Growing Brains Through Routines
Welcome to the new school year! It can be a time of anticipation and excitement, or apprehension and anxiety - or a combination. In the Connection Corner we will share information, tips, and tools for social-emotional skills, well-being, and positive mindsets, applicable in the home, classroom and virtual learning environments, to enhance everyone’s educational experience.
Did you know that from birth to age five, a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in life? A baby is born with 100 billion neurons just waiting to connect! Neurons are nerve cells, the building blocks of brain development, and neuronal connections are made through everyday experiences. But don’t worry if your child is older than five - brains have plasticity, and learning continues throughout the lifespan.
Healthy Mind, Healthy Summer
As our sights become set on summer break, there is a tendency to want to abandon routines and structure, and just “go with the flow.” While taking a break is important and needed, it’s also important to maintain health and well-being. Dr. Dan Siegel’s research-based “Healthy Mind Platter” is a guide for finding balance, offering “seven daily essentials” for a healthy mind for adults and kids: https://drdansiegel.com/healthy-mind-platter/
Terrific Teens
There exists a stereotype of toddlers referred to as the ‘Terrible Two’s. The increased abilities and autonomy characteristic of that age present parents/teachers with the challenge of finding a balance between allowing for exploration and discovery while keeping them and others safe. It is also a time of testing which can result in power struggles that feel ‘terrible’ for both adult and child.
The Wheel of Choice
Having options and the opportunity to choose is liberating and facilitates self-directed and self-determined behavior. When confronted with challenges or feelings we’re not sure what to do with, having a Wheel of Choice keeps us mindful of options and takes us to next steps.
Hints from Hummingbirds
I was struck by the lessons the mother bird provided for human parenting/teaching. In addition to adults providing safety, nourishment, and modeling, children need freedom, autonomy and trust to independently practice survival skills on their own. We can read their cues and step in only as needed. We can recognize that each child develops in their own time and in their own space, and that cooperation from those around them enables this to occur.
The 6 C’s of Collaboration
In order to accomplish anything with others, we need to understand the components of collaboration. The following steps provide a framework for ‘co-labor-ing’ for solutions with students and others.
Anger – the Misunderstood Emotion
How many times have we said, “He made me angry,” or “I lost my temper.” Have you ever been arguing with someone when another person walks in that you don’t want seeing you angry, and then instantly curb your anger? In the first two situations, we typically think we have no control over our anger, while in the second, we can and do control this feeling. How can these both be true?
Screens and the Brain
Today’s offering is an 18 min. video that covers the effects of screens and technology on the brain, including the developing brains and minds of young people. There is science-based information about the effects on sleep, focus, the potential for addiction, communication, social-emotional skills, and relationships.
The Question of Trust in Relationships
The word ‘trust’ means different things in different contexts, i.e., the public trust (responsibility and accountability to society), trust in God (internal confidence or faith), and trust in the future (a hope that things will be better).
When it comes to relationships, ‘trust’ becomes more clouded.
New Year Reflections
When the calendar flips to a new year, it is common to mark this turning point as an opportunity to make a change in one’s life. Some make well-intentioned New Year Resolutions, some do so half-heartedly expecting at some point to fail, and some are simply not interested.
How do we measure holistic student success?
The word holistic has been around for almost 100 years and, unbeknownst to me, seems to have become the latest buzz word in education regarding recruitment, enrollment, support, and retention of students.
An Attitude of Gratitude
Did you know that practicing gratitude can change your brain and also help you become healthier?
“Feeling Felt”
In the movie “Shrek,” Lord Farquaad justifies his unkind comments about the ogre by saying, “It’s not as if it has feelings.” This line emphasizes that what makes us truly human is our ability to experience feelings, as well as being able to empathize with another’s feelings.
Self-Care Is Not Selfish
Parents seem to always have so much on their plates: working, shopping, homeschooling and supporting homework, cooking, maintaining the home, staying connected with family, and other aspects of life. It can become stressful and a challenge to find time just for ourselves – to de-stress, relax and refresh.
Growing Brains Through Routines
Did you know that from birth to age five, a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in life? A baby is born with 100 billion neurons just waiting to connect! Neurons are nerve cells, the building blocks of brain development, and neuronal connections are made through everyday experiences
Homeschooling: A Mutual Benefit
Despite my many years of both formal and informal education, it was those years of homeschooling with my children that led me to the highest level of learning…self-driven personalized learning.
EVALUATING YOUR PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORK
Some of us more than others, and some of us in a more deliberate and focused manner; but humans are, by nature, natural and constant learners.