Tag: SEL

A Classroom  Management Professional Development Activity

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Get your free Circle of Community™ Preview video here!

Classroom Management Professional Development

Don’t waste your teachers’ precious time this summer! Have them take part in the Circle of Community™, a perfect activity for classroom management professional development.

Circle of Community™ is a team building / community building activity for groups working together in classrooms, teams, families, or on the job.

Cover for Circle of Community a classroom management activity

Works For Both Teens and Adults

In particular, the activity builds social emotional learning (SEL) not only for teens but also for adults. In prior presentations, staff found this professional development tool useful as well as entertaining. Participants receive both personal gain and the ability to practice with the resource before sharing with their students back in the classroom.

Get your free Circle of Community™ Preview video here!

Improve Group Dynamics and Solve Misunderstandings Between Members

An illustration of a stalk of celery trying to mediate between two angry onions

At its core, Circle of Community™ works to resolve misunderstandings between group members. This improves group function, group member relationships, and the group’s success. Furthermore, the activity works to develop communication, problem solving, and goal attainment skills in a fun and engaging way.

How It Works

  • Using The “Identify your Gifts” handout, participants learn about their own and others’ personal strengths and challenges.
  • Then, in their respective “gift” groups, participants work together to solve a fictionalized real-life scenario related to a common critical issue or problem faced by the larger group.
  • Using the provided facilitation questions and learning about personal strengths and challenges, participants begin to see and understand how groups and their members often approach and solve problems differently. Often, staff receive insight into how “diverse” groups with a mix of strengths and challenges are best at solving problems.
  • In the end, all participants receive a “Reaching Our Potential Together” poster, the “Gifts and Challenges” and “Social Styles” handouts, and a special personal gift of a colorful “Totem Card” representing their own “gifts” / strengths.

In Short…

You can’t go wrong with the Circle of Community™ classroom management professional development. Don’t take my word for it – see a preview of the resource below.

Circle of community poster with gifts/strengths and corresponding totem animals
Get your free Circle of Community™ Preview video here!

Build Teen Social Emotional Skills

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Click here for your free Mental Health / Life Skills list

Teen Social Emotional Skills: A Comprehensive List

As a mental health educator, I knew the skills to help teens build their mental health or social emotional learning. These include communication, goal setting and planning, decision making, problem solving, and stress and personal management.

Furthermore, as a Training Specialist for the NYS Adolescent Services and Resource Network, I used a different list of social emotional learning skills. This list included “life skills,” the abilities teens need to gain their independence such as getting an education, budgeting, shopping, cooking, home management, etc.

A picture of a mental health/social emotional learning skills checklist for kids, teens or adults from aws Studios.art

Specific Teen Social Emotional Skills

In addition to the life skills, the resource included a list of “Invisible Skills” for “emotional issues.” These included: establishing identity, dealing with separation and loss; making peace with the past; and resolving survivor guilt. The resource, originally created to guide foster care parents and Youth Workers, can be used with any teen dealing with trauma, isolation, and bullying, etc.

Build Teen Mental Health

Indeed, to build teen mental health – social emotional skills , I have recreated the all-inclusive training list for you. You can access this easy-to-read pdf here free! And, here are resources I have created that are geared to help young people learn these skills.

Let’s All Build Teen Mental Health

A picture of a mental health/social emotional learning skills checklist for kids, teens or adults from aws Studios.art

With this free pdf, I hope to make it easier for any adult – parent, grandparent, relative, teacher, homeschooler, etc., – who is living or working with a teenager – to know and assess teen mental health skills. Let’s all help young people build these essential social and emotional skills!

Do you have a favorite list of mental health skills? Let us know about it in the Comments section.

Click here for your free pdf of my Mental Health / Life Skills list

Mental, Emotional, and Social Health with Toys? Yes, with MESH!

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MESH + Toy Industry + aws Studios

While perusing an issue of “The Toy Book,” a toy industry trade magazine, I came across a mention by Editor in Chief James Zahn in his editorial about “MESH,” a new acronym for “mental, emotional, and social health.” For me, this was a ‘needle in the haystack’ discovery. To find a link from the toy industry to me — a mental health educator, picture book author/illustrator, and toy designer — was a jump for joy moment.

Where did this MESH acronym come from?

I needed more info. After a little searching, I found a podcast about “MESH” by The Toy Coach, Azhelle Wade. In this podcast, Azhelle interviews Rachele Harmuth of ThinkFun and co-originator of the MESH acronym. In short, seeing how mental health issues were increasing worldwide in children and teens, Harmuth, with years of experience in the toy industry, wanted to know if there was a way to help families — kids and parents — build their resiliency to mental illness with play and toys.

Combining Mental Health Education and Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Harmuth then partnered with resiliency expert Dr. Deborah Gilboa and the two came up with the MESH term combining both the fields of mental health and social emotional learning. Genius! And it’s about time. For the past few decades, the fields of mental health education and social emotional learning (SEL) operated separately and siloed. Harmuth and Gilboa have combined the two fields — the skills of mental health and the “Pillars” of SEL— into the following eight skills:

  • Problem solving
  • Perseverance
  • Adaptation
  • Conflict resolution
  • Self-regulation
  • Self-advocacy
  • Cognitive skills
  • Communication strategies

Then they identified four areas where toys and games can build these skills:

  • A focus on problem solving and perseverance
  • Encouraging storytelling
  • Presenting new or increasing challenges over the duration of play and
  • Drawing children and their adults together in play.

[Find out more here at MESHhelps.org]

What’s all this got to do with aws Studios?

I was initially perusing “The Toy Book” because I have been trying to learn more about the toy industry. And I was doing this because I created a toy, specifically a plush (a stuffed fabric toy), designed to help kids build their MESH skills. Currently, I am trying to license the toy to a licensing manufacturer, aka a licensee.

Mental, Emotional, and Social Health Skill Building Through Toys and Play

I am thrilled to see a connection between mental health skill building and the toy industry. Like what the industry has done by connecting toys and games to STEAM, the interdisciplinary approach to learning that combines science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, the MESH movement is doing the same. It’s making connections to current toys and games on the market that build one or more of the mental, emotional, and social health identified skills.

There’s no better way to build mental, emotional, and social health — MESH — skills than through toys and play!

How have toys helped your kids build their mesh Skills? Tell us in Comments
check out my MESH skill building activites here

The “Power of Permission” Slip™ – a Mental Health, Social Emotional Learning Resource Every Teacher Should Have

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Unlock Mental Health and Empowerment

When handing out the “Power of Permission” Slip™ you may notice a collective sigh of relief. Along with a room full of relaxing shoulders. Giving people permission to practice positive, safe, and healthy self-empowering behaviors is powerful. It reminds recipients of their obligation to their mental health and social emotional learning. Instead of the inhibiting mantra “How dare I?,” the “I owe it to myself” self-care refrain empowers.

What is the “Power of Permission” Slip™?

The “Power of Permission” Slip™ is a small, 3” x 8” slip that gives the recipient permission to do something that would improve their mental health. The small and easy-to-give resource generates transformative feelings and change. It’s an easy way to make someone’s day – giving them “permission” to do that thing that keeps them from feeling good.

Give students the power of permission slip for their mental health and social emotional learning

Solves Mental Health and Social Emotional Learning Problems and Enhances Learning

The …Slip solves the problem of people feeling they shouldn’t or can’t do something. But, if done, it would improve their mental health and social emotional learning. The “Power of Permission” Slip™ is a simple prompt, a mild nudge that motivates inaction into action. The resource enhances learning by making the connection of getting or giving permission. This allows the practice of a positive mental health skill. It is also a great behavior management tool.

But what about…

Don’t worry that it’s simple. Be glad that it is and it works! There’s not much to understand. Fill in the recipient’s name on the …Slip or have them fill in their name and either suggest something they need permission for or have them come up with their own. The “Power of Permission” Slip™ can be given over and over again. There is no limit to how many times someone has received a …Slip.

Features include:

  • The simple, all-inclusive permission slip is all done for you, just print out, cut out, hand out, and start making your students’, staff’s, family’s, friend’s, or even YOUR OWN day! Yes, you can give yourself permission! It’s the best kind.
  • The “Power of Permission” Slip™ gives its providers easy access to providing their constituents with joy and builds trust and relationships. What could be better than that?

The “Power of Permission” Slip™ is FREE!

To celebrate the remodel of my Teachers Pay Teachers aws Studios Store, I am giving away The “Power of Permission” Slip™ for free!  Once you receive it, make a lot of slips because once you start your students, staff, family, and friends will beg for more!

Reduce Your Anxiety and Boost Your Mental Health: New SEL Resources

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NOW OPEN! The aws Studios Store!

Parents, grandparents, teachers and educators!

You can count on the effectiveness of the SEL resources in the aws Studios Store! As a mental health educator and curriculum developer, hundreds of students, young and old tested and approved my activities and curricula.

Furthermore, I am excited to provide you with my most popular SEL resources and curricula.

Check out my new store here!

SEL resources currently on the shelves at the aws Studios Store:

“Circle of Community™” is a fun team-building activity that can be used with any group or team, in the classroom or in the home! “Circle…” shows teams/groups how to work together, keeping conflict to a minimum giving groups/teams a better chance of reaching their goals or going for a win.

Picture shows cover of one of the SEL resources at the aws Studios.art Teachers Pay Teachers Store
Another picture from an aws Studios.art SEL resource in the TPT store

“Reframe It™” is a fun game that builds empathy and an understanding of child and parent behavior or why kids and parents do what they do! The engaging and interactive game offers players a chance to think about ways to modify their reactions to problematic or challenging behaviors and offers ideas on how to alter the environment for more positive behaviors. Particularly, this game is for parents, Parenting Educators and their parent groups. In addition, it plays well with pre-teens and teens.

“DIY Hardcover Picture Book”:

A one-pager on how to craft your own hardcover picture book. Great for art class! Plus, it’s a FREE download.

Picture from an aws Studios.art picture book used for an SEL resource art project

    To purchase the resources at the aws Studios Store, you will need to make a FREE Teachers Pay Teachers account. Anyone with a FREE Teachers Pay Teachers account can purchase materials at the aws Studios Store!

    Like the aws Studios Store, give me a Rating or Review or Ask Me a Question! Check it out here!

    Chill Kits! Helping kids and adults develop mental health / social emotional skills

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    Have Fun while Boosting Mental Health

    aws Studios is all about helping kids and adults build mental health skills (often referred to as social emotional learning [SEL] or skills)! This past Saturday, at the Golisano Children’s Hospital Run and Stroll fundraiser in Rochester, NY, I picked up the University of Rochester Medicine’s Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness “Coping Kit.”  It was full of excellent mental health skill-building resources meant for kids, but adults can use these kits too or get ideas of what they would want or need in their kits. They are guaranteed to add fun and easy ways to build your mental health.

    (I like “Chill Kits” instead of “Coping.”  I think “Chill” is a little more fun and not as “heavy” as “Coping.”  Heaven knows, we need to make mental health skill-building as fun as possible!)

    Coping or Chill Kit contents:

    • A cute, small vial of bubbles and a “Bubble Breathing” handout teaching the skill of deep, slow breathing to help us calm down when feeling upset using the bubbles.
    • A colorful handout of fun and easy yoga poses for kids from “Kids Yoga Stories.”
    • Another handout explaining the four (4) benefits of physical activity for kids’ mental health or “emotional wellness”:  1) Exercise fights depression; 2) Decreases stress; 3) Increases self-confidence; and can 4) Improve sleep. Who doesn’t need all of this?! So, to help kids get out there and move, the kit also included:
      • A fun, colorful jump rope
      • A Stress ball
      • A Mini plastic frisbee and a foldable fabric frisbee (or cooling fan)
    • And some sports stickers to top it all off.

    Thanks to UR Medicine

    Thank you to the UR Medicine’s Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness department and their “Coping” or “Chill Kit”! I made my granddaughter get her own! I wanted mine all to myself!

    Easy DIY Kit

    Everyone needs a “Chill Kit”! Do you have one? You could make your own. What would you put in yours? (I was thinking for adults, crayons and a coloring book!) Tell me what you think in Comments below!

    Do you like what you are reading? Do you think someone you know could benefit from this post? Help me spread the word about boosting mental health skills!

    Social and Emotional Health Education Teaching Strategies Engage Students with Art

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    A Writer and an Artist

    I am a Gemini.  Born between May 21 and June 21. I have always thought the Gemini symbol of The Twins defined me well. The two distinct personalities or personas speak clearly to my being an artist and a writer.  Most of my posts to this point have been about my art.  It’s time for me to blog about my writing, in particular, my social and emotional health teaching strategies.

    Parenting Education

    Two little girls hugging

    I started developing educational curricula and teaching strategies as a Parenting Educator.  For many years, I provided programming for parents including single moms and single parents and other caregivers.  As a new mom, I participated in the  “Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP)” program presented by my health care provider and a series on conflict resolution presented by the New Justice Conflict Resolution Services in Syracuse, NY. 

    Then, I became a trainer. This was for the “Every Person Influences Children (EPIC)” parenting education program.  Taking parts from all three of these programs, I created and taught a parenting education program. I then taught it for the NYS Board of Cooperative Education Services’ (BOCES) Adult program. 

    I loved parenting education, sharing what I had learned and helping other parents.  This work extended into programming I did for in-home day care providers enrolled in the Onondaga County Day Care “Magic Bus” program.    Implementing literary and culinary arts into this curriculum provided fun and engaging activities for both the children and the care providers.

    Mental Health Education

    After receiving a Masters in Health Education, my curriculum development continued to focus on mental health, providing social and emotional learning (SEL) teaching strategies for K-12 teachers, parents, youth workers, foster care caseworkers and foster parents. 

    A illustration of an old woman and the shoe with lots of kids living in the shoe.
    A picture of the cover of Final Episode a communication skills resource for high school students.

    Award Winning Curriculum

    After receiving a Masters in Health Education, my curriculum development continued to focus on mental health, providing social and emotional learning (SEL) teaching strategies for K-12 teachers, parents, youth workers, foster care caseworkers and foster parents. 

    During this time,  the NYS Department of Education hired me as an External Consultant to assist in  developing a high school/”commencement level” parenting education curriculum guide.  For the guide, I created, “Final Episode™: Resolving family conflicts with communication,” a commencement level learning experience.

    I was thrilled when this curriculum met the State’s ‘Academy for Teaching and Learning” requuirements. With an intense peer-review process, the Academy seeks to award well designed K-12 curricula.

    “Final Episode™” incorporated many different art disciplines. These include theatre/drama arts and a “Document Based Questionnaire.” A DBQ engages student learning using paintings, comics and other graphic artwork. This leads students on an entertaining, self-directed journey to learn about how to communicate in safe and healthy ways. 

    “Final Episode™” and my other curricula illustrate how my art connects with my mental health curriculum.  Perfect examples of my “gemininess!”  

    If you would like to receive an outline of the Final episode curriculum, click here for a free pdf!

    Engaging teaching strategies