OMazing Kids a fun site for inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

My favorite animal is the Moose….. I literally have hundreds of moose items (plush, books, games, socks, T’s, PJ’s, art, figurines, dishes, quilts, music ….. the list goes on & on). The Moose “high interest/passion” started when I was a kid watching Bullwinkle.

My favorite moose book to use in kids yoga is “Agate: What Good Is A Moose?” by Joy Morgan Dey

Agate the Moose suffers from low self-esteem, always comparing himself to his sparkling friends, named for birthstones. In the end, they help Agate to see that he, too, is a beautiful gem, a secret jewel. I love, love, LOVE this book! It has wonderful illustrations, descriptive vocabulary, is full of animals that fit with yoga poses/activities, shows the power of kind words & friends, etc…

Here are the opportunities for yoga poses in the book: alligator, elephant, penguin (mountain – then waddle), giraffe, lion, monkey (chest taps), bear (bear crawl, waltzing to 1-2-3 beat, sleeping bear – child’s pose), porcupine (padma/lotus mudra – http://www.yogacheryl.com/images/m_padma_mudra.jpg), hippo (happy baby & rock-n-roll), racoon (gyan mudra at eyes – like the mask on a racoon – http://im.rediff.com/getahead/2009/may/29slide5-yoga.jpg), eagle, and bat (lay on back, legs up and crossed, arms crossed).

Depending on the class size & specific kids in the class, I either do coloring for relaxation and/or do belly breathing with small river rocks or polished stones. See free printable coloring sheets & mandala below. I found polished agate gemstone rocks at the Museum of Natural History gift shop and have also gotten some in gift shops in mountain towns on vacation.

I have lots of “moose music” and develop my playlist based on the sensory needs of the kids in the class. See Soundcloud playlist below.

I tie in affirmation mantras based on the meanings for the birthstones (see free printable below) & include a discussion about the beauty inside each of us and the power of positive words & friends.

A great short video from the author & illustrator:

I bought the book at: http://www.amazon.com/Agate-Moose-Joy-Morgan-Dey/dp/0942235738/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330195047&sr=8-1

Author’s Websites: http://www.agatethemoose.com/ & http://joymorgandey.com/ - lots of fun free stuff for the book. Buy the poster at: http://www.lakesuperiormagazine.com/cat/agate.html

    

 click on each pic to open coloring page & puzzle PDF’s

Printables I made to use as story props with the book: click each pic to open up that PDF

Larger Animal Story Props:

Agate Whate Good Is A Moose – Large Animal Story Props - 8-page PDF

Playlist: Please be mindful of kids individual sensory needs when using music in a group setting (http://omazingkidsyoga.com/music/) 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014HUCMO/ref=docs-os-doi_0,

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00346ALR4/ref=dm_dp_trk13?ie=UTF8&qid=1330196121&sr=1-21,

http://www.amazon.com/Land-of-the-Silver-Birch/dp/B0012AQEAW/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1330195492&sr=1-10,

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QPQCTM/ref=dm_dp_trk11?ie=UTF8&qid=1330195915&sr=1-1

More free printables to go with this amazing book!

Moose & Birch Leaves Mandala – source: http://www.donteatthepaste.com/2011/09/birch-leaves-mandala.html - I just added the moose clip art border

New Moose Mandala from http://www.donteatthepaste.com/2013/05/moose-mandala-to-color.html

Moose Tracks Printable – source: Karma Wilson’s author website: http://karmawilson.com/teachers.htm#moose

Cool Moose Tree Pose Coloring Sheet (by Cyn Narcisi – amazing illustrator: http://www.cynnarcisi.com/hire.htm & http://cynnarcisi.blogspot.com/)

Love this Moose Craft printable from LearnCreateLove.com! (http://learncreatelove.com/?p=2632)

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist at the JD McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma (http://www.jdmc.org/)

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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