Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present and aware of where we are and what we are doing and not overreacting or feeling overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
We know certain things can help us keep our sense of calm. Things such as keeping normal eating and sleeping patterns, finding time to exercise. De-stress, find things that decrease your stress. Call a friend, go for a walk, try something new. Learn a new recipe, take up sewing, do something you’ve put off for a long time. Clean your room! Use the gift of time and space to do somethings that will give you a sense of accomplishment. For more ideas visit mindful.org at https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/ A big THANK YOU for all the 9's that attended the Speak Up classes Thursday. It was so awesome seeing and hearing all of you. Let me know if you need any support with Day 5.
Boredom setting in? Try a digital game at home! Build a Business, Explore the Solar System, Race to Save our Earth, Grab Some Virtual Friends and Save each other from a Zombie Breakout! Scroll to find your grade level and play away! https://www.breakoutedu.com/funathome JUST A REMINDER THAT I AM AT LOCKPORT ALL DAY TODAY MAKING CHECK IN CALLS TO STUDENTS! WANT ONE? EMAIL ME!
Doing something for others is powerful for your wellbeing. In fact, when we give to others, our brain’s pleasure and reward centers light up as if we were the receiver and not the giver! We also get a boost of feel-good endorphins and a hormone called oxytocin is released which lowers our stress! Need some ideas? * Write a thank you letter to a teacher, medical worker, a grocery store employee, or another helper who is working to keep us all going. *Ask an elderly neighbor if they need help! Offer to pick up mail, walk a dog, help with watering plants, or do a household chore. Use this help card or make one of your own. Get Help Cards * Have a Take What You Need Yard “Sale”. Instead of selling used items, gift them to others who can use them. For more ideas view the Random Acts of Kindness Calendar below: RAK Calendars There are 8 dimensions of wellness:
1.Emotional 2. Spiritual 3. Intellectual 4. Physical 5. Environmental 6. Financial 7. Occupational 8. Social One idea about the 8 dimensions of wellness is if you can change your habits, you can change the quality of your life. Today we will focus on environmental wellness. Environmental wellness encourages us to live a lifestyle that is respectful of the Earth and our personal environment. We can’t always choose what is in the environments where we live but we can take steps to make them safer or limit our exposure to things that are unhealthy. Some examples are … Monitoring the air quality and knowing when it is unsafe to be outside for long periods of time In hot weather, hydrating by drinking enough water and exercising in the early morning or later in the evening. At home, use cleaning products that are better for us and the earth. For more ideas visit the National Institutes of Health at: NIH Environmental Health Ideas What is gratitude and why is it important?
Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation. You recognize that something is valuable to you which has nothing to do with its monetary worth. It’s looking for the good in our lives. Today happens to be National Teacher Appreciation Day! What a perfect opportunity to show a teacher your gratitude! Reach out to a teacher or teachers and…. * Tell them one thing you’ve recently learned about the work teachers do. * Recall a favorite memory with a teacher and share it with them. * Think about how a teacher has helped you make it through this week with a little more joy and let them know! Watch 2 Feel Good Videos of the Impact of Thanking a Teacher: https://youtu.be/gANeGBBoSBs https://youtu.be/f8ki5u1F0f4
How-To Get To Microsoft Teams: Grade 9 Speak Up Program
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week! Thankfully, we have been focused on mental health throughout our school closure and we will continue to do so! Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, but it also contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. Natural sunlight can reset our natural clocks and improve our sleep. IDEAS: 1. Exercise outside! Even just a walk around the block with or without your ear pods or headphones can boost your mood. Listen for birds, crickets, the wind, what sounds do hear? 2. Head out and rake some leaves or clean up the yard. Not only will your parents LOVE you for doing it, it will help boost your mood just being outside, moving around and helping others. Just a reminder, Grade 9's your Speak Up program starts today! I've attached the parent letter in case you don't have it or know where to go. Please let me know if you need some help.
Just a reminder to all of you that I am available to support you. If you are looking for some help with something, you can email me and I can either:
A. Work with you via email (works good for direct questions about registration, etc.) B. Set up a time to talk on Teams (voice/video talk) C. Set up a time where I call you from the school I will be at the school for one afternoon a week to make calls to students and families in cases where Teams and/or email doesn't work. Please let me know if you would like a check in call by emailing me, and I will give you a time that I will call you at home on my next afternoon at the school. Upcoming Dates: May 7 May 15 May 22 May 25 Try a digital escape room!
A digital escape room uses technology (smartphones, tablets, computers) to run through different scenarios, riddles and questions to solve a puzzle. This would be fun to do with a sibling! ESCAPE THE SPHINX HELP CINDERELLA ESCAPE ESCAPE FROM HOGWARTS STAR WARS JEDIS ESCAPE FROM THE REBELLION For more ideas visit: DIGITAL ESCAPE ROOMS Texting is something many of us do to communicate with our friends and family. But sometimes we need to talk to someone else about what we’re going through. With Crisis Text Line powered by Kids Help Phone, you can chat with a trained, volunteer Crisis Responder for support at any time.
Our texting service is completely free and available 24/7/365. You don’t need a data plan, Internet connection or an app to use it. All conversations you have with a volunteer Crisis Responder are confidential. And, you can text from anywhere in Canada. Texting the word, "CONNECT" to 686868 will begin the process. Still have questions? Here's a link to their FAQ page. Do something today to thank someone else or make their day better. Here some amazing things the friends in MY life have done. 1. Make thank you posters for medical workers. 2. Paint kindness rocks and leave them around the neighborhood. 3. Keep it simple, offer to do someone else’s chore or cook dinner for the family
There is inspiration to be found everywhere if you look for it. Let the kindness of others inspire you to do something in kind! As a reminder.... Take a moment for yourself. These daily activities are not mandatory and are not meant to take a lot of time. Choose one or try them all, it’s up to you! Know that you are missed. Be well and take care of yourself and those you love. You are helping us all by staying home! Enjoy the weather today and see you soon, Mrs. Henaire There are 8 dimensions of wellness:
1.Emotional 2. Spiritual 3. Intellectual 4. Physical 5. Environmental 6. Financial 7. Occupational 8. Social One idea about the 8 dimensions of wellness is if you can change your habits, you can change the quality of your life. Today we will focus on physical wellness. Physical wellness is not just about exercise, it is also about incorporating activities that improve your physical health overall. This includes learning about nutrition, eating healthy food, moving our bodies, and avoiding tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. Here are some steps for improving your physical wellness: * Exercise three times a week for 20-30 minutes * Walk whenever possible * Get consistent sleep * Limit or reduce sugar What is one way you would like to improve your physical wellness, even just a little bit? Although we are in some pretty unpresented times at the moment, I wanted to share with students some information I would normally share as summer approaches and students begin thinking about gaining part-time/seasonal employment. Anyone ages 13, 14, or 15 looking to begin employment must complete a Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course. The course teaches young people about Employment Standards along with Workplace Safety and Health requirements that are very important when entering the workforce. The course itself is offered online and takes about 1.5-2 hours to complete with a certificate of completion at the end. If gaining part-time employment is something you have been talking or thinking about, this would be a great place to start as many employers will look for this as something already completed on resumes when they begin to hire part-time or seasonal summer staff.
Links: Employment Standards Fact Sheet: https://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/doc,young-workers,factsheet.html#q2102 Direct Link to Online Course: https://ywrcc.safemanitoba.com/ What is gratitude and why is it important?
Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation. You recognize that something is valuable to you which has nothing to do with its monetary worth. It’s looking for the good in our lives. One way to encourage gratitude and change negative thinking is by changing a few simple words. Instead of saying “I have to…” try “I get to….” “I GET to do school work today.” Instead of “I have to do school work today.” “I GET to do chores today.” instead of “I have to do chores today” When we turn our obligations into fortunate events, we can start to appreciate what we have. WE GET to do school work because we have teachers who care about us. WE GET to do chores because we have possessions to take care of and parents who provide for us. What do you GET to do today? Get mentally strong with mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the practice of constantly redirecting our attention to what we are doing at the moment. Being able to redirect our attention gives us more control over our thoughts. When we feel more in control of our inner world, we feel less pulled and controlled by our outer world. “Wellbeing flourishes from the inside out.... We can’t chase it and we can’t buy it. It’s a form of happiness that is not dependent on external outside circumstances, or on what someone else does or says. It’s an internal state where you’re continuously reminding yourself that you’re okay as you are” Daniel Goleman. According to Goleman, mediation can help strengthen the circuits in your brain that help you react less, be triggered less, and recover more quickly, this is resilience. Additionally, meditation helps students by helping them learn, have better attention, and perform better on tests due to their improved long term memory. What to try it? ANNAKA HARRIS GUIDED MEDITATIONS More on mindfulness https://vimeo.com/247252818 1. Linked By Love
Be Part of a Guinness World Record by creating the world’s largest paper chain with links from recycled/reused paper with messages of love and hope for the world! https://kidsforpeaceglobal.org/linkedbylove/ 2. Keep moving at home with One Minute Wonders! You can do one-minute circuits with your family at home or with your friends online. Use the exercises in the link or choose your own. Set a timer for the rotations and see who can do the most. Step it up a notch by making participation awards for each other. https://kidsforpeaceglobal.org/oneminutewonders/ Today it feels appropriate to show the Earth some love.
Earth Day At Home Ideas: 1. Learn about the impacts of your food choices and our food system while cooking delicious plant-based meals! Need some ideas? https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-menus-collections/30-minute-meals/#gs.4sxieb The burrito bowl is delish!! 2. Plastics are a huge part of our daily lives, but there are tons of great alternatives to use to help the planet! You can make a huge difference by changing what you buy and how you dispose of plastic. 3. Watch an environmental documentary or animal show and research ways to protect your favorite animals. I just watched Elephants and Dolphin Reef on Disney+, highly recommend!! For more ideas: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2020/ In case you are needing additional forms- here they are!
Today’s Wellness Wednesday falls on Earth Day!
There are 8 dimensions of wellness: 1.Emotional 2. Spiritual 3. Intellectual 4. Physical 5. Environmental 6. Financial 7. Occupational 8. Social One idea about the 8 dimensions of wellness is if you can change your habits, you can change the quality of your life. Today we will focus on intellectual wellness. Intellectual wellness is important for everyone. It is not just about the classes we take or an IQ score, but rather it’s being open to new ideas, seeking personal growth through learning new skills, being creative, or exploring new activities. Gaining and maintaining intellectual wellness will keep the brain stimulated and stave off boredom and loneliness. The brain is like any other muscle in our body, it needs to be exercised to do its best work! * Doing games or puzzles that stimulate the brain such as crosswords, Sudoku, brain teasers, or logic games. * Reading for fun – yes, for fun! * Talk to someone who has a difference of opinion and ask them questions, get curious. * Learn a new skill or find an online class Today we show our gratitude for Planet Earth in honor of Earth Day Tomorrow. Power up on gratitude and power down on electricity for one hour. What to do during that hour? Celebrate under the full moon. Dance under the stars. Dine by candlelight. Count your blessings. Go for a walk. “Observe the fresh insights that flood your own awareness and the world consciousness, as we spend at least one hour on Earth Day giving thanks to Mother Nature with our words and actions," said Natalie Pace, organizer of the Earth Day Gratitude celebration. Here's a quick video to share with you the history of Earth Day: How to feel less out-of-control when facing the unknown can be achieved through “effortful optimism” Optimism can be thought of as reframing adversity in a healthy and realistic way while taking ownership of finding solutions. Three things to tell yourself: 1. This will not last forever. 2. This is not changing everything 3. My efforts will make a difference. Here is a quick video about exercising optimism: Good Morning Lockport, It seems like almost every student that I've talked to has mentioned doing something with a pet at home. HOW HAPPY ARE OUR PETS RIGHT NOW?!? I know my pooch here is tuckered out by the afternoon and is on the same nap schedule as my daughter! I would love to start a Happy Pets of Lockport Gallery. PLEASE send me a picture of just your pet (no humans please!) and I'll start a gallery here. Email me and I'll get it started. On a serious note, Speak Up for 8-1 and 8-2 starts today. All Grade 8 classes were scheduled to have this during April/May. The program runs for 5 days- Monday through Friday. All of the files you need are on TEAMS. I've attached the workbook here as well just in case. Stay tuned for a schedule, 8-3/8-4 you'll be next week. I'm hoping I'll have enough time to do this with the Grade 9's as well, I missed you last year when I was on maternity leave. On my last serious note of the day, I've had many requests for "stuff to learn about anxiety and/or stress". I've attached link to a workbook that I've used with many students. If you're looking for some support, email me and we can set up a time to chat too. Take care, Mrs. Henaire
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