Dec 10 - 14

Anxiety & the Stress Response

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a session on anxiety & the stress response during the system wide professional development day. Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. When someone experiences anxiety, whether it be a real or a perceived threat, a feeling of stress ensues. There are 3 levels of stress.

For a child or adult that has prolonged toxic stress it impacts there everyday life and ability to learn. Adverse childhood experiences influence how well a person is able to manage anxiety and stress. Last year I had the chance to take an online certificate program through the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative. The general idea of the 19 module course is outlined in the video below.

Brain Builders

As a person's brain develops and matures (into the mid-20's) there are 3 main areas that develop. The amygdala controls our basic instinct of flight, flight or freeze in times of anxiety or stress. The hippocampus controls our emotions and memory. Finally our prefrontal cortex controls are thinking and sense of logic. Our genes or nature impacts our ability to manage stress. The environment we grow up in as well as the level of support we have (nurture) also impacts our ability to cope. The more negative things you have been exposed to as a child the more likely we are to stay in the fight, flight, freeze brain area then thinking about things logically as well as having the ability to plan, organize and complete tasks.

atrophy - gradually decline in effectiveness (thinking, reasoning & feeling area of the brain)
hypertrophy - increase or enlargement (survival instincts - fight, flight, freeze)

Resources for Help:
Access Mental Health
The Distress Centre
Mental Health Online Resources for Educators (MORE)
AnxietyCanada.com
Alberta Family Wellness Initiative
teenmentalhealth.org
Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868

Dec 3 - 7

Back to Class
As some of you may know.... I made a big professional change this year.  I moved from being a classroom teacher (grade 3/4) to a resource position, supporting teachers.  My new role has surprised me in many ways.  I have a lot people to meet outside of Ranchlands, emails to answer and very different kinds of paper work.  For me, the thing I have missed the most are the daily "aha" moments I got to experience with my students. the moment the understand something they have been struggling to figure out or are able to do something they had not been able to before.

This week I have had the pleasure of joining a few grade 1/2 classrooms and spending most of my day with them.  What a treat!!!! They are so excited about learning EVERYTHING and so willing to share all that they know & the connections they make to new topics. We were estimating and then measuring how many cotton balls it took to cover Santa's beard.  The children then represented the number using ten frames, pictures and tally marks.

Nov

Reading 101

For a student to become a good reader they need:
1) phonemic awareness - the ability to hear, identify & use individual letters sounds or blends
2) symbol imagery - the ability to memorize the symbol for that sound (the letter or letters)
3) concept imagery - the ability to see the big picture or meaning of the word, phrase, sentence

Learning Sight Words

Reading Fluency

Reading Comprehension

Game ideas to help with phonemic awareness to try at home.

Reading & the brain - brain scientists look at why some kids struggle more then others with reading.

Nov 19 - 23

Student Led Conferences

It's that time of year for parents to get a first hand chance to see their child's classroom and to get a glimpse of what daily learning looks like. When I was a child my parents went to the school without me to have a grown up conversation with my teacher about my learning and social skills.  My  mom always though that 15 minutes was way too short to figure out what was happening in my classroom. I was always so nervous waiting for them to get home to hear what was spoken about.

Student led conferences is a nice change from the way things used to be done. the idea is to put the student in charge of the conference. It allows the the children to speak about their own learning and be the expert for mom and dad. If parents have been reading the teacher's weekly blog this is a great chance to ask specific question to their child in regards to the work they are sharing or games they are playing.  Having the chance to discuss with their child what they are most proud of and what are some new goals they have. Children feel empowered as they take responsibility fort heir own learning.

Teachers are lucky enough to get to see another side or their student as well as the parent child interaction during student led conferences. It can shed light on how the family communicates and works together to learn new things or solve problems.

Student Led a Success

Nov 12 - 16

Nutrition and Learning

Good nutrition helps kids show up at school prepared to learn. Failing to provide them with a proper diet puts them at risk of not meeting their potential. I know when I am hungry I find it hard to concentrate, have a short attention span, as well as struggle to process information or complete tasks. This rings true for kids as well.

Tips and encourage your kids to eat healthy:
- allow your child to try a variety of different foods 
- offer nutritious snacks 
- have a balanced breakfast and allow time to eat it
- eat together as a family 
- pack your child’s lunch from home with their help in what they choose
- don’t over react when your child refuses a new food, but try again several times
- let them tell you when they are full
- encourage children to drink plenty of water 
- involve your child with planning and preparing healthy meals

Canada Food Guide Recommendations

Healthy Lunch Ideas

Nov 5 - Nov 9

Being Active

In a previous blog I talked about general strategies to proactively work on your mental health hygiene. Last week I focused on sleep.  This week I am going to look more in depth at the effects and benefits of exercise for both mental and physical health. Exercise is defined as any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories. Exercise can come in many forms.

Benefits of regular exercise:
- can improve you mood and decrease anxiety or depression (produce serotonin hormones)
- helps burn calories to maintain your weight and build muscle
- increases your overall energy level
- promotes blood flow and oxygen that supports healthy skin/ complexion as well as memory and thinking skills
- can help you relax and sleep better

Yoga Benefits:
As you now know my history with and preference for yoga I thought I would outline a few benefits that are associated with that form of exercise:
- improves flexibility and muscle strength
- improves posture and balances
- increases blood flow and can help with circulation 
- relaxes you (slowing your breath and helping you focus)

Benefits of Relaxation / Visualization:
- reduce anxiety, stress, worry and help fight depression or low self-esteem
- helps with sleep disorders
- increases focus, concentration and promotes creativity

"Yoga and meditation are medicine for the mind." - J. Julius

To learn more about the different areas of impact that yoga can have on your life and health please refer to the following article.

8 Limbs of Yoga

Oct 29 - Nov 2

The Importance of Sleep

Children have busy days. School, after school activities, homework, household chores, mobile devices and family activities quickly eat up the hours in a day.  At the end of the evening, they need a break. A good night's sleep allows them to recharge their bodies as well as their minds and be ready for the next day. Sleep in like gas in a car: full in the morning and empty at night
Most children need between 9-11 hours of sleep a night, though some require even more. Without enough rest kids become lethargic, cranky, impatient, have difficulty focusing or maintaining attention and may not even be able to think clearly. Too little sleep can effect growth and the immune system as well.
Lack of sleep. Can it make you sick?

Strategies to catch more ZZZ's:
- establish a daily bed time and a routine
- limit screen time an hr before bed
- have a winding down period before bed
- avoid caffeine or heavy foods before bed
- use the bedroom for sleeping (not for homework or playing games or using the Ipad)
- watching TV close to bedtime has been linked to having difficulty falling asleep, anxiety about sleep and sleeping fewer hours

The following article explains the importance of healthy sleep for children.
A Good Night Sleep