Over 80 amazing, simple proprioceptive activities for kids. Learn benefits of proprioceptive input to calm, focus, and alert.

Bell ringers build routine; they allow for a calm and organized start to class. The 15 analogy slides will guide students to a strong understanding of analogies and word relationships. The Google slides can be edited, projected or pushed out to students for distance learning.  Analogy Types Included: Part to Whole Synonyms Antonyms 15 slides total Answer Key added!

Learn how to make a sensory bottle with our sensory bottle recipes and tips. DIY Sensory bottles are a calm-down tool and aid for meditation.

How to make a mindfulness glitter calm down jar for kids! Step-by-step directions for making a calming glitter jar, with a printable recipe.

Our theme this week was "Our Feelings" and we focused on the letter Cc and the shape triangle. We read this week: Corduroy by Don Freeman Curious George Goes Camping by Margret and H.A. Reys The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen The Pout Pout Fish in the Big Big Dark by Deborah Diesen Our question of the week was "What is something that you're not so good at?" We talked about not being good at something is not always a bad thing, that with practice we can always get better. Some children raised their hands multiple times to tell me things. I love when we get a great discussion going like that. In the beginning of the year I always like to have the students practice tracing and writing their names. I found this great website that lets me put in the words that I want them to practice. I choose the largest text and it gives three lines of tracing and one where they have to write the letters on their own. I like to do this activity a few times a year and keep them in their portfolios to see the improvement in their writing over the course of the school year. For our theme of the week, we talked a lot about our different feelings, why we feel them and how to deal with them. We made "Happy Cards" I found the idea at this blog. The kids loved getting smiley faces painted on their hands. After they made their hand prints, I asked them to tell me "Things that make me smile"and I scribed what they said. We made water color relief sad faces. They used white crayons to draw sad faces on white paper. Then they used blue watercolor paint to make the faces "appear"! They loved the "magic" and it got us talking about why blue is a color associated with sadness. We made our own class feelings book. In the same idea as those emotion posters, we practiced making happy, sad, mad and worried faces. Then I took their pictures for each child with each face, then turned it into a book! I got the idea from a blog online that I know can't find :(. I cut out circles in different colors (blue, orange, red and green) and we talked about what happy, sad, mad and worried/scared faces look like. Then I asked them to make each circle into one of those faces. I let them decide which colors to make each face. We talked a lot this week about the shape triangles. We sang the song: "Triangles, triangles, triangles I see, Count the points and count the sides, Count them 1,2,3 Triangles triangles, just for you and me, Count the points and count the sides, Count them 1,2,3! -Found here, to the tune of 'twinkle twinkle' The kids practiced drawing triangles with this cool worksheet of triangles and squares, which I found here. We also worked on recognizing triangles among of other shapes. For our letter activities, we used our handwriting sheet for the letter C, the sheet that helps work on letter recognition, both are from books that are mentioned in the "All About Me" post. The students also wrote in their journals for the letter C. From one of The Mailbox books, I got the idea of having the students make a "C Collection" book. We turned C's into Caterpillars! We also made Crocodile Puppets! For our alphabet wall we made clouds of white paint on blue paper. I showed the kids examples of the three main kinds of clouds (Stratus, Cumulus and Cirrus). We talked about the differences, where they are and what they look like. Then each child got to make their own cloud. And with the C addition, our wall now looks like... Our list for words beginning with C's was very impressive. Here it is! Up next week: The letter Dd, the number 1, rectangles and "Being Healthy".

Learn how to make a DIY weighted stuffed animal as a sensory calming tool for emotional regulation in kids. #emotionalregulation #autism #adhd #spd

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How to use bell work in art class to get students on task while giving yourself a few minutes to prep for class.

Brain Breaks are a great way to focus and calm students with creativity!

Try this easy peasy tutorial to make a calm down bottle the kids will love. Customize it with what you have available or make a themed one for hours of fun.

Practicing conscious breathing helps when you feel anxious and overwhelmed. A mindful breathing stick can help guide young kids develop breathing techniques.

“...corramos com perseverança a carreira que nos está proposta, olhando firmemente para o Autor e Consumador da fé, Jesus...” (Hb 12:1,2). “Distraindo-se Pedro com a força do vento, teve medo...”. Todos nós podemos nos identificar bem com Pedro nesta situação! Quando Pedro começou a tirar seus olhos de Cristo e desviar sua atenção para as ondas e o vento, a sua fé enfraqueceu e ele teve medo e começou a afundar-se. Há tantas coisas neste mundo que podem nos distrair e tirar os nosso olhos de Cristo. Enfrentamos desafios, lutas e dificuldades e, às vezes, nossa fé enfraquece como aconteceu com Pedro, e ficamos com medo e cheio de dúvidas. Entretanto, quando olhos estão fixos em Cristo, com certeza teremos a vitória. Ler: Mateus 14:22-33; Marcos 6:45-52 Versísulo para MEMORIZAR: "Respondeu-lhe Jesus: Eu sou o caminho, e a verdade, e a vida..." João 14:6. APLICAÇÃO: mostrar que Jesus está sempre ao nosso lado. (Abra sua Bíblia e diga que essa história está dentro da Bíblia e aconteceu de verdade há muito tempo atrás. As crianças precisam saber de onde vem a história e que elas são reais.) Certa vez Jesus estava no barco com os seus amigos, e eles estavam indo para uma outra cidade, só que durante a viagem aconteceu uma chuva forte. Pergunte se as crianças já viram uma chuva forte. E aí, todos ficaram co muito medo e foram pedir pra Jesus ajudá-los e então Jesus se levantou e disse para o mar parar e o vento também. E sabem o que aconteceu? O vento e o mar obedeceram a Jesus e então ninguém mais teve medo. Não precisamos ter medo de nada, pois Jesus nos ajuda em todas as situações. (fonte: Socep baby) Clique nas imagens para aumentar (+) Eu fiz esse barco com EVA, tudo feito com EVA. Apenas os prendedores que fiz com tinta e EVA. O raio fiz com cartolina laminada dourada. Colocava Jesus dormindo, na hora da tempestade. E depois mostrava ele acordado e acalmando a tempestade. Esses foram o que eu fiz para as aulas há algum tempo atrás e sempre utilizo. O passo a passo destes prendedores enfeitados clique aqui. Fonte : Professor Sassá - (extraído do site: escoladominical.net) HORA DA ATIVIDADE: HORA DA LEMBRANCINHA: Você pode dar de lembrancinha os prendedores que fez para contar a história. O passo a passo destes prendedores enfeitados clique aqui. Esses eu fiz este acima para os meus alunos, com bala dentro, todo de EVA. Origami de barco Mais modelos de BARCOS, clique aqui. OUTRAS MANEIRAS de contar a mesma história clique aqui e clique aqui

Calming exercises for kids are best when they are simple and engaging. While we can fill baskets with calming tools or teach students yoga poses, it's even better to start with the most straightforward strategy: breathing.Let's start with simple belly breathing and then move on to some fun variations.Why Deep Breathing?Deep breathing tells the brain

These Bible Story Sequencing Cards can be used after reading a Bible story to children to see what they comprehend about the story and to practice putting

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the chaos of daily life, seeking a moment of calm? I certainly have. That’s why I turned to DIY sensory bottles! These delightful creations not only provide a soothing

Cinco de Mayo, 2008, made by the Buda Bee Quilters, Texas In 2004, Karen Stone published her most complex design, Cinco de Mayo. It's b...

This craft is simple, but fun. It will help reinforce the story of Jesus calming the sea. It’s a nice reminder that when the world is raging around us, God is in control of it all. “35 That …

What is your passion? Do you like doodling, creating, doing or making things for others? I enjoy people, most people that is, and I enjoy creating mostly for others. Creating calms me when life som…

With three ingredients you can make this easy and mesmerizing Galaxy Calm Down Bottle! Use this as a tool for mindfulness, Austim, or sensory processing.

Our theme this week was "Our Five Senses" and we focused on the letter B and the shape circle. We read this week: Ferdinand by Munro Leaf Paddington by Mark Brown Paddington and the Busy Bee Carnival by Mark Brown The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Stellaluna by Janelle Cannon Our question of the week was "What is something that you are really good at?" For our theme of the week, we talked a lot about our senses, what they help us do and why we need them. We made texture collages: This week is full of some of my favorite activities from the year, these texture collages being one of them. I love how each one is different, and the kids are so proud of the texture choices that they make. AND they look amazing on the wall. We tasted sweet, salty and sour things, and the kids had to vote on their favorite taste. (They think it's awesome when they get to eat things as part of a project.) We tested their sense of smells with this project where I asked them to describe the things that they were smelling. I used perfume, shampoo, chocolate syrup, pickle juice, toothpaste and (the most tricky) water. Out on our schools nature trail we talked about the different sounds that we could hear. We did this at various points of our walk, close to the school, by the parking lot and deeper in the woods. Lastly we did another activity with the sense of touch. I set up my table with different texture objects. I used flour, rice, oatmeal, sand and a scrubbing sponge. As the students felt each thing, I asked them to describe what they were feeling. It was hard to get them away from just telling them what the items were and to use describing words, but we got there in the end. For our shape of the week, the kids practiced drawing circles with this cool worksheet of circles and another with squares and circles. We also worked on recognizing circles out of other shapes. We talked a lot about things that are circles. We sang the song "This is a circle, this is a circle. How can you tell? How can you tell? It goes round and round, No end can be found, It's a circle, it's a circle." -Found Here For our letter activities, we used our handwriting sheet for the letter B, the sheet that helps work on letter recognition, both were mentioned in the "All About Me" post. The students also wrote in their journals for the letter B. We turned B's into Bees! After we read Ferdinand we all made our own bees. This was a great way for the kids to practice their cutting skills. I love how each child's bee is different. Another project that we did (another one of my favorites all year) is the Boat Builder activity. I love it because I give the students the materials and the end result is something completely their own. Each child got a piece of white paper, a square of brown paper, a skinny black rectangle, scissors, a glue stick and crayons with the instruction of make me a boat however you want to. (They love when I say that). If I get "I don't know how..." or " I can't do it.." We go back a few steps and talk about boats.. what do they look like, where do we find them, what do they do, and then the creative juices start flowing. Here's the end results! Love it! For our Alphabet wall we made butterflies with coffee filters and water color paint. After the children painted their coffee filters and they dried I used small pipe cleaners to turn them into butterflies! And with the B addition, our wall now looks like... Our list for words beginning with B's was very impressive. Here it is! As a side note, teachers always need to be flexible, and as such, it was in the best interest of the flow of the classroom to switch two centers, the library and dramatic play center. And I'm always telling the kids to make sure that they turn off the water faucet after getting a drink or washing their hands. I tell them to "Save the water for the fishes, so I painted a mural for above the sink to remind them. Up next week: The letter C, Triangles and "Our Feelings".

How to use bell work in art class to get students on task while giving yourself a few minutes to prep for class.

Are you ready for it? We made an ANTI-GRAVITY galaxy in a bottle!!! That's right, the glitter doesn't fall down, it actually rises up as it settles. Say, what?! I know. It was pretty cool! Not to mention that it was also totally gorgeous! And peaceful. I've been carrying the bottle around for a few days now, shaking it up like a crazy person, and then staring at the amazing galaxy in it as it settles. This is the first time I've made a sensory bottle and I think I'm hooked. Everyone talks about how great they are for calming children and

Discover 12 easy ways you can bring mindfulness into your classroom to improve student focus, attention, and emotional regulation.

Discover the best Dulux colours for North facing rooms for a bright and inviting feel! Our blog offers expert tips and advice for choosing the perfect shades.

11 Practical Classroom Management Ideas 2 comments Back to School, Classroom Ideas, Classroom Management, Popular Posts, Tips and Tricks One of my favorite things to do is peek inside other teacher's classrooms. I love seeing what kinds of things they are up to, checking out their favorite tricks of the trade, and to sniff out new tips that I can bring back to my own classroom. If you're like me, then keep reading. This post is full of all my favorite classroom management ideas and tips. Warning: This post is long, so grab a cup of coffee and cozy up while you enjoy peeking inside my classroom. :) This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my links. For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link. MOVEMENT CODE WORD I started using a movement code word just this year. My class just couldn't seem to wait for me to finish giving directions before they started to "follow" them. To save my sanity, I started using a code word system which turned our transitions into a game of sorts. The students had to wait for me to give directions and could not move until I said the code word. I will say, I wasn't sure if this would work, but it did! So, I stuck with it all year. And, I'm going to continue to use it in the future. As you can see, I don't do anything special as far as displaying the code word. I just write it on the board. Pretty printouts aren't necessary for everything. ;) I change my code word at the beginning of each week, and I like to use fun/funny words. Some people like to use vocabulary words, but I prefer keeping it light and fun where I can. :) Some code words I used this year include: -Cactus Pants -Llama llama -Rainbow Dash -Sugar Cube -And too many others I can't remember WIRELESS DOORBELL If you ever feel like your go to "attention getter" isn't getting the attention it needs, then I highly suggest you invest in a wireless doorbell. For $13, it's a fun and effective way to mix up your attention getters. Click here to see this item on Amazon. I don't use the doorbell exclusively, I use it when the kids are working in pairs or groups and the voice levels in the room are above a whisper level. It's easily heard and immediately gets their attention. When I ring the doorbell, I tell the class to fold their arms and face me. Then, I say what needs to be said, and everyone returns to what they were doing. It's great! CHANTS Sometimes transitioning from desks to the carpet area can be slow. One way to help pick up the pace, and eliminate talking along the way is to lead students in a chant. We used a few chants this year, and once the kids learned them, I would let them be the chant leaders. I would signal for table groups to head to the carpet one at a time as the chant was going on. I'd like to say that I'm so incredibly talented that I can write my own chants, but that would be a HUGE lie. I'm the least musically/rhythmically inclined person I know. Buuuut, click here for a (free) fun transition chant I found at Classroom Freebies. Pinterest is also a great source of chant ideas for those of us who need it. ;) GUIDED READING GLASSES Guided reading is that sacred time of day where we all tell our students not to bother us unless something extreme is happening. It is also the time of day where our students seem to forget that we are not to be interrupted for minor things. Or, was that just my class this year? Seriously, my class this year was just.not.getting.it. Every time guided reading rolled around they seemed to forget that we had a hand signal system in place. To them, I abandoned the role of teacher and swapped it for role of IT professional. I've never had problems with students solving their own problems or using hand signals during groups before, but this year was different. So, I invested in a pair of special glasses. These glasses became my "Don't talk to me during reading groups" glasses. I hoped that something visual like the glasses, that I only wore during group time, might remind them to follow procedures. Guess what? It did (of course there were a few hiccups here and there, these are kids we're working with, after all)! Click here to see these glasses on Amazon. If glasses aren't your thing (or you already wear them), then a headband or hat would work too. HAND SIGNALS The last thing I want to hear is "Can I get a new pencil/tissue/drink of water/go to the bathroom?" 95 times a day. Thank goodness for hand signals. I introduce these on day one and they are a sanity saver. My only rule is, don't use a hand signal during teaching time unless it is a dire emergency. These hand signal posters are from Rachel Lamb- The Tattooed Teacher. You can edit them to meet your needs! YOU TUBE FOR RELAXATION I used to play relaxing music via my CD player, but this past year I've relied on You Tube for all our relaxing sound needs. I could use Spotify, or other music apps, but I like to project the image from the You Tube video for extra ambiance. "Meditation Relax Music" is one of my favorite channels. Toward the end of the year, the "A Day of a Unicorn" song/video quickly became a class favorite. TABLE POINTS/STICKER BOOKS I have an entire post about this. Check it out HERE! All I will say here is that my students loooooooove their sticker books. And thank goodness, because I loooooooove to buy new stickers. POINT OF ORDER Whenever we enter the classroom (from our morning patriotic ceremony, from Specials, after lunch, etc.) I use point of order. The students enter at a zero voice level, and stand behind their desk with their arms folded. This just helps them remember that it's time to focus on learning. They sit down when I give the code word (see above). MYSTERY WALKER Anytime my class walks together from point A to point B, I choose two mystery walkers. I do this by pulling two name sticks from the container on my desk (sorry, no pic). I keep a careful eye on these two students as we walk to wherever we are going. If they follow hallway expectations, they earn the status of Mystery Walker and earn a ticket (in my classroom, tickets are used to earn special privileges). If a student earns the status of Mystery Walker twice in once day, he/she earns a special reward tag! I made these using my Editable Reward Tags. Read all about reward tags HERE. If you have a classroom economy, you could pay your walkers a small amount of classroom money. Or, give them a sticker. Or, they just get bragging rights to being named Mystery Walker. Basically, you can reward your walkers however you'd like. :) JOB CHART FOR TWO My friend Deirdre (A Burst of First) shared this genius classroom job idea a few years ago. I took her idea and made it work for me. Because, isn't that what teaching is all about? Hehe. Seriously though, this system is a life saver (for me)! Every week, I assign two students the role of classroom helpers. These students basically do anything from running errands to collecting papers to passing out papers to carrying the lunch bin outside. This system works for me because I cannot keep up with assigning 23+ jobs a week. It's just too much. If you prefer assigning specific jobs to all your students, that's awesome, but this is a great alternative for those of us who can't keep up with that. After school on Friday, I take down the two names from that week and replace them with two new names for the following week. I keep the name cards in a small basket and just rotate through the pile of names two at a time. I keep it as simple as possible. You can download the chart here for FREE! What you'll need to do: Print out the chart. Use an exacto knife to cut small slits toward the top and lower middle portions of the white section of the chart. Place paperclips through the slits. Slide your name strips under the paperclips. (You'll need to make your own slips of paper with student names printed on them....or, just cut up index cards and write the names on that). STUDENT NUMBERS For some reason, the idea of using student numbers seems to really irritate some people. If that's you, please don't read the rest of this section. Student numbers, however, can make things easier when it comes to labeling. My students are not called by number, nor are they just a number to me. It's simply a way to streamline classroom organization for the students, and me. I use student numbers because I don't have to spend time relabeling everything in my classroom at the beginning of the year. This is especially helpful as class sizes continue to increase. I label our mailboxes with numbers. These numbers have been in place for a few years now. Such a time saver when I'm trying to unpack and set up my classroom at the end of summer. Students write their name on their paper, followed by their number. This way, papers can be quickly and easily placed in the correct mailbox. Our brag tag display is also labeled with numbers. These numbers have been up for about 3 years because I haven't had to customize the labels with names. That's all, folks! I hope you found an idea or two that you can use in your own classroom. Do you have another tip or idea to share? If so, comment below! DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT! Share It:

A flextangle, also known as a kaleidocycle, can be used as a calming tool to help children relax and be more mindful. Get ready to be wowed!

Inside you'll find an easy step-by-step Klimt Art Lesson Tutorial, with a template and sample art. Stop by and download yours for free.

Get Started With One Of These 12 Calming And Relaxing Mindfulness Art Activities Today. Find The Perfect Way To Express Creativity

My dear sweet friend, Stacey, shared an amazing lesson during a staff meeting last week and I just HAVE TO pass it along. This is an impactful way to introduce mindfulness no matter where you are in your school year. It has proved to be especially powerful in her 3rd grade class as we start a new school year and she was kind enough to let me share it with you today. This post includes some affiliate links which means I get a small portion if you purchase through this link at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog! Stacey came across this book My Magic Breath by Nick Ortner. With mindfulness on her mind she knew it was a PERFECT back to school activity! The book discusses ways that children (and adults!) can discover peace through the magic of mindful breathing. The illustrations are FANTASTIC and show how we can calm our minds when we are mad, happy, excited, or sad through our magic breath. I felt calmer just after reading through the beautiful pages. She didn't stop there! Immediately she knew this was going to be a wonderful art opportunity to remind her students each day the power that they hold in their magic breath. A few quick photos on Friday afternoon in front of the white board and she was ready to read the book on Monday and do this art project. She asked students to pretend they were blowing out a candle (or a dandelion, whatever works for you) and snapped a picture. They didn't know what the project would be at this point! She had them printed out over the weekend as actual photographs but if you have access to a color printer regular printing would be just as great too! On Monday after reading the book and having SO MANY great discussions about feelings she presented each student with their own picture glued to a white piece of paper and some watercolors. Students then painted their own magic breath and the results were AMAZING! You can see each student used so many colors and different lines to represent their own magic breath. We have so many emotions inside of us everyday! Right now she has them hanging in their classroom to remind everyone that they have the POWER to calm their own minds with their magic breath. She even told me that students will stop during a lesson and remind her, "We need to take a magic breath." How powerful is that? Full disclosure, she couldn't remember if she saw this somewhere first but with a little digging I did find a similar project from Adventures in Kindergarten. It is a great blog to add to your read list if you teach the littles! She also mentioned that the author, Nick Ortner, has a Facebook post about his book and I loved watching it too! Here is a link to his Facebook live video that explains more about the book and gives us (the grown ups!) some great tips about bringing mindfulness into our lives. Of course now I am following his page because I am obsessed with his positivity! Would you like to save this post to share with your colleagues? Pin it here! Are you looking for more books on the power of mindfulness? Here are some suggestions for you too! My favorites are Sitting Still Like a Frog and I Can Handle It! Thank you for stopping in today. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a breath, it can do wonders! P.S. Get a free ALPHABET ACTIVITY when you sign up for my newsletter HERE!

We are gearing up for a big project this Friday! We have invited 14 community helpers into our classroom this Friday! The students have brainstormed a great list of interview questions and we are going to discover how each of these individuals contributes to our community! The students will use iPads to record the interviews in small groups. We will share the interviews from the different groups with all of the kids and everyone will get to see all of the interviews! I hope it works! I finished up a community themed / literacy station / sight word games/ fix-it packet /. Please check it out at my TpT store or Teacher's Notebook. If you would like to grab my freebie graphic organizer, click the picture below! My students used it to organize their thoughts before they write their community paragraphs! I'll post those soon! Grab it now! Freebie! Happy Tuesday!