Calm Your Worries with "A Little Spot of Anxiety" by Diane Alber

Counseling Lessons for the Week of May 25-28

I cannot believe we have made it to the last week of school! What a crazy and unexpected ending to our year! While I am sad that it is ending this way, instead of being together at Oak Hill and getting to hug each other goodbye for the summer, I must say I am also feeling very proud. I am so proud of all students, parents, and staff for getting through the rest of the school year together with positivity and hard work! We all definitely lived up to our final "SEL Trait of the Month", which was PERSEVERANCE! 

We don't yet know what the future will bring for going back to school in the fall and that can cause some anxiety for some of us. I know Mrs. Rosales and I are feeling a bit anxious for sure! It can be hard to face the unknown, but I know that whatever the decision is we will all get through it together as an amazing campus! We wanted to leave you with a lesson and story to help you deal with some of the anxieties you may face at this time. Enjoy this story for all ages about a strategy you can use to calm your anxiety and find your "peaceful spot". 

PK- 5th Grade can enjoy this story: 

Hopefully you were able to join along with the story and practice moving  or blowing away those "anxiety spots" and turning them into your "peaceful spot". These are just a couple ways you can try to calm your anxiety, but there are so many other ways. What ways have you already tried that have worked for you? For me sometimes exercising works well for me. It gets my endorphins going and makes me forget for a little bit about what I worried about. Especially when my workout involves being outside and getting some fresh air. If I am inside, sometimes it helps to cuddle with my cats or watch something funny with my fiance. Find what works for you and helps you to focus on something more positive. Can you make a list of all the things you can do to calm down, if you are anxious, scared, nervous, or worried? 

Here are a couple of activities you can do to help remember to practice your breathing, in addition to the breathing activities you saw in the story: 

Breathing Star

Memory Game: Breathing Choices

Try those activities and the different methods Conscious Discipline suggests for calming down. Hopefully you will find the right one that works for you! 

Also, if you didn't have a chance to watch the "NPFH Year in Review" video yet, please be sure to check it out! You may even see yourself in it somewhere. It features our big "SEL Day" we had where we went out to the field and spelled "Be Kind". That was such a fun day and I am glad we have that memory to hold on to right before we were unable to come back to school. 

Mrs. Rosales and I hope you have a wonderful summer break!! While your summer may look a little different this year, we know you will all get creative and find some fun things to do whether you are in your homes, or outside exploring! Remember to be positive, be kind, and persevere! We look forward to seeing you all in one way or another in the fall!! :-)

Conflict Resolution with Shubert's Big Voice

Counseling Lessons for the week of May 18-22

I hope you all have had a great week!! What fun things did you do this week with your families? Have you been able to turn the "yucky stuff" into a beautiful pearl, like the oyster did in The Story of the Oyster and the Butterfly? Think of all the negative things you've been able to turn into positives. Maybe even write, or draw about them. Doesn't that feel great? 

This week we want to share a lesson with you on conflict resolution. We know many of you may have siblings at home and maybe you are getting in some arguments, especially now that we are together all the time. I know I sure had my fair share of arguments with my siblings when I was growing up. It's normal and okay to get in arguments with our siblings and friends sometimes (not too frequently), but what is really important is that we know how to handle those arguments the right way. It is never okay to hit someone and it is not a good idea to scream and yell. Shubert is going to show us how he learned to handle a student in his class who was being mean to him and stole his apple from him. He learned how to use his big voice (firm voice, but not yelling), and you can, too! 

All grade levels can enjoy watching Shubert's Big Voice. Then, look for the lesson to complete after the story for your grade level: 

Now that you have heard the story, see if you can answer all of these questions. Maybe even try to role play using your "big voice". When someone is bothering you, or doing something they shouldn't be doing to you, it is okay for you to stand up for yourself and tell them to stop. If they don't stop after you have used your "big voice" and you have tried to solve the problem, find a trusted adult to get help from right away. 

PK-2 Grade Lesson: 

Shubert's Big Voice Activity for PK-2

3rd-5th Grade Lesson: 

For 3rd-5th grades, you will find these videos about our brains helpful before you do your activity. Your activity relates Shubert's Big Voice to how we react to conflict or situations based on the emotional reactions from different parts of our brains. These videos will help you to learn about the different parts of the brain and how the limbic system is connected to our emotions.

   

Shubert's Big Voice Activity for 3rd-5th

I really love that brain song and hope you did, too! It had me dancing and learning in a fun way! I hope you all have a wonderful week! I can't believe how close we are to the end of the school year. I hope can start thinking of all the fun things you can do this summer. Even though we may be limited to some things we can or can't do, I know you all will get creative and think of some new ideas you maybe haven't thought of before! :-)

Mindfulness with Mind Yeti and Mandalas

Counseling Lessons for the Week of May 4-8

I can't believe that May has already arrived and we are heading into our 7th week of online learning! I just couldn't resist adding this ever-so-popular Justin Timberlake introduction to May. ;-)




This week we want to focus on helping you with ways to practice mindfulness, or being present in the moment. It's easy to sometimes get wrapped up in your electronics, the stress of schoolwork, being worried about things, etc. Learning how to be more mindful can help you detach from all of that and truly clear your head, while just living in the moment.

This week's lesson is to practice being more mindful and one great way to get started with that is by using the Mind Yeti videos. They will help walk you through different mindful activities and meditations. They are appropriate for all ages. Here's one to get you started on your mindful journey:



Here is the link to follow to get the whole Mind Yeti playlist, so you can practice one, or more each day!

Mind Yeti Playlist in English

La lección de esta semana es practicar ser más consciente y una excelente manera de comenzar es usando los videos de Mind Yeti. Te ayudarán a guiarte a través de diferentes actividades conscientes y meditaciones. Son apropiados para todas las edades. Aquí hay uno para que comiences tu viaje consciente:


¡Aquí está el enlace a seguir para obtener la lista de reproducción completa de Mind Yeti en español, para que pueda practicar una o más cada día!

Lista de reproducción de Mind Yeti en español

Another great way to practice mindfulness, or use it for a nice calming activity, is to color mandalas! Here are some examples of mandalas:

 

This website has a lot of free printable mandalas, and even an option to color them online if you don't want to or can't print them out:

http://www.hellokids.com/r_262/coloring-pages/mandala-coloring-pages

We hope you enjoy practicing mindfulness with these tools this week! Make sure when you play the videos are are coloring your mandalas, you are in a quiet area, away from all distractions. Have a great week!! :-)