Review & Giveaway: 2 Guided Relaxation CDs by Checka Antifonario & Shakta Khalsa

Posted on August 2, 2014 by OMazing Kids

Product Description: Rainbow Walk (Fun, Peaceful Meditations and Relaxations for Children Ages 3-8) & You Are Made of Energy (Guided Meditations and Relaxations for Children Ages 9-14) are two new downloadable albums of guided meditations and relaxations backed by soothing and uplifting music to help children stay connected to who they truly are. Checka Antifonario & Shakta Khalsa collaborated on this project with the intention that these audio albums would be a lovely balance between communicating in a way that honors children’s depth and wisdom and giving them tools that are fun and totally relevant to their lives and interests.

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Here’s what I LOVE about these guided relaxations:

Lovely calming voices….. I’ve heard LOTS of guided relaxation CD’s and the voice quality is very important for creating a calming atmosphere.
Awesome background instrumental music….. again very important for creating the calming atmosphere.
Good length for the targeted ages. You can see the length of individual tracks on the picture of the two album covers above. Very young children or those with short attention spans may do best starting with the shortest relaxations or you could just use a portion of a relaxation and build from there.
Each guided relaxation is full of positive imagery and positive messages.
I love that the Rainbow Walk album includes a Fruit Mindfulness activity! I love doing this with the patients I see in OMazing Kids Yoga at the JD McCarty Center. Please remember that it’s important to know about any food allergies or dietary restrictions before using food in a classroom or group setting. See this post on how I incorporate this type of activity.
There are no religious connotations which make these downloads appropriate in a wide variety of settings (I have to be particularly sensitive to this based on the setting I work in).
I love that they have made the guided relaxations available as individual mp3’s! This makes it easy for folks to buy one and try it with their own child or own setting before investing in a whole album. I also love that they made them available for download on a variety of platforms…. in particular iTunes since that makes it easy to directly download to an iPhone, iPod or iPad without having to be synced with a computer.

These guided relaxations would be fabulous for parents to use as part of a relaxation program for a child with anxiety, autism or other special needs, for teachers to use as a relaxation activity to center and calm their classroom & for kids yoga teachers to use as part of Savasana at the end of a class. And these guided relaxations are really “universal” in their use. There is nothing “kiddie” about them and would also be fabulous for adults to use as part of a relaxation break. I have them all loaded on my iPhone ready for just that purpose 🙂

I made some printable picture cards to go with these guided relaxations. I use cards like this as way to give the patients with developmental disabilities I see in OMazing Kids Yoga at the JD McCarty Center a way to choose a relaxation and to have a visual to set the theme. : Visual Cards to go with Guided Relaxation Albums from Checka and Shakta at RCY

Available for purchase on the Radiant Child Yoga website (as whole album downloads – $9.99 per album): http://childrensyoga.com/shop/product-category/cds/

and on iTunes (.99 per individual mp3 or $7.92 per whole album download): https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/shakta-khalsa/id881148924

& Amazon.com (.99 per individual mp3 or $7.92 per whole album download): http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B00KJUTAV6?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Shakta%20Khalsa%20%26%20Checka%20Antifonario&index=digital-music&search-type=ss

About the creators:

Checka Antifonario, E-RYT, RCYT, RCY Teacher Trainer, is a full time adult yoga instructor and children’s yoga specialist based in the greater Boston area. She also runs Radiant Child Yoga Teacher Trainings both locally and throughout the U.S.: http://www.checkayoga.com/Home.html

Shakta Khalsa, R-RYT 500, began practicing yoga in 1972, and has been practicing and teaching Kundalini Yoga since 1976. She is the founder of Radiant Child Yoga and is an internationally recognized teacher of yoga for both adults and children, having taught extensively at conferences and gatherings of a thousand or more for the past 40 years. http://shaktakaurkhalsa.com/ & http://childrensyoga.com/

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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International entries allowed for this giveaway.

Easy Entry Form:

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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 August 8, 2014.

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 (due to it being a downloadable product).
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 winners will be chosen from valid entries on August 9, 2014.

10 winners will each receive their choice of 1 of the album downloads

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 e-mail address will be forwarded to Checka she will be e-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: $9.99

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a kids guided relaxation album download 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

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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.

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Woozles Galore: Romping into Speech-Language & Kids Yoga with the Feed the Woozle Game by Peaceable Kingdom

Posted on July 13, 2013 by OMazing Kids

Ready to have some fun with a Woozle? What’s a Woozle?! Glad you asked. He’s my new BFF. Met him on my annual shopping trek to the Lakeshore back-to-school sale. As a SLP who has been practicing for almost 24 years, I am pretty picky about the stuff I buy. Pediatric SLP’s are pretty notorious for having lots of “stuff” and I think I probably would have a guaranteed appearance if they ever have a “SLP Hoarders” show. So now I set pickier criteria for anything I buy. It must be: creative, unique, fun, reasonably priced and be adaptable (have a use towards several different goals). So envision me on my typical hour long browsing adventure in Lakeshore….. ruling out tons of stuff (“Already have one”, “That’s very similar to _____”, “They want HOW MUCH for a _____?!”, “Too flimsy”, etc….). I was about to leave empty-handed until I spotted him. A Woozle! Smart move on Lakeshore’s part to have a sample of most products open to examine. I used the 20% off any regular priced item coupon to buy the game at Lakeshore (after first scanning it with the Amazon app & searching Google to make sure I was getting a good deal). Retail price: $19.99

The Feed the Woozle game is a cooperative game by Peaceable Kingdom. They have several other cooperative games, including Hoot Owl Hoot! which I have and love.

What is a “cooperative game”? Glad you asked….. It’s a game where everyone plays together, no one is left out, and everyone has fun! Traditional games tend to have one winner and one (or many) losers! In a cooperative game, the players work as a team against a common obstacle, not against each other. Cooperative games emphasize play, not competition. Kids learn to work and play together in respectful and compassionate ways. They learn to share, make decisions together, and trust one another. Cooperative games encourage inclusion and build confidence. Cooperative games are great for kids of all ages (as well as the adults in their life). Kids don’t beat a cooperative game every time, so even if kids lose to the game, they lose as a team. There’s always a reason to keep working, thinking and playing together to win as a team! These type of games are awesome to use in social skills groups, in speech-language therapy, kids yoga groups, on family game night & more!

The Feed the Woozle game includes:

A stand-up Woozle (made of thick cardboard with a shiny finish. While not water or saliva-proof, the slightly laminated feel to it should help it’s durability. It folds nicely to fit in the box)
24 silly snack tokens (made of thick cardboard with slightly laminated finish)
12 “Mmmm! Yummy!” cards (made of a little thinner cardboard with slightly laminated finish)
A large die (with the numbers 1, 2, 3)
A durable plastic spoon
A spinner (very easy to spin & made of thick cardboard with slightly laminated finish)
Instructions for 3 different levels of play based on developmental level

While they have marketed this game for kids ages 3-6, I think older kids will enjoy it as well.

What I love about the game:

Carrying the snack tokens on the spoon promotes mindful focused attention. Tasks like this are especially great for kids with ADHD.
The silly snack tokens are hilarious & full of great descriptive language. Using humor & creative thinking is especially great when working with kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (who tend to be very literal thinkers).
It promotes creative movement especially when using the spinner. It adds movements that you do while carrying the spoon with the snack token [ex: Hula Dance, Spin, March (could modify into a Brain Gym Cross Crawl March), Bunny Hop, Walk Backwards & Go Crazy (make up your own movement or could do a yoga pose of their choice)].
The cooperative nature of the game promotes the concept of working together as a team.
The rules are easy to follow & easy to modify further to meet individual kids needs.
The game is colorful & well constructed.

Ways to adapt the game to meet special needs:

Use the Woozle symbols (in the PDF below) for kids to comment or request during the game.
Create a 12-space token board for kids to collect the “Mmm! Yummy!” cards on to provide a concrete visual support for kids to see how close they are to winning the game. Of course the game could be modified with a rule of collecting a lesser amount of cards to win (for kids with shorter attention spans or to fit the game within a short therapy session).
Use a BigMack or other single message output communication aide for kids who are nonverbal or minimally verbal to comment during the game (ex: Ewwww! Feed me! Yeah! We won! My turn, etc.).
Put the die into a High Roller (adapted dice roller) to allow kids with physical limitations to be able to “roll” the die.

In addition to the game directions, I have already come up with lots of other ideas for my new BFF the Woozle! I’m one of those folks who can’t just use an item for the advertised purpose. I go to DollarTree or Target and see a cutting board and think “ooh that would be great to make PECS boards out of” or a neoprene iPad case and think “ooh I could cut holes in it to make a keyguard for the GoTalk Now app on the iPad”. I kid you not! Ever since attending a Linda J. Burkhart make-and-take low-tech AAC workshop in 1992, I have lost the ability to think “inside the box” and my venture into kids yoga has just magnified the creative side of my brain. (For those of you who are not familiar with Linda Burkhart, she’s the “MacGyver” of no/low-tech AAC)

So far I’ve come up with the following Woozle-themed activities & printables:

Kids yoga activities to go with each of the 24 silly snack tokens
Draw or do an open-ended craft to create more snacks to feed the Woozle
A fun fruit mindfulness activity (Woozles need mindfulness too! If he was practicing mindful eating, I’m pretty sure he would not consume “toenail toast”)
Cards & coloring to show the Woozle how to “Eat the Rainbow” to encourage healthier food choices
Color Woozle (could also be decorated in a craft activity)
30 language attribute/category activity cards (ex: Name 2 things that are crunchy)
6 Woozle size cards (2 each of small, medium & big. Plan on using them to order & match by size)
A Woozle size sorting board (small, bigger, biggest ~ use with the cards above or with any other manipilatives of snack items)
40 communication symbols (can be used as a communication board, cut apart as PECS symbols and used in aided language stimulation)

Here is a free 16-page PDF with all the printables: Feed the Woozle ~ free printables to use in speech-language therapy or kids yoga

I’m sharing it to encourage others to think “outside the box” when selecting materials. All I ask in return is that you “like” my OMazing Kids Facebook page and leave a FB and/or blog comment about how your kids enjoyed it or how you plan on using it with your kids. I also ask that you follow the “Printables Terms of Use”.

Craft Idea: Make a Woozle with these Easy Monsters Finger Puppets. Wouldn’t it be fun to make these & then do “Woozle Mudras” in kids yoga or work on requesting and descriptive language in speech therapy?!

Check out this fun free Monster Pack printable from 3 Dinosaurs! I bet these are the Woozle’s other BFF’s 😉

Check out more Feed the Woozle activity ideas for SLPs in this post on Activity Tailor: http://www.activitytailor.com/feed-the-woozle/

Feed the Woozle

I’d love to hear your ideas for games to use in kids yoga or speech-language therapy! Feel free to leave a comment below or on the OMazing Kids Facebook page

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

Speech-Language Pathologist at the JD McCarty Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities (http://www.jdmc.org/)

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

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

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Seeds & Garden Themed Books, Music & Activities for Kids Yoga

Posted on May 4, 2013 by OMazing Kids

Looking for ideas for planting, seeds or garden themed activities?

I love using a “planting seeds” theme both when I am helping kids learn how the actions they take impact themselves and others & for literal gardening activities intended to inspire care for our environment and healthy food choices. This post was inspired by this recent experience of gratitude, loss & blessing.

seeds & garden themed books

Books:

Big Yellow Sunflower by Frances Barry (kids yoga ideas)

How Groundhog’s Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry (kids yoga ideas)

If You Hold a Seed by Elly MacKay (kids yoga ideas)

Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole (free activity guide, kids yoga ideas)

Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler (free activity/coloring sheets, kids yoga ideas)

Over in the Garden by Jennifer Ward (kids yoga ideas)

Planting Seeds by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace (free activity guide, OMazing Kids yoga ideas)

Rose’s Garden by Peter H. Reynolds (online animated version, free activity guide, kids yoga ideas)

Sunflower House by Eve Bunting (free activity guide, printable sequencing sheets, kids yoga ideas)

The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony (hear it read by Barbara Gini of Bodylogique, kids yoga ideas)

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (activity ideas, kids yoga ideas)

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Playlist:

Dandelion by Steve Weeks

Eat Like a Rainbow CD by Jay Mankita (get entire CD download free. My 3 faves on the CD are Eat Like a Rainbow, My Food is Made From Sunshine & Sun, Winds, Soil & Rain)

Every Bug, Every Bee, Every Breath by Lydia Mccauley (great instrumental for Savasana)

Garden Song by David LaMotte

Garden Song by Jamie Barnett (fun to include musical instruments with this one)

In My Garden by Serina Jung

Like a Flower to the Sun by Jack Grunsky

Mama Nature by Kira Willey

One Seed by Laurie Berkner

One Small Seed by Nu Myth Band

Planting a Seed of Peace by Betsy Rose

Planting Seeds of Love by Pam Donkin

Seed Song by Tom Hunter

Seeds for My Garden by Jack Grunsky

Sleepy Night Garden by Sada (guided relaxation)

Working in My Garden by Peanut Butter Jellyfish

You are My Flower by Elizabeth Mitchell

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A fabulous Plant Your Own Garden kids yoga lesson plan from Be Yoga Be Love

http://beyogabelove.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/plant-your-own-garden/

And a fabulous Yoga for Kids: Gardening and Guided Imagery post + printable lesson plan from Playful Learning

http://playfullearning.net/yoga-for-kids-gardening-and-guided-imagery/

Love, love, LOVE this post from Carolyn at Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids ♥ I’ve never thought of using fresh flowers in kids yoga…. this is definitely on my list of things to try 🙂

http://kidsyoga101.com/2013/04/25/using-live-flowers-in-kids-yoga-classes/

Planting the Seeds of Kindness, Teen Yoga Activity: Planting Good Seeds & Plant Good Seeds posts on the Shanti Generation blog

See the “In The Garden” chapter from the “Once Upon a Mat” DVD by Namaste Kid on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV6Aylq8WrE

More seeds & garden fun:

Kindness Tree idea from The Learning Station ♥

http://www.tonychestnut.com/BookAboutTonyCurriculum.pdf

Free printable seed packets

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http://weedsandwildflowersdesign.com/seeds-of-kindness-–-nsd-freebies/

Great gardening printable packs:

http://homeschoolcreations.com/gardenpreschoolpack.html

Check out this fun craft activity: Planting Seeds of Kindness {via Sun Hats and Wellie Boots}

http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2012/01/planting-seeds-of-kindness-via-sun-hats.html

Make flowers out of cupcake liners:

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http://brighamcitylibrary.blogspot.com/2011/03/storytime-review_24.html. Also saw this idea to make them out of coffee filters: http://neverlandarling.blogspot.com/2012/04/cute-crafts-watercolor-flowers.html

Fun printables from Picklebums: http://picklebums.com/2013/04/09/printable-playdough-garden/

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The Yoga 4 Classrooms® Card Deck has a wonderful “Metamorphosis” card in the yellow section of the deck.

Yoga 4 Classroom Metamorphosis card

Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids has a “Planting a Seed” short guided relaxation story.

Imaginations cover

The Yoga Garden Game

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Peace Garden guided relaxation story from Bodylogique

Spring, Insect & Flower Mandalas & Coloring Pages

DIY Veggie Garden Sensory Box

Rock Garden Marker Craft

Bug finger puppet rings printable

Bug mobile printable

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

Speech-Language Pathologist at the JD McCarty Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities (http://www.jdmc.org/)

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

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

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

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Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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Celebrate The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day with Kids Yoga

Posted on March 2, 2013 by OMazing Kids

Celebrate The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day (1st day of Spring) on March 20th with kids yoga! This has always been one of my favorite books but I had struggled to come up with ideas on how to use it in kids yoga until I was inspired by the ideas shared by Yogaberries – yoga classes for children & families in Derby. in this discussion we had on the OMazing Kids Facebook page about great books to use in kids yoga

crescent moon
egg (child’s pose)
caterpillar (group happy baby pose – lay side by side with arms & legs up and wiggling)
sun stretch & breath (http://wp.me/p1t7TU-1T, includes link to a video clip & free sun printables)
apple picking stretch (in easy pose stretch one arm up & across to “pick the apple”. Engage kids imagination by asking “What color is your apple?” Repeat on other side. For all of the “food” items you can use toy food items or copies of the story prop printables. Whether or not I do this depends on the kids I have in the group. Some kids get overstimulated with too many props & others need the props to keep their attention)
wiggle like caterpillars on tummy around the circle to the next mat to pick the next fruit (pears). Repeat for the rest of the fruits (plums, strawberries & oranges)
cake (we did a bake the cake sequence similar to what I used for baking a pie in Apple Farmer Annie)
ice cream scoops partner pose
pickle (tense face like eating a sour pickle & relax)
swiss cheese (gyan mudra at eyes to look through the holes)
salami (woodchopper pose to slice it)
lollipop (mountain pose like a staight lollipop stick)
pie (seated angle pose)
sausage (rock & roll on back like a plump sausage)
cupcake (blow out the candle breath. For safety, we do not use a real candle….. just pretend)
watermelon (triangle pose – like the shape of the watermelon slice)
leaf (tree pose)
big caterpillar (use Hoberman sphere or hands with Balloon Breath to show the caterpillar getting bigger & bigger)
cocoon (roll up each child in their mat for Savasana – Note: it’s important to ask each child’s permission & be mindful of their sensory needs when doing this)
butterfly + affirmation “I am beautiful!”
could also do some butterfly breathing during Savasana with this prop (or a butterfly beanie baby or small stuffed animal). Place it on the child’s belly so they can watch it “fly” up and down slowly with their breath. (see pic of prop in this album on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/cl8v7wo)
for added fun, have colored scarves and explore “flying” fast and slow using the scarves as butterfly wings.

The Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids book has a fabulous “If I Could Fly” guided relaxation story that could easily be modified to fit a butterfly relaxation.

More ideas on this mamanaturally blog post.

See this fun yoga story from Cosmic Kids inspired by the book.

Playlist:

The Very Hungry Caterpillarby Amanda Ellis, MT-BC
Caterpillar by Geof Johnson
Caterpillar, Caterpillar by Kira Willey
Hungry Caterpillar by The Learning Station
Butterfly by Bari Koral
Fly Like a Butterfly by Radiant Child Yoga
Butterfly on the I Grow with Yoga CD by Childlight Yoga
Butterfly by Lisa Loeb & Elizabeth Mitchell (great for relaxation)
Butterfly – on the Musical Yoga Adventures World Journey CD (instrumental with an Asian flair)
Butterfly (Wings of Light) by Bradley Kirkpatrick (lovely instrumental music)
Butterfly on the Relax Kids Nature: Enchanting Meditations For All Ages CD (guided relaxation)
Butterfly Relaxation on the Meditation for Girls CD by Sada (guided relaxation)
The Goodnight Caterpillar on the Indigo Dreams CD by Stress Free Kids (guided relaxation)

Healthy Eating tunes: Fabulous free tunes from the Eat Like A Rainbow CD by Jay Mankita. My faves are Eat Like A Rainbow, My Food Is Made From Sunshine & Sun, Wind, Soil, And Rain. This award-winning 10 song children’s album about healthy fruits and vegetables is a great teaching tool for kids and families, and is free to download from this site. The songs were originally commissioned by a grant for a joint project of the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food, and the NYC Board of Education (Dept of School Foods): http://eat-like-a-rainbow.bandcamp.com/

More fun ideas for Very Hungry Caterpillar songs!

Tangerine with segments on a white background

When we do Very Hungry Caterpillar yoga this year I will be adding a fun fruit mindfulness activity.

Have a real piece of fruit for each child (Note: it’s important to know about any food allergies or dietary restrictions before using food in kids yoga. We will be using small seedless clementines for their “kid-friendly” size. Young kids may not be familiar with the word “clementine” so I will call it an “orange”).
Hold the orange in your hands with your eyes open. Look at the orange. Is it big or small? What color is it? Does it have any other colors or spots?
Close your eyes. Hold the orange up to your nose. How does it smell?
Feel the orange in your hands. Is it heavy or light? Is it bumpy or smooth?
Hold the orange in your lap. Imagine the tiny orange seed in the ground. Imagine the sunshine that helped the orange to grow on the tree. How does the sunshine feel? Imagine the rain as it fell. How does the rain feel? Imagine the tree where this orange grew. How tall was the tree?
Imagine all the energy that went into this orange. Imagine the farmer who took care of the orange trees. Imagine all the workers who picked the oranges, who delivered them to the store and who work in the store where we bought the oranges.
Open your eyes and look at your orange again. Can we eat it like this or do we need to take off the outside peel?
Let’s take the peel off. And peel off a small orange wedge. (Note: be mindful of kids sensory issues when doing this. Some kids may be hesitant to touch the fruit unpeeled and may prefer to watch. After you unpeel the clementine you can put it in a small ziploc bag or bowl if needed for kids who would be more comfortable experiencing it that way).
Take a small bite. How does the orange taste? Cool? Sweet? Juicy?
Close your eyes and take another small bite of orange. Listen to the sound it makes as you chew it in your mouth.
Take your time. Be curious about this orange and how it is feeling as you eat it.

(adapted from a fruit meditation I learned as part of the fabulous Calm Kids online course I took)

More Resources about “mindful eating”:

The Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck has a wonderful “Eat Smart” card with tips about healthy & mindful eating and a “Tasty Focus” activity on the “Mindful Meditations” card.
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook for Kids: Help for Children to Cope with Stress, Anxiety, and Transitions by Lawrence E. Shapiro & Robin K Sprague has a “Mindful Eating” activity.
The MindUP Curriculum: Grades PreK-2: Brain-Focused Strategies for Learning-and Living by The Hawn Foundation has a “Mindful Tasting” 8-page lesson with great ideas for curriculum connections.

Video of Eric Carle reading the story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkYmvxP0AJI

I made story props so kids can interact with the story and experience making the caterpillar eat “through” all the food items. I also created picture symbols to use in a Picture Exchange Communication (PECS) activity or as Aided Language Stimulation. The kids I work with benefit from tapping into those many different learning styles and kids with Autism in particular do well with having visuals to go with a book. Learn more about story props

The Very Hungry Caterpillar free printable story props

Great free printable story props from the Kizclub website: The Very Hungry Caterpillar story props from Kizclub.com (color version) – 6 page PDF. Also available in a black/white version that is great for coloring or crafts: The Very Hungry Caterpillar story props from Kizclub.com (black & white version) – 6 page PDF

BIGmack Very Hungry Caterpillar

Kids LOVE filling in the repeated line “But he was still ________ (hungry)”! I always have a BIGmack or other single message voice output communication aide available for kids who have limited verbal skills to be able to participate. I record the repeated line & they “say” it by pushing the button with their hand, foot, head, etc…..

In addition to the therapeutic yoga group, I also teach a weekly adapted storytime at the JD McCarty Center. One of our current inpatients is deaf so I am brushing up on my sign language so I can sign key words in the story. Here are a few signs for this story:

used for “food” & “eat”

Plum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvZECBsDdkQ

(use sign for “candy” for “lollipop” or you could fingerspell it)

Cocoon: http://www.spreadthesign.com/us/96060/cocoon-american-english

Beautiful: http://www.babysignlanguage.com/dictionary/b/beautiful/ starting with your dominant hand open, thumb pointing at your chin and fingers pointing up. You complete the sign by rolling your fingers across the front of your face.

butterfly

Core Vocabulary: The Very Hungry Caterpillar has lots of opportunities for: eat, more, all done (as he eats through each item)

Free coloring sheets for several Eric Carle books, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Eric Carle coloring sheets (31 page PDF)

Here is an album of butterfly, insect & spring mandalas & coloring sheets on the OMazing Kids Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.343747752342903.95643.174264525957894&type=3

Lots of free Very Hungry Caterpillar stuff: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/features/hungrycaterpillar/index.html

Check out the Eric Carle Pinterest page for TONS of ideas! http://pinterest.com/worldericcarle/

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is featured in “Give Me 20” reading challenge from 3/4 to 4/26/13. Win fun prizes! See their website for rules: http://www.bookitprogram.com/redzone/gm20challenge.asp

Ideas to extend the theme:

Butterfly Butterfly: A Book of Colors by Petr Horacek is another favorite. The peek through die-cuts encourage kids to checkout the next page a the surprise pop-up at the end is beautiful! Love to pair this with The Very Hungry Caterpillar for a butterfly extravaganza 🙂

Engage multiple senses in learning with these fun ideas for using Playdoh to retell the story: http://www.theimaginationtree.com/2012/08/the-hungry-caterpillar-play-dough-story.html & a Sensory Tub: http://www.theimaginationtree.com/2013/02/the-very-hungry-caterpillar-sensory.html.

Adorable playdoh party favor idea:

This “sticky table activity” activity looks SO fun!

Great free Read & Do activity & printable from Official BOOK IT! Program for The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle / the world of Eric Carle TM: http://www.bookitprogram.com/redzone/printables/VHCRead&Do.pdf

VHC healthy eating

Have a discussion about healthy food choices: Download a copy of the Eating Healthy. Growing Strong. that contains information about healthy eating for young children, as well as ideas for discussing healthy active living using the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Download a very special growth chart developed in collaboration with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Incorporate some “food fun” with this snack idea & printable

Very Hungry Caterpillar food labels & party

Update 4/23/13: Oh how I love this painted rocks idea from Thrive 360 Living!!!! Wish I had the skills to make a set. Creativity isn’t my issue…. I just don’t have the artistic ability to have them come out this beautiful.

polka dots VHC
Feel free to share any requests you have for kids yoga lesson plan ideas in the comments below or on the OMazing Kids Facebook page!