I’m sure you are familiar with Julia Cook but if you are not then I HIGHLY recommend her stories. Julia Cook's books are a MUST in my classroom. Her stories teach life skills that I’ve struggled with for years as a teacher. I used to have a really hard time explaining to students why stealing is wrong and why tattling isn’t always the best thing but after finding Julia’s books we can easily have the conversation. Her books teach students to be problem solvers. I've even learned some great advice. I sure wish I was taught these lessons in my elementary years. In the past, I would call parents if I had issues with interrupting, rudeness, or impulsivity. Now I read all of Julia’s stories in class and even recommend them to parents. Her books are one of my favorite resources as a teacher. I always love when new books are released because the kids LOVE them. When parents ask me for advice on certain life skills I always tell them about my wonderful collection of books. Julia has books for TONS of life skills and lessons such as teasing, cliques, making friends, fears, respect, personal space, interrupting, stealing, depression, divorce and many more. I can’t tell you my favorites because each story is fabulous. I can tell you I’ve never read one of her stories that I didn’t like. The best part …ALL of the stories are filled with wonderful ideas and they are simple enough for students relate to the characters. They really speak to the children. Children really understand the lesson being taught and they can start implementing her tips that SAME day. Would you like to win one of her autographed stories? I have four to giveaway. Thank you Julia !!!! But It’s Just A Game- This creative story teaches kids and adults how to switch out their game controller for a “life controller” Thanks for the Feedback- RJ learns what feedback is all about. This story is about learning to responding to feedback, accepting positive feedback, and learning to interpret and grow from negative feedback. Peer Pressure Gauge- Story about Norbert’s internal deliberation as he struggles with whether or not to give into the pressure. Ricky Sticky Fingers- This story teaches children the concept of ownership and how it feels when someone doesn’t respect what is yours. a Rafflecopter giveaway
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After attending an inspiring training on play therapy last week, I have really been reexamining how I and my team conduct therapy with our clients. In the "high-energy" setting of daytreatment, it is easy to get focused primarily managing behaviors, attempting to scratch the surface of the paperwork pile, and essentially just try to get through the day without someone getting punched out or seriously physically injured. It seems like this focus increases in the winter months when the therapists are feeling the seasonal affect changes as well as the kids. It's not a great time. After listening to Paris Goodyear-Brown's stories, techniques and tips on how to help clients succeed in treatment through play therapy, I had several realizations. #1. I remembered why I am in this field. Therapy with kids is where I am drawn. It excites and inspires me. #2. I have been letting the environment of my job have too much influence over how I conduct therapy with my clients. That needs to change! #3. I have a multitude of skills that I bring to the table. For the purpose of this post, the focus will be on my organizing and planning abilities. I excel at both, to a point that if I lose sight of what my goal and purpose is with a particular client or group if my lists, sub-lists and sub-sub-lists are not current and put in some sort of meaningful order. Being a therapist, especially in my setting, requires that I put on the following hats all in a given day (or on an hourly, or minute-to-minute basis): group and individual therapist, coach, nutritionist, life-skills teacher, social skills teacher, caregiver (this should never be the focus, but is occasionally necessary), reading/writing teacher, conflict mediator, care coordinator, secretary, message carrier...the list goes on. That is a very long list, and is reflective of my harried emotional state at the end of many days. Then I remembered a novel thing: planning! If I am a teacher of many different sorts, I should look at what teachers do after they go home at night. "Lesson" planning for group, individual sessions and skills work. I constantly walk a fine line of doing my job and my work leeching into every aspect of my life in an unhealthy way. My resolution, however, is the following: Only work on researching and planning for treatment, activities, etc at home. I really love doing this part, and there is not time during the day to do it at the office. Now, that means I must have a boundary around how much time I commit to this endeavor per day/week. I don't know what that is yet, but I will figure it out. As part of my planning sessions, I spent part of this very snowy snow day (the first in a year and eight months of working at my job!) compiling a list of children's books with therapeutic topics to use in groups during our reading (therapy nerd term: bibliotherapy) day. During these days I read a book to the kids who then reflect on the message behind the topic and apply it to their current lives or situations. Sometimes the most they are aware of is that Dr. Seuss uses really weird words. But we persevere, and I use my overdeveloped thinking on the spot skills to relay that, "Yes, Dr. Seuss does use really weird words and pictures. What do you think people thought of him in a time that everything was "proper" and much more structured? It took a lot of courage to give his strong messages in a fun way!"...and on I go. Although I can think on the spot rather quickly with no child the wiser, I prefer to have a structure in place. That structure is reflected in my list. I have a bunch more books at the office to add to this compilation, and hope to get all the Berenstain Bears books someday. I use the suggestion of ages 4 and up very generously. These books are just as much for me as my 9-12 year olds. I will be updating this list and adding more all the time. Please write suggestions of any books with therapeutic topics that you may have! I'm grateful for all the information I can get my hands on! I also have the PDF file of the book list (my techie skills are not enough to upload a PDF online). If you would like a copy, you can direct message me at my twitter account JillEHDamron with your email address. Happy reading!
A Flicker of Hope: Teaching Children How to Have Hope and to Ask for Help No comments Hope, Julia Cook, Picture Books, Read Aloud, Social Emotional Needs There are two kinds of books that I am constantly seeking out. They include books about individuality and books that help teach resilience and perseverance. So, when the National Center for Youth Issues reached out and asked if I would like to review A Flicker of Hope by Julia Cook, I jumped at the chance. I received this book for free to provide an honest review. All opinions expressed within this post are genuinely my own and impartial. 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. What's it about? A Flicker of Hope is Julia Cook's newest book. If you aren't familiar with Julia's work, do yourself a favor and get familiar with it. Her books are perfect for addressing a myriad of issues relating to kids' well-being and development. A Flicker of Hope is about a little candle whose flame isn't burning as bright as it once was. She constantly finds herself beneath a canopy of black clouds, which is dulling her flame. Little candle feels like giving up. This all changes when another candle approaches her and offers her words of encouragement, or hope. Little candle is reminded that she is important, that she has a special role to play in this world, and that she matters. She's also reminded that she isn't the only one who feels bogged down by troubles and that it's alright to ask for help. As her new friend gives her hope, little candle's flame begins to grow brighter, and eventually, she is able to share hope with others. Why is this message important? Having hope is a part of life. In fact, it's a necessary part of life. Without hope we have don't have perseverance, determination, or a sense of accomplishment. Our world is filled with high expectations, unkind people, naysayers, and other pressures. Hope helps us to overcome these adversities. Having hope can take us from a place of darkness to a place of light. It can free us and empower us to believe that better days are ahead. Sometimes, as a part of having hope and coping with the challenges of everyday life, we have to ask for help. While this may seem basic and obvious to many, the reality is, many kids struggle with this. Seeking help is interpreted as being weak or lacking knowledge. Or, it's downright scary. Kids need to know that reaching out to others is an important life skill. One that will benefit them more than they could ever imagine. Fostering the psychological and emotional development in children is important. If you haven't heard of the The National Center for Youth Issues, be sure to visit their site. They create resources that address the developmental needs noted above. They also provide adults with effective tools to help kids as they develop in these areas. What they do is important. Please visit their website to learn more. How will this book benefit me? Picture books are a classroom teacher's most powerful tool. Kids love to be read to. Even the bigger kids (this book is perfect for this age group). This book offers a means to facilitate important conversations about asking for help, valuing your strengths, and helping others to do the same. How can I use the book? Read it to your class and lead them in a discussion about having hope and asking others for help. You might create an anchor chart with them. Brainstorm a list of people they can turn to and how those people can help. Turn the book into an interactive read aloud. Meaning, you read the book and in doing so, engage your students in meaningful discussion about the text by asking questions. Be sure to plan this out ahead of time to maximize the effectiveness of your read aloud. After reading the book, have your students complete a reading response journal entry. They could write about a time when they reached out to someone for help, or a time they helped someone find hope. Or, they could write about why they think having hope is important. After reading the book, discuss the points noted on the organizer pictured below. Then, have students complete the organizer. Use this organizer to help students identify what hope is and what they can do to when they need hope. You can grab this free organizer by clicking here. Click here to see this book on Amazon. This book is a wonderful tool to have on hand. Sometimes it can be difficult to have conversations about psychological and emotional needs when your expertise is in differentiating math, or creating engaging reading lessons. However, more and more, our students need us to be able to address these needs, and a book like A Flicker of Hope, is a great way to help you facilitate this process. For more wonderful Julia Cook books, click here. DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT! Share It:
Here are some more free interventions to accompany the book Ursula Unwinds Her Anger! I wrote this book to teach children mindfulness skills such as noticing feelings as they come and go, slowing d…
We can encourage a growth mindset in children and teens by reading growth mindset biographies like these excellent choices.
If there's one thing that the English language has plenty of, it's confusing words. Some look exactly the same but are pronounced differently, some sound the
This post contains affiliate links. Our second graders this year are at lots of drastically different levels…both academically and socially. And in their English fluency! It means that 1) we’re having to differentiate lessons by classroom way more than usual and 2) we’re needing to break concepts down a bit more. This, paired with the […]
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Books are always the best source of inspiration. Here is another example that proves it. The infographic that collected life quotes from famous book characters was a huge success, being a clear exa…
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Learn about the importance of SEL and 11 essential ways that teachers can incorporate social-emotional learning activities into the classroom today.
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A poster created for our English language arts and social studies departments (humanities) to use in their classroom, as well as in the library.
A summary of Carol Dweck's book Mindset, which explores our two mindsets (fixed and growth) and how they impact not only our attitudes and learning but also our outcomes.
Are you tired of constantly mediating conflicts between your students or children? Do you want to empower them to become independent problem solvers? Look no further than the Conflict Resolution Step-By-Step Mediation Guide for Kids! This lap book is a classroom lifesaver, providing students with the tools they need to resolve conflicts on their own. Not only will students love how hands-on and fun this activity is, it helps them practice all the key conflict resolution skills for problem solving. Plus, it helps students regulate their emotions when triggered by frustrating social interactions. Teachers can use it as a classroom management tool or for individual interventions with students who need additional support with conflict resolution skills. How Our Step-By-Step Conflict Resolution Guide Works: Choose a coping tool to get calm first. The calming strategies include Hand Over Heart, Cocoa Breathing, Count to 20, Roller Coaster Breathing, Rocks & Socks, and Ocean Waves Breathing, all with strong visual supports and directions. Reflect on the size of the problem. If it is a big problem, get an adult to help! But if it's something you can handle on your own.... Choose a conflict resolution tool...and give it a try. If using an I-Message, kids can use the hands-on template on the back of the lap book to formulate the statement. After trying out the conflict resolution strategy, reflect on whether or not it helped. If not, don't worry - the lap book also includes prompts to suggest trying another skill. Ways to Use The Conflict Resolution Guide for Kids is versatile and can be used in a variety of settings including: your classroom school counseling office peer mediations at recess for when students are trying to figure out how to resolve a conflict Calm Down Corner or Break Space virtual teletherapy counseling sessions at home to deal with sibling conflicts WHAT'S INCLUDED Digital: ✔ Interactive digital Choice Board for Google Classroom or other platform that uses Google Slides™ Printable ✔ Choice between full color, light color and black/white printing options ✔ Title Choices between "Conflict Resolution" and "Peaceful Problem Solving" (which can work well for students unfamiliar with the term "conflict resolution) ✔ Bonus "To Resolve A Conflict, I Can....?" Posters (in 3 printing options and optimized to print in both 8.5"X11" and 18"X24"). ✔ Bonus Conflict Resolution Checklists ✔ Bonus "Conflict Resolution Map" printable What's Needed to Assemble Printable Choice Board: ✓ Hook and Loop Adhesive Dots ✓ Paper Clips, Binder Clips, and/or Clothespins ✓ File Folder You May Also Enjoy these others : ⭐ Feelings Check-In and Calming Strategies Choice Board ⭐ Our Classroom Calm Corner Toolbox ⭐ Trauma Sensitive Classroom Rules, Values & Expectations: Editable Banner Decor ⭐ Breathing Exercises for Kids: Book & Task Cards for Calm Corner
I am trying to get some cover sheets on some of the curriculum I have sitting here. This has been a slow process. I just starting using Power Point a little over a week ago, and so far so good. The folks on TpT have been great answering my questions and helping me out. Tutorials are great!!! Will post more as I make them. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Personal-Hygiene
We've enjoyed the sharing the seasons of life with you. As we enter a new season, after blogging for over 16 years, we're journeying on in a quieter way. Although our content is no longer online, we want to say thank you for reading over the years. Blessings, The Goodwins For current missions info, click here.
Do you teach growth mindset to your students? These new growth mindset picture books by Kobi Yamada are perfect for helping students.
It is important for parents to understand the difference between IEP vs 504. IEPs have more safeguards in place to ensure schools provide the right support.
Here’s an archive of our downloadable activities so far- feel free to download and print off any of these to use yourself or with your club / group / scouts troop / evil supervillain society&…
Feelings Feelings. I deal with them daily as a therapist. We all deal with them daily as human beings. Feelings have the abi...
