Zones of Regulation - Body Clues

In wellness classes students have learned the physiological cues our bodies give them to help them figure out what zone they are in. This in turn will help them increase their self awareness and, in turn, self regulate. Here are the body clues that we discussed. Keep in mind that this is a simplified list. There are other clues and they vary from person to person. 

Blue Zone: low energy, body aches, head aches, cranky and not thinking clearly.

Green Zone: able to focus on the present, body still, breathing normal, normal heart rate.

Yellow Zone: body feels warmer, rapid/shallow breaths, heart beating faster, fidgety/can't keep still, brain not focused, muscles tense/ache, wanting to flee/leave the situation, negative thoughts.

Red Zone: talking louder or faster (yelling), running off/away, hard to think clearly, hands into fists, teeth clenched, sweating, body shaking, out of control. 

For an intro to the Zones, check out my previous post: Zones of Regulation - Intro. Also check out: The Zones of Regulation. You can also reach me with questions by email: jstevenson@huusd.org. 

Zones of Regulation - Intro

In wellness classes this year the focus has been on the Zones of Regulation. The Zones is an approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones: blue, green yellow and red. 

The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.  

The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone.  This is the zone where optimal learning occurs.  

The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions.  A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone. 

The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions, however one has more control when they are in the Yellow Zone.  A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone.  

Students across the grades have learned how to identify what zone they are in by paying attention to their bodies,  the importance of matching their state of alertness to the situation and what tools they can use to manage their alertness. For example, rapid breathing may indicate that the person is in the yellow zone and could cool down by taking some deep breaths or counting to ten. For more information, check out: The Zones of Regulation. You can also reach me with questions by email: jstevenson@huusd.org. 

 

Talking with Kids About Race and Racism

Considering recent events, I want to share some resources that could be helpful in talking with your kids about race and racism. Start off by informing yourself; check out Antiracist Reading Recs from Loyalty Bookstores. Loyalty is an independent bookstore committed to providing diverse reads for all ages. Other resources to explore:

• Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup: A comprehensive list from Pretty Good Design, including podcasts, articles and books for children and adults. Also check out the infographic on their home page. 
• Books to Help Kids Talk About Racism: A good list of picture books, primarily discussing race from a historical context. Use these titles as a starting point, making connections with the text and present day events.
• Here's How to Raise Race-Conscious Children: From Buzzfeed, they talk about the importance of talking about race versus staying silent. "When we fail to talk openly with our children about racial inequality in our society, we are in fact contributing to the development of their racial biases." 
• Colours of Us: Multicultural books organized by ethnicity and children's age. Other book lists include talking about race and racism, books about mixed race families and books with strong female role models.
• How to Talk to Children About Race: Another great, comprehensive resource.

Also check out the resources compiled by the librarian at Fayston Elementary, Sarah Adelman: Resources on Race/Racism/Discrimination.

There are a lot more resources out there. I wanted to give you a good starting point. I realize these conversations are difficult and likely uncomfortable, but they are so important. If you need help with addressing race and racism with your child, please reach out: jstevenson@huusd.org. 

Hiking With Kids

The past two years I have offered a hiking club for Fayston and Moretown students. At Fayston, we had a guest join us from the Green Mountain Club (GMC). Lorne Currier, GMC Volunteer & Education Coordinator, taught us how to prepare for a hike, trail etiquette, and about the history of the GMC. He also helped us with our nature trail, making improvements and relocating a section of the trail. 

Today (5/27) at 4 PM the GMC is offering a workshop for families, Hiking With Children. The instructors are the parents of young children and have led a variety of outdoor education and hiking programs for all ages. They will guide you through planning a hike that will work for you and your kids, talk about what you should wear, and what you should pack for a day of fun and adventure. The event is free or by donation. 

Recordings of previous GMC workshops can be found here: Virtual Workshops & Event Recordings. For example, check out the workshop on outdoor adventures with babies, toddlers and preschoolers! Also check out their Facebook group, HikeVT w/ Kids.

In preparing for our hikes, I came across this resource from AllTrails.com: Best Kid Friendly Trails in Vermont. Happy trails!

International Museum Day (May 18)

Hello! I hope you had a great weekend! I will say mine was quite productive, completing several outdoor projects on my to-do list. If you did not know it already, today is International Museum Day! To celebrate, I thought I would share what museums have online, virtual tours. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Louvre - Paris, France
• Museum of Natural History - Washington, DC
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York, NY
• NASA Research Center - Langley, VA
• The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum - New York, NY
• National Women's History Museum - Alexandria, VA

Google Arts & Culture has compiled a comprehensive list, which includes The J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, CA), the Galleria d'Arte Moderna (Rome, Italy), the Royal College of Music (London, United Kingdom) and many others. You can check it out here - International Museum Day 2020. 

This is just a sample of all of the museums offering virtual tours throughout the world. 

Safe (virtual) travels!

Boy Builds Huge Lego Titanic

As you know, I am a Lego fan and frequently use them with working with students, individually, in small groups and in the classroom. I have been meaning to share this video with some students for awhile and opted to post it to my blog (click image above to view). In this stop-motion video, a boy uses Lego bricks to build a model of the Titanic. Pretty cool, right!?! 

Inspired, I did a bit of googling and was able to learn a little about this builder and his work. Fifteen-year-old Icelandic Karl Brynjar is on the autism spectrum and developed a passion for learning about the Titanic at a young age. When he turned 10, he decided to combined his passion for the Titanic with his other love: Lego. Karl worked on the model over an 11-month span, with 700 hours of build time and using 56,000 Lego bricks.

Karl's accomplishment has gone viral online. He hosted a Ted Talk to explain how a boy with autism overcame obstacles to complete his dream project and he is writing a book, My Autistic X Factor. For more information about Karl, check out the links below. I hope this inspires your child to build some amazing Lego creations! 

CBS News

CBS Local: Dallas-Fort Worth

How the Titanic Became My Lifeboat

Teaching Kids How to Control Their Anger

I came across this article, How Inuit Parents Teach Kids to Control Their Anger, from KQED awhile ago, saved it to my list of parenting resources, and I am just now getting around to reading it. I was impressed by Inuit families' approach to teaching anger management. Here are my takeaways:

1. Teaching children how to control their anger begins with parents learning and practicing these skills. Parents serve as models; kids learn emotion regulation from us. "When we yell at a child - or even threaten with something like 'I'am starting to get angry,' we're training the child to yell. We're training them to yell when they get upset and that yelling solves problems."
2. Use storytelling to teach discipline. We learn best through things that are interesting to us. And stories, by their nature, can have lots of things in them that are much more interesting in a way that bare statements don't. I frequently use picture books to teach important social skills, such as resolving interpersonal conflicts and managing strong emotions.
3. Use drama to provide children with an opportunity to practice controlling their anger. It is important that this take place when they are not actually angry. By practicing having a different response or a different emotion, children have a better chance of managing their anger during hot-button moments. "That practice is essentially helping to rewire your brain to be able to make a different emotion [besides anger] much more easily." In wellness classes, I often have student role play scenarios where they are faced with a "trigger" - something that would make them angry, frustrated, etc. - and practice self control and problem solving strategies. 

For more information, check out the article linked above. And do not hesitate to reach out if I can be of help: jstevenson@huusd.org. 

Weekly Check Ins

I have been working with teachers to develop regular check ins with students. As you can imagine, doing this from a far has been challenging. One idea is a check-in Google Form (see below). Starting today and continuing each week, the form will be posted on each classroom's Seesaw page. We are asking that families support children in answering the eight, mostly multiple-choice questions. After, we will reach out to families, if warranted.

At this point we are limiting the roll out to specific classrooms with the hope of utilizing it further at a later date.

Parent Support Group

We are continually exploring ways to support families from afar during these challenging times. One idea we have is to develop a way for parents to come together, talk about your experiences with distance learning and parenting and brainstorm possible solutions. At this point we are considering two options, either a weekly Google Meet or Zoom and/or an always-open discussion board. Please take a moment to complete the Parent Support Form. This will help us access interest and decide what whether to pursue the Meet, discussion board or both.

COVID-19: Resources for Young Children

I want to share some resources from Defending the Early Years, a non-profit organization promoting early childhood education. The first is a video, Dr. Susan Linn & Audrey Duck Talking About the Cornavirus. Through parent-child conversation, the video explains the virus using kid-friendly language. It talk about why children cannot have playdates, why social distancing is important and how it is okay to be physically close to the people they live with by not with others outside the home. Other topics include the need for children to be independent and play alone at times while parents are working from home, coping with feelings such as fear and loneliness, and connecting with others through video.

The second is a comprehensive guide for parents, Guidance for Supporting Young Children Through COVID-19. It covers how to establish routines, ways to encouraging meaningful play at home, using this opportunity to teach important life skills, managing screen time and talking about the virus.

Check out these resources and let me know what you think. And please do not hesitate to reach out if I can help - jstevenson@huusd.org.

Inside Out

In a prior post I referenced the Pixar film Inside Out. The story is told primarily from the perspective of feelings - joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust - inside the mind of an 11-year old girl named Riley. Uprooted from her midwest life, Riley is faced with the challenges and emotions of adjusting to a new town, San Francisco, and a new school. For more information, check out the review on Common Sense Media, a great resource!

I have used Inside Out as a teaching tool across the grades in my wellness classes. In the 5th and 6th grades, students created "islands" to represent their interests and values. In the primary grades, I used the film to explore emotions and what makes us feel happy, sad, angry, etc. As you are cooped up inside, this could be a great way to do something fun as a family while using it as an opportunity to do some social-emotional learning! For some ideas, check out 5 Teaching Ideas Connected to Inside Out. Lessons cover identifying, talking about our feelings and "self talk."

Paper Cities

Are your kids starting to get restless, cooped up inside during the rainy spring? (Side note: rain won't hurt them! Have them throw on a raincoat and send them out!) If so, the British architecture studio Foster + Partners have released a series of paper templates that kids can print out, color and fold to build their own paper cities! Options include skyscrapers, houses and a tutorial on how to draw trees.

The complete resource can be found here: #architecturefromhome. The studio encourages families to share their creations on social media using the #architecturefromhome hashtag. I look forward to seeing their work! Cheerio!

Thriving at Home

The Thriving at Home workbook was shared with me by another HUUSD school counselor. I think it is a great resource. Families can pick and choose from the provided activities, such as setting up a play space, using a rock and Play-Doh analogy to talk about what we can and cannot control, identifying comforts to help us manage stress, and checking our emotions using the Zones of Regulation and the characters from Inside Out. From the author, a parent and play therapist:

Although this time is challenging, it can also be a time for fulfillment. This workbook is intended to provide you with activities to address and explain hard feelings while working together to connect, regulate and play. May this book serve as a positive memory for you and your family as you look back on this time

Inspirational, right?!? Please let me know if you would like a paper copy and I will mail one to you. And do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns - jstevenson@huusd.org. I am here to help! 

Sesame Street: Managing Strong Emotions

Sesame Street has been on the forefront on providing content around social emotional learning, covering topics such as exploring emotions, getting along with others and solving problems. They have also created content for children dealing with issues related to the coronavirus. In the video, Belly Breathing with Rosita, Rosita shares her frustration with not being able to play with her friend Elmo. She teaches kids how to calm down by focusing on their breathing.

Also check out the following resources from Sesame Street. If you know of other resources, please let me know!

• Caring for Each Other: videos, online games, printable activities, ebooks and tips on how to talk to your child about COVID-19 and other related topics.
• Sesame Street in Communities: topics include missing friends, managing uncertainty and the and proper hand-washing techniques.
• Sesame Street videos: via Facebook Watch.

How to NOT Go to School

A few weeks ago I shared a picture book about a nine-year-old boy who battles the cornonavirus monster. I have a new title to share, brought to my attention by a good friend and therapist, Deanna Booth. In How to NOT Go to School, Parsley Mimblewood is a home-school kid who sees herself as something of an expert on "how to not go to school. The story follows her daily adventures along with her 11 animals and 7 imaginary friends. Each chapter explores an issue that might be weighing on children's minds at the moment, such as missing friends, dealing with emotions and feeling cooped up. Each short chapter ends with questions that could be great discussion prompts.

The book is available as a free download, although they are taking donations with proceeds going to the NHS, the publicly-funded healthcare system in the United Kingdom. Check it out and let me know what you think!

COVID-19: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, our needs can be organized into five tiers. Our base needs - food, water and shelter - form the base, followed by safety, belonging and love, and so on. The needs lower in the pyramid must be satisfied before individuals can attend to the needs higher up.

Esteem refers to the need for respect, self-esteem and self-confidence. These come from mastering skills, accomplishing tasks and expending our comfort zones, all often occurring through students' school experiences. For students to be available for learning, the lower needs must be satisfied.

Two takeaways:

1. Your relationship with your child is paramount. If getting your child to do their work is impacting your relationship, let it go and come back to it later. Perhaps modify the work or the expectations so it is manageable. Or reach out to their classroom teacher for help.
2. We are here to help! If you are having difficulty buying food, paying rent, etc., please let us know. We can help connect you with community resources, including access to meals through the district (HUUSD Free Meals Form). Also check out the resources I have provided here and here. 

I am always available by email (jstevenson@huusd.org) and phone (583-7876). Unplug (if you can) and have a restful April break!

The Coronavirus Monster

Help! A nine-year-old boy is being held hostage by an evil virus. Everything seems normal until a disgusting monster (COVID-19) appears and changes everything. Will the boy be able to free himself from the monster and save the day? You'll have to read it to find out! Written from the perspective of a 4th grader, The Cornonavirus Monster is a humorous take on the pandemic. The ebook can be purchased on Amazon.com with proceeds going to support No Kid Hungry. 

From the author, "I want to sell it so I can donate money to children who need help with food. I also wish to donate money to find a cure, so I can play lacrosse again and go out to eat delicious food like chocolate chip pancakes."

Mad River Valley Resources

This is a comprehensive list of resources for residents in the Mad River Valley (Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren). The list is live, so it will be updated regularly as supports are identified. At the top are links to Google Forms for volunteering and seeking help.

• Mad River Valley Emergency Response Team

COVID-19 and Co-Parenting

This year, I have offered two Changing Families groups, one for 4th graders - a continuation from last year - and a second for 5th and 6th graders. The purpose of these groups is to provide students with a place to meet, share their experiences and support each other as they face the challenges of having divorced or separated parents. These groups have continued and we are meeting through Google Meet. While not ideal, it has allowed us to continue these important connections.

I recently polled participants to get a sense of their experiences with distance learning, social distancing, etc. I wondered if their experiences would be more difficult, less difficult or the same when compared to students from intact families. The vast majority felt that it was harder for them. They talked about the challenges of moving between homes, dealing with parental arguments and contrasting parenting styles, all of which is made more difficult by the stress of the pandemic. With this in mind, I did a little research and found the following resources:

• Co-Parenting During Coronavirus: 7 Guidelines to Help Divorced Parents (Fatherly.com)
• Juggling Child Custody & Visitation During the Covid-19 'Stay at Home' Order (VPR)
• Quarantines and Custody Agreements (Today.com)

Lego Build Ideas

Looking for ideas for Lego builds that your child can do independently, beyond kits and free building? If so, check out Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls. This blog, written by the mother of four boys and one girl, provides a wide variety of ideas, from pumpkin launchers to Easter eggs. She also shares some STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities and how to may learning at home fun (or at least a little more so). Please send photos of your child's creations. I look forward to seeing them!