Mindful Self-Care for the Summertime
- Here's a Self-Care Bingo card to provide you with ideas and goals for the summer. Feel free to modify how you'd like. Shout to Blanton Elementary Steering Committee for creating the original card. I modified it slightly for the summer.
- Summer is a great time to rejuvenate and set the intentional goals that you deserve. In this toolkit, we have provided a variety of social and emotional resources that you can embrace to meet your individual needs and interests. Take a look and see what speaks to you! Shout to Angela Bailey, SEL Specialist, for compiling these resources & creating this toolkit.
I know this is last minute, but I wanted to share some youth mindfulness opportunities for this summer. These first two through Amala Foundation offer some scholarships, inquire with them for more information.
- The Amala Teen Summit is a seven day residential retreat. It offers diverse youth a compassionate and encouraging space to gather, connect and grow, as emotionally intelligent, empathetic leaders in service to the Austin community.
- Camp Indigo is a week-long day camp offering exciting and creative opportunities for children ages 4-12 to express themselves, explore their world, and celebrate the magic of childhood.
- Week-long fun yoga summer camp at Yoga Yoga! Children will learn tools and techniques for self-care, relaxation, focus and inner fulfillment. Yoga encourages increased self-esteem and body awareness, combined with the physical benefits of strength, range of movement, flexibility, and coordination. In an interactive setting, our yoga camps cultivate cooperation, community, and creativity.
- Yoga camps for all ages at Little Yoga House.
Summer Mindfulness Learning. There are no official Mindful AISD PDs this summer, but based on feedback from the survey I will definitely offer summer PDs next year. In the meantime, below are suggestions/ideas for this summer.
- Free online, self-paced 2-hour course for Teaching Mindfulness to Teens from the Center for Adolescent Studies.
- "The office of Cultural Proficiency & Inclusiveness will be offering five summer professional learning sessions that help educators, staff, and community members engage in critical self-reflection around personal identity, implicit bias, and the power that our words and actions have over others. Isolating Race is the foundational prerequisite course. Staff may register for the additional four courses upon completion of the Isolating Race course. All of the CP&I sessions count towards exchange days and GT updates. Space is limited, so sign up through the HCP today!" See the flyer below for more.
Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence
Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence--The Groundbreaking Meditation Practice by Dr. Daniel Siegel
"An in-depth look at the science that underlies meditation's effectiveness, this book teaches readers how to harness the power of the principle "Where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows." Siegel reveals how developing a Wheel of Awareness practice to focus attention, open awareness, and cultivate kind intention can literally help you grow a healthier brain and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in your life.
Whether you have no experience with a reflective practice or are an experienced practitioner, Aware is a hands-on guide that will enable you to become more focused and present, as well as more energized and emotionally resilient in the face of stress and the everyday challenges life throws your way."
Practicing Mindfulness
Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday by Matthew Sockolov
"It’s easy to disconnect when life moves fast. Practicing Mindfulness offers effective exercises and meditations to live every moment of your daily routine, in the moment.
From finding your breath to feeling grounded, these practice-based exercises make integrating mindfulness into your routine easy. With over 75 essential meditations―that take between 5-20 minutes from start to finish―Practicing Mindfulness is an approachable way to apply mindfulness in your day-to-day life."
A Sloth's Guide To Mindfulness
A Sloth's Guide To Mindfulness by Ton Mak
"It's OK to slow down. Take a pause and focus on your breath. Let the other animals run around, you do you.
Follow a serene and smiley sloth through a series of light meditations and daily reflections with this unexpected and snuggable guide. From simple breathing exercises and guided visualizations to the benefits of chewing your leaves slowly and staying present while hanging from a tree, this little illustrated book of mindfulness will help readers discover the path to a peaceful, philoslothical life. With playful advice and delightfully charming illustrations, this no-sweat approach to enlightenment is a sweet reminder to take it slow and smile."
Congrats to our winners of 10 pairs of movie passes...
- Megan Almanza, Ridgetop Elementary
- Jennifer Thorn, Brooke Elementary
- Asalena LeBlance, Overton Early College Prep
- Amy Doherty, Patton Elementary
- Randi Sather, Perez Elementary
- Stephanie Mancilla, Kealing Middle School
- Cristeta Mangibin, Mendez Middle School
- Britine Perkins, Garza Independence High School
- Kelsey Barrick, Clifton Career Development School
- Brendon Kepner, Crockett High School
Inner Explorer
So much gratitude to LG for the $20,000 grant to provide Inner Explorer community licenses to 20 AISD campuses through the 2018-2019 school year!! Inner Explorer is a web-based mindfulness program that's very easy to use for all ages. Elementary content is in Spanish as well. They even have a community component where families can have an account along with the school. For more info and sample practices, click here.
Stop Breathe Think--Free Lifetime Subscription
Calm--Free Lifetime Subscription
FREE Calm.com Lifetime Subscription for Teachers (PreK-12). Fill out the form at the link above for a FREE subscription to their site & app.
#mindfulAISD YouTube Playlist
Letter to Families
Here's a letter about mindfulness you can share with families. It provides a brief description of mindfulness and a message from Dr. Cruz supporting mindfulness in schools.
The letter is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari & Burmese.
Multilingual Mindfulness
Want mindfulness activities in Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Burmese, Swahili & Kinyarwanda? We've got them for you!
Zen Den YouTube Playlist
The "Zen Den" YouTube playlist offers 18 videos, ranging from 4-8 minutes in length.
Mind Yeti: Connecting Mindfulness w/ Explicit SEL Lessons
Mindyeti.com is a great resource that connects mindfulness with Second Step lessons, and it's FREE!
GoNoodle
GoNoodle is for the body and the mind.
Here is a link to a document that lists all the GoNoodle Mindfulness videos sorted by channel and with the length of each video.
De-Escalation Strategies Poster
This poster can be an addition to your classroom, Peace Area, hallways, Mindfulness Room, etc.
Mindful Life Project
Guided Mindfulness Activities in English & Spanish--Great for Secondary.
They also have a free app titled "Mindful Life Project."
Videos Explaining Mindfulness
Contact
SEL Mindfulness Specialist
2014 Austin ISD Teacher of the Year
Twitter: @mrbutler629