7 Home Remedies to Keep You Well

As a child, it seemed that every cold virus that came along, I caught. My dad would refer to me as 'the carrier' because I would usually be the one to bring home a germ & infect the entire household with it. Colds, strep throat, stomach virus, and bronchitis loved me. (I didn't love them back.)

Once I left home & went to college (in a Philadelphia Hospital) this didn't happen any more. (Hmmm, maybe my mother's house was TOO clean and what I really needed was exposure to more germs!! ) Now, working with children all the time, I rarely get sick and when I do, its usually short lived.

However, this month, I have not been resting, exercising or eating the way I should, and I have 'caught' something that seems to be lingering, so I am revisiting my collection of  'home remedies'. 

My grandmother was the first one to use a home remedy on me. I remember one time, at her insistence, eating a big plate of fresh scallions from the garden (with olive oil to dip) that she said would 'chase away' the cold I had gotten. (Well, the scallions did get rid of the cold-and all of my friends-as they did their best to avoid me and my 'fresh green onion' aroma.)

Garlic (roasted) was another favorite remedy of my grandmother's. She told the story of her brother, who was a medic in WWI during the influenza pandemic, & how he stayed well because he kept a clove of garlic in his mouth at all times, like a lozenge. (The flu killed more people between 1918-19 than the war itself.)

It was not until years later I understood why scallions (Green Onion)  and garlic were given to me when I was getting a cold: scallions have antipyretic (fever reducer), expectorant, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. They are also full of vitamins A, C and Calcium.

Garlic has more than 150 health benefits and has strong antibiotic and anti fungal properties. It strengthens the immune system, detoxifies the blood, relieves of bronchial coughs, asthma & head colds. My grandmother, having grown up on a farm (in Pottstown, PA) with 11 brothers and sisters, knew many of these natural remedies for staying well and she used them throughout life. (There must be something to the natural way and home remedies, because she lived to be 98 years old and was rarely ever sick. But good luck getting your kids to eat a plate of scallions and roasted garlic!)

My mother's favorite remedy was pastina soup-or "Star Soup" as I used to call it. Homemade chicken broth with star pastina added was the standard 'cure' when me or my brother got sick. (One study has found that chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties that will ease cold symptoms, however there has not been any double-blind scientific study to explain why chicken soup helps us feel better. Is it the steam? The nutrients? Or maybe its all that love from mom that goes into making it.)


Here are a few other remedies I have usedover the years to ease cold symptoms and strategies I use to keep my children andmyself well:

• The best remedy for colds is a proper diet, especially fluids to clear the kidneys. Warm water mixed with lemon juice and honey or fruit juice and hot water. This helps to neutralize the acid condition in the body. Pineapple juice in particular is beneficial for this purpose.
• Ginger is a common remedy for colds and coughs. It is a known digestive aid and can help settle the stomach and controls nausea and vomiting. Ginger tea, ginger ale and candied ginger will all help symptoms of cold and flu.
• Lime Juice (well diluted) is highly beneficial for reducing colds and fevers. Rich in vitamin C, it eliminates toxins and reduces the duration of the infection.
• Honey and Lemon Juice will help sooth a sore throat and help eliminate congestion respectively. Honey has antibacterial properties and will help prevent throat infections. Mix a tablespoon of each and warm slightly over stove or in microwave for about 20 seconds. Swallow it one teaspoonful at a time. (Do not give honey to children under one year of age.)
• Apple Cider Vinegar will help relieve aches & reduce fevers. Pour 2-3 cups in warm bathwater. Yo u can also use with a compress for  muscle aches or on forehead for fever.
• Rest and sleep helps boost the immune system and allow the body to repair and heal itself. Rest and sleep are not the same. Resting is when you are calm but fully awake and aware. Sleeping is when you are not aware. Your body needs both in order to heal and maintain balance. I have learned when to say 'no' to a project because my body needs to rest and my mind needs relax.
• Exercise helps reduce stress, maintain metabolic balance and boost immunity by eliminating toxins from the body. Daily activitity and light exercise (such as a 10 minute leisurely walk in the absence of fever, or dehydration.) when you are starting to feel better will help  you get back to full strength much faster.

For more information on home remedies, read below.


Medicinal Properties of Vegetables

9 Ways An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away


*What are some of your most effective home remedies? Please tell us below!

Up & Down, Add & Subtract – Elevator Math!

At the library, I stumbled on a wonderful math word problem book – Arithme-Tickle by J. Patrick Lewis. The first problem in the book is about a mailman that rides the elevator up and down delivering letters and packages. Readers have to use their math skills to figure out what floor he eventually ends up on.

It was the inspiration for this little game - Elevator Math!!

What You Need

24-floor skyscraper picture (download it here)

Lamination

Fine-tip dry-erase markers

2 regular dice

1 adapted UP and DOWN die (visit my Slide-A-Story activity for a download)

Notebook paper and pencil (optional)

Prep

To play, write six destinations on different floors of the laminated skyscraper (e.g. swimming pool, vet, chocolate shop, toy store, art studio, cheese factory, cafeteria, karate dojo, etc.).

Objective
See how many of the special destinations you visit while “riding” the elevator 11 times.

Play

Roll the two regular dice. Add the dots together. Roll them again and add all the dots together. The total of these four dice rolls equal the floor that you start on.

Next, roll the three dice. Add the dots on the two regular die together and, if the third die reads “UP,” add the totaled number to the floor number you are on; if the other die reads “DOWN,” subtract the number from the floor number you are on. Then, color a window on that floor and make a tally mark. Roll the three dice 9 more times until you have 10 tally marks on your skyscraper page, adding/subtracting and coloring the floors.

THE ROOF/BASEMENT: If the player ends up on the roof or in the basement, have him/her circle the word “roof” or “basement.” When on the roof, there’s only one way to go: down. The opposite is true for a player stuck in the basement. A total of the two regular dice determines how far up/down the player goes. For example, if the player is stuck on the roof and rolls a seven, they’ll descend 7 floors to floor 17.

My son has played this game three times since I made it. Even though it's as much a game in pretend as it is a math exercise, my son was thrilled this last time to finally "pay a visit" to LEGOland!

Magnetic Snowman Hangman [Spelling Practice]

Okay, okay, so my son didn’t really hang our snowman (that's kind of morbid), but he did build it gradually with each letter he guessed incorrectly in my mystery word. I began with a few of the spelling words my son’s teacher sent home and progressed to a few words of my choosing – the current season (winter) and a favorite toy (ninjago).

To make our game, I created a snowman body and some attire. (Download a 1-page PDF of the snowman I made here.)

Then, I printed them on a sheet of sticker paper and attached it to an 8½- x 11-inch piece of magnet paper (a 3-pack runs about $5 at local craft stores). 

The magnet paper is thin enough to cut through so I got busy with the scissors cutting all of the shapes out. 

Yes, the stick arms ARE a pain to cut out, but it's totally worth it.

One of the shapes I made is an oval game label. It worked perfectly to hold a piece of notebook paper on our refrigerator. 

On the paper were the blanks I’d drawn, one for each letter in the word I was thinking of.

Under the blanks, I recorded the letters he guessed that weren’t in the mystery word (to keep him from guessing them twice).

I’m not going to lie; I gave him hints – sometimes the number of vowels or other clues – to keep him from getting frustrated.

This was so much fun!

NOTE: Our printer’s color ink was pretty depleted, hence our snowman has a pink carrot nose and blue (instead of green) scarf. We still think he's pretty cute though.

Incorporating Sensory Activities for Whole Child Learning

                                             




Photo: Families.com

When we talk about "whole child learning" we are talking about more than sitting still & listening while learning math, reading, social studies and other subjects. These skills while important, are not enough to prepare a child for long term success.

Whole child learning does not just engage a students' ears. It engages all of the senses, the body & brain, the attention as well as the imagination. By engaging and supporting the whole child in their own learning process, they learn better, form mutually supportive friendships, retain information longer & are better prepared to think creatively & critically as they evaluate data, solve problems, and communicate with one another.


A "whole child" approach puts students first, matches up resources and adaptations to a student's unique needs, and provides a more balanced approach to learning. In order to be effective for lifelong success, all the different parts of education must work in coordination, not separately. When subjects and lessons are presented in a compartmentalized manner, the student feels the disconnect and disengages because they simply do not hold any real meaning for him.

When you can keep children engaged & challenged they will be better prepared for building on their education, work, social and civic life.

So, how can we easily adapt lessons & curriculum's to be engaging & challenging, allowing the whole student the opportunity to move, communicate, be creative & develop positive character?

How can we incorporate visual, auditory, olfactory, proprioceptive and tactile stimulation to improve the way our students take in and process, understand and utilize information? 

This is the topic of a professional development workshop I am presenting at the Center for Lifelong Learning  in Sayerville, NJ tomorrow. 100 educators and therapists will be joining me as we explore yoga and other holistic based tools and techniques for engaging students more in the classroom.

I am in the process of making this course available on our Distance Learning page and I hope to have that ready by mid-February. In the meantime, here are just a few ideas to get you started:


1.Make learning more hands-on by having your students dream up, name & create their own dinosaur or constellation.

2. Let your students make their own tactile sensory boxes using shoe box lids and rice, sand, beans or other material. Have them "write" the alphabet, their names, numbers or play tic tac toe.

3. Adapt the sensory box activity from #2 to be a relaxation activity. Play some soft, instrumental, harp or Native American flute music, and have the students draw circles or shapes to the music. To deepen the self-calming effect, have them do this with their eyes closed.

4. Create a Vanishing Slate using individual slates and paint brushes with water. The students can "paint" a positive word, their name or a design on the slate with the water and watch it slowly disappear. Can be done to low frequency, slow tempo music.

5. Create a labyrinth (a maze) in the classroom with masking tape or rope, or with sidewalk chalk outdoors. Have the children slowly walk the path, and walk back out. (A labyrinth differs from a maze in that there is only one way in and one way out.)

6. If you don't have room to make a large labyrinth, here are 4 different labyrinth designs  students can use while sitting at a desk or lying on the belly on the floor. (Directions included.)

7.Teach children math concepts & fiscal responsibility by having them plan a week's worth of meals, and creating a budget for their purchases using actual grocery advertisements. You can then go grocery 'shopping' at an online store.

8. Play relevant interactive & technology games between lessons and during transitions between classes. Encourage the students to solve puzzles and meet challenges as if they were their favorite video game character: Dora, Mario, Zelda, Angry Birds, Etc.)

9. Use photos, art, journals and literature to help your students create a timeline that highlights people's lives during significant historical or personal events: ( The Crusades, Christopher Columbus sailing to America, The first Thanksgiving, The Civil War or the day they were born, made the basketball team, etc.)

10. Guess what substances are in boxes or jars by smelling only. You can use a blindfold and do one  or two "Mystery Smells" a day. (Use ONLY natural substances such as coffee, vanilla bean, cloves, sage leaves, lemon tea bags, peppermints, etc.)

*(Do not use fragrance oil or perfume as it can have a toxic or allergic effect on the nervous system  of some children. Be sure to ask parents about allergies before you do this activity! )

11. Have children each bring in a fruit or vegetable and take them through the steps to make a salad together for the class to share. (Please check with parents for food allergies and special diets.)

12. Play the 'Pizza Game'. Improve body awareness and deep muscle input by using pool noodles as "rolling pins" and the students as "dough"  (Directions at this link.) To make this an activity that children can do for themselves, see this link here on how to stimulate pressure points: Pool Noodles

13. Adaptive Yoga is being used successfully in classrooms all over the world. Take a few minutes to put on some music and stretch, move and breathe! You don't  have to know the 'poses' or the Sanskrit names. Just ask the students: "What would my body look like if it were a [fill in the animal, natural or transportation object]"  Younger children will have fun taking turns moving and imitating and older kids will enjoy the creative movement.


What are some of the creative ways that you incorporate sensory, social & self-care lessons into your daily classroom work?

We would love to hear your ideas! Please leave a comment below!





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To schedule a professional development workshop for your school or organization, Contact Barbara@bodylogique.com

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Painting with Markers (Georgia O’Keeffe-inspired Art)

There is something so bold about Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings. Her larger than life depictions of flowers, desert hills, and animal skulls are simple, yet stunning. To teach my son a little about her phenomenal work and life, we created our own flower art.

First, we read the book My Name is Georgia by Jeanette Winter. Not only does this book share the story of O’Keeffe’s life, but it also has an underlying message that is so important to convey to kids: it’s okay to be different. An excerpt follows.

I did things other people don’t do.

When my sisters wore sashes – I didn’t.

When my sisters wore stockings – I didn’t.

And when my sisters wore braids –

I let my black hair fly.

This “don’t give in to peer pressure” lesson was such an unexpected (and pleasant) surprise; I planned the activity to be all about art, but it was so much richer thanks to Winter’s portrait of Georgia O'Keeffe.

When we finished reading, we embarked on our own kind of flower paintings. Freehand drawing is a bit of a struggle for my son. To keep him from getting frustrated, we used some homemade stencils. (Print the pattern I used here.)

First, I cut a heavyweight piece of acetate paper (like what you’d use on an overhead projector) that I purchased from the copy service department at OfficeMax into fourths. Then I cut petal shapes out of each section of the paper using an Exacto knife.

Next, my son grabbed his thick Crayola markers in “pretty” colors and a piece of paper.

I had him to draw the center of his flower in the middle of the paper, approximately the size of a quarter.

Then I gave him the acetate sheet petal stencils. He positioned his choice of petals next to the flower’s center and used the marker to draw a thick line around the outside edge of the petal, on top of the stencil.

I gave him a stiff-bristled brush, and told him to brush the marker on the stencil in towards the center, picking up the brush after each swipe. 

The color from the marker was swept into the center of the stencil, creating a wonderful texture!!

When done, he picked up the stencil and was amazed at the effect our "painting" technique had created. 
After repositioning the stencil, reapplying the marker, and brushing it in toward the stencil’s center several more times, he had enough petals to complete the flower.

I couldn’t resist and made one too. Aren't they beautiful?

Labels, Limits & Lessons

*NOTE: This is quite a long post that I wrote years ago before I had a blog. It was intended for a book I began and then later decided to not prusue. I've edited & updated some, but left it mostly in entirety. I think as teachers, its a relevant situation. I hope you enjoy!


I have been a Children's Yoga Teacher for 11 years. I love what I do because no matter where I go, I learn something new. Most of what I learn is the result of direct interaction with my students. One of my greatest learning experiences was one summer when I was invited to a teen shelter that housed at-risk youth age 12 to 17. I was asked by Kate, a former student, to help her with her Girl Scout service project. My role was to present on two different days, a Dance/World Music class to the girls & a yoga class to the boys. I was touched that she thought of me.

I was experienced at working with women and girls & I had several ideas for that class, but as I contemplated a presentation for the boy’s class I came up blank. I felt strong resistance to this assignment.

After a few days of making excuse, (I was not in their world…they would not relate to or engage in what I was saying/doing…I was not experienced enough with this population, etc.) I convinced myself that I could not do the boy’s class.

I felt a responsibility to Kate, so I suggested (what I thought was) a more suitable activity: karate. I asked my daughter's Sensei if he would be interested in visiting the shelter & he was happy to do it. A weight was lifted from me & I called Kate to tell her. She was very excited & called the karate teacher right away to set it up. I smiled all day, "patting myself on the back" at my ability to bring people together & solve dilemmas.

Later that same day, I received a phone call from Kate. She told me that she felt that the boys needed a more calm way to focus and relax & Yoga would be great in addition to  the karate class. (Suddenly, I was not feeling so smart and skilled.) As I hung up the phone, all my insecurities & fears came up to the surface. Why?

It wasn’t about my qualifications. I am qualified & experienced. When I sat (and sulked) & observed my gut for a bit, I had to be honest. It was more about judgment than anything else. No one likes to be judged, and I had been judged for being different and thinking differently my whole life. I believed that this would turn out the same way and these students would reject what I was teaching and in effect, reject me. I thought I had put this issue to rest, but here it was & I knew I had no choice but to fact it if I was to move beyond it.

I was to do the girl's class on a Tuesday, and the boy’s class on Thursday. (Karate was on Wednesday.) Monday, instead of preparing something for the boy's class that would be special for them, I wallowed in my angst, procrastinated, questioned the Universe, yelled at God (and every other deity I could think of) for "doing this to me". I finally gave up & decided that I would teach the girls knowing I had two more days to work on the other class.

When I arrived at the shelter on Tuesday, what greeted me in the community room was 12 teenage boys patiently waiting on a large room-sized mat. Panic seized me- and I heard those deities laughing. I found out that Kate was not coming & there was a scheduling mix up. They were expecting me to do a boys class. Girls were Thursday. End of story and that was that. I had to figure out (very quickly) how to present this boy's Yoga Class with the15 colorful silk hip scarves, finger cymbals and Belly Dance Music I had brought. I excused myself back to my car “to get something” and nearly cried, partly because I truly wanted to present a useful class but mostly because I felt sorry for myself. The very thing I had resisted had materialized. I had some "spare" music in my car that I hoped would work & at this point it would have to. I composed myself, grabbed the CD and ran back inside.

I introduced myself & I began to talk about yoga. I was spontaneously inspired by a thought (that seemed to come to me as if it was not my own) to talk to them in terms of sports. I did, and I had their attention. They (and I) had playing sports in common. This was my key, and they were allowing me to open a door with it; body language keeping at a distance, but still asking questions & commenting.

We talked about sports, nutrition & exercise. They talked about Sensei Nick's karate & how they loved it. They let me open that door a bit wider when I told them that I knew him (Thank you Sensei!) We talked about what real power and strength was vs. physical force. We discussed stress management, anger control, imagery and being "in your game". They were polite, interested and extremely intelligent.

As I began to relax I saw that it had been me judging them instead of the other way around. In my teacher's mind, I thought I knew what they would understand and what they would respond to and as it turned out, I did not. I judged them instead of listening to them, and imposed limits in my own mind. That in turn placed a limit on myself, stopping me from seeing ways to support them. I felt very humbled at that moment and accepted that it was exactly where I needed to be, for my own learning as for theirs. We talked about judging & labeling ourselves & others and how it confines us. In spite of never having been exposed to yoga before, these young men had an uncanny grasp of the intangible spiritual concepts of yoga, of life & what I was teaching them. I saw a light in each one of them, and they ignited one in me.

We continued the class with Sun Salutations moving to the music I brought from the car. My instinct to bring in this particular CD proved correct. Salio El Sol, (The Sun Came Out) by Don Omar was something they all related to. The energy and the rhythm of the reggaton spoke to them as they moved into each posture. Three of them were embarrassed at first and the others challenged them. When they saw how much focus, strength and balance they needed to do the exercises, they got into it and moved with the music. One young man even put his own ‘flair’ and moved as if the music were moving him.

I told them how yoga can improve concentration, manage anger, improve their performance in sports, in school, in relationships, and in making better Life decisions. Soon, they were all moving and breathing as one as if they had done this their whole life. I could see by their faces, their breath, their movements they got it and they loved it. I saw years melt away and their youthful energy come out. I saw them as boys-someone's brother, someone's child, so lost & scared, and trying to be tough so no one knew the real them. It took an incredible amount of trust for them to let me in & do what I was asking them. I felt overwhelming compassion & understanding-real understanding for each one of them, no matter what they had done to get there.

At the end of the class I showed them Mudra-(hand gestures). The 3 gestures came from Reiki: Cho, Ku, & Rei. They mean: "May my energy be aligned with the Universe; May my energy be aligned with the people around me; May my energy be used for the highest good." I suggested this is an intention to set every morning and when faced with a difficult person or situation. The boys liked this idea prompting me to repeat it several times so they would remember. I told them that their thoughts & actions reach out and touches everyone, then flows back to them & to be aware of what they are projecting at all times. The Cho, Ku, Rei Mudra helps us to remember and activate this and can be done discretely if needed.

One young man smiled and remarked. "Yeah-that's how it’s gonna be now Ms. Barbara, All my energies used for my highest good." Judging by how his intense, radiant smile smoothed away the roughness of his street life, I believed he would do just that.

Someone once told me that you cannot help someone as long as you are judging them. Maybe my being there was for me to understand this, release my judgment, love them as they were & learn from them so I could get out of my own way & actually help them (and others) better. I can only hope that I had as much of an impact on them as they had on me. I send each one of them Love & Gratitude for their trust, and the lessons they taught me that day, about labels and limits, that I will never forget.
Cho, Ku, Rei



©2007, Visionary Publishing
Originally Published May, 2007
Edited and Re-Published January 24, 2012

A Music Measure of Math

Aside from an appreciation for music, I have no other knowledge of it or possess any talent myself. My son's music teacher’s “tee tee tah” lesson on music notes had my son trying to teach me, though. 

His curiosity became mine too. 

To help him learn the names of the music notes and practice some math, I designed this fun activity.

Download the music measure mat, cheat sheet, and notes/rests cards here.

The objective? See how many different combinations of notes can be used to create a measure of music with a 4/4 time signature.

I made some “note” cards and a cheat sheet that showed all the notes and rests and the number of beats each has.

After cutting the cards and taping together the music measure mat, my son sorted the cards into piles. Then I told him that the top number in the time signature (4/4) told us that each measure of music should have four beats. Each note does not have 1 beat, some have as little as a half beat, others as much as 4 beats.

I told him to fill the measure with notes and rests that added to four beats. He started with the easiest combinations: 1 whole note and then four quarter notes. But they got progressively harder.

I had to explain that two half beats equal one beat (I used an apple cut in half to show how two halves equal one whole). Then, the fun really began – using the eighth notes and eighth rests! More and more cards were laid down.

This was a greatway to boost my son’s music vocabulary and work on counting, addition, and fractions. We made LOTS of different combinations of notes and rests that added to four beats. I lost count after he created 13 measures!

Eagles: Lesson and Snack

My husband and I read to our two sons every night at bedtime. The latest chapter book I have been reading to my oldest son is SUCH a charming book, I thought I’d share it.

Rylant’s book, The Eagle, is fantasy at its best. Three mice children are adopted by a seafaring male dog and female cat who call a lighthouse home. Two of the mice children learn to use a compass so they can explore the forest. When they lose the compass, an eagle comes to the rescue. My son truly enjoyed this story, probably because large birds have fascinated him for months.

After our yarn and paste bird’s nest was made, I figured we needed a bird to put in it – why not make an eagle?!?

I remembered seeing Always Learning’s amazing bald eagle snack and since I had leftover coconut from when we made cookies and did our baking math activity, the timing was perfect!

What you need:

Coconut

White chocolate chips

Miniature chocolate chips

Toothpick

Cashews

Chocolate snack cookies

Jumbo Marshmallows

Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave stirring every 30-60 seconds. When melted, spread the white chocolate over the sides and top of the jumbo marshmallow (do not cover the bottom). 

Roll the marshmallow through coconut. 

Add a dollop of white chocolate onto a chocolate snack cookie and place the bottom of the jumbo marshmallow on top of it.

Take a cashew and poke it into the marshmallow to make the eagle’s beak. 

Then poke holes in the coconut-covered marshmallow with the toothpick where the eyes belong. 

Stick the miniature chocolate chips, point-side in, into the holes you poked for eyes.

Cute, huh?

Making a Yarn Bird's Nest

I’m not sure how it came up, but just last week out of the blue, my son mentioned the bird’s nest that we had under our deck this past summer. We were lucky that it had two sets of babies in it – first a robin, and then a squatter who took over when she and her babies vacated. It was so much fun for the boys to peer through the slats in the floorboards down onto the nest filled with eager fledglings.

I suppose it was nostalgia for those sweet moments that motivated this activity. … Well that AND this amazing yarn basket I saw on Homework. (Isn’t that breathtakingly awesome?!?)

If I picked the right color yarn and it wasn’t orderly, wouldn’t our bowl look like a nest, I thought. (Sometimes experimenting is the only way to answer a question like that.)

My son came home from school and we made some paper mache paste, following Carolyn’s recipe exactly as instructed. There was only one problem. I could have mass marketed our nests with the amount of paste we made. If you do this craft, either line up other paper mache projects to follow it, or cut the recipe down by at least a fourth.

You know what they say: a watched pot never boils. Instead of watching and waiting for the water to boil, we took a small cereal bowl and covered it in saran wrap so that no part of the outside of the bowl was peeking through. Once that was done, we were ready to move on to the next steps in the recipe (which I had my son read).

While our paste cooled and thickened, we read a wonderful book that my eyes fell in love with the second they saw it on the library shelf: Birds Build Nests by Yvonne Winer. The illustrations by Tony Oliver reminded me of John James Audubon’s prints. The book features 16 different kinds of nests from birds all over the world.

My son and I LOVED seeing how different they all were and enjoyed trying to guess some of the birds (I got the red-winged blackbird right, my son knew the peregrine falcon; the birds are identified at the back of the book).

When the book was done and the paste was cool, my son unwound a ridiculously long strand of yarn from the spool I’d purchased. Then he dunked it in a shallow bowl of the paste and stirred it, making sure it was completely covered.

Now, I have to be honest … my son hates having dirty sticky hands. I should have remembered this from our last paper mache project: the dinosaur egg we made. (sigh) But, alas, I had forgotten. It took a lot of coaxing and quite a bit of “assistance” for my son to get the yarn spread over the outside of the bowl. We left the bowl upside down on a piece of waxed paper; in 24 hours our nest would be dry.

The next day, I wedged a butter knife between the yarn and the saran wrap and eased it off its mold. Voila! Our own version of a bird’s nest!

Inclusion is Belonging

Many people have debated back and forth over the idea of inclusion for years. Some say its helpful and others say it is not. From the position of an adaptive movement educator, inclusion is the whole reason I do what I do: I simplify & break down stories, exercises & movement games so that ALL kids can feel competent and motivated to participate with a group of peers.


"Inclusive programs create accepting environments and send a powerful message that all children are welcomed and valued. This provides all children with an authentic sense of belonging."   ~Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2 -  Founder, OM Azing Kids Yoga

Angela  Moorad is another Yoga teacher I know who develops inclusive programs for children in Norman Oklahoma. She has incredible energy, many years of experience & a great vision of a Universal Design for Inclusion. She has generously shared some of her inspiring ideas as well as a dozen excellent resources for educators on her blog here: (You can also find Angela and OmAzing Kids Yoga  on Facebook)


Universal Design for Inclusive Kids Yoga: Inclusion is Belonging



Inclusion is belonging. Do you have a resource or an idea for inclusion that you'd like to share? Please post it below in the comments!


To contact me: barbara@bodylogique.com

Scrambled Schedule [Active Time-Telling Practice]

Sometimes one idea leads to another. In the process of trying to dream up a game that works on half-past, quarter-to, and quarter-after time telling, this little activity was born. It got my son out of his seat and gave him some extra practice drawing the hands on our Complete-A-Clock.

First, I made 12 cards with a variety of times from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Download them here (page 3 of the PDF contains 8 blank cards).

Under each time was a specific activity (e.g. do 5 jumping jacks, write your name, give a high-five, etc.). I printed the cards and scrambled them up.

I reminded my son what a schedule was. Like the routine he follows at school, it was a sequence of events that are completed at certain times. I told him that we needed to unscramble a schedule and complete the activities on it.

Then I gave my son a dry-erase marker and our laminated blank clock. I told him that the first time was 8:30 a.m. After he found that card, he drew a long and short hand on the clock to display it, and then did the activity on the card.

Now it was time to find what time and activity came next in the schedule.

My son needed a little help at first but caught on after the first three times and had a blast drawing the hands on the clock and doing each activity. See for yourself:

Helping Your Child Sleep Well

Illustration by:
Mariko Francis

It is estimated that as many as 30% of all children may have a sleep disorder at some point during childhood. Sleep disorders can impact health, school performance, day to day activities  & social-emotional adjustment. For this reason it is important for both parents and educators to understand these disruptions and simple ways to  assist children to rest and sleep better.


After just 1 night of poor sleep, the decision making part of the brain shuts down & anxiety takes over. After a few nights of disturbed sleep, blood sugar and electrolytes go off balance & concentration on even simple tasks is extremely difficult if not impossible.  Long term sleep disruptions cause lower immunity, elevated stress response, changes in mood, obesity, depression and diminished ability in cognitive functions.



While the average adult requires 8 about hours of sleep per night, babies 1-12 months old, need at least 14-15 hours of daily sleep. For children ages 1-3, the average amount is 12 hours; age 4-12, 10 hours; and for teens, 9 hours a night.


Although these numbers are ideal, many children do not come close to reaching them & getting the restful sleep they need. In particular, ADHD and sensory challenged children cannot get to sleep, and when they do finally get to sleep they have a hard time staying asleep.


We all want our children to participate in recreational activities, however, please be selective about how much and what kind of activities you allow your child to engage in. Children need down time-time to rest. What may seem like a fun & active schedule to adults can be overwhelming, deplete energy & disruptive to a child’s healthy sleep patterns, and leave everyone feeling tired, cranky and unbalanced.


One of the distinctions I like to make is that rest and sleep are two different things. The human brain needs both to function properly.

Sleep is a passive, unconscious activity in which only the brain, heart and lungs are active. There is no conscious awareness of the environment. Rest is when you are fully & consciously aware of your surroundings. The environment might be neutralized from all excess sensory stimulus, activity stops and thought is directed to less intense processes-(such as towards the breathing or a specific mental image in order to calm and 'recharge the batteries'. This is commonly called imagery or meditation. I will discuss these techniques in my next article.)

For now, below are three of the most common sleep problems and some tips to help address them:


Problem:
Can’t get to sleep: Mind is racing-can’t “shut it off”.

Try This:

• Stick to a consistent bedtime & waking schedule no matter what. Exposure to light/dark at the same time every day helps the body regulate itself to sleep and waking activities.

Supported Child's Pose
Photo ©2011 B.Gini

• Exercise! But not within 4 hours of bedtime. Movement (such as gentle yoga) will help release excess muscle tension and facilitate restful sleep. Try restorative postures like "Supported Child's Pose" pictured at right.

• Shut off the TV, computer and video games at least 30-45 minutes before bed. The flashing images stimulate the brain and cause an adrenalin response, similar to the stress response, that prevents sleep.


• Do a calming visual activity to wind-down. Coloring, painting, bead necklaces, Colorforms or making a collage or album of peaceful images will assist in the calming process and transition to bedtime.


• Take a warm bath. Warm bath water raises and lowers the body temperature, making it feel tired. You can also try 3 drops of chamomile essential oil in the bathwater. *(Please use aromatherapy with caution with allergic & sensory challenged children! Read more about Aromatherapy here.)

A simple "Bed-Night" snack (as my friend's daughter used to call it) with a combination of carbs, calcium and protein about 30 minutes before bed will also help to induce sleep.


Problem:
Won’t stay asleep: Eyes open same time every night.

Try This:

• Absolutely NO caffeine/Sugar for 3-4 hours before bed time. These chemicals stay in the system for at least 8 hours preventing the brain from entering deeper sleep.

• Read a bedtime story, look at photo albums or play an instrumental music CD, (designed to distract, not engage the attention) until sleep happens.

• Darken the room as much as possible. Light from a night light, clock, streetlamp, or iPod passes thru eyelids and signals the brain to ‘wake up’. You can use a bandanna or scarf to drape digital clocks.

Acupressure
Photo ©2011 B.Gini

• Encourage the child to stay in bed. Show then how to gently self-massage the hand, (shown at left) foot or scalp to help relax them back to sleep. (There are thousands of nerve endings in each hand and foot as well as the scalp. Massaging gently in a circular motion with help give input to the sensory system, signaling it to relax. Heavy work activities & a  deep pressure massage on back, arms and legs before bed will help calm the sensory system for several hours.)

Problem:
Auditory Sensitivity- Falls right to sleep, every sound wakes her up.

Try This:

• Natural, low level soothing sounds of nature helps calm and soothe an over reactive auditory system.

• Pillow position: ensure that neck and spine are aligned to relieve cramps and discomfort. Use a flatter pillow for stomach sleepers.

• Remove furry family members. Pet activity increases late at night and the early AM and will disturb human family members.

• Transition time: Take at least 45 min to an hour to prep for next day before going to bed: pack backpack, make lunch, lay out clothes, etc. Then prep self: brush teeth & hair and do some yoga or stretching before relaxing in bed with deep breathing or soft instrumental music.

Another little known strategy is to encourage the child to lie on his/her Right side. (For older children you can use stuffed animal to hold or a pillow to 'hug'.) The reason is that every 30-40 minutes our nostril dominance changes-meaning we naturally alternate breathing (primarily) out of one nostril or the other. The side we breathe in and out of will stimulate the opposite side of the brain. Sleeping on the right side, encourages the left (top) nostril to open & will stimulate the area of the brain that controls calming & restful sleep.

Sleep Well!

For more information on Relaxation, please contact me at:
barbara@bodylogique.com


Related :


Playing Outdoors Can Improve Sleep
.

Contractions Down on the Farm

My son reads books with contractions all the time and comprehends the meaning of the story. But strangely enough, he doesn’t know diddley about what the contractions are short for. So I got busy trying to find a way to make this grammar lesson fun.

Denise from Sunny Days in Second Grade provided the inspiration for this activity with her Creepy Contractions post.

I have to also give credit to Brian P. Cleary, the author of the children’s book series Words Are CATegorical. The first time I shared one of his books with my son was during our Noun Clown activity. It was a hit so I knew I’m and Won’t, They’re and Don’t: What’s a Contraction? wouldn’t disappoint.

I was right. The text was not only explanatory, but also whimsical and rhythmic. It was a great introduction to contractions!

After reading, I added two small pieces of packing tape to the windows of a barn I’d designed in Microsoft Publisher and printed on heavyweight cardstock. Download the contractions barn here.

Then I gave it to my son to color.

Afterwards, I used an Exacto knife and a straight edge to cut along all the dotted lines and scored and folded open the barn doors.

Then I cut two pieces of office paper into strips. The strips need to be slightly narrower than if you’d cut the paper in half. Tape them together end to end, to make one very long strip.

Now weave the strip through the slits on either side of the barn and fold open the barn doors. Grab a fine-tip dry-erase marker and give your child a pencil. You’re ready to start practicing contractions.

I used a list of contractions I found here. I added two words to the barn, one to each tape-covered window with the dry-erase marker. It was up to my son to figure out what letters to kick out and replace with an apostrophe to transform the two words into one contraction.

When he was done with that contraction, I used a paper towel to erase the dry-erase words, added new words, and he pulled the paper until the space behind the barn doors was blank.

My son caught on quick and was super excited with each contraction he made!

Penguins Printable Book & Craft

Penguins are SUCH cool birds. When I was rinsing out an empty bottle of coffee creamer I couldn’t help but notice its shape; it reminded me of a penguin’s body! When I had another bottle emptied, it was time to start our lesson in these flightless birds.

We read Gail Gibbon’s book Penguins! and learned that there are 17 species of penguins, they all live in the Southern Hemisphere, and could fly 1 million years ago.

Then I got some felt, googly eyes, polyfil, our low-temp glue gun, and two sharpie markers (black and silver). For the clear bottle, we stuffed polyfil inside it.

Then I outlined some flippers and a body using silver marker onto half a sheet of folded black felt. My son cut it out. We glued it around the bottle.

Then he cut feet out of stiffened orange felt and we glued them to the bottom. For the white-capped bottle, we added an extra hood of black felt and some black detailing with the sharpie.

All that was left to do was glue on some googly eyes. Voila! Ricky and Rocky the penguins were finished!

After the craft was done, I gave my son some blank pages I’d made so he could document all the different types of penguins. I knew he'd love this; he's STILL adding pages and birds to the printable bird lover's field guide we made last summer!

Download the blank penguin book pages I designed here.

He used the Penguin Parade guide the end of Bob Barner’s Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! book as a guide to complete the pages, coloring the penguins to look like the pictures, writing their names, height, and where they live.

This was a great exercise in studying and recognizing all the differences in penguins!