Mindfulness is defined as the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
It requires practice! Here are some awesome links with more info and resources!
https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/
I think I am going to stop posting daily ideas to go with the themes, like Make Something Monday etc., and start posting some other information I think might be helpful to parents who are stuck at home and suddenly charged with educating their kids. Today, let’s talk about anxiety.
Love this video about learning to calm down and breathe from the point of view of children.
Here are some great resources from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America during Covid-19.
Another great article from Childmine.org about how to deal with anxiety in children during these difficult times.
Here is some important information about different anxiety disorders, including a video, from MEDSKL.
This is a great online tool for simply helping your children to breathe.
Insight Timer is an amazing tool to help guide your children (and you!) through some meditation. There is also an app!
Please send questions if you have specific needs or questions and I can try to address them!
For a laugh…
How much fun are these little gnomes from Rainy Day Mum? At first I thought these were just painted rocks, so that would be an easy alternative.
Also, for some ELA info, I found this video really interesting and inspiring!
For children with Learning Disabilities and ADHD, this foundation is especially important! More on that next week with STRATEGIES!
Anyone else’s child two-finger type? Logan has been practicing has typing every day and I thought others might like the link!
It’s finally warming up! Today’s inspiration came from this TikTok video!
I thought it was such a fun idea. Don’t have sidewalk chalk? Don’t worry! You can make some!
And an added bonus, here are some more fun ideas for your sidewalk chalk adventures from A Girl and a Gluegun.
Have fun and share your ideas!
Logan and I have been working on geometry art for his school and I was inspired to share – it’s been therapeutic for me as well!
Here is what we made…
Some inspiration from Pinterest…. I love these!
Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend at home! Back to the home school game! I ended up making Logan a binder and printing out the assignments from his teachers so he can see them every week. He also has a notebook he keeps at his “desk” (our kitchen table) and I make him a TO DO checklist every day. He also has a weekly TO DO checklist from his PE teacher and his Music teacher, so I add “one PE thing” and “one Music thing” to his daily list. I find it helpful to keep me organized and he likes being able to see what he has left and what he has completed. How are you organizing your homeschool?
For Make Something Monday, I thought it would be fun to make something springy. We have a lot of animals in our backyard that we notice every day when we are distracted from our school work. Now that the snow is melting and it is warming up, I’m hoping to spend some time doing yard work. This might encourage Logan to spend time in the yard with me.
Here’s a fun bird feeder from The Resourceful Mama. Logan spotted a blue jay in our backyard the other day so he will be happy to feed our birds. But not our magpies. Not a fan.
How much fun is this Nerf Gun Shooting Range from Ghastly Girl? It would take time to make and entertain for awhile! Send pics if you make it!
Today we will think about….MATH! In a fun way…
Here is a fun game to practice multiplication from Math Geek Mama.
And a game for addition and subtraction from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls.
Also, Lucky to be in First has a great post with lots of ideas for math games.
Check out this post with core strengthening exercises for kids from The Inspired Treehouse. Logan and I have had fun doing some workouts together. He doesn’t have very much patience for yoga, but I’m just happy if he is moving!
Brain breaks are so important for kids – even if they don’t struggle with attention issues. In the book Scatterbrain by Henning Beck (great book by the way) Beck suggests that our brains have a limited ability to focus. He says that a good measure for time is age. So a five-year-old can focus for 5 minutes before they are distracted, a 10-year-old, 10 minutes. Design activities that keep this in mind – your children will not be able to sit at the table for hours on end. This is a sure fire way for discontent and poor quality work. Change up activities often – even if it is as simple as reading to writing to computer work to a hands on activity. Logan and I have been having “recess” with snack. Body breaks can be a great way to get your kids to reset, regulate or just get them moving.
Lego Challenge:
