Amy Krouse Rosenthal Books

One of my favorite authors of books I use in counseling is Amy Krouse Rosenthal.  My favorite is "The OK Book" which I use to encourage students to try new things.  I also love "Spoon" to send the message to embrace what makes each person special.  She has books about feelings, character traits, and problem solving.  Check out her website to see all her children's books.

Have you tried SMORE?

I watched the sconlineprofessionalexchange free webinar on this online flyer tool. It was very helpful and making my first flyer took less than 30 minutes!  Thanks Erin! Check out the one tool-at-a-time series she posted online this week (Twitter, You Tube, etc.)

Click to see my first attempt!

iPad Apps for Relaxation

I have found several additional apps for my office iPad mini to promote relaxation for my many anxious friends: My First Yoga, Simply Yoga, and on Pandora - Karma Kids Yoga.  I also found a few good nighttime meditation apps to recommend to parents.  Instead of letting a child play Mindcraft when they can't fall asleep, I recommend The Smiling Mind, they can try out The Bubble Journey for free or Sleep Meditations for Kids.

Holding On to Loved Ones

This is a great book to use in individual or group counseling when dealing with any type of transition: death, loss, grief, moving, or deployment.  There are great resources on the web for follow-up activities: lifelessons or armylife. The book even has its own facebook page. I am planning on using it with our new students who are joining our learning community right after winter break but want to stay connected to the frends they left behind.

Labels

Labels - Place Holder

Anxious Students? Amping Up May Be Better Than Calming Down, Study Finds

A recent study in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Allison Wood Brooks, a psychologist at Harvard Business School who studies performance under stress, found that getting anxious people amped up about a forthcoming test or task improved their performance more than trying to soothe their fears. Read a summary of the study at Education Week

Celebrate Uniqueness

Our administrators gave the staff this book, The Only One Club,  to share with our students as we approach our winter break.  I think it is perfect for second graders who frequently get hung up on being different in some way.  It addresses children's need to belong to a group. Flashlightpress.com has activities to go with each of their books, many of which could be used in counseling.