Resources for Parents: Kids and COVID-19

Below I will continue to add the resources I am finding from my counseling groups to help parents navigate all of this.  I myself was never trained on "how to be a counselor during a pandemic", so know that I am by no means an expert, just someone who gathers information, wants to help support you, and someone who loves your kids!

Come back here periodically, as I will be updating as I find more!

Summer Food Distribution Information and Sign up!

Why our kids are Zoomed Out (or Google Hanged Out in our case!) and what to do about it

Mental Health During COVID-19 (SEVERAL great resources on this website!)

Coffee with the Counselor letter to parents 

Sesame Street Gang Explains COVID-19 for kids

FREE Webinar for parents:  6 Essential Skills to Transform Stress and Anxiety for Kids and Teens

The Germ that Wears a Crown - Ebook explaining COVID-19 to children.  Spanish and Creole versions coming soon!

Helpful Tips for Giving Your Child Feedback

4th Grade - Mindful Nature Walk

Friday was the PERFECT day to try the Mindful Nature Walk that I had sent you all home with.  I hope you have found the time and chance to try this at least once since we have left school.  While I have been going for walks every day, I have not taken the time to be really mindful.  I've had a lot on my mind between my own daughter's education here at home, how to still connect with each of you, and how sad I am to not see my friends that I work with.  So on this walk, I really tried hard to just BE.  I focused on my feet and how they felt hitting the pavement.  I paid closer attention to the colors and the signs of spring around me.  I gave my "Monkey Mind" a few breaths to pay attention to.  I have to admit, I started to think about other things that was worrying me or on my mind, but I tried to let them "float down the river on a leaf" like we practiced earlier this year!

I know you probably miss school and seeing your friends.  Maybe things feel really stressful right now and you're worried about the unknown too.  This, more than ever, is a great time to practice mindfulness.  I would love to see any pictures or videos from YOUR Mindful Nature Walks!  :)  If you have not already joined my Google Classroom, use code: y4xcojq for our upcoming "lessons"!

 Wicket joined me for our walk today!  

The bright colors of this Red Asure Dogwood made me pause and just notice.  Pictures never do it justice, but it was so pretty with the beige background!

Solitaire!

One of the silver linings of being cooped up at home is that I remembered how much I loved to play solitaire when I was a kid.  My aunt Heidi is a card whiz and taught me many ways to play.  I was able to FaceTime with her the other day to have her refresh my memory - something that I would not have done had I been able to leave the house and keep busy. 
I hope to do several different versions of solitaire for you to try at home as a fun way to connect with you!
Miss you all so dearly.  Be kinder than necessary to your families! 

YouTube version

One Handed Solitaire - Via Screencastify

Flipping Our Lids in 1st grade!

First graders are learning about self-regulation and have started out by learning how our brain responds when we are experiencing strong feelings.  We have met our "Guard Dog" (aka our Amygdala) our "Wise Owl" (aka PreFrontal Cortex - yes, even 1st graders can say this!) and our "Memory Elephant" (aka Hippocampus - another fun one!).  Students can show these parts of the brain using their hands, which is Dan Siegel's model for explaining what happens when we "flip our lids".  When our Guard Dog responds, it sends our Wise Owl flying and we aren't able to make good decisions nor are we able to transfer our learning to our memory keeper, or elephant.  Ask your 1st grader to show you with their fist where these parts of their brain are and what happens when the prefrontal cortex and amgydala are not working closely together.  For more from Dan Siegel, check out this YouTube video that explains the hand model. 

After learning about the brain and how this works, we tested our self-control with a little "Freeze Dance" game!  First graders did a great job listening and controlling their movements and we talked about how self control is important for being good friends and good learners!

Rude, Mean, or Bullying?

Third graders began our unit on "Rude, Mean or Bullying" this past week with a pre-survey on Kahoot!  According to Signe Whitson's "8 Keys to End Bullying", "knowing bullying when we see it" is the first key to ending the behavior.  Oftentimes, students will come into my office and tell me they are being bullied, when in actuality, it is a conflict that needs to be resolved. 
We will continue to do many activities for the rest of the year to help our 3rd graders identify if behaviors are rude, mean, or bullying and then give them options for handling the behaviors so that they do not continue or escalate. 
If you are interested in reading this book, I cannot recommend it enough to both parents and educators!  It is an easy read with very practical information in it to help us talk about bullying and mean behavior with our kids in a way that empowers them.  I have several copies as well if you would like to borrow one. 

3rd grade Explores Learning Styles!

As we wrap up our long unit talking about academic success skills, we talked about how each of us learns differently.  Students were given cards with different pictures on them - rainbows, robots, books, sunglasses - in a variety of different colors.  We asked them to organize them however they thought made the most sense.  You can learn a lot about how kids think by doing something like this!  Some used the colors to categorize, others went alphabetically, and yet others grouped the cards by the picture (all robots together etc.). 
Afterwards, we discussed how all of us organize information in our brains differently too!  Therefore, understanding how you learn best can help you set up great study habits.  Students took a mini inventory asking them for how they prefer to learn, and they were able to add up the scores and see if they were visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. 
I share with students that I've learned just how "visual" I am.  When I first started at Willow, my goal was to learn every student's name by the end of October.  I did quite well in grades 1-5 but in Kindergarten I really struggled.  And thenI realized (after teaching learning styles) that this was because when I visited those classes, students had their names written on their desk. In Kindergarten, we gather around a rug to talk, so their names weren't linked to them.  Now when I meet people, I try to write their names down so I can visually see it and lock it into memory!
In 3rd grade, there usually isn't a major distinction for kids, but this conversation about different ways to study so that the information "sticks" can at least give students ideas for setting up the ideal study habits for the way they learn best!

Career Clusters in 5th Grade

Our 5th graders have been spending the past six Life Skills classes learning about career clusters!  We have talked about how careers can be categorized or organized by clusters and by exploring each of them, students have been exposed to hundreds of career names - some they might not have even heard of before!
Each lesson has included a quick video showing a variety of careers in the field and many of these clips have been from technical colleges or universities demonstrating the types of training that are needed for various careers.  Students then cut out a sheet that has an overview of the cluster and paste this in their Interactive Notebooks that we have been adding to all year.  Next, they are given worksheets with 12-36 different careers (depending on the cluster!) and information on those careers such as skills needed, interests, and training required (2 year degree, 4 year degree, apprenticeship etc.).  They are asked to choose at least two careers that sound interesting to them.  They are by no means asked to select their "dream job" at this point - we are just exploring!  Asking them to identify which sound interesting helps them ask more questions, pinpoint their interests, and expose them to a variety of career options - which is the entire goal of 5th grade careers!