Just Breathe

Just Breathe

To say that the last month has been hard would be an understatement. I thought things came in threes… but apparently they come in many more for me. And when bigger things happen, even the smallest things seem to be impossible to handle. How much can she handle before she crumbles? So, here I am, reminding myself to take care of myself and to just breathe.

I have written several posts about the importance of social emotional learning, and also shared a lesson where my students created calm down breathing strategies in order to help themselves self-regulate. Social emotional learning is still one of my favourite things to teach. I believe it is at the core of what we do and I love doing the Big Brain & Little Brain lessons, which Sheila Vick introduced me to, and teaching the Zones of Regulation. Without students who feel safe, loved, and who are equipped to understand and deal with their emotions in a positive way, it is next to impossible to focus on curriculum… Maslow before Bloom.

If you don’t have a copy of the book Frog’s Breathtaking Speech, do yourself a favour and grab a copy. It is an incredible starting point, and anyone who knows me well knows that I absolutely love picture books to create powerful lessons! Again this year, after reading this book, students brainstormed different breaths that they could do to calm down. We had fun by making pictures (with Seesaw) to introduce our breaths. We then modeled our breaths and made a green screen video. Here they are! Let us know which ones you like, and if you come up with any new ones!

 

So today, I am taking my own advice, and using some of my students’ incredible ideas…

Just

Breathe

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