research shows that practicing yoga and mindfulness improves both physical and mental health in school-aged children. A great kid-friendly yoga practice is Cosmic Kids (https://www.cosmickids.com) which is also available on YouTube. If you are looking for a yoga practice that is geared towards someone older (I’m looking at you Grade 6 and 7s), try this 20 minute full body flow (https://youtu.be/b1H3xO3x_Js).
Another great option for mindful movement is Tai Chi. Slow, gentle, repeated movements are really good for the body. The trick is to go as slow as you can, and remember to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Tai Chi is really good for your circulation (moving blood around your body). If you spend a lot of time at a desk or in front of the computer, your body isn’t moving blood around as easily, and so different’ parts of your body aren’t getting the oxygen they need.
Give it a try! https://youtu.be/6w7IS8_UzHM
Tips for a Productive Self Isolation from Astronaut Chris Hadfield
In this two minute video, Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield provides four steps for setting goals and being productive while isolating. If you think it’s hard not being able to play at the park or hang out with your friends, imagine spending 6 months in a space station the size of a small apartment!
For Parents – Here’s a link to his Ted Talk on fear and how to overcome it, it’s a really interesting talk and well worth sitting down to watch with your kids.