Yesterday, I received this beautiful gift from a teacher at my school. This teacher expresses such love and caring for her student, (and, as you can see, for staff as well). This book, Dear Girl, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal/illustrated by Holly...
"The most precious gift you can give to the one you love is your true presence." ~Thich Nhat Hanh When you are mindful of your breathing, you are building a bridge between your mind and body. And, as Thich Nhat Hanh notes in his book, True Love, it only takes 10-20...
You, dear parent, dear teacher... are a Gardener As I am working with kids in one of the many Garden Offices we have, this is one of my most powerful mantras: I am a gardener, I plant seeds, I am not in charge of when they grow. It keeps me in "seed planting mode"...
Helping kids with executive functioning challenges can take one part instruction, one part practice, one part mindfulness and one part patience. For the instruction part, I have created fun visual aids to support kids with their learning and understanding of how...
Walking the Path This past summer I had the opportunity to visit the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth to walk it for the third time. Giant in size, it is a walk of heart. In fact, the first time I set foot on it, I was unexplainably moved to tears. Labyrinths have long...
Recently we had Favorite Character Day at the school. Everyone, staff and kids alike, got to dress up as their favorite cartoon character (no blood, masks, or scary stuff allowed, by the way). It was TONS of fun! Since my daughter and I recently went to see the...
It's back to school time and the perfect time to practice relaxation techniques with your kids! Recently, the first graders and I created a "Forest of Calm" through the Vrksasana yoga pose, or "tree pose." All of the kids gathered together to assume the tree poses...
We are having fun this week with outer space relaxation! Just looking at pictures from outer space elicits a feeling of calm and serenity within me, so I am sharing this experience with my students. Here are some discussion ideas and activities for you...
Here's a quick break for all of the kiddos you know that could use a pause and some sensory input to help them balance and calm their minds and bodies. To introduce this break or for practice, I ask the boys in my group to drop and "be a snake in the grass." First...
It's getting towards the end of the school year in my district. We are wrapping things up, saying goodbye to a year that passed so swiftly, and sending our fifth graders on to the larger horizon of middle school. Even my own daughter, Maiya, is graduating from high...
