Book Review & Giveaway: Colors for Zena, Apple Farmer Annie & Color and Cook Healthy Snacks by Monica Wellington

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Want fun books that promote early learning & healthy choices for kids? You’ll love Monica Wellington’s books as much as I do! Check out her newest book “Colors for Zena”…..

Product Description:  

Colors for Zena: Zena’s world lacks color, so she sets out to find some. On her walk, she first finds one primary color, then another. But red, blue, and yellow aren’t enough—Zena wants more colors! Out pops an orange lion, a green frog, and a purple dragon, a combination of the colors she has seen. Zena and her friends then do some color mixing themselves, creating more colors and a bright painting using them all. Vibrant illustrations and simple text make Monica Wellington’s latest book a perfect pick for budding young artists.

A peek inside the book:

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zena 3

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  • Hardcover: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Dial  (Penguin Publishing) (July 11, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0803737432
  • ISBN-13: 978-0803737433
  • Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches

Also included in this giveaway are Color & Cook HEALTHY SNACKS (Dover Coloring Books): It’s summertime, and Molly and Jack have stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables from the Farmer’s Market. Now it’s time to whip up some yummy treats — and sell them to their friends in the neighborhood! This tasty coloring book will show children how to eat right with a variety of healthy, hearty snacks.

coloring page healthy snacks

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coloring page healthy snacks 2

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coloring page healthy snacks 4

  • Paperback: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Dover Publications (December 17, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0486474496
  • ISBN-13: 978-0486474496
  • Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 8.1 x 10.8 inches

& Apple Farmer Annie: Annie and I have been BFF’s since 2012. See this blog post for a review, kids yoga lesson plan, printable, playlist, apple-themed crafts & more: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/09/15/apple-farmer-annie-seed-to-farmers-market-kids-yoga-lesson-plan/. My enthusiastic love of this book is what caused the author to e-mail me about doing a review for her newest book, Colors for Zena. I still get “star struck” when a well-known author contacts me via e-mail or social media!!

  • Paperback: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin (Penguin Publishing); Reprint edition (August 19, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0142401242
  • ISBN-13: 978-0142401248
  • Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 9.2 x 7.7 inches

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Thanks to Penguin Publishing for donating several extra copies of Colors for Zena & Apple Farmer Annie. They are getting great use in the speech-language therapy department and elementary classroom at the JD McCarty Center. Our kids said “Thanks”!

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Here’s what I love about these books: 

Colors for Zena

  • Each 2-page spread is devoted to a color. I love that there are different shades of each color and that the book introduces the concept of mixing colors to make a new one.
  • Simple text on each page allows the focus to be on the large vivid illustrations.
  • Lots of opportunity for vocabulary development by talking about things that are in the background on each page.
  • It’s fun to look for one of the girl’s hidden animals on many of the pages.  One of my 4 year old patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders LOVES to look for the animals. This book has been a great way to work on colors and using them in utterances. Many of the pages also depict groups of items so it’s been fun to work on plural word endings.
  • The last page has a color wheel, simple info about primary and secondary colors and suggestions for color exploration activities for kids.
  • The book has several opportunities for kids yoga (dog, frog, lion, dinosaur, cat, bird, fish, butterfly, book, bed, flower, tree, flowering vines, stream, sun, clouds, rainbow, bus, fire truck, airplane, castle, tower, painting)

Colors for Zena kids yoga sequence from OMazing Kids

.(The cute stick figure yoga pose pics are available on: http://media.freeola.com/other/6271/freeyogaasanastickfigures.pdf:) )

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Color & Cook HEALTHY SNACKS coloring book

  • Depicts Jack & Molly playing outside and then looking for healthy snacks. They walk to the local farmers market with their mom where they buy lots of fruits and vegetables. Love how the book promotes healthy choices in a fun way!
  • This book would be fun to use as part of a theme on healthy eating or as activities for therapists to use in feeding therapy sessions.
  • The kids go through several steps to make each healthy snack (vegetable salsa salad, fruit chunk popsicles, baked veggie chips, coated pretzel wands, fruit smoothies)
  • Fun 2-page spread of an alphabet of healthy foods.
  • Shows kids with an entrepreneurial spirit as they set up a Healthy Snack Stand in their front yard.
  • Recipes are included at the end of the book.
  • The last page shows the kids going back to the farmers market…… where this time they meet Apple Farmer Annie (not named in the book but I’d recognize my BFF anywhere!)

The author generously sent me five of her other coloring books to use with the kids at the J.D McCarty Center:  

  • Color & Cook Activity Book – includes seek-and-find, dot-to-dot, matching, word scrambles, mazes, hidden pictures, crosswords, word searches, what doesn’t belong, patterning, spot-what’s-different and following directions activity pages, 30 stickers & more. Answer keys for the activity pages are provided in the back of the book. This will be fun to use with some of the older kids at JDMC!
  • Color & Cook Cupcakes – This time Molly & Jack decide to bake cupcakes. Similar to the Healthy Snacks coloring book. Lots of opportunity to work on sequencing & following directions. Fun ideas for 12 seasonal & holiday cupcake decorating. Recipes for four types of cupcakes & frostings are included.
  • Color & Cook Pizza – Molly & Jack continue their cooking adventures….. this time with homemade pizza. Love that they pick fresh vegetables from their grandparents’ garden for pizza toppings! Then they head to the supermarket for more ingredients and the houseware store for a big pizza pan, pizza cutter and other supplies. Love the details about making dough (ex: sugar helping yeast grow more quickly) and lots of great vocabulary (sticky, stretchy, push, pull, punch, pound, roll, cut, etc.). Recipes are included. This will be awesome to use with the author’s book “Pizza at Sally’s” or as part of my ever growing lesson plan for Pete’s a Pizza!
  • Color & Garden Vegetables – Lucy & Sam go through several steps to plant a vegetable garden, care for it and pick the harvest. Lots of examples of different types of gardens are given.
  • Color & Garden Flowers – This time Lucy & Sam plant a flower garden.  Flowers that grow during different seasons are depicted. Love the “Language of Flowers” pages that give meanings attributed to each flower (ex: pink lotus = wise purity, buttercup = heart of gold, etc….).  The “flower power” 2-page spread reminds me of mandala patterns. Both of these Color & Garden books will be fun to add to my lesson plan on seeds & gardens: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2013/05/04/seeds-garden-themed-books-music-activities-for-kids-yoga/.
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Monica’s books & coloring books are available for purchase on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Monica-Wellington/e/B001IQWLT8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1. Books are also available on Penguin Publishing: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Search/QuickSearchProc/1,,Author_1000017543,00.html
The coloring books are also available on the Dover Publishing website: http://doverpublications.ecomm-search.com/search?keywords=monica%20wellington.

For product updates, be sure to check out her website http://www.monicawellington.com/blog: http://monicawellington.blogspot.com/ 

& publishers’ social media sites: 

https://www.facebook.com/penguinkidsbooks

https://twitter.com/penguinkids

https://www.facebook.com/dovercoloring,

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Celebrating November as Picture Book Month

picture book month

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review.  Opinions expressed are my own. Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

giveaway

Easy Entry Form:

International entries allowed for this giveaway.

  • Only entries with all required information will be valid. The info comes to me directly via e-mail & is ONLY used for the purposes of selecting winners and distributing prizes.

  • Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt. 
  • If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.
  • Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on November 5,  2013.

Rules of Participation:

  • Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
  • One entry per person.
  • International entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
  • Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
  • No purchase required.
  • Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
  • Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
  • Only entries with all required information will be valid.
  • The winner will be chosen from valid entries on November 6, 2013.

3 winners will each receive the following book bundle: 

  • 1 copy of Colors for Zena (hardcover book) – from Penguin Publishing / the author
  • 1 copy of Apple Farmer Annie (paperback book) – from Penguin Publishing / the author
  • 1 copy of Color & Cook HEALTHY SNACKS coloring book – from Dover Publishing / the author

  • The winner will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
  • The winner’s address will be forwarded to the company and they will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners.  After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.
  • Prize Value: $27.97 per book bundle.

Other Legal Stuff: I know they’re just kids books but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

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Book Review & Giveaway: 4 books from Jungle Wagon Press

Jungle Wagon Press book giveaway

Check out these 4 fabulous books that support kids social-emotional learning…

Product Descriptions:

You Are A Twisting Tornado by Angela Malavolti is an educational children’s book beautifully celebrating unconditional love while simultaneously teaching the unsuspecting child a little bit about the weather! Through a series of simile and metaphor, a young child is compared to various types of weather. Children will delight in each and every page of the creative illustrations as they identify themselves in a tornado, cloud, fog, sunshine, meteor shower, snow, gentle breeze, squall, rainstorm, lightning, clear starry nights, hailstorms, a melting icicle, thunder, a volcanic eruption, hurricane, and more! Melodic rhyming prose is short and sweet enough for a baby to enjoy while profound enough to challenge deeper leveled thinking in a school-aged child. The book was inspired by the author’s young son, with whom she reads multiple books on a daily basis. He started reading at the age of three and at the age of four was reading at a second-grade level! She wrote this book in hopes that it would encourage parents to continue to read aloud to their children, even when they are able to read independently. Additionally, Angela wanted to share her own whirlwind experience of raising an active toddler. No matter how crazy the ride can be, at the end of the day a mother’s love is constant and comforting. That is what this book is really about! This book is sure to win the heart of your little tornado! Whether your child’s temperament is sunny or cloudy, it is important to always remind them that, “No matter what the forecast, my love is yours forever.” (get the free Family Literacy Activity guide “20 Minutes a Day” via e-mail at: http://www.junglewagonpress.com/Tornado-Books-for-kids.html)

  • Hardcover: 30 pages
  • Publisher: Jungle Wagon Press (June 20, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 098340920X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0983409205
  • Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 0.3 inches

Small preview available on publisher’s website.

Universe of You by Angela Malavolti. This educationally rich astronomy book for kids uses simile and metaphor to compare a child to every single planet in the solar system, the sun, moon, a comet, shooting star, and even the entire Universe! Each metaphor was purposefully written to point toward a fun fact about each celestial object. For example the page about Earth reads, “My darling, you are Planet Earth; you pull people toward you.” Then in the final spread of the book, a realistic image of Earth is captioned with information about Earth’s gravitational pull! This book even takes things a step further by providing families with a “Questions for Review and Discussion” & “Family Literacy Tips” sections. The book was inspired by the author’s infant daughter.

  • Paperback: 24 pages
  • Publisher: Jungle Wagon Press (July 30, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0983409234
  • ISBN-13: 978-0983409236
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.8 x 0.3 inches

Free PDF printables to go with this book: Shoot for the Stars coloring sheet & How to Draw a Robot activity sheet.

Small preview available on publisher’s website.

Smemory by Yvonne Moore. Memories are a scent book of our lives, creations made possible by our nose and our brain. Smemory is the story of a smell that lived in a garden and in the heart of a young princess who danced there once with her queen. Summers passed, and one fall day the princess came alone. A tumbling tear, for what had been lost, touched the last pink flower pushing up through cracking cobblestone. Entering her nose, the smell’s key touched the sleeping memory, and like the pages of a story book, opened a smemory. Smemory is a powerful story of love, commemorated forever by a single smell. As Yvonne Moore wrapped up her work on Smemory, news of the unfathomable tragedy of Newtown, Connecticut weighed heavily on her heart. So precious is this life we have here on Earth. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is a challenge each of us has to face at some point in our lives. Yvonne gives us a most valuable tool in Smemory for coping with such loss. So powerful is the sense of smell, it can take our hand and walk us right back to a specific memory, forever commemorating the precious moments spent with the special people who walk in and out of our lives.

  • Hardcover: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Jungle Wagon Press; 1 edition (March 30, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0983409242
  • ISBN-13: 978-0983409243
  • Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches

The publisher is in the process of adding a preview of this book to Amazon & their website. They provided these samples to give you a “feel” for the book:

smemory sample 1

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smemory sample 2

Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks Tale by Tammie Ciciura is a story about a wise young girl whose day starts before she’s ready to face it. Join her as she journeys through an average school day, overcoming each stressful situation with grace, courage, and creativity by listening to her body and breath. Yoga provides wonderful health benefits to people of all ages. Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks Tale provides an opportunity for families and students to learn more and practice some fun poses together!

  • Hardcover: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Jungle Wagon Press; 1 edition (June 15, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0983409250
  • ISBN-13: 978-0983409250
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8 x 0.4 inches

See this post for review & a peek inside the book: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2013/10/29/book-review-giveaway-namaste-a-little-yoga-folks-tale-by-tammie-ciciura/

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Here’s what I love about these books:

You Are A Twisting Tornado by Angela Malavolti

  • Short rhyming text on each page is fun to read.
  • Vivid colorful illustrations.
  • The use of changing weather to explain the vast array of emotions & behaviors a young child might experience in a short period of time.
  • I love, Love, LOVE the message that “You, my child, are perfect in every kind of weather. No matter what the forecast, my love is yours forever”.
  • Fun weather facts are included at the end of the book. I have worked with several kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders that have a high interest “passion” in meteorology and the weather and experience difficulty with wide swings in emotions and behaviors. I am looking forward to reading this book with them.

Universe of You by Angela Malavolti

  • Short rhyming text on each page is fun to read.
  • Vivid colorful illustrations.
  • The imagery of a child being like planets, stars, comets, etc. is fun and again will appeal to the high-interest area of many of the kids I work with.

Smemory by Yvonne Moore

  • The text on each page is full of imagery and descriptive words.
  • The soft illustrations are hand drawn and have a calming quality.
  • The book handles the difficult topic of loss in a beautiful and delicate way. Because the book deals with loss, use your best judgement regarding the most appropriate age to read it with your child.
  • Love the message of how smells and memory are intertwined to form a “smemory”! If I close my eyes I can still imagine certain things that are tied to distinctive smells….. the smell of the ink in a favorite book, the smell of a can of new Playdoh, the smell of cookies baking at Grandma’s house, the smell of my Grandpa’s favorite Wint-O-Green Lifesavers candy, the smell of each dog I have had from childhood to present, etc….

Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks Tale (see the full review on this post: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2013/10/29/book-review-giveaway-namaste-a-little-yoga-folks-tale-by-tammie-ciciura/ )

{Wondering why this book is in another giveaway? Want to hear a funny story about my aging brain? Well the author, Tammie Ciciura, contacted me about doing a review/giveaway for her book. A short time later, the publisher contacted me about doing a review for the same book and three others that they publish. My aging brain did not realize that I had committed to review the same book twice and did not think about it until the package with just Tammie’s book arrived. I let the publisher know that just the one book had arrived. We were both stumped since the publisher had mailed 4 books. Well she put on her “Nancy Drew” detective hat and figured out the great mystery. The first package I received was the single book from the author. The next day the package with all 4 books from the publisher arrived. Thankfully all was well and the decision was made to have two separate giveaways since I had committed to them separately. The end result is all good…… more chances to win great books and the extra copy that I received of this book will be donated.}

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Available for purchase on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Angela+Malavolti&search-alias=books&text=Angela+Malavolti&sort=relevancerank & the publisher with PayPal: http://www.junglewagonpress.com/best-books-for-kids.html. (Tip: On the date this post was written, the prices on Amazon & the publisher’s website varied quite a bit ….. so be sure to check out both to compare prices & shipping costs before purchasing)
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Be sure to “like” the publisher’s Facebook page. According to a post on their FB page on 9/18/13, Jungle Wagon Press- Children’s Book Publisher will donate one autographed copy of “You Are a Twisting Tornado” to a child receiving services from Youth Services Network of Rockford for every “like” on their page on 12/1/13.

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Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review. Opinions expressed are my own. Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

giveaway

Easy Entry Form:

USA only entries allowed for this giveaway.

  • Only entries with all required information will be valid. The info comes to me directly via e-mail & is ONLY used for the purposes of selecting winners and distributing prizes.

  • Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.
  • If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.
  • Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on November 1, 2013.

Rules of Participation:

  • Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
  • One entry per person.
  • Only USA entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
  • Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
  • No purchase required.
  • Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
  • Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
  • Only entries with all required information will be valid.
  • The winner will be chosen from valid entries on November 2, 2013.

One Grand Prize winner will receive the following prize book bundle:

  • 1 copy of You Are a Twisting Tornado

  • 1 copy of Universe of You

  • 1 copy of Smemory

  • 1 copy of Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks’ Tale

One 2nd place winner will receive:

  • 1 copy of Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks’ Tale

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  • The winner will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
  • The winner’s address will be forwarded to the publisher and they will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners. After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.
  • Grand Prize Value: $48.97; 2nd place prize value: $10.99 (based on publisher’s prices)

Other Legal Stuff: I know they are just kids books but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

grass-green-divider-bar

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

crayons divider

Book Review & Giveaway: Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks’ Tale by Tammie Ciciura

Namaste A Little Yoga Folks' Tale giveaway

A wonderful story about how a young girl uses yoga & breathing to work through challenging situations in her day……

Product Description:  

Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks Tale is a story about a wise young girl whose day starts before she’s ready to face it. Join her as she journeys through an average school day, overcoming each stressful situation with grace, courage, and creativity by listening to her body and breath. Yoga provides wonderful health benefits to people of all ages. Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks Tale provides an opportunity for families and students to learn more and practice some fun poses together!

  • Hardcover: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Jungle Wagon Press; 1 edition (June 15, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0983409250
  • ISBN-13: 978-0983409250
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8 x 0.4 inches

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Here’s what I love about this book: 

  • A wide range of emotions are expressed (irritated, relaxed, flabbergasted, tired, encouraged, disappointed, happy, bored, scared, confident, etc.) as the girl goes through her day. I love how she works through each situation with yoga poses & breathing.
  • Love the message that a child can make choices of how to respond in situations that are not pleasant. The situations depicted are ones that kids are likely to face (not wanting to wake up in the morning, having their hair brushed, sitting for long periods of time in class, the swings or other playground equipment being full at recess, having to wait quietly in line, & dodgeball in PE  (I had a flashback to the horrors of this when I saw this page…… I am not athletic and hated PE as a child. I could have definitely used the Warrior II pose & breathing on this page when I was a child!)
  • The soft illustrations are hand drawn and have a calming quality.
  • On each 2-page spread, the situation is on the left side and the yoga pose with breathing is on the right side.
  • The last 10 pages of the book provide more information about the yoga poses, including the benefits,  a calming script & modifications for each. (Poses: child’s pose, easy pose, mountain pose, upward facing bow, tree, warrior II, standing forward bend & namaste)

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The publisher is in the process of adding a preview of this book to Amazon & their website. They provided these samples to give you a “feel” for the book:

Namaste A Little Yoga Folks' Tale sample 2 - updated

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Namaste A Little Yoga Folks' Tale sample - updated

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Available for purchase on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Namaste-Little-Yoga-Folks-Tale/dp/0983409250 & the publisher: http://www.junglewagonpress.com/Namaste-A-yoga-book-for-kids.html (tip: On the date this post was written, the price on Amazon was $16.87 & the price on the publisher’s website was $10.99….. so be sure to check out both to compare prices & shipping costs before purchasing) 

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Author’s blog: http://theviewfrommyyogamat.blogspot.com/2013/02/process-passion-repeat.html. Tammie Ciciura is a former Special Education teacher who works at Spectrum Progressive School of Rockford teaching Physical Education & Movement with a strong yoga foundation to Pre Elementary through High School aged students. More about the author: http://www.asanajournal.com/article.php?id=30.

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Be sure to  “like” the publisher’s Facebook page. According to a post on their FB page on 9/18/13,  Jungle Wagon Press- Children’s Book Publisher will donate one autographed copy of “You Are a Twisting Tornado” to a child receiving services from Youth Services Network of Rockford for every “like” on their page on 12/1/13.   (See my next post for a review of that book as well as two others that they publish). Publisher is also on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/JungleWagon.

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Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review.  Opinions expressed are my own. Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

giveaway

Easy Entry Form:

USA only entries allowed for this giveaway.

  • Only entries with all required information will be valid. The info comes to me directly via e-mail & is ONLY used for the purposes of selecting winners and distributing prizes.

  • Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.
  • If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.
  • Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on October 31, 2013.

Rules of Participation:

  • Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
  • One entry per person.
  • Only USA entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
  • Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
  • No purchase required.
  • Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
  • Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
  • Only entries with all required information will be valid.
  • The winner will be chosen from valid entries on November 1, 2013.

2 winners will each receive the following prize: 1 copy of the hardcover book Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks Tale 

  • The winner will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
  • The winner’s address will be forwarded to the author and she will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners.  After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.
  • Prize Value: $10.99 per book

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a kids book but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

grass-green-divider-bar

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

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Book Review & Giveaway: The Adventures of Starlight and Sunny – The Princess Path

Adventures of Starlight and Sunny giveaway

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Looking for children’s books that help support positive values & life skills? Check out the new Adventures of Starlight and Sunny book series…..

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Product Description:  

The Adventures of Starlight and Sunny book series is written to be a learning experience between parents and their children or yoga studio’s and clients, teachers and students. An open and on going discussion based on the values, life lessons and skills presented in the books. I hope you find them to be a fun and valuable read. Come join Starlight and Sunny, a pair of happy, adventurous sisters who go wherever their imagination takes them. Whether under their bed, in their back yard or far from home, these darling girls always follow imagination’s lead. You may find them wriggling into a fancy costume, playing heroes, petting a puppy, or searching for buried treasure. One things for sure; wherever you find Starlight and Sunny, adventure will not be far behind. Come along as we see what adventures the girls will discover today and like Starlight and Sunny, you will find happiness, it is the truest way.

Book one, “The “Princess Path“, How to do good deeds.
Book two, “The Secret Valley“, How to be happy.
Book three, “I am me! Who are you?”, How to pick quality friends and stand up to bullies.
Book Four, “Princesses Don’t Need a Job !” How to be an independent Entrepreneur.

Keep your eye open for the next adventure coming out mid-November, Book 5, “Building a Dream“ How to focus and make your dreams come to life.

I received book one, “The Princess Path” for this review & giveaway…..

  • Paperback: 44 pages
  • Publisher: Ashley Armstrong; 1 edition (July 5, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0991951778
  • ISBN-13: 978-0991951772
  • Product Dimensions:  0.1 x 8.4 x 8.4 inches

The preview on Amazon.com didn’t show any interior pages so here are a couple that I scanned to give you a feel for the book:

Adventures of Starlight and Sunny

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Adventures of Starlight and Sunny 2

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Here’s what I love about this book: 

  • Great message of inner beauty, good deeds, respect & the ripple effect of kindness.
  • Rhyming text is fun to read.
  • Bold font is consistently placed on the left side of each 2-page spread (makes it easier to read in a group setting).
  • Cute illustrations.
  • The only suggestion for improvement is that while the illustrations depict different ages they are all Caucasian. Diversity in the illustrations would have been nice to correspond with the message about respecting all who live and not to dislike those who are not the same.

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This book is the first in a series of 5 books. The first four books are available on Amazon.com in paperback & Kindle e-book editions : http://www.amazon.com/Ashley-Sage-Taylor-Armstrong/e/B00DY7V71W/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1. The 5th book is due to be released in mid-November 2013.

For product updates, be sure to  “like” the author’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/TheAdventuresOfStarlightAndSunny , follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASTArmstrong and check out her website: http://ashleysagetaylorarmstrong.com/s-s-series.html.

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Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review.  Opinions expressed are my own. Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

giveaway

Easy Entry Form:

USA only entries allowed for this giveaway.

  • Only entries with all required information will be valid. The info comes to me directly via e-mail & is ONLY used for the purposes of selecting winners and distributing prizes.

  • Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.
  • If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.
  • Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on October 30, 2013.

Rules of Participation:

  • Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
  • One entry per person.
  • Only USA entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
  • Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
  • No purchase required.
  • Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
  • Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
  • Only entries with all required information will be valid.
  • The winner will be chosen from valid entries on October 31, 2013.

5 winners will each receive the following prize: 1 copy of the paperback version of The Adventures of Starlight and Sunny – The Princess Path

  • The winner will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
  • The winner’s address will be forwarded to the company and they will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners.  After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.
  • Prize Value: $9.98 per book

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a kids book but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

grass-green-divider-bar

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

crayons divider

Review & Giveaway: Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs book & Creative Relaxation Yoga for Children DVD

Louise Goldberg Yoga Therapy Giveaway

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Want to learn more about doing therapeutic yoga with kids with Autism and other special needs? Check out this fabulous book & DVD from Louise Goldberg…..

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Product Descriptions:  

549416_491435557585356_1278378383_n

Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs by Louise Goldberg

For use in school, at home, or in therapeutic settings, Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs is a how-to manual that meets children where they are, providing a yoga therapy “lesson plan” that will engage them; promote play, social interaction, speech, language, and motor development; and enhance their self-esteem. It teaches an array of Creative Relaxation techniques using posture, breathing, and mindfulness designed specifically for children with autism and special needs. Drawing on her 30 years of yoga therapy experience with children and those who work with them, the author walks readers through yoga strategies that both calm and energize, emphasizing sensory and bodily awareness and the “sacred space” that is so important for these children. Learn the best ways to use your voice and body effectively when working with children; how to minimize distractions and ease transitions; and how to create personalized yoga breaks to enhance independence and avert meltdowns. Featuring 60 illustrated poses, 89 photos, and 65 lessons, songs, and games, child-friendly instructions are provided for posture, breathing, and mindfulness exercises. All poses and routines include suggested adaptations and precautions for use, and are organized to address specific sensory skills. Current research on the benefits of yoga for health and learning is summarized, and readers learn how, through yoga practice, the brain’s response to stress can be effectively mitigated.

  • Hardcover: 300 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (August 26, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393707857
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393707854
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 10 inches

Amazon.com has a good preview of the book….. here are just a few screenshots from that:

TOC autism

toc autism 2

curriculum for calm

golden rules

whole child

chants

It was cool to see OMazing Kids & my name mentioned in the book (pgs. 88, 121 & 288-289)  🙂

CR-dvdcover

Creative Relaxation Yoga for Children DVD by Louise Goldberg

Yoga-based Exercise Featuring Children with Special Needs. Complete Yoga Class plus Mini Relaxation Class. Louise guides children through a 25 minute yoga class, including floating on a cloud (deep relaxation). Her gentle voice and encouragement put students at ease. The mini class is an 8-minute calming session to soothe and help students focus. Curriculum created and taught by Louise Goldberg to students within the autism spectrum, grades 4 – 5. Program is suitable for children ages 4 through 9, or older children with special needs, in school or at home. Released in 2004.

Preview video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvYWrlj7lJM

A few screenshots from the DVD:

Creative Relaxation DVD 2

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Creative Relaxation DVD 3

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Creative Relaxation DVD 4

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Creative Relaxation DVD 5

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Creative Relaxation DVD 7

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Creative Relaxation DVD 8

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Creative Relaxation DVD 9

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Here’s what I love about these products: 

This book is full of wisdom & insight into working with kids with special needs. The weight & feel of it reminds me of a textbook from grad school. I took several weeks to read it slowly & soak in all its wealth of info. The depth of information & research behind “why” you would do activities is phenomenal.  I love that the first 140 pages of the book are devoted to developing a solid understanding about assessing needs, the brain, stress, creating a safe space for yoga, contraindications for particular poses or activities, engaging children, levels of prompting, simplifying instructions, handling challenging behaviors and more. These are all very important to understand before jumping into doing therapeutic yoga. Each of the 60 yoga poses includes a black and white photo and information about the starting position, benefits, simple child-friendly instructions, points to remember, variations, precautions, counterpose & sequencing tips. Additional information is provided for yoga flow sequences & yoga for particular needs (this section will come in handy for OT’s, PT’s, SLP’s and other therapists wanting to incorporate yoga into their therapeutic “toolbox”). The Yoga Therapy for Classrooms section contains great sequences and tips for incorporating yoga breaks. I get several requests per month from folks wanting information on how to do therapeutic yoga. This book will now be added to my short list of “must have” resources. The concepts in this book are solid beyond the scope of a therapeutic yoga class…. anyone who works with children with special needs should read this book!

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I love that the video shows a real yoga therapy class in action. All the children in the video have Autism and it was taped in a classroom. There is occasionally background noise from the hallway or other classrooms, they use nap pads vs. yoga mats & like any classroom there are visual distractions. Yet Louise creates an oasis of calm for these kids that is golden! Her calm soothing voice & slow pace keep the kids engaged. She provides the minimal amount of prompting needed and always asks the child’s permission first. Many of the poses and activities in the video are also included in her book as well as the S.T.O.P. and RELAX© curriculum. If you are looking to build your therapeutic yoga library, all three items are recommended.

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The book is available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Therapy-Children-Autism-Special-Needs/dp/0393707857, publisher’s website: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294972273. International ordering information is available on the publisher’s website: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/aboutcontent.aspx?id=4394.
The DVD is available on Louise’s website: http://relaxationnow.net/yogaforchildren.html
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For product updates, be sure to  “like” the author’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Yogaforspecialneeds , “follow” her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Yoga4Autism and check out her website: http://www.yogaforspecialneeds.com/

FYI…. Louise is also one of the co-creators of the S.T.O.P. and RELAX© curriculum and offers trainings: http://www.yogaforspecialneeds.com/classesCR.html.

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Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review.  Opinions expressed are my own. Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

giveaway

Easy Entry Form:

USA only entries allowed for this giveaway.

  • Only entries with all required information will be valid. The info comes to me directly via e-mail & is ONLY used for the purposes of selecting winners and distributing prizes.

  • Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.
  • If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.
  • Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on October 28, 2013.

Rules of Participation:

  • Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
  • One entry per person.
  • Only USA entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
  • Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
  • No purchase required.
  • Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
  • Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
  • Only entries with all required information will be valid.
  • The winner will be chosen from valid entries on October 29, 2013.

1 winner will receive the following prize package:

  • 1 copy of Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs (book)
  • 1 copy of Creative Relaxation Yoga for Children (DVD)

  • The winner will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
  • The winner’s address will be forwarded to the company and they will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners.  After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.
  • Prize Value: $24.95 book, $22.00 DVD = $46.95 total value

Other Legal Stuff: I know they’re just kids yoga products but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

grass-green-divider-bar

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

crayons divider

Five Count Breathing Foam Stars Craft

How to make:

1. Print the star (1 page PDF) & cut it out leaving a small border of white.

2. Laminate & cut it out again leaving a small border of lamination to help it stay sealed.

3. Attach to foam star with permanent glue runner tape.

(I tried Superglue, Zots adhesive dots & glue runner tape. Superglue did not work well at all. Zots were difficult to position. The permanent glue runner tape worked well. I outlined the back of the laminated star and then put some in the middle before rubbing it down onto the foam star)

4. Kids can decorate the back of their foam star by drawing a picture of something that is calming to them.

Thanks to Edna Reinhardt at Yoga Education Resources for sparking the idea of mounting them on something so the kids can run their finger along the edges of the star as they practice the breathing. I went with foam stars since they are soft, colorful & precut.

I reconfigured and resized the printable to fit the 6.75” foam stars from Creatology at Michaels. I have seen similar stars at Walmart.

This is a wonderful self-calming breathing activity for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders, anxiety, stuttering & other special needs.

breathing stars

Looking for the full page breathing star printable? See the original post: Five Count Breathing Visual Support

Concept inspired by this handout I found online about “Worry Wars: An Anxiety Workbook for Kids and Their Helpful Adults!” by Paris Goodyear-Brownhttp://bookwhen.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/documents/4140/original.pdf?1360464416.

#pranayama #breathing #anxiety #autism #kidsyoga #yogaforkids

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More ideas in these albums on the OMazing Kids Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.344029728981372.95741.174264525957894&type=3

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https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.343461705704841.95556.174264525957894&type=3

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

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Review & Giveaway: Yoga Education Resources

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Check out these fabulous products from Yoga Education Resources…..

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It was so fun to receive packages all the way from Edna Reinhardt at Yoga Education Resources in Australia. They arrived after several months via “sea mail” (in case you are wondering, postage for companies to ship items internationally is VERY expensive so they often use “sea mail” as a cheaper but slower alternative). Edna is one of the generous souls who donated items in the Planting Seeds blessing project in the spring. It made my heart smile to see that the products she sent to Rossana finally arrived in Mexico after 4 months of traveling.

One of Rossana’s yogis doing Stumpy Tailed Crocodile pose from Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 2

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Product Descriptions:  

Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 1: 8 sequences, 48 cards. ages 4 and up.  I received the digital download & boxed set version to review. The boxed set is made up of 48 numbered yoga postures on 130x130mm (5.125 inch x 5.125 inch) laminated cards and a 28 page booklet. The postures are of varying degrees of difficulty. The booklet includes 14 class plans for teachers and instructions for activities and games. These include memory games, transition games (creating links between postures) and creative movement, encouraging the link to dance in a natural and simple way. The digital download version is a 50 page PDF file (4.5MB). All the pose cards and the general instructions are included. The remainder of the instructional booklet that comes with the boxed set is not currently part of the digital download (the company is working on adding it).

Creative Yoga Games for Kids - Volume 1 (Boxed Set and digital download)

Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 2: 8 sequences, 50 cards. ages 4 and up. I received the digital download & boxed set version to review. The boxed set is made up of 50 numbered yoga postures on 130x130mm (5.125 inch x 5.125 inch) laminated cards and a 28 page booklet. The postures are of varying degrees of difficulty. The volume 2 instructional booklet includes general info about the postures, class theme ideas, including playlist suggestions for each (quiet focus, yoga pictures, positive and negative space, co~operation, traveling) and choreographic challenges. The digital download version is a 52 page PDF file (5.9MB). All the pose cards and the general instructions are included. The remainder of the instructional booklet that comes with the boxed set is not currently part of the digital download (the company is working on adding it).

Creative Yoga Games for Kids - Volume 2 (Boxed Set and digital download)

Creative Yoga for Teenagers – this spiral-bound 112-page 10.25″ x 10.5″ book presents each posture on a separate page before showing how they are combined to create sequences of movement. Instructions for the yoga postures are accompanied by photographs demonstrating correct alignment.

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Here is a sample of one of the sequences:

creative yoga for teenagers - sequence 2

From Yoga To Dance For Kids DVD: In this 53 minute video ten boys and girls from 5 to 12 years old demonstrate a selection of yoga postures that are artfully arranged into 4 comprehensive yoga sequences.

  • a  warm up yoga sequence
  • kaleidoscope (a yoga sequence practiced in a circle)
  • traveling (a yoga sequence that can move in space)
  • a cool down yoga sequence

Each sequence is demonstrated twice. Once with detailed instructions so that the postures can be practiced accurately and then again with musical accompaniment to inspire the flowing nature of yoga sequences. In all there are 48 postures to learn. An added bonus is the delightful demonstration of how you can use yoga technique as a basis for improvised or choreographed dance.

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DVD yoga to dance

DVD yoga to dance 2

DVD yoga to dance 3

DVD yoga to dance 5

DVD yoga to dance 7

DVD yoga to dance 6

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Here’s what I love about these products: 

  • The cards are a nice size, have a protective laminated finish & come in a storage box.
  • The photographs of the kids are stunning and depict a range of ages of boys & girls from diverse ethnic groups.
  • The instructions on the cards & in the book are simple.
  • The boxed card sets come with an instructional booklet that is packed full of helpful ideas.
  • I can see the benefits of having PDF & boxed set versions of the cards. The PDF version would be great for settings where you want to print posters of the poses or show them on a smartboard in a classroom setting. The boxed sets of cards would be nice in yoga studios, small group settings, individual use at home or as part of a yoga break station in a classroom.
  • The spiral-bound book has nice large pages, big pictures and stays open when laid on the floor. I love the ideas for flows of yoga sequences in the book.
  • The DVD has a nice variety of poses, explains them in detail and then shows them in a flow set to lovely music. The narrated portion provides a lot of detail that will be helpful for those who may be unfamiliar with kids yoga. This amount of verbal detail may be too much for kids with auditory processing problems, intellectual disabilities or other special needs. In this case, the adult could watch the section to gain understanding and then present it to the child with the sound muted and provide simplified verbal cues. I love the ideas for flow of transitions between poses & that guided relaxation is included.
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Available on the company’s website: http://yogaeducationresources.com.au/
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For product updates, be sure to  “join” their group on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/293881080695013/ & for more ideas subscribe to their Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/yogaresources/videos

They also sell kids yoga lesson plans on their website: http://yogaeducationresources.com.au/product-category/class-plan-pdfs/. Edna sent me a copy of the two included in the prize package. Love that they include photos of the poses!

See a free lesson plan sample from a giveaway that was recently held on another website:

http://yogainmelbourne.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/The-yoga-picnic.pdf

Edna in front of her new home for Over the Moon Studios in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia.

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Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review.  Opinions expressed are my own. Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

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Easy Entry Form:

International entries allowed for this giveaway.

  • Only entries with all required information will be valid. The info comes to me directly via e-mail & is ONLY used for the purposes of selecting winners and distributing prizes.

  • Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.
  • If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.
  • Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on October 14, 2013.

Rules of Participation:

  • Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
  • One entry per person.
  • International entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
  • Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
  • No purchase required.
  • Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
  • Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
  • Only entries with all required information will be valid.
  • The winner will be chosen from valid entries on October 15, 2013.

1 winner will receive the following prize package:

  • 1 PDF download of Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 1 (via e-mail)
  • 1 PDF download of Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 2 (via e-mail)
  • 1 PDF download of the A Spring Breeze lesson plan (5-page PDF) (via e-mail)
  • 1 PDF download of the A Handstand Primer for Early Childhood lesson plan (12 page PDF) (via e-mail)
  • 1 copy of the DVD From Yoga to Dance for Kids (via mail)

  • The winner will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
  • The winner’s address will be forwarded to the company and they will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners. Please be patient for shipping of the DVD. As I described above, shipping from Australia can be very slow. Any questions about the prize should be directed to that company. After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.
  • Prize Value: $25.00 DVD, $24.00 for each card set PDF download, $5.00 for each lesson plan PDF download = $83.00 total value

Other Legal Stuff: I know they’re just kids yoga products but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

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Losing ground: Autism services being cut by the Oklahoma State Department of Education ~ call to action!

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Services for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders are being cut by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

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What?! How? Why would services be cut when the incidence rates of Autism continue to rise at alarming rates?

Read this article in The Journal Record for details:

Losing ground for children in need - Autism spectrum disorder project at risk due to budget cuts (page 1)

Losing ground for children in need - Autism spectrum disorder project at risk due to budget cuts (page 2)

http://journalrecord.com/2013/10/09/losing-ground-for-children-in-need-autism-spectrum-disorder-project-at-risk-due-to-budget-cuts-health-care/

Contact OSDE to express concern about the cuts in special education services in our state: (405) 521-3301; sdeservicedesk@sde.ok.gov .

I wonder what influence a social media, blog, e-mail & phone call blitz might have?! I can’t just sit on the sidelines and watch these services quietly disappear in our state. Who’s with me?

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I’m still shocked and saddened at the closure of the Oklahoma Assistive Technology Center and confused as to why special needs advocacy groups in Oklahoma are not outraged and demanding honest answers from OSDE. Months have gone by now with the same canned response from OSDE that services have not been cut. Prove it OSDE. Show us in exact detail how these or comparable services will be provided.

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Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in any contracts with OSDE or any of the programs being cut by OSDE. My only “interest” in this situation is in advocating in services for individuals with special needs in Oklahoma. I am engaging in this social media campaign on my personal time. It is in no way related to my place of employment.

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

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{Save the Date} First Annual National Kid’s Yoga Conference ~ September 27, 2014

kids yoga conference

{Save the Date} First Annual National Kid’s Yoga Conference is Saturday, September 27, 2014.

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Sponsored by YoKid…Stretch Your Limits & lil omm yoga. Watch this website for details: http://yokid.org/kids-yoga-conference-save-the-date/. Flier: http://yokid.org/wp-content/uploads/KYC-2014-Save-the-Date.pdf.

Interested in being part of the event? Contact anne@yokid.org / (571) 358-YOGA (9642) to get involved.

#kidsyoga #yogaforkids

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

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I Love Sock Monkey!

 I love sock monkey post

Sock Monkeys have added a fun twist to my OMazing Kids yoga classes & speech-language therapy sessions. Admit it….. you know you can’t help but smile when you see a Sock Monkey!

Here are a few pics from the last yoga class at Camp ClapHans this summer. After doing several rounds of “pirates” & “monkey mind pirates”, I was feeling a little sad that Monkey was getting his feelings hurt. You know it’s not Monkey’s fault that he has a “monkey mind”. He just needed a little yoga 😉

We used “I Love Monkey” by Suzanne Kaufman (from Live Inspired)

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Live Inspired sent me the fabulous “I Love Monkey Discovery Kit” (book, plush & storage box). The kids at Camp ClapHans were fascinated by the Monkey. I had several other sock monkeys but this was the “fave” Just like the story, it doesn’t matter that Monkey looks a little different (check out the tiny feet & really big arms), “You are a star just the way you are!”

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A peek inside the book:

i love monkey 1 i love monkey 2 i love monkey 3 i love monkey 4

Opportunities for Kids Yoga poses & breathing in this book: mountain, Hmm? breath and shoulder shrug, rabbit, bunny breaths, floppy rag-doll forward fold, elephant, tense/relax wrinkly face, squirrel toe-ga, sitali cool as a cucumber breath, bird, chicken dance, sushi mat roll-up, roll arms, big robot steps (Warrior I & Warrior II), monster (standing star with “claw” fingers curled + “Grrrr” breath), penguin  freeze/melt, buzzing bee breath, seated owl twist + Whoooo breath, corny sequence (Mountain with arms up – squat to cut the corn off the cob – hold as we get ready to “pop” – 5,4,3,2,1 – jump up to “pop”), sun stretch & breath, mantra: “I love being me!”.

More on their website: http://www.live-inspired.com/ilovemonkeybook/index.html

A plethora of props. Didn’t end up using them all. The nature of doing a 1 x class with a group of kids at camp is that you have to be REALLY flexible & adapt in the moment. For example, I had planned to do “Toe-Ga” as part of the classes today. But when arrived, I quickly noticed one child was wearing full length leg braces & several others had sensory issues and would have lost it over taking shoes off. So we did a standing forward fold to pick up the pom-poms instead.

Another view of the plethora of props. All in view here for the “photo opp” but then hidden out of site until each was needed. For most of the kids I work with, having this many props visible would be a sure road to chaos. As you can see I now collect Sock Monkeys (still love Moose more….. but Sock Monkey is coming in a close 2nd). As a side note, notice the pattern of the blue monkey & pink monkey….. all the “rage” this season. One question though….. when did “zig-zag” become “chevron”? When I was a kid it was “zig-zag”…. anyone else old enough to remember that? lol!

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I’ve added a couple more sock monkey props to my collection since camp….. Sock Monkey says kids yoga is a ball!

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The Where is Sock Monkey? game is a fun way to work on descriptive language & spatial concepts….

Found these cute mini sock monkey bendable figures at Mardel…..

Mardel also had a lot of cool colorful sock monkey supplies….. won’t have an issue with any coworkers walking off with these….

 

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Playlist:

  • Monkeys – Movement Songs Children Love by Susan Marcus
  • Monkey See, Monkey Do – Musical Yoga Adventures: World Yoga Journey by Linda Lara
  • Crazy Monkeys – Namaste ‘n Play by Kidding Around Yoga
  • What I Am – Sesame Street & Will.i.am

We did an affirmation craft at the end. As we learned in the story “I Love Monkey”, you are the best at being “you” and “You are a star just the way you are”. Each child drew or wrote what they liked or are good at in each star. We then embellished it by outlining portions of the pic with glitter glue and a light sprinkling of fine neon glitter. They came out great! After that, each child got a star stone to keep as a reminder of the “sparkle” inside them.

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Get this free printable + several other sock monkey coloring pages in this 6-page PDF: Sock Monkey Coloring Sheets

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I had eye pillow covers made out of this Monkey Yoga fabric:
http://www.kikiquilts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68_199_380_855&products_id=1264

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Yippee! It appears that another Monkey Book may be in the works! From the author’s blog: http://suzannekaufman.blogspot.com/2012/03/look-and-feel-for-new-monkey-book.html

look_and_feel_monkey_has_a_dream_blog

“Monkey Mind” is a term frequently used in yoga to describe when your mind runs from thought to thought and is unsettled or restless. So if a monkey practices kids yoga & mindfulness, what happens to his mind? lol!

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Get updates as I add to my Sock Monkey collection by following this album on the OMazing Kids Facebook page:

Click here if you are looking for the Monkey Mind Pirates in OMazing Kids pirate-themed yoga.

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See more ideas for calming the “Monkey Mind” on this post from Betty at Be Yoga Be Love: http://beyogabelove.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/taming-the-monkey-mind/

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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities
Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here.

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