OMazing Kids AAC Consulting

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

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 gingerbread men divider bar. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here.

Review & Giveaway: “Seven Little Monkeys” by Joanie Woodward

Posted on November 29, 2014 by OMazing Kids

Check out the fun new addition to OMazing Kids… “Seven Little Monkeys” by Joanie Woodward! Lots of the kids I work with have significant anxiety & sleep disturbances so I’m always looking for more resources in this area. Almost all kids in the USA are familiar with 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed so this will build easily on a familiar theme. The book has a great repeated line, colorful illustrations & incorporates subtle use of colors that tie into chakras. There are no religious connotations in the body of the book so it could be used in a variety of settings. Here are a few pics inside the book since there isn’t currently a preview inside online:

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All these pics are also in the album on the OMazing Kids Facebook page if you want to see larger ones: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga/photos/pb.174264525957894.-2207520000.1417304159./846729015378105/?type=3&theater

Price (at the time of this post): $19.95

Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Little-Monkeys-Joanie-Woodward/dp/0975467646 or the author’s website: http://monkeymindbellybreath.com/book

The author’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Monkey-Mind-Belly-Breath/315181351974429?ref=br_tf

This book is definitely joining my growing collection of monkey-themed items & materials for relaxation. See more ideas on these posts:

In case you wanted to know, I bought the blue zig-zag chevron monkey on Amazon but the price has gone up a lot since I got him in July 2013. You may be able to find a good deal by checking other colors of it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RIAR5Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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

International entries allowed for this giveaway.

1 USA winner & 1 international winner.

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Congratulations to the winners: Meagan Lawson (USA) & Tanya Beresford (United Kingdom).

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 December 2, 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.
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 December 3, 2014 .

2 winners will each receive 1 copy of the book described above. (sorry…. my sock monkey is not included in the giveaway)

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 prize will be mailed to the winner using the address submitted in the entry form. OMazing Kids is not responsible for items lost in the mail or for inaccuracies in the mailing address. I copy & paste the info directly from what you submit << so PLEASE proof read your entry for accuracy before submitting it…. in the era of iPhone auto correction these errors happen pretty frequently>>
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: $19.95

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just 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.

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

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

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the wavy blue 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.

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.

giveaway

International entries allowed for this giveaway.

Easy Entry Form:

.

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…

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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

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

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

https://www.facebook.com/GoNoodleGames

App Reviews on The Appy Ladies: http://theappyladies.com/?s=Moorad

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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Mindfulness in Your Classroom: 4 Ways to FLOW ~ {Guest Post from GoNoodle}

Posted on June 11, 2014 by OMazing Kids

Mindfulness in Your Classroom: 4 Ways to FLOW

By Wynne Kinder BA Ed. (of Kinder Associates LLC and Wellness Works in Schools)

Meet guest poster Wynne Kinder— former classroom teacher (16 years), wellness educator, curriculum author, and teacher trainer—who has been using principles of mindfulness, social skills, and emotional balance in classrooms for 10+ years. Most recently, Wynne collaborated with GoNoodle to create Flow, the first-of-its-kind mindfulness brain break for classrooms.

Mindfulness Came into My Classroom

Jose was not having it. He declared, with actions and words, that he was not going along with my hopes of quiet, calm or “just breathing” in our 5^th grade classroom.

I had envisioned that my newly-discovered personal practice of mindfulness would naturally assimilate into this 28-student, urban, public school classroom. Jose and friends responded, “You are just trying to calm us to death,” and “We’re not like that, Miss. We’re not like you.” So, I stuck to the curriculum in the classroom.

That is until a mindfulness program, Wellness Works in Schools, came to our school to lead classroom sessions. I was hopeful, but still skeptical; My wiggly nay-sayers? My chatty, non-sitters? My separated from the group-ers? My Jose is going to try something new, quiet, calm? I think not.

I should have given him (actually, all of them) more credit.

Jose became the star student. He reminded me when the mindfulness teachers were coming. He helped set up our classroom. He even led a mindfulness activity in one of our final sessions, and I resisted the urge to tell him, “I told you so.”

Three years later, I retired from classroom teaching to help spread classroom mindfulness concepts around the district and the county through Wellness Works in Schools. Today, teachers like me who weren’t sure how, when or why to engage their students in mindfulness don’t have to wait for a mindfulness expert to save the day.

Mindfulness Goes Everywhere

Last week, I received an emailed plea from a teacher-friend two hours away. “How do I teach what you teach? I need to try. My kids are talkers. They seriously won’t stop. Help!”

I sent her straight to GoNoodle, an online suite of resources to engage students and teachers with physical activity breaks or “brain breaks,” that incorporate mindfulness practices. I specifically recommended Flow, the newest online, centering, mindfulness brain break I created with GoNoodle. I heard from her a day later. “Success! Made me cry.”

Brain breaks are three to five-minute experiences that can change the tone of a classroom from high energy chaos to channeled productivity or even to focused, balanced readiness.

Taking my work from one-on-one classroom wellness consulting to collaboration with GoNoodle opens up the possibilities for classroom mindfulness and reaching classrooms everywhere. Teachers who never imagined practicing mindfulness are now discovering the benefits, and those who wanted to practice classroom mindfulness, but weren’t sure how, now have an accessible starting point.

4 Ways to Flow

Mindfulness in your Classroom - GoNoodle 3

Flow is designed as a “jumping off” point for mindfulness practice. While Flow does not represent the entirety of mindfulness practice, it serves as a way to guide students in short, repeatable mindfulness exercises without need for prior experience.

1. Morning Meeting offers an opportunity to set the tone for your day. Take note of the vocabulary used in the exercises and remind students how they can “bring down their balloon” when feeling out of control, or “chin up” when feeling discouraged or frustrated.

2. Class Meetings are an interjection of a needed shift for you and your students. Use Flow during such times: before a test, after a conflict, or as a break from a challenging or frustrating lesson (long division, anyone?).

3. Transitions are one of the most uncertain parts of classroom management, as they afford the most opportunity to “lose” the class. Make Flow a natural 3-minute transition aid. Use Flow as a chance for students to be more present and to give yourself the opportunity to smoothly shift focus and manage energy.

4. Anytime. Really, any time you or your students want to Flow! Once mindfulness becomes a regular part of your classroom routine, students will ask for a brain break when they need it. Follow their intuition (and your own) to offer Flow as a strategy to rearrange energy and attitudes.

To use Flow with your kids or students, create a free account at GoNoodle.com. GoNoodle also includes 3-5 minute brain breaks of varying energy levels from calming to high energy.

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Note from OMazing Kids: Be sure to check out the FREE Teacher’s Guide PDF on the GoNoodle website (http://inspiration.gonoodle.com/2014/05/a-teaching-guide-for-flow/)

and their social media sites for updates:

https://twitter.com/GoNoodle

http://www.pinterest.com/gonoodlebreaks/

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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

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

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

https://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/12/14/even-more-snowy-faves-two-guided-relaxation-stories-great-for-kids-yoga/

App Reviews on The Appy Ladies: http://theappyladies.com/?s=Moorad

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2 New Snowy Faves: One-Dog Sleigh & Ladybug Girl and the Big Snow

Posted on December 16, 2013 by OMazing Kids

Here are two new fun additions to my winter-themed book collection for 2013…..

Ladybug Girl and the Big Snow

This new book in the Ladybug Girl series has a great message of “perseverance” and “looking on the bright side”. The book has the following opportunities for kids yoga: reach-stretch to put on warm clothing (long johns, snow pants, boots, puffy jacket, mittens & earmuffs), up dog (for her companion Bingo), sun breath & stretch, cross-crawl hike through the snow, penguin (mountain + waddle), tree with snow on “branches”, blowing snow (blowing cotton balls), bell mindful walking activity, standing forward fold to dig in snow, rock-and-roll snowballs, flying winter dragon (Warrior III), mountain, snow animals (bear, dear, bunny, rhino, gorilla, lion, hippo, unicorn), hot cocoa by the fire (palming), snowflakes (standing star with wiggling fingers). The book ends with the sky turning a deep blue with snowflakes….. would make for a nice transition into Savasana with one of these snowy guided relaxations: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/12/14/even-more-snowy-faves-two-guided-relaxation-stories-great-for-kids-yoga/

Free Ladybug Girl activities & printables: http://www.ladybuggirl.com/printables.html

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One-Dog Sleigh

This book reminds me of the book “The Mitten” with lots of animals squeezing into a sleigh. I love the rhyming cumulative verses and repeated lines. The book has the following opportunities for kids yoga: horse, sleigh, up dog, squirrel, sleigh bells, owl, lynx (cat), deer, bear, tree, blowing snow (blowing cotton balls), mouse, standing star with twinkling fingers, barn (rooftop partners).

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Free “My Snow Globe” printable: My Snow Globe

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A snowman-themed glitter calming jar from In Lieu of Preschool: http://www.inlieuofpreschool.com/snowman-hush-bottles/

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Links to other Winter & Christmas-themed posts…..

Snowy Guided Relaxation:

See More Snowy Faves: “A Perfect Day” by Carin Berger, kids yoga ideas and a snowy playlist:

https://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/12/10/more-snowy-faves-a-perfect-day-by-carin-berger-kids-yoga-ideas-and-a-snowy-playlist/

See the rest of my “Snowy Faves” in this post:

https://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/12/08/five-snowy-faves-kids-picture-book-gems/

Want even more ideas for Christmas & Winter-themed kids activities? Check out these three posts:

https://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/12/01/12-days-of-christmas-kids-yoga/

https://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/11/28/the-yoga-of-dr-seuss-inspired-by-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-free-printable/

https://omazingkidsllc.com/2011/12/03/christmas-winter-themed-kids-yoga-ideas/

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

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

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

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the gingerbread men divider bar. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here.

Five Count Breathing Foam Stars Craft

Posted on October 19, 2013 by OMazing Kids

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.

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-Brown: http://bookwhen.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/documents/4140/original.pdf?1360464416.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Five Count Breathing Visual Support

Posted on October 5, 2013 by OMazing Kids

The kids I work with at the J.D McCarty Center needed a little more support to understand the steps in Five Count Breathing. So I made this visual support using a combination of Boardmaker & MS Word.

The free printable 1-page PDF is saved on my OMazing Kids blog at: https://omazingkidsyoga.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/five-count-breathing-visual-support.pdf.

It’s a wonderful self-calming activity for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders, anxiety, stuttering & other special needs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monkey Mind Pirates wanted posters

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Arrgh Matey…. Pirate-Themed Kids Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas & Adapted Yoga

Posted on June 29, 2013 by OMazing Kids

Arrgh Matey…. looking for activities to keep the Monkey Mind Pirates off your ship this summer? Activities that can be adapted for a wide range of ages, needs & abilities? Follow this OMazing Kids treasure map to find the Isle of Calm and a summer filled with pirate-themed yoga, affirmations, relaxation, crafts & more!

Week 1 of Camp ClapHans at the JD McCarty Center primarily had kids with ADHD. After reading through the campers registration forms, I knew that my usual “storybook” approach to yoga would not be the best choice for the older group of boys at camp that week. So I jumped out of my comfort zone & planned some freestyle yoga storytelling with a little structure based on the Monkey Mind Pirates workbook & CD. As I was setting up, I overheard the boys commenting “yoga is for girls”, “I don’t like yoga”, “Do we have to?”. Fearing a mutiny, I calmed & centered myself with yoga breathing & listening to a few tunes from my playlist as I continued setting up. When I set out the Hoberman Sphere & the Vibratone, two of the boys were drawn like moths to a flame. {Ahhhh….. the magic of yoga props!}. Before I knew it, the rest of the boys were seated on mats intrigued by what we were going to do.

To set the stage for our yoga adventure, I played “Welcome Aboard” by Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate and read this script from the Monkey Mind Pirates in my best “piratey” voice:

We went over the “rules of the ship” with this visual support….. we didn’t want anyone to fall out of the ship or have to walk the plank….. Arrgh!

I also used a visual support to show the kids that we would be breathing through our noses (like smelling a flower) and blowing our breath out through our mouth (like blowing out a candle).

We rolled up our treasure maps…… the key to making this a pleasant experience is to ALWAYS ask permission first. Ask who wants to be rolled up. Most kids love this & it is very calming to them. But some kids are fearful of trying it. In this class, I had two boys who were hesitant to try it. One ended up asking to do it after he saw the others enjoying it. One sat and watched. He kept a look out for Monkey Mind Pirates as the rest rolled up in the maps. By honoring his choice to not be “rolled”, it opened up the door for him to feel comfortable participating in most of the activities later in the class.

The kids were in charge of how long they wanted to stay rolled up & if they wanted to repeat the activity.

Doing a breathing activity from Monkey Mind Pirates…..

This boy initially insisted he was NOT going to do yoga! He didn’t even want to sit on a mat……. but after a few minutes of watching from afar look who got on the pirate ship and ended up LOVING yoga. In fact, staff reported that later in the week he was one of the ones using the 3 strategies we learned to ward off Monkey Mind Pirates as a means to self-regulate. A great example of how yoga is so much more than just having fun in that moment…… it’s also about helping kids discover tools they can use to feel calm and empowered every day 🙂

Activities & poses on our Monkey Mind Pirates adventure: rolled up treasure maps, Gyan Mudra spyglass, seated twist to look for Monkey Mind Pirates (Sir Winston, Ansel the Antsy & Lady Bronte. I made a “wanted” poster for each Monkey Mind Pirate so they would know what we were looking for. The Monkey Mind Pirates CD comes with some trading card sized pictures but these were too small to see in a group setting. One of the campers asked if the Monkey Mind Pirates were puppets….. gotta love a child with Aspergers Syndrome’s ability to immediately infer that from the wanted poster pictures! I explained that the real Monkey Mind Pirate puppets were sailing elsewhere but we never knew when they might appear. Fortunately he bought my story… or at least humored me and we kept going with our adventure), raise the sail (triangle pose), pirate flag waving in the ocean breeze (crescent moon), setting sail on our pirate ship in search of the treasure in the “Waters of Calm” (boat), sun shining down (breathing activity pictured above), laugher yoga (the tip for taming Winston), breathing (the tip for taming Ansel the Antsy. I added the Hoberman Sphere), 1-2-3 counting breath + mindful listening (the tip for taming Lady Bronte) {we practiced each of the 3 taming tips several times as we sailed. They knew to look out for a Monkey Mind Pirate when I sounded the Vibratone & held up one of the wanted posters. Made my heart smile to see how quickly they remembered & did the tip for each one}, X marks the spot (star), digging for treasure (woodchopper), treasure chest (seated forward fold), gyan mudra gold doubloons, guided relaxation (using the Relaxing on the Beach mp3 from Relax Kids). At first the boys were a little wiggly but they quickly calmed and a couple almost fell asleep. Remember, this was a group of boys with ADHD who rarely experience that level of “calm”. The calmness was so noticeable that the Camp ClapHans assistants asked if I could come do yoga with the boys every night! I reassured them that they had learned the 3 tips for taming Monkey Mind Pirates along with the boys and that they could use the strategies with them throughout the day & night 🙂 Ahhhh…. yes mateys that is the true treasure found in the “Waters of Calm”.

The girls group in Week 1 went on a beach-themed yoga adventure with “Ladybug Girl at the Beach”. I chose NOT to do a “pirate” class with this group since I knew one of the participants very well after having worked with her in outpatient speech-language therapy. This particular child has a VERY difficult time distinguishing between reality and imagination and would often assume alternate personalities. So I was pretty sure the pirate theme might trigger some swashbuckling aggressive behaviors in her. I also did NOT pass any props (Hoberman Sphere & Vibratone) in this class since this particular child has a history of damaging things. Of course the girls group had no idea that I had chosen a different theme for that reason and LOVED the adventures of Ladybug Girl. (I’ll be including yoga ideas for that book in a summer-themed post soon). The reason I share this is to remind folks that knowing info about kids before doing lesson planning will help guide you in making good choices in customizing a class to best match those kids’ needs.

Ladybug Girl looking out at the big waves in the ocean through the Gyan Mudra binoculars (FYI…. this is not the child I was describing above. She was one of the other campers. It made my heart smile to see how well she already knew how to do yoga! When she saw the seagull in the book she spontaneously went into Pigeon Pose….. one that I have a difficult time getting into myself.)

Week 2 of Camp ClapHans primarily had kids with physical disabilities. Because I had reviewed camp registration forms & knew several of the kids from seeing them as outpatients as JDMC, I chose a book that would lend itself well to these kids developmental levels, interests & physical needs. I played “The Porpoises and the Pirate Ship” by Brent Holmes & “Welcome Aboard” by Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate as I set up for the group to set the scene. We still did a pirate theme. But this time it was all with seated poses with the book “There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish” by Jennifer Ward. The kids chose whether they wanted to stay in their wheelchair or get down on a mat with a camp assistant to support them.

{Note for SLP’s: The repeated & cumulative lines, big vivid illustrations & humorous descriptive vocabulary has made “There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish” a new “fave” to use in speech-language therapy! I scanned the pirate & cut out his lower teeth to make room to “feed” him & made story props for each item he swallows in the story. These are also great to use for receptive & expressive language, sequencing & story retelling. For kids yoga, I wrote pose ideas on the back of each one with a fine-tipped permanent marker after I laminated them. The prop on the far right is for the repeated line “Yo Ho Ho! Watch his belly grow!”. It’s great to attach to a BigMack or other single message voice output communication aide (VOCA) for kids with minimal verbal skills to be able to participate in “reading” the repeating line. Get the free printable story props in this PDF: There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish story props}

{Update: 7/4/13: The illustrator, Steve Gray, generously posted a couple of illustrations on my Facebook page to use as coloring sheets after the author contacted him: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151554767913845&set=o.174264525957894&type=1&theater& https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151554766543845&set=o.174264525957894&type=1&theater

There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish – coloring sheets

Ok on to what we did in yoga…. This child is doing the pose for the pirate ship mast (a seated version of mountain pose with hands up and together for a tall, straight mast). It made my heart smile to see him using his iPad to tell his outpatient PT at JDMC that he wanted to go back to camp this week 🙂

It’s fine to take a rest on the pirate ship…….

Blimey but that fish was slimey!

Adapted activities & poses specifically chosen for this group of kids (all were done while kids were seated in whatever position was comfortable for them): ocean breath, gyan mudra spyglass, pirate (“Arrgh” breath + moving fist across midline on each side), fish (clasped hands together at midline & wiggled them in a modified sign for “fish”), blimey that fish was slimey (palming to wipe off the fish slime), “yo ho ho watch his belly grow” belly breathing w/ Hoberman Sphere (this is a repeated line at the end of each page), bird (stretch arms behind like wings), treasure map (roll arms around each other forwards & then back), gyan mudra gold doubloons, treasure chest (seated forward fold), plank (seated cross crawl, foot stomping or patting on legs as “footsteps” depending on that child’s ability to move their lower extremities), sail (seated side bends as a modified version of triangle), mast (a seated version of mountain pose with hands up and together for a tall, straight mast), pirate ship (boat with lots of support from that child’s camp assistant. The two boys in wheelchairs had a recline feature on their chair so they were able to participate). Because all the poses were done seated, they flowed easily as we repeated them through the cumulative story. I paused at key times to see what the kids would remember……. so fun the see their delight at remembering the word + pose. At the end of the book we sank to the bottom of the deep blue sea like the pirate in the book with a guided relaxation (using the Under the Sea story from the Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids book with the Pirate Ship sound from the Relaxing Sounds Of Nature Lite free app (gentle sounds of a pirate ship creaking, waves & seagulls) and a weighted fish toy to ride on the waves of each child’s breath). After relaxation we listened to the song “Seven C’s” by Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate and talked about the “courage” it took for them to come to camp and try so many new things (if you haven’t heard this song yet you should….. a really cool way to incorporate some yamas/niyamas into a pirate themed class! “there’s COURTESY, COMPASSION and a bit of COURAGE too. With CLEANLINESS and CLEVENESS they’re good for me and you. Plus CHEERFULNESS and CHARITY now that makes Seven C’s.…”). We used a gold doubloon & treasure chest prop to talk about treasures inside each of us. As each child said or signed what they were good at or liked about themselves, they added a gold doubloon to the treasure chest. I left an “I’m more precious than gold coin affirmation” page with the camp assistants to offer to the kids during their journaling time later that day so they could write or draw additional things about themselves and their new camp friends.

These were just 30-minute classes so we didn’t have time to do a pirate-themed craft. But I found several online that would be fun to do. See this printable for the coins & treasure chest we used plus more fun ideas: Pirate coin affirmation printables, crafts, activities & coloring pages

Piratey Playlist:

Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate CD
Monkey Mind Pirates CD
Sea Tunes for Kids CD by Brent Holmes
Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Swashbuckling Sea Songs CD
Disney’s Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me) Instrumental by George Bruns
Rockin’ & Rollin’ On the Ocean by John Archambault & David Plummer
A Yogi Went to Sea by Kidding Around Yoga
Reiki Whale Song CD by Kamal (lots of great songs featuring whale sounds for relaxation)
Pirate Ship sound from the Relaxing Sounds Of Nature Lite free app
Plus I have lots of songs about individual ocean animals to use if needed

Please remember to keep kids individual sensory needs, developmental level, interests, etc… in mind when choosing particular music to use in a class.

I purposefully did not bring any pirate swords or hooks since those would naturally lead to kids wanting to have swashbuckling sword fights.

I’d love to hear your ideas for more “pirate yoga”! 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

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

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

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

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

Review & A Way To Give Giveaway: Body Songs & Stories for Children with Special Needs – Vol. 1 DVD

Posted on June 23, 2013 by OMazing Kids

Product Description: Body Songs & Stories™ was created by Stephanie Gottlob & Yuji Oka to help children with special needs including Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, Down Syndrome & other developmental delays or emotional challenges. Using easy-to-learn video instructions, parents, caregivers, teachers & therapists can learn how to perform different hand textures to accompany each body songs. It is designed to foster emotional & physical communication between children & their caregivers. There are 5 original Body Songs on the Vol. 1 DVD.

This DVD features Welcome & Intro sections with fabulous info about setting up a positive environment & safety tips. There are 5 Body Songs included in both “Practice Mode” (the music & lyrics in karaoke style) & “Experiential Mode” (videos of Stephanie demonstrating doing each Body Song and the touch movements on kids while singing the songs).

1-2-3 Song
Zoo Song
Seasons Song
Birthday Song
Up In The Hill Song

The 14-page DVD Booklet features:

Authors’ Note
Getting Started
Descriptions of the 6 hand textures movements (tapping, pounding, deep pressure, brushing, rocking & scratching)
Do’s and Don’t’s
Learning Body Songs
How to Use the DVD
When to Use Body Songs

The DVD also contains a 13 page PDF file that can be opened on a computer. It contains sheet music for each Body Song with lyrics & motions. Here’s a screenshot of the two pages for the Zoo Song:

Here is a “sneek-peek” at a few screenshots from the DVD:

Be sure to watch the Welcome section & Getting Started (parts 1 & 2) for great info:

From the 1-2-3 Song:

From the Zoo Song:

From the Seasons Song:

From the Birthday Song:

From the Up In the Hills Song:

The “Meet the Parents & Kids Like You” section is powerful!

Here’s what I love about the DVD:

Stephanie & Yuji’s passion for helping kids with special needs shines through! Even though I’ve never met them in person, I feel a connection with these kindred spirits. This DVD is definitely being added to my short list of “must have” faves for folks wanting to do adapted yoga / adapted movement with kids with special needs. They have more products in the works which I can’t wait to see!
The DVD is presented in a very easy to understand format.
The Body Songs & hand texture movements are easy to learn. These techniques will be great to incorporate into my OMazing Kids yoga classes & my work as a Speech-Language Pathologist!
The DVD booklet & intro section of the DVD provide info for creative use of each hand texture movement (ex: “deep press” to simulate elephants, stones or other heavy objects)
They provide very clear info about being sensitive to each child’s unique sensory needs and the sensory aspects of each hand texture movement.
They provide clear info about setting up a positive environment & safety precautions before getting started.
They encourage you to practice on another adult & have an adult practice on you before trying it out with kids. “The quality of your touch conveys the image of the song”.
While the DVD is designed for kids ages 2-9 years old, from my experience it would also be appropriate with older kids who are functioning at a lower developmental level.
The “Meet the Parents & Kids Like You” section is powerful! Hear stories from four parents about how using these techniques impacted their child’s motor planning, body awareness, self awareness, confidence, social skills, connections to siblings (& even pets), relaxation & more.

See a preview on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1kdf6L8zA0

Purchase: Available on the company’s website: http://movementforkidswithspecialneeds.org/home/teaching-aids/. Also available on the Playtime Yoga website: http://www.playtimeyoga.com/bodysongsstories.html (** Note: they have an intro price sale on it through 12:00am PDT on July 6, 2013).

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spiral-Praxis/173082326070416

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

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.

A Way to Give - Giveaway

How to enter the A Way to Give – Giveaway:

Required Entry Method: Enter via the “Giveaways” tab on the OMazing Kids – Contests & Giveaways Facebook page (http://a.pgtb.me/plpbTf) & mention why this DVD would be helpful to you. Also nominate a friend, relative, teacher, therapist, school, clinic, library, etc… it can be any individual (other than yourself) or setting that you feel could benefit from having the DVD & tell us why they would benefit from having it (details will count in selecting the winner). Only entries that include a nomination will be valid…. so take the time to think of someone besides yourself who would benefit from having this. (comments must be in English; must include full first & last name; must use respectful people-first language, 1 entry per person).
Bonus Entry Options:

Invite some friends to “like” the OMazing Kids Facebook page (comment here on this blog post to let me know you did)
Share this review on Facebook & include a @OMazing Kids to tag my page – (comment here on this blog post to let me know you did)

Helpful Info & Tips: I use the “Giveaways” tab because it saves me the step having to obtain 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. Make sure you are logged in as yourself (not a page) when using the tab. In the event that you experience difficulties with the FB entry tab, 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 tab 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.

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: 11:59pm CST on June 26, 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 may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
The winner will be chosen from valid entries on June 27, 2013.

The winner & the person/place they nominate will each receive 1 copy of the DVD.

(I know this is a bit out-of-the box & different than most typical giveaways where the person who enters wins all the “stuff”. This is the new “A Way To Give” portion of giveaways on OMazing Kids. I was inspired to make giveaways more meaningful after this experience. Think of it as a way to plant some seeds.)

The winners 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. Any questions about the prize should be directed to the company.
Prize Value: $18.00 for each DVD

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

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

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

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

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

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Review & A Way To Give Giveaway: You Are Not Your Thoughts mindfulness books (these are gems!)

Posted on June 12, 2013 by OMazing Kids

Great simple mindfulness books for kids…. these books are gems!

Product Description: “You Are Not Your Thoughts” was written to help children and parents become more aware of the present moment and to foster an environment of compassion and loving-kindness between all human beings. Mindfulness is a way of living each moment in a way that expresses kindness and respect for all. Mindfulness reconnects people to their senses, bringing them into moment-to-moment awareness. Research shows that mindfulness increases attention skills, reduces anxiety and improves emotional regulation. You can free yourself of destructive thoughts, emotions and behaviors by simply remembering to be present – right here, right now.

A 2nd edition of “You Are Not Your Thoughts” was created in 2013 as a version geared towards older children, teens & adults. Edition 1 is still available and is geared towards younger children.

Here is a “sneek-peek” at a few pages inside both editions of the book so you can see a side-by-side comparison:

Here’s what I love about the books:

The large photos, pictures of kids, large bold font and rhyming text are fabulous for younger kids in Edition 1 of the book
Although the text is essentially the same, the photos of nature, illustrations and font used in Edition 2 give it a more “grown up” feel.
The books capture the concept of the fleeting nature of thoughts & feelings. I especially love the message that all feelings are ok “However you are feeling, happy or blue, we all have many feelings, it’s okay to feel every hue”.
Simple tips for mindfully noticing how your body & mind feel, how things look, how sounds & silence sound, mindful breathing, cherishing the present moment & more. It’s amazing how much wonderful stuff is packed into 24-page books. These are true gems!

Brian generously donated both editions of his book to Rossana in Mexico as part of the “planting seeds” project. Here are a couple of pics of her yogis enjoying them:

Rosanna's kids with You Are Not Your Thoughts

Read more about the inspiration for the books: http://www.mindful.org/at-home/parenting/a-gift-for-young-minds

Purchase on Amazon: Edition 1 (for younger kids): http://www.amazon.com/Your-Thoughts-Mindfulness-Children-Ages/dp/0615359345, Edition 2 (for older kids, teens & adults): http://www.amazon.com/Your-Thoughts-but-think-matters-Thoughts/dp/061560918X

Update 6/18/13: A Kindle version is now available: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGJ5B9W

Website: http://www.newlifedesignstudio.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/You-Are-Not-Your-Thoughts-Mindfulness-for-Everyone/106440462720176

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Happierkids

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.

A Way to Give - Giveaway

How to enter the A Way to Give – Giveaway:

Required Entry Method: Enter via the “Giveaways” tab on the OMazing Kids – Contests & Giveaways Facebook page (http://a.pgtb.me/plpbTf) & mention why these books would be helpful to you. Also nominate a friend, relative, teacher, therapist, school, clinic, library, etc… it can be any individual (other than yourself) or setting that you feel could benefit from having the books & tell us why they would benefit from having them (details will count in selecting the winner) (comments must be in English; must include full first & last name; must use respectful people-first language, 1 entry per person).
Bonus Entry Options:

Invite some friends to “like” the OMazing Kids Facebook page (comment here on this blog post to let me know you did)
Share this review on Facebook & include a @OMazing Kids to tag my page – (comment here on this blog post to let me know you did)

Helpful Info & Tips: I use the “Giveaways” tab because it saves me the step having to obtain 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. Make sure you are logged in as yourself (not a page) when using the tab. In the event that you experience difficulties with the FB entry tab, 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 tab 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.

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: 11:59pm CST on June 15, 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 may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
The winner will be chosen from valid entries on June 16, 2013.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive 1 copy of editions 1 & 2 of the book & the person they nominate for the “A Way to Give” portion will also receive 1 copy of both editions of the book.

A 2nd Place Winner will receive their choice of 1 copy of Edition 1 or Edition 2 of the book.

The winners 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. Any questions about the prize should be directed to the company.
Prize Value: books $10.00 each

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

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

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

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