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Colors for Zena kids yoga sequence from OMazing Kids

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

Posted on October 31, 2013 by OMazing Kids

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

Product Description:

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

A peek inside the book:

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zena 2

zena 3

zena 4

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

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

coloring page healthy snacks

coloring page healthy snacks 2

coloring page healthy snacks 4

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

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

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

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

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Here’s what I love about these books:

Colors for Zena

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

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

Color & Cook HEALTHY SNACKS coloring book

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

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

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

Monica’s books & coloring books are available for purchase on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Monica-Wellington/e/B001IQWLT8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1. Books are also available on Penguin Publishing: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Search/QuickSearchProc/1,,Author_1000017543,00.html.

The coloring books are also available on the Dover Publishing website: http://doverpublications.ecomm-search.com/search?keywords=monica%20wellington.

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

& publishers’ social media sites:

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

https://twitter.com/penguinkids,

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

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Celebrating November as Picture Book Month

picture book month

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

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Easy Entry Form:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

International entries allowed for this giveaway.

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

Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.
If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.

Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

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

Rules of Participation:

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

3 winners will each receive the following book bundle:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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 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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I Love Sock Monkey!

Posted on October 5, 2013 by OMazing Kids

I love sock monkey post

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

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

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

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

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A peek inside the book:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Playlist:

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

Busy Mind by Sara Marlowe (http://www.mindfulfamilies.ca/index.php/mindful-kids-download-songs)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

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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://omazingkidsllc.com/wp-content/uploads/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

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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

A Little Bit of Oomph activity sheets

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Inspiring Kids to Add “A Little Bit of Oomph”

Posted on September 22, 2013 by OMazing Kids

A little bit of Oomph

A Little Bit of Oomph! is the amazing new book from Barney Saltzberg, author of Beautiful Oops! It teaches the valuable lesson of throwing your heart into whatever you’re doing and trying just a little bit harder— because with a little extra effort and a little bit of oomph, you can make anything beautiful. The book is filled with flaps, pop-ups, spinning circles, pull tabs, etc… that are fun to explore. I love books like this that can lead to rich discussions. Inspire creativity & greatness. Get kids to think beyond the ordinary & beyond themselves. Kids are bombarded with self-absorbed & materialistic messages on TV, in music & on social media. It’s up to responsible adults in their lives to provide opportunities for them to see a bigger picture & a bigger purpose in life. A reason to go that extra mile. A reason to add a little “oomph”!

I didn’t find any activity sheets online for the book yet so I made these using a picture from the author’s Pinterest board:

Inspire kids to go that extra mile through involvement in service projects. See An Awesome Way to Make Kids Less Self-Absorbed on Greater Good Science Center, 35 Service Projects for Kids & Yes Kidz Can! for a few ideas.

I am always inspired by the service projects I see on the Alluem Kids blog 🙂

Watch this fun book trailer: http://youtu.be/WqYJ-SreCmk

The following items featured in the book would provide fun opportunities for kids yoga, dance or creative movement: alligator, star, seed (child’s pose), rain, flower, fish, ocean, whale, dog, book pages (easy pose – open/close legs like turning pages in a book), sing, dance (yoga freeze dance), twist & turn (poses that twist: seated twist, washing machine, helicopter, triangle, etc…), bunny, dragon, bird, elephant, heart (heart opening poses, heart mudra, etc…), oomph (invent poses with “oomph”, discuss ways to go the extra mile and add “oomph” through service projects).

Inspirational Sayings for Preschool: A Child with a Smile will go the Extra Mile

More ideas for Inspiring Kids Creativity with Books, Art & Movement.

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

Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

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* ARCHIVED * no longer available – Free Printable Affirmation Cards for Kids from Kids Happy Apps <3

Posted on September 14, 2013 by OMazing Kids

Free #printable #affirmation cards for kids from Kids Happy Apps! See great tips on their website: http://www.kidshappyapps.com/how-to-use-affirmations-cards/. Free 7-page PDF: http://www.kidshappyapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Kids-affirmations.pdf

(found via a post on the Kids Yoga with MariaFacebook page)

More kids affirmations ideas in this album on OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.335160356534976.93618.174264525957894&type=3

#kidsyoga

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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

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The Best Lesson Plan ~ Follow Your Passion

Posted on August 1, 2013 by OMazing Kids

I have had several inquiries this week regarding recommendations for the best kids yoga teacher trainings, where to find lesson plans & how I create my lesson plans. There’s not a simple answer.

I do what works for me & for the kids I see. I work in a very unique setting with very unique kids. The JD McCarty Center is a pediatric rehab hospital for kids with developmental disabilities. We serve kids ages birth to 21 years of age & the patients are assigned to therapeutic groups by their treatment team (which I may or may not be a part of). The kids in my theraeutic yoga group change from week to week depending on admissions & discharges from the hospital (think “revolving door”…. some kids will overlap in their time in the group but not much). So I don’t have the luxury of having a long period of time to teach yoga foundations that I can then build upon in later sessions. We’ve had a few patients stay with us an extended time that have gotten to be in our therapeutic yoga group over several months…. but that’s the exception not the rule. I’ve had kids as young as 2 1/2 yrs. & as old as 20 yrs. in the same class. Not ideal but I made it work. When I did yoga at our summer camps, the kids ranged from 8-16 years. Again…. not ideal but I made it work. The only time I’ve been able to set my own age parameters for a class was the “inclusive” kids yoga class I offered last summer for kids ages 4-8 years. Even then that was not an ideal age range (big difference between 4 yr olds & 8 yr olds in attention span, interests, size, physical abilities (including balance), etc…) but I had to make it that broad in order to get enough kids registered to be able to offer it.

My 24 years of experience as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist has taught me how to modify everything “in the moment” to meet individual needs (not just in kids yoga but in everything I do). I am always equipped with visual supports & props (because I know they are helpful for most of our patients). I always have a general idea / lesson plan of what my goals or intentions are for a kids yoga class (just like I plan for my speech therapy treatment sessions). But I’m not tied to the plan. It becomes obvious very quickly when I am going to need to modify in the moment. I have had several patients lately with physical limitations & orthotics that made it very difficult to transition from sitting to standing. I often don’t know that until they show up in my class. So I modify poses & activities in the moment so that all kids can be included & feel successful.

While I learned alot in my yoga teacher trainings, it is not the only info I use to create my classes. I have attended several other trainings, have read lots of books, reviewed lots of materials & constantly gain new ideas from blogs & social media sites. I also incorporate all that I know about developmentally appropriate practices, child development & inclusive practices from all the continuing ed I have attended over my career and life lessons along the way. I incorporate arts & crafts, music & books into my kids yoga classes. How I do it depends on the needs of the kids in that particular class.

One of the most frequent requests I get via e-mail & Facebook comments or messaging is asking for a recommendation for “THE best kids yoga teacher training”. My typical response is “there are LOTS of great kids yoga trainings out there. The best one for YOU depends on lots of factors: where you will be teaching kids yoga (a yoga studio? school? hospital? yoga-themed birthday parties? camps?), what ages of kids you will be working with, will you also be offering “family yoga” or “mommy/parent & me yoga”, if your classes be inclusive (include kids with special needs), where you live or your ability to travel to a training (both time & expense), the amount of $$$ you have to invest in a training, etc…”

Most yoga teacher trainings include info about developing lesson plans and/or materials that will give you inspiration for lesson plans. But there is no perfect lesson plan. Please don’t be offended…… I LOVE lesson plans. You see me sharing them all the time. They are great inspiration for ideas. But if you have a lesson plan that you love so much that you can’t deviate from it or modify it in the moment, it’s a recipe for disappoinment / disaster. In my opinion, that holds true regardless of the particular kids in your class (2 or teen, with or without special needs) or where you will be teaching. You need to be flexible to connect with each individual.

My advice is to combine what you learn in any kids yoga teacher training with everything you already know & already love to develop lesson plans that work for you. They will then be from YOUR heart…. from YOUR passion. So I guess there really is a “simple” answer….. “Follow your passion”. You can’t go wrong with that 🙂

I love to connect & exchange ideas! 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

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http://www.activitytailor.com/feed-the-woozle/
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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/

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

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

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Inspiring Kids Creativity with Books, Art & Movement

Posted on July 6, 2013 by OMazing Kids

I love combining books, art & movement to inspire creativity in kids! Here are my “five faves” for this:

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg [Hooray for mistakes! A mistake is an adventure in creativity, a portal of discovery. A spill doesn’t ruin a drawing—not when it becomes the shape of a goofy animal. And an accidental tear in your paper? Don’t be upset about it when you can turn it into the roaring mouth of an alligator. A singular work of imagination, creativity, and paper engineering, Beautiful Oops! is filled with pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, tears, holes, overlays, bends, smudges, and even an accordion “telescope”—each demonstrating the magical transformation from blunder to wonder. Opportunities for kids yoga or creative movement: alligator, dog, duck, elephant, penguin, pig, car, bunny, fish, worm, frog, gyan mudra looking glasses, flower. Plus lots of opportunity for discussion about the power of creating something beautiful out of what appears to be an “oops”; Ideas for open-ended art exploration: torn paper collage, ink or paint blots, origami, newspaper creations, fingerprint pictures, stamping with paper towel rolls, hole punching, crumpled paper creations. More ideas in this free event kit (5-page PDF).]

beautiful oops guide

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds [Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw – she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. “There!” she says. That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery. Opportunities for kids yoga or creative movement: chair, polar bear, jabbing with the marker (woodchopper), Hmmm? breath, writing name (air writing, back writing partner activity, doing poses that start with the letter of each child’s first name), swirls (lazy 8’s from Brain Gym), “paint the room” activity with props, grow bigger (child’s pose – kneeling – mountain – standing star); Plus lots of opportunity for discussion about the power of one person’s encouragement, starting with what we “can” do and growing it into something bigger & “paying it forward”. Lots of fun art & extension activity ideas in this free classroom guide for The Dot & Ish from the publisher (8-page PDF). Need more inspiration? Pinterest is full of ideas for open-ended art exploration for The Dot!]

The Dot easel

the dot frame

Ish by Peter H. Reynolds [Follow the little boy inspired by Vashti in the book “The Dot”. Drawing is what Ramon does. It’s what makes him happy. But in one split second, all that changes. A single reckless remark by Ramon’s older brother turns his carefree sketches into joyless struggles. Luckily his little sister, Marisol, sees the world differently. She opens his eyes to something a lot more valuable than getting things just “right.” The power of “-ish”. Opportunities for kids yoga or creative movement: lay on tummy, bed, “Ewww” breath (painting by trash cans), chair, flower, tense/relax fists (like crumpling paper), stomping feet (I’m done!), standing forward fold (as Marisol picks up a crumpled drawing), Toe-ga (to pick up small crumped balls of paper), stretch up & side to side as Marisol tapes the drawing in the gallery on her wall, gyan mudra looking glasses, ish-poses (make up “ish” variations on poses: tree, house, boat, fish & sun and the poses that make them “feel” peace-ish, silly-ish & excited-ish …. if time allows keep the creative ish-pose process going. Kids could work in pairs – one creates a pose, the other draws it (and of course signs it like in The Dot) & then trade roles. Their art could be copied so the whole group could have a set of yoga-ish pose cards), poem / journaling, mindfulness activities to experience savoring the moment; plus lots of opportunity for discussion of the power of our words to discourage or encourage others.]

ish ideas

Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds [The third book in the Creatrilogy series. Marisol, the little sister from the book “Ish”, loves to paint. So when her teacher asks her to help make a mural for the school library, she can’t wait to begin! But how can Marisol make a sky without blue paint? After gazing out the bus window and watching from her porch as day turns into night, she closes her eyes and starts to dream. Opportunities for kids yoga or creative movement: cat, fruit picking stretch, flower, fish, palming or mudras (for the handprint painting), whale, bumpy bus ride, mindfully noticing colors in the sky, moon, stars, bed, guided “Colors” relaxation; plus lots of opportunity for discussion about thinking outside the box & mindfully experiencing things. Lots of fun art & extension activity ideas in this free classroom guide from the publisher (6-page PDF)]

sky color

Sky Color - I feel colorful

Update 8/4/13: A great “Paint the Sky” guided relaxation from A Seedling’s Nightstand.

(Looking for more ways to explore feelings through color? Check out the My Many Colored Days post)

The Museum by Susan Verde, with art by Peter H. Reynolds (it’s cool that Susan was an elementary school teacher and is now a certified kid’s yoga instructor!) [As a little girl tours and twirls through the halls of an art museum, she finds herself on an exciting adventure. Each piece of art evokes something new inside of her: silliness, curiosity, joy and ultimately inspiration. When faced with an empty white canvas, she is energized to create and express herself. “When I see a work of art, something happens in my heart”. Opportunities for kids yoga or creative movement: mountain w/ Namaste hands at heart, Warrior I, Warrior II, dancer, crescent moon, standing star, standing forward fold (looking through legs at world upside down), chair, sitting down (a variety of seated poses – lotus, half-lotus, easy pose, seated twist, etc…), seated apple picking stretch, flower (incorporate real flowers into the class – inspired by this post from Carolyn at Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids), make up silly poses, laughter yoga, blank canvas mindfulness activity; Also lots of opportunity for discussion about our lives being a “blank canvas” and being empowered to “paint/create” your own future. Any open-ended art exploration activities would be fun to incorporate (remember it should be about the “process” of exploring & having fun with arts/crafts & not the end “product”. Also put thought into kid’s special needs & sensory sensitivities when selecting activities. There are lots of great ways to adapt art to make it accessible to all! http://www.zotartz.com/, http://www.kinderart.com/special/). Fun printables on the author’s website (curriculum guide coming soon!). For more ideas, see this great post Book to Boogie: Dance Inspired by Art by Kerry Aradhya at Picture Books & Pirouettes]

museum frame

more museum activity printables

UPDATE 9/27/13: Fabulous new activity guide for The Museum: http://www.fablevisionlearning.com/pdfs/fablevision_museum_educators_guide.pdf

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Adding art & movement with books taps into the power of multiple intelligences!

For more book suggestions, see the “Childrens Books that Inspire Creativity” post by A Childhood List.

Be watching for an update to this post this fall. A Little Bit of Oomph!, the sequel to Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg, is scheduled to release in September 2013 (I’ve already pre-ordered a copy through Amazon!).

UPDATE 9/27/13: I love “A Little Bit of Oomph!”. See this post for details: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2013/09/22/inspiring-kids-to-add-a-little-bit-of-oomph/

I’d love to hear your ideas for inspiring creativity! Feel free to leave a comment below or on the OMazing Kids Facebook page

BrightIdeas

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

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