As the evidence-based research is mounting that children’s capacity to cope with emotions influences their ability to learn, there has been a national movement in education to integrate social and emotional learning into the classroom. Often times, the implementation of SEL curriculum is driven by the goal of supporting the attainment of specific skills for […]
parenting and caregiving
Balancing the Nervous System
For many children, their behavior is unintentional and unplanned. Their behavior while disruptive and difficult to manage, is most often motivated purely as an attempt at communicating a need and reflecting their internal state. Our most primary need? Safety. Their external behavior is communicating a loud resounding message of, “I do not feel safe right […]
“School Wellness Programs” = Well-Being For All
As we continue to work with schools across the country, there is a growing awareness of the importance a student’s overall health and well-being plays in learning. For many schools, they begin exploring wellness through the lens of nutrition and exercise. Both are extremely important. What we eat directly effects how our body and brain […]
How to Use Mindful Parenting in the Moment
We’ve all been here before: icy stand-offs, shouting matches, total meltdowns or even a minor disagreement that somehow escalated into something bigger. No matter how hard you try to diffuse the situation, your own emotions take over and before you know it, you’ve lost control too. As frustrating and difficult as this is can be, […]
A Mother’s Day Meditation
“Little children, little worry. Big Children, big worry.”Bridget Morgan Whether you are a mother, or have one, I am sure you can relate to these words. My mother-in-law first shared these words of wisdom with me when our children were very young. At that time I thought, “Are you crazy? You mean, this worry is […]
The Power of Unconditional Love
I recently read an article about the research that is being conducted to better understand the relationship between animals and individuals on the autistic spectrum. In this article, children between the ages of 5-13 where given pet guinea pigs to hold while in the presence of other adults. The findings were quite remarkable. “They found […]
Literature Lesson Plan
Kindergarteners are so eager to learn and share their views and ideas. I love getting to bring yoga into their classrooms each week. Although I always plan to bring enriching lessons to their education, I ALWAYS find that I am the one who gains so much inspiration and knowledge from watching and listening to them. […]
