The Social Teacher

 This is my favorite thing in the world. The students sit in a circle, and we just talk.  That is truly it.  We call it the kindness circle because we can only be kind (no laughing at people's ideas or comments) and we always start it with nice things to say about each other.   I enjoy the "comments" part because my students are asked to pick other kids in the classroom but their besties.  We also talk about how to say a comment.  The first time we did this it was just "I like Kyles' shirt" or "Katie has cute shoes".  Then we started using "Ann as nice handwriting", and "I like it when Betty plays with my at recess".  It turned from materialistic things to heart felt things.  I also take this time to get to know my students. Yes, in March I still ask questions to get to know them. Each student grows into a whole new kiddo towards the end of the school year.  I ask really random question: favorite color, favorite food, favorite s

Do you ever notice yourself in a meeting, you kid's winter concert, or something that gets you to sit a long time? Do you notice that after 15-20 minutes, your body starts to wiggle? You may move a little in your seat, move your hands.  Your brain might start to think of other things other than what you are supposed to be paying attention to?  Us adults realize when we are not paying attention. Kids do not.  It is our job to help them notice their body senses. When they to a point that they are not paying attention to the teacher and they body is wiggling, it is time for a break.  BREAKS ARE OKAY. LET THE STUDENTS TAKE THEM! Lesson 4 of A Mindful Classroom (from the MHA in Sheboygan County) is all about helping students understand their body senses.  After watching the video of the explanation, my students find a spot in the classroom to lay down.   Then I create a story of a calming place. Normally I say a field of purple flowers, the sun is shining, and I keep going to get them t

If you are turning into my Monday blogs. It is all about A Mindful Classroom. These are NOT my ideas, but I am reflecting on each lesson in hopes that your take it upon yourself to get the training.    I think learning about your brain should be a class teacher take in college.  I think that would be very useful to learn why some students act out and how to calm them down.   Lesson #3 in A Mindful Classroom is all about the brain.  The video explains the parts (in a kid friendly way) of the brain and what is the job of each part.   It explains to the students when you get antsy or really mad, you flip your lid, and you are using a part of the brain that won't talk to people. There are ways to get you to calm yourself down.  One way is through a Mindful Moment.  Have you heard of the "Calming Jar"? It is a jar made with sequences that you shake up and it was flies around the jar. The sequences start to settle to the bottom of the jar.  The student will watch the sequences

 Friday Fun Day! This is the last day before spring break. This post will be short and sweet because... MAN, WHO ISN'T READY FOR SPRING BREAK? The Friday boards games have become very successful in my classroom. My students look forward to these board games every week. I've added a new game: Hi Hi Cherry-O!   Not only is this game going to help with their adding and subtracting skills (put your Kindergarten math level students at this game to start) but it will also help students with their executive functioning skills (all of my Friday blogs details).  Today's blog Friday fun and one my whys for board games is very basic: NO SCREEN TIME.  Truly get them off the screens.  I know, my students are on screens for educational purposes, I know.  But sometimes screen activate some behaviors in the classroom.  Screens over stimulate children which then sets off some behaviors in the classroom that could distract other students.  Getting them off the screens for this time will help

Alright, I was very interested to see these Lego crayon boxes because their drawings weren't as detailed as I'd like. This STEM project is from   Miss Tech Queen . The students were to create a crayon box using legos.  I told them it had to hold 4 crayons.   Last week we read the book:  The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt.   Today they created! I was very impressed! 

Another Friday Fun Post Comin' At Ya! By now we have been playing board games on a Friday for a while now. My Friday lesson plan have turned into a lot of fun.  This group of students are not used to full weeks at school.   It's true! 4K they learned at home (1/2 days before COVID hit).  Kindergarten our district had "cleaning days" once a month.  That was a four-day week, along with their normal days off for PD days.  There are many months they only have two, five-day weeks.  This year has been long for them and you can tell by their attention spans and effort level on a Friday isn't the same as the other days.  Our Friday schedule looks like this:  SNACK, NUMBER CORNER, READ ALOUD WITH ART ACTIVITY READING GROUPS RECESS EXTRA GYM TIME LUNCH RECESS BOARD GAMES MATH WORK PLACES SPECIAL RECESS ART ACTIVITY GO HOME You see that is very relaxed. The student don't realize the social and emotional learning that is going on in the classroom.  But they don't have

 My students have blown me out of the water with how well they are working on STEM projects together.  I am keeping their groups the same because they are all doing so well.  I am so proud of their hard work.   One of things I did notice they struggled with was timing.  It was taking them a long time to draw up a plan and then create their drawings right away. I decided to split it up. I split it up weekly. We draw one week and then build the next.   I got this STEM idea from Miss Dena on her website: Miss Tech Queen . I did mix it up a little bit supplies wise because I am running out of supplies.   We read the book:  The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt.  I showed them a crayon box and talk about the "important" parts of the box.  Why is their a cover, why is there a bottom?  This STEM project is creating a crayon box using just legos! Their drawings weren't as detailed as I'd like, but we will see how they do next week when they build them.   

 We all know how to breathe, I know. But have your ever paid attention to it.  Try to pay attention to your breathing for one minute. Set the timer, close your eyes, in, out, in out.  How do you feel? More relaxed? That is mindful breathing.   I've used the term mindful position all week. My students do it right away and they like the new term.  When they saw mindfulness on the schedule today, they were very excited.  I'm glad to see that like it! Today we practiced our breathing.  We sat in Mindful Position to start to make sure we are all attentive.  We watched the video and practiced with the instructor.   We discussed how important our breathe is.  Of course, my students immediately said we would die without out it. I told yes but how we breather effects what we are doing.  I showed me them three different ways of breathing: fast, medium, and slow.   After I showed them, I ask how we should breathe when we are in a mindful moment. They said slow. That is correct. We want ou

 When we think of a "shift" in something.  That means something has quickly change and for the bad.  It is something that adults can expect that a shift might come but we can regulate our feelings and actions when it happens.   For children, they don't know how to respond.   A shift can be in a movie, TV show, video game, in a schedule, and in a board game.  SET THE SCENE: A student is playing a great game of Trouble.  All of their pegs are out on the board, one is even in the home.  They have been winning the majority of the game.  It is their friends turn and lands on top of their peg.  That means their peg needs to go back to the start. The next friends take their turn and then the same things happen to another peg.  The student is now losing. This is a shift in the game because another person is losing.   An adult would move on with the game and keep playing and try to win. A first grade might struggle with not winning anymore and now it is time for them to regulate t

Welp...this was a bust.  This was a struggle.  It was very hot today.  I am not making excuses (but I am), I think the heat had a lot to do with their attention span and drive in this activity.   Reminder: I got this great STEM idea from  Teachers Are Terrific STEM and SCIENCE.  Take a look at this great website for a ton of STEM projects with very little supplies to buy.   Our treasure box materials were: popsicle sticks, construction paper, and glue. I decided to use tape half way through because my students struggled with the glue not drying.   After about a half hour this is what I got:  My students, kept trying, but nothing would work! The tape wasn't stick, and the glue wasn't trying.  So I said, STOP! We cleaned up and we talked about how inventors didn't create anything perfectly the first time.  Not even the second time.  We discussed what to use and what not to use for our next project.   This was a lesson learned for us all.  Yes some of them did really great, bu

 Happy March Everyone! ... In February we had a fantastic professional development day training on Mindfulness in the Classroom. It was taught by the MHA: Mental Health America in Sheboygan County . Please google them and try to get them to do a training at your school.  Maybe the reason why I enjoyed it so much is because I love learning about these things, but it was good. It was a long day of learning, but it was still very informational, and I left being excited about using it in my classroom.  It's not very often does that happen.  I will need to be careful when I explain our lesson though, NONE OF THESE IDEAS ARE MINE.  We got to take home some amazing resources to use.  These blogs are how I used them in my classroom.   There are links available, however you need to take the training to receive them.   The plan I followed is the plan they gave us.  It is set up into 10 lessons. These lessons range from 15-30 minutes depending on your class and if they are into the lesson or