This is the last edition of The Calming Corner for the 2019-2020 school year!

Each week, members of the Student Support Team at Lowell are here to provide you with resources that can help bring steadiness to your lives during these uncertain times. Each edition of The Calming Corner will have information for the whole family that can provide balance, social-emotional support, and entertainment into your home.

Your house has now turned into a classroom, an office, a gym, but most importantly, still remains your home. Each day may look different and routines are shifting but that is okay. We hope that the resources provided in this newsletter will give you an alternative to academic content and support learning beyond the “classroom.”

“You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!”

– Dr. Seuss

How to Talk About Endings and Saying Goodbye

Try reading The Invisible String by Patrice Karst to your children. The book offers a beautiful story highlighting that we are all connected even when we are not near each other.

Virtual Summer Camp Resources

Happy Camper is providing virtual summer camp. Click here for more information and to sign up. They have membership options, but you can also access free weekly activities.

Virtual field trips are a great way to educate kids and get their minds out of the house even if their bodies can’t be. You and your kids can visit a number of museums and zoos around the world that are offering virtual tours to look at everything from fine art and exotic animals.

Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium, San Diego Zoo, or Van Gogh Museum. For a virtual vacation to anywhere on the planet, launch Google Earth and zip around the world exploring with your children.

Summer Self-Care

As summer approaches, it is important to practice self-care with your family. Below find some ideas to get you started. Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety.

Making the Most of the "New Normal"

1. Maintain a consistent schedule
2. Take care of your own mental health
3. Try to make good memories
4. Get outside and stay active when you can
5. Keep having age-appropriate conversations with your children in preparation for the Fall

Even though we're all practicing social distancing, it's important to keep active and do something inside or outside each day especially as the weather gets warmer! Whether it's taking a walk in your neighborhood, doing yoga, or just having a dance party!

Build a Fairy or Elf House

Create little villages of fantasy that will give rise to make-believe quests right in your own backyard. This activity is a lot of fun and it is so good for kids to engage in these kinds of activities. Here are some of the benefits:

• Your children are outside enjoying the natural world.
• It gets them away from the screens for a while.
• Encourages healthy, imaginative, and creative play.
• But best of all it creates a wonderful opportunity to make memories and build connections.

Suggested Supplies:

• Leaves, grass and moss, flowers, acorns, rocks, seashells
• Large pieces of wood, baskets, or other “natural-looking” containers
• Large plastic tray for base
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Wood glue
• Twine (for swings or clotheslines) (optional)
• Fake fur or fabric scraps (optional)
• Buttons and itsies (small dollhouse items) (optional)
• Paint (optional)
• Anything else that looks like it would be a good addition to a fairy house

Steps:

1. Gather materials
2. Build a strong base or foundation
3. Build the outside of the house
4. Decorate the inside
5. Find the perfect outdoor location to put your fairy house

More information and detailed instructions here.

Practicing Mindfulness can be very soothing. Some apps include Mindful Powers (available for Apple and Android devices) and SOS Method (available for Apple and Android devices). Headspace is another great app.

Each week we will add a new clip from Mindful Moments for Kids by Kira Willey. This week practice the "Get Your Grumpies Out" breathing exercise with your kids.

And for other fun ways for kids to practice mindful breathing, we love the book "Alphabreaths" by Christopher Willard. This week we will practice the "Know your Breath".

Here are some more conversation starters for your next family mealtime:

1. What is your favorite thing about summer?

2. What is your funniest summertime memory?

3. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Make your own Calm Down Corner in your home! At school, our classrooms have Calming Corners where we can all take a break. This handy guide gives strategies to create your own!

Week of 4/5/20

Week of 4/12/20

Week of 4/19/20

Week of 4/24/20

Week of 5/3/20

Week of 5/10/20

Week of 5/17/20

Week of 5/24/20

Week of 5/31/20

Week of 6/7/20

Kelley Cochrane - School Psychologist

Brian Connors - Behavior Specialist

Melina Jacovides - Guidance Counselor

Crystal Johnson - Social Worker

Greg Roberts - Team Chair

If you have any questions and you're not sure who to ask, reach out to one of us!

• Guidance Counselor: melina.jacovides@watertown.k12.ma.us
• School Psychologist: kelley.cochrane@watertown.k12.ma.us
• School Social Worker: crystal.johnson@watertown.k12.ma.us
  

Have a great summer!