More Stone Soup

How did this week get away from me so quickly?  Just when I thought things would be back to normal this week with MCAs finished up, NWEA tests and a day-long Earth Day celebration threw a monkey wrench into the schedule.  I suppose this is what we can expect for the last six weeks of school with field trips and end-of-year activities.  I’ll really have to practice what I preach about being flexible!

This week our groups were again a bit of “stone soup” as we played catch-up and worked around changing schedules.  Here’s a quick rundown of what we did this week:

Gr. 3 Boys---Talking, Feeling and Doing Game

Gr. 4 Boys---Team Building Activity

K Boys---Team Building Activity

Gr. 2 Boys---Talking, Feeling and Doing Game

Gr. 1 Girls---Hygiene, Friendship Island Game

Gr. 2 Girls---Friendship Island Game

Next week and the week after should be back to “normal” and we’ll begin our unit on communication/social thinking.  Next week, in fact, is one of my favorite lessons: nonverbal communication.  I can’t wait to share with you the plans when I blog on Monday!  Have a great weekend!

Handling Angry Feelings and Other Random Subjects

Due to the wildness and wooliness of our school’s schedule this month with testing, this week and next week will be “catch-up” weeks for our groups.  Some students have been able to meet regularly, but I haven’t seen some smiling faces for a few weeks now!  Here is the plan for groups this week:

Gr. 2 Boys---5 Point Scale Review

Gr. 1 Boys---Bounce Back (anger management game---very fun!)

K Boys---Bounce Back

Gr. 1 Girls---Self Care and Hygiene

Gr. 2 Girls---The Talking, Feeling, and Doing Game

Our third and fourth grade groups have all been put on hold due to testing.  Like many of our students, I can’t wait to get back to a normal schedule next week!  Enjoy the snow today (hopefully the last snow of the season?)!

Handling Angry Feelings, Part Two

As I look at my schedule for the next two weeks, I’m feeling bad because it will really be hit or miss with groups as we complete our MCA testing.  So as I write, bear in mind that the lessons I have planned for the next two weeks may or may not happen for your child, depending on how schedules have been affected. 

Now that I’ve gotten my disclaimer out of the way….

We’re continuing on through our unit of handling angry feelings.   Last week we read a story, made a 5 Point Scale of angry feelings, and did a worksheet to reinforce the different “levels” of being mad.  This week we will talk about healthy ways of handling angry feelings.  We all know that bottling feelings up isn’t healthy, but neither is venting (talking about the angry feelings again and again only makes us hold on to the anger longer and continually re-live what made us angry to begin with).  Obviously being violent with our words or actions aren’t good ideas, either.

I would like to encourage students to use some of the same strategies that help them when they’re feeling anxious---take a deep breath, think of something calming, talk to a trusted adult to come up with ways to take back control of a situation (usually that causes us anger), use exercise to release mad feelings, or write or draw out emotions.  It’s very human of us to “lose our cool” when we’re angry, making poor choices and feeling regretful afterward.  The more we can become familiar with what makes us angry and what helps us dissolve that anger, the better off we are.

Have a great week!

Handling Angry Feelings

For the past couple weeks we have been building our perspective-taking skills.  Last week was an especially fun time as students had the opportunity to share what they liked about their friends in group.  I was amazed that kindergarten through fourth grade students alike embraced the idea of making their groupmates feel good by writing kind things to them.  And, of course, it was fun to be able to bring an envelope full of positive thoughts about themselves home, too!  We will continue to build on this concept as we move into our next unit on handling angry feelings.

There's nothing that gives us "weirder" feelings about someone as when they "lose their cool" during frustrating situations.  Some people are naturally able to handle difficult feelings with grace and control, but the rest of us very human human beings have to develop the ability to appropriately manage when we are feeling upset or angry.  The earlier we can learn these skills, the better off down the road we will be, the better other people will feel about being around us.  We will start this month-long unit this week by building a 5 Point Scale of angry feelings.  Students should be familiar with this scale as it is something we learned about last fall, but we will adapt it to reflect the different levels of mad there are (from irritated to irate).  We will identify what our bodies and thoughts are like at each level.  We'll reinforce what we learn with real-life anecdotes as well as fun worksheets.  Next week we'll work on different techniques to handle angry feelings (like we did with anxious feelings).

One quick heads-up as we roll into MCA testing next week:  Schedules are crazy!  Even though it is just our third and fourth grade students testing, many grade levels' schedules are impacted due to lunches, specials, and staff being shuffled around in order to accommodate the demands of the MCAs.  I will do my best to make sure I see all of my groups each week, but I fully expect that things will be a little wild and woolly starting next Monday!  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. 

Have a great week!

A Little More Perspective (Taking)

How do you like this?  It's Monday and I'm writing the blog!  Wahoo!

We will be continuing our unit on perspective taking this week by embracing a couple of social thinking concepts from the social thinking "guru" Michelle Garcia Winner.  The first concept will be "All About Me versus Thinking About Others" and the second will be "Good and Weird Thoughts".  The first concept takes what we learned last week about understanding a situation from another perspective and makes it more personal---how does my behavior reflect if I'm thinking about myself or if I'm thinking about others?  And from there moving into "does my behavior give other people good thoughts about me or weird ones?".  I know "weird" is kind of a hot-button word, but we never use it to describe a person, just that awkward, uncomfortable feeling we sometimes get if things feel funny.

To practice these concepts, we'll role play and talk about different scenarios that happen on a regular basis and decide as a group whether the situation reflects a person thinking about themselves first or others.  From there we'll do a sort of "affirmation circle" in which students will write down or draw something that each person in group does that gives them a good thought (i.e. being a good listener, laughing at jokes, taking turns, etc.).  The emphasis will be on improving on behaviors that make people want to be friends with us.

As I write this, it sounds like a tall order to fill, but the kids are awesome so I think this will be a fun learning week.  Enjoy the sunshine and keep your fingers crossed that warm weather comes our way soon!

Perspective Taking

Well this week has certainly zipped by quickly!  Aren't snow days great?  It wouldn't be a Minnesota winter without them, even if we do have to wait until the end of March for them to come....  And I'm vowing now to get back on track and post these updates on Mondays again, but in the mean time, better late than never!

This week in group we worked on the difficult skill of perspective taking.  This skill is part of the mindfulness curriculum, as well as our social thinking curriculum, and it harnesses the pre-frontal cortex's ability to process through new information by comparing it to existing knowledge, then make good decisions.  Yes, even as adults we're constantly working on this skill!  However, the ability to view a situation from another person's point of view improves interpersonal relationships, quells anxiety, helps with impulse control, and gives us the opportunity to predict how to respond in different situations.  In general, perspective taking builds the brain's ability to make more reflective, conscious, appropriate responses.

We read a great story called "Hey, Little Ant" by Phillip and Hannah Hoose and then did a drawing activity to reinforce different perspectives.  Next week we will continue with our unit on perspective taking and move from "how do other people feel in this situation?" to "how do other people feel about me in this situation?".  Have a great weekend!

Mindfulness Wrap-Up

Where has the time gone?!?  I apologize for the lack of update last week; I was sent home sick with the flu by our school nurse last Tuesday and it all went downhill from there….  This winter has been brutal, hasn’t it?  We’re ready for spring!

I am definitely glad to be back to a regular schedule this week with groups back to normal before we head into spring break.  We are finishing up our Mindfulness unit this week with a review of all we’ve learned about the brain, its functions, and how we can bring mindfulness into our everyday lives---listening, seeing, smelling, tasting, and moving.  My hope is that students feel empowered by learning more about how their brain and body work together.  By becoming more mindful students are better able to learn at school, build relationships with peers, and be met with more success each day at home and school.

Because students have worked so hard on this unit and there’s no better way to celebrate a job well done, we’re having a “game day” this week in group.  Energy levels are running high with the anticipation of our upcoming break, so letting each group choose a game and let loose has been a great practice in building social skills in a very “organic” setting.  It is always fun and interesting to watch!  When we return from break we’ll be transitioning into our unit on perspective taking---building those “social thinking” skills. 

It was great to see so many parents at conferences last Thursday and Friday!  I am continually grateful to have a job where I get to know such amazing parents and children.  (And it was also fun to hear that my mom isn’t the only one who is reading this blog!)  Enjoy your spring break!