Want to learn how to teach mindfulness, meditation & relaxation to kids of all ages? Want to help the kids in your life or the kids you work with learn skills to manage stress? The Calm Kids – Help Children Relax with Mindful Activities book & Level 1 online course are wonderful resources & provide a wealth of information!

Book:  (Publication Date: March 1, 2012 | ISBN-10: 0863158625 | ISBN-13: 978-0863158629, paperback, 153 pages). Mindfulness and meditation can help children recognize and cope with tension and stress throughout their lives. In this practical and inspiring book, Lorraine Murray explains a variety of different approaches including: meditations around daily activities for busy families, ideas for group ‘quietness’ sessions in schools, fun & tactile rhymes for toddlers to help them calm down before bedtime, ways to help teenagers reduce anxiety, grounding and balancing for children with ADHD, calming suggestions for children with autism spectrum disorders. This book is ideal for teachers, parents and youth workers; for complete beginners or those with experience in relaxation and meditation techniques. It offers advise needed to lead sessions with children, helping them feel calmer, happier and more peaceful.

The book is available through their website, the publisher, Amazon and other online book sellers. I purchased my copy when it was first released on Amazon.com in the USA in March 2012 (http://www.amazon.com/Calm-Kids-Children-Mindful-Activities/dp/0863158625), read it cover to cover within a couple of days & have been using the concepts & techniques in my OMazing Kids inclusive kids yoga classes & the therapeutic kids yoga group at the JD McCarty Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities for the past 11 months.

Here’s what I love about the book:

• great info about causes of stress & stress in kids
• practical benefits & strategies
• easy to understand information about the concept of being “grounded & centered”
• lots of sample guided imagery, meditation & relaxation scripts are included for a variety of age levels
• great tips on learning how to write your own scripts, transitioning to using trigger words (instead of relying on a script) & finally developing your own “inner script”
• specific tips on working with different age groups [babies/caregiver, toddlers young kids (4-6), older kids (7-12), and teenagers to young adults (12+)]
• the very simple script examples in the chapters on babies & toddlers have been especially helpful as ideas for the kids I work with at JDMC who have a variety of special needs and often have significant developmental delays, cognitive impairments & short attention spans.
• the chapter on ADHD has great charts listing symptoms of hyperactivity – impulsiveness – inattention, symptoms of the center of imbalance (being “ungrounded”) and grounding/balancing activities. It also includes several case studies & info about mudras.
• the chapter on Autism has an in-depth case study and several tips. (FYI…. Lorraine recently announced on her Facebook page that she is working on a second book and that it will be specifically about teaching meditation to children with special needs and/or who have been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD or Autism. See details on her blog: http://www.teachchildrenmeditation.com/?cat=-0)

Online Course: The online course covers everything (and more) which Lorraine teaches in her level 1 Calm Kids course. The course includes 5 modules which help bring the Calm Kids book to life! The online course costs £99 and includes a copy of the book ‘Calm Kids’.

Module 1 – What is Meditation

Module 2 – Writing Meditations

Module 3 – How to Deliver a Meditation

Module 4 – Developing your Mediation Ideas

Module 5 – Sharing the Experience

See in-depth info, including samples & an online currency converter to calculate the course cost outside the UK on their website: http://www.teachchildrenmeditation.com/calmkids-online-course/. 

Here’s what I loved about the online course:

• it brought the concepts in the book to life through lots of video clips & mp3’s. The mp3’s provided great examples of vocal tone & pacing to use in guided relaxation.
• it especially brought home the concept of going through the creative process of learning how to write guided relaxation scripts, then going to trigger words & taking the leap into going “script-free” by developing my “inner script”. This concept was covered in the book but somehow clicked for me after having it presented via video & mp’s examples in the online training.
• Lorraine was so encouraging in her online video clips. Each step of the way she was complimenting you for what you had accomplished & encouraged you to keep going. Her passion for the work she is doing shines through!
• it is divided into small, very manageable segments which was great to be able to do it in small increments. Anyone who works full time and has family commitments will appreciate this. It took me a total of about 5 hours to do the online course but I did it is several small segments. There is homework & practice activities to do in each module. So take your time in doing the course. Many folks do it spread over a 5 week period….. but the beauty of an online course is that you can go at a pace that works for you & your schedule 🙂
• the site is very easy to navigate, easy to log in and out of, it resumes where you left off when you log back in & you can review previous segments as many times as you would like.
• I tried it out on two different web browsers on my home computer (Internet Explorer & Google Chrome). It worked on both but looked better on Google Chrome so I used that for completing the course.

Website: http://www.teachchildrenmeditation.com/, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/teachchildrenmeditation & Twitter: http://twitter.com/meditation4kids

Disclaimer: I received free access to the online course to facilitate my review.  I had already purchased the book when it was first released. 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.

How to enter the giveaway:

• Enter via the “Giveaways” tab on the OMazing Kids – Contests & Giveaways Facebook page (http://a.pgtb.me/plpbTf) & mention why you are interested in learning how to teach mindfulness to kids (be specific, details will count in picking the grand prize winner) (comments must be in English; must include full first & last name; must use respectful people-first language, 1 entry per Facebook account).

• For one additional entry, leave a comment on this blog post. Must mention why you are interested in learning how to teach mindfulness to kids (be specific, details will count in picking the grand prize winner).  If you only enter via blog post comment, you must also send me an e-mail with your mailing address (send to amoorad1@juno.com; Please copy and paste the title of this blog post into the subject line of the e-mail to insure that I see it.). You will not need to do this if you also entered via the Enter Contests Here…. tab on Facebook since your address will be provided on that entry (comments must be in English; 1 entry per person; must use respectful people-first language, must have a valid e-mail address)

• Helpful Info & Tips: You increase your odds of winning by entering via both methods. Entering via the “Giveaways” tab will save you the step of e-mailing me your mailing address – the info you complete on the tab comes directly to me via an e-mail. FYI…. I use a free app from Shortstack for that tab and have no control over technical difficulties either on their end or on Facebook. The Facebook tab may not work on a cell phone. If you experience that, try again on a computer.

• In the event that you experience difficulties with the tab or in leaving a blog post comment, you can submit an entry via e-mail providing ALL of the following information: your full name, e-mail address, mailing address & please copy and paste the title of this blog post into the subject line of the e-mail to insure that I see it. Please also include info about any problems you encountered trying to enter via blog post comment or the Facebook tab. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com .

Bonus Entry Options: After you complete one of the entry options above AND “like” both the main OMazing Kids Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga) (not the contests & giveaway page) & the Calm Kids (Teaching Children Meditation Campaign) Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/teachchildrenmeditation), you are entitled to three bonus entry options:

• • post a comment on the OMazing Kids Facebook page saying “Teaching Children Meditation Campaign” sent you (tagging page if possible) & mention the giveaway for the book + online course (limit 1 entry per Facebook account; must be logged in as a person, not another fan page to do this but you can mention or tag your fan page if you would like)
  • post a comment on the Teaching Children Meditation Campaign Facebook page saying “OMazing Kids” sent you (tagging page if possible) & mention the giveaway for the book + online course (limit 1 entry per Facebook account; must be logged in as a person, not another fan page to do this but you can mention or tag your fan page if you would like)
  • share a post from the OMazing Kids Facebook page regarding this giveaway (limit 1 entry per Facebook account; must be logged in as a person, not another fan page to do this & your bonus entry via this method is contingent upon your FB privacy settings regarding visibility of sharing)

Note: None of the “bonus entries” will count unless a valid entry is received via one of the other methods listed above and you have liked both of the Facebook pages.

• Examples of “people-first” language are “children with autism” vs. “autistic children”and “children with disabilities” vs. “disabled children” (see more examples at: http://www.inclusionproject.org/nip_userfiles/file/People%20First%20Chart.pdf)

Entry Deadline: Enter by any of the methods listed above by 11:59pm CST on February 19, 2013.

Rules of Participation:

• Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
• International entries are being 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 the Enter Giveaways Here…. tab on Facebook or e-mail may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
• Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
• Two (2) winners will be chosen via a drawing of valid entries on February 20, 2013.
•  One (1) “grand prize” winner will receive free access to the Calm Kids level 1 online course + one copy of the Calm Kids book. To insure that the prize goes to the place where it will have the biggest impact on helping kids, I will be reviewing the details in each entry and hand-selecting the grand prize winner.
• One (1) additional winner will be chosen via a random drawing out of the remaining valid entries and will receive one copy of the Calm Kids book.
• 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 prize directly to the winner & e-mailing the online course access info. Any questions about the prizes should be directed to the company.
• Grand Prize Value: £99.00 for online course including the Calm Kids book = $157.69 US dollars on the date of this post. (See the online converter on the company’s website to calculate a specific prize value where you live if you are interested in that detail); book-only prize value: £9.99 ($18.95 US dollars)

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a book & online course 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.

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/

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.

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