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

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

Posted on July 13, 2013 by OMazing Kids

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

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

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

The Feed the Woozle game includes:

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

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

What I love about the game:

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

Ways to adapt the game to meet special needs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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Pout-Pout Fish Lesson Plan plus Summer Themed Books, Music & Activities for Kids Yoga & Speech-Language

Posted on July 3, 2013 by OMazing Kids

The Pout-Pout Fish books are a wonderful way to infuse lessons about the power of your attitude, words & friendship into kids yoga & speech-language therapy sessions!

Here are some ideas for each book:

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen (kids yoga pose opportunities: pout-pout fish, oyster with pearl, jellyfish, squid, octopus, shimmer fish, sea turtle, sea horse, worm, starfish, urchin, crab, seaweed, puffer fish breath with Hoberman Sphere; lots of descriptive vocabulary for emotions & facial expressions: glum, gloomy, pout, dreary, weary, grin, frown, scowl, grimace, mope, joy, hope, sulking, cheery; kids LOVE the humorous repeated line: “I’m a pout-pout fish with a pout-pout face, so I spread the dreary-wearies all over the place…. Blub…. Bluuub… Bluuuuuuub”)
The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark by Deborah Diesen (kids yoga pose opportunities: fish, oyster with pearl, yawning breath, seaweed, sea snake, clam, starfish, anemone (flower), urchin, rocks on bottom of ocean floor, sailfish (triangle), shark, dolphin, dark (cover eyes), search looking through Gyan Mudra looking goggles, coral (tree), boat, worm, lantern fish (eye yoga with flashlights), Namaste ball game (roll ball back and forth while saying something positive about the person you are rolling it to); lots of unique vocabulary: yawn, whoosh, weep, promise, swoop, swish, mucky, deeper, dimmer, grimmer, slope, trench, braver; kids LOVE the repeated line: “I’m fast as a sailfish, I’m strong as a shark, I’m smart as a dolphin…. But I’m scared of the dark”. I LOVE how the story ends: “The ocean is wide, and the ocean is deep, but friends help friends – that’s a promise we keep”. For older kids, this can lead to wonderful discussions about obstacles in life & the power of encouraging words (“You can do it”) and having friends with you (“Two are faster than a sailfish, two are stronger than a shark, two are smarter than a dolphin, two are bigger than the dark”).

I use the plush fish & octopus as props. They can ride the waves of a child’s breath when relaxing in Savasana, passed in a seated twist around the circle, describe how they are “alike” & “different”, etc…. I also have used a ball or beach ball to play a game of “pass the pearl” with our feet around the circle when we find Ms. Clam’s missing pearl at the end of The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark.

The Pout-Pout Fish Rap:

The Pout-Pout Fish Song:

Watch a video of the book being read:

Coloring Sheets: Pout Pout Fish Coloring & Activites

The author’s website is full of other ideas & links to printables: http://deborahdiesen.com/books/pout-pout.html

Kohl’s Cares had both books, several plush & a tote for $5.00 each. A great deal + helps a great cause! They just launched a different campaign yesterday so these are now on clearance on their website. They also may be available in the toy clearance section in Kohl’s stores.

Looking for ideas for more summer themed ideas?

General Summer Theme

Alaska’s 12 Days of Summer by Pat Chamberlin-Calamar (A fun twist on the familiar 12 Days of Christmas except this time it’s summer with the following opportunities for kids yoga on an Alaska adventure: black bear, spruce tree, moose, bald eagle, wood frog, swan, grizzlies splashing, mosquito buzzing breath, salmon, caribou, wolf, dall sheep)
Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson (Fun rhyming text & repeated line. Opportunities for kids yoga: bear, cross crawl hike, tree, mouse, buzzing bee breath, flower, butterfly, bunny hops, bunny breaths, badger/gopher/mole (digging), wren/raven (bird), owl)
Elephants Swim by Linda Capus Riley (Fun book about how different animals “swim”. See an elephant, kangaroo, platypus, armadillo, tiger, jaguar, sea otter, squid, hippo, wildebeest, pelican, caribou, polar bear, sea turtle, walrus & whale)
I See Summer by Charles Ghigna (Fun simple rhyming text about things you see on a summer day: sun, sailboat, seagull, flower, butterfly, bird, snail, ladybug, seesaw, lemonade, ocean, seashell, fish, tree, dog, ice cream, picnic, firefly)
Splish, Splash and Blue by Christianne C. Jones (Fun book with rhyming text featuring the color “blue” at a water park)
Summer by Alice Low (great simple rhyming text about the joys of summer. Opportunities for kids yoga: watermelon (rock and roll on back), sun stretch and breath, palming for heat, ice cream scoops (child’s pose), bike pedaling, swing (ragdoll with arms on top of each other as a swing seat), bird, tree, butterfly, flower, water hose, fish, seagull, starfish, ocean breath, campfire, fireworks breath from Namaste Kid)
Summer Beat by Betsy Franco (The sounds of summer are celebrated with rhyming text & great descriptive language as two friends enjoy a summer day: skateboard, dog, sprinkler, hammock, tree, bee, frog, rain, sizzling burgers, table, chair, corn on the cob, watermelon seeds, three-legged-race, water balloon, sparklers, bikes, parade, fireworks, treehouse, sleeping bags, crickets, moon, stars)
Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Lee (opportunities for kids yoga: “paint the room” warm up, sun stretch & breath, cat. cross-crawl hike, flower, tree, lemonade (sitting in cobblers pose, tense & relax fists like squeezing lemons, reach to get the sugar, stir-the-pot to mix it up, triangle to pour it out, tense & relax face “ooh” it’s sour), buzzing bee breath, seesaw partner pose, slide, sandwiches (sit with legs out, what kind of sandwiches should we make for our picnic?, spread ingredients on legs, seated forward fold to put top bread on), ants (Warrior I), mouse, owl, fireflies, crescent moon, frog, forest of trees group pose, gate, bed, dream of summer nights savasana)
Fun Dog, Sun Dog by Deborah Heiligman (lots of rhyming & adjectives in this fun book)
The Twelve Days of Summer by Jan Andrews (A fun twist on the familiar 12 Days of Christmas except this time it’s summer with the following opportunities for kids yoga on an garden adventure: sun stretch & breath, nest (easy pose), eggs (child’s pose), dandelion seed (blowing cotton balls), grouse (seated angle pose), garter snake, buzzing bee, hawk (eagle), mole digging (standing forward fold to scoop dirt), toad (frog), daisy (flower), crow, swallow (Warrior III), butterfly)
The “Explore the Outdoors” card from the green section of the Yoga 4 Classrooms card deck has a fun Green Group Mandala activity.

An album of summer mandalas & coloring sheets on the OMazing Kids Facebook page (new ones added frequently)

Ocean / Beach Theme

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle (opportunities for kids yoga: choo-choo breath (for the rubber duck machine), seated forward fold (to reach to paint the duck eyes & bills…. legs are the conveyor belt & our toes were the ducks eyes & bills), seated twist (to deliver the box of rubber ducks to the truck), bumpy truck ride, boat, ocean breath, duck, dolphin, seal, polar bear, flamingo, pelican (standing forward fold to scoop the fish), turtle, octopus (4 kids sat back-to-back to make an 8-legged octopus & felt each others backs breathing), seagull, whale, sun stretch & breath, palming (to make it “dark”), swim ducky swim breath & savasana)
Beach Day by Karen Roosa (Fun rhyming text with lots of descriptive language. Opportunities for kids yoga: ocean breath, cross crawl hike, up dog, down dog, seagull, water skier (Warrior II), buzzing insect breath, beach umbrella (triangle), digging in sand, lighthouse, pass the beach ball with feet game, crab, happy baby, sailboat)
Deep Sea Dive by Salina Yoon (Fun rhyming text under the flap for each animal. The goggles cutout on the front of this board book is fun to look through. Animals in this book: sea star, sea turtle, octopus, crab, shark, jellyfish, lobster, puffer fish, seahorse, sea urchin & oyster. Plus coral & seaweed.)
I Spy Under the Ocean by Edward Gibbs (His whole series of books is fabulous to work on part-to-whole, inferencing & descriptive language. I love the circular cut out that gives you a peek at what is on the next page. This one has the following animals: clownfish, sea horse, crab, sword fish, octopus, dolphin, shark)
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff (kids yoga opportunities: baking cupcakes – easy pose legs as bowl, shake in flour, sugar & other ingredients, mix (stir the pot & do “washing machine” for mixer), forward seated with legs being oven rack & stretch arms to close the oven door, tick-tock-toes timer, “mmm” breath as we smell it cooking, spread on icing & shake on spinkles; table, sand castle (triangle), sea shell (forward seated fold), ocean breath, surfing (Warrior II), sunglasses (gyan mudra), pass the beachball with feet game, cross-crawl hike, boat, whale, dinosaur stomps, pterodactyl (bird), monkey. You could even add a mindful tasting activity (of course be mindful of any food sensitivities, allergies, etc….). Printables for the book: http://www.mousecookiebooks.com/activities/pdfs/cupcake_activities.pdf)
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry (hilarious book to work on the concept of “big-bigger-biggest” and inferencing. See these free storyprops from Kizclub for the sea creatures featured in the book: I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean story props (color version) & I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean story props (black & white version))
Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman. (Follow Lulu (aka. Ladybug Girl) on a beach adventure where she overcomes her fears. Opportunities for kids yoga: bumpy car ride w/ pool noodle steering wheel, stretch, down dog, up dog, cross crawl hike, ocean breath, standing forward fold to dig in the sand, gyan mudra binoculars, kite, ice cream scoops (child’s pose), draw in the sand (lazy 8’s from Brain Gym), seagull (Warrior III), crab, seaweed (ragdoll), shells (seated forward fold), Ladybug Girl saves the bucket (Warrior II then Warrior I), affirmation (“I’m brave – I’m not afraid of anything!), starfish savasana)
Luke’s Beach Day by Giselle Shardlow (this new addition to the Kids Yoga Stories series features Luke and his classmates on a field trip to the beach. A picture for the pose is included on each 1-2 page spread. Be watching for a review/giveaway for this fun book soon!)
Octopus Alone by Divya Srinivasan (A touching tale about a shy octopus who goes on an adventure in search of some “alone” time and then joyfully returns to her friends. Opportunities for kids yoga: octopus, shrimp, squid, sea turtle, sea horse, sea snake, anemone, urchin, sea slug, lobster, clam, jellyfish, starfish, crab, eel, whale, coral & lots of types of fish)
Once Upon a Tide by Tony Mitton (Fun rhyming text with the following opportunities for kids yoga: spyglass (gyan mudra at eyes), hammer (woodchopper), thread the needle, sewing (lazy 8’s from Brain Gym), biscuits (sit with legs out & pretend to spread butter on, forward fold to put the top on the biscuit), up dog, down dog, seagull (balance on 1 leg), compass (standing star & then balance on 1 side), map (roll/unroll in yoga mat), boat, ocean breath, whale, sail (triangle), coconut palm tree, snake, bug, monkey, dig (standing forward fold & the back up as you “dig”), pirate “arrgh” breath, crab, flower, ragdoll, starfish savasana)
Over in the Ocean In a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes (Great repeated & predictable text. Love the “eye-popping” photographs of reliefs sculpted from polymer clay! Free teacher’s guide, Over in the Ocean Audio Files (Singing), Over in the Ocean Audio Files (Reading), Over in the Ocean Bookmarks

Secret Seahorse by Stella Blackstone (This book has the following animals & sea life: anemone, angelfish, barracuda, clown fish, coral, crab, giant clam, hermit crab, jellyfish, lion fish, lobster, octopus, oyster, parrotfish, sea slug, sea turtle, sea urchin, seaweed, shark, starfish, stingray, swordfish. Kids love looking for the hidden seahorse on each page!)
Somewhere in the Ocean by Jennifer Ward (A fun twist on the familiar “Over in the Meadow” rhyming text, counting & repeated line. Animals in the book: manatee, orca whale, clown fish, hermit crab, sea otter, tiger shark, sea horse, sea turtle, octopus. Free printables: Tools for Teachers PDF, Reader’s Theater Lesson Plan)
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell by Lucille Colandro (see the free printable There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell story props for what she swallows in the book. Additional ideas for poses based on things in the background: sailboat, palm tree, starfish, clouds, clam, snail, dog, shark, lighthouse, bugs, spider)

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell story props

We’re Sailing to Galapagos: A Week in the Pacific by Laurie Krebs (Great rhyming text & repeated lines. Opportunities for kids yoga: sailboat, ocean breath, tortoise, albatross (Warrior III), iguana (plank), crab, fish, sea lions, red pouched frigate birds (belly breathing w/ hoberman sphere))
The Yoga 4 Classrooms card deck has an “Ocean Breath” card in the blue section & great “At the Beach” guided relaxation card in the purple section.
The Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids book has “A Day at the Beach” & “Under the Sea” relaxation stories

Make Calming Ocean Glitter Bottles (free ocean glitter bottles labels printable)

Cool Beach in a Bottle sensory craft:

Kids Yoga Stories has a free beach-themed lesson plan: http://www.kidsyogastories.com/free-resources/.

Summer yoga ideas from Kami at Elahi Yoga in the Parenting Special Needs Magazine – go to page 58 http://magazine.parentingspecialneeds.org/publication/?i=111307&l&m&p=58&id=5779

Cute Sea Animal Memory Game printable from LearnCreateLove.com: http://learncreatelove.com/?p=4050.

Fabulous sea creature printables from Picklebums: http://nurturestore.co.uk/printable-sea-creatures-ocean-play-dough

sea-creatures-ocean-play-dough

Beach & Ocean playdoh: http://pinterest.com/pin/225813368788645551/

Looking for the Pirate-Themed Yoga? See this post:

Camping / Lake / River Theme:

Curious George Goes Camping by Margret & H.A. Rey (Curious George saves the day in this camping adventure. Opportunities for kids yoga: monkey, drive the car w/ pool noodle steering wheel, pitching a tent, up dog, water pump, bucket, campfire, deer, forest of trees, lizard, squirrel, cat, skunk, washing off in creek)
Into the Outdoors by Susan Gal (a great book to go with a “camping” theme and a fun way to work on prepositions. This book has the following opportunities for yoga poses/activities: car ride (seated forward fold to close the car door & drive w/ pool noodle steering wheel), mountain, bridge, trees, tent (partner rooftops to pitch… the tent), cross-crawl hike (from Brain Gym), going across the stream (could be big steps around the yoga mats or yoga blocks… or maybe we need a canoe), boulders (child’s pose), eagle, waterfall, moon, woodchopper to chop firewood, campfire (palming to warm hands), stars. There are lots of animals in the book as well so we may add poses for those: bear, fox, deer, moose, porcupine (lotus mudra), turtle, frog, dragonfly, raccoon (gyan mudra at eyes for mask), woodpecker & owl. Want more ideas for this book? Check out these great posts by Picture Books & Pirouettes: http://kerryaradhya.blogspot.com/2012/09/into-outdoors-plethora-of-prepositions.html & Maria’s Movers: http://mariasmovers.com/2012/09/04/into-the-outdoors-camping-dance/
Ladybug Girl and Bingo by David Soman (Follow Lulu (aka. Ladybug Girl) on a camping adventure. Opportunities for kids yoga: cross crawl hike, forest of trees group pose, up dog, down dog, bird, turtle, butterfly, canoe, quiet mindful listening, mermaid (pigeon), fish, picnic lunch sequence (open the picnic basket – seated forward fold, decide what kind of sandwiches to make for the picnic, spread out the blanket, seated twist to pass the picnic basket), unicorn, tiger, rocket, boulder, helicopter, pitching a tent (triangle pose), campfire (palming), star, firefly, roll up in sleeping bag (rolling up in yoga mat)
Little Bear’s Little Boat by Eve Bunting (opportunities for kids yoga: boat, fish, tree, beaver (woodchopper), otter, blue heron (balance on 1 leg). Wonderful messages in the book about growing up, destiny & sharing)
Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root (lots of fun descriptive language, sounds & repeated line)
When We Go Camping by Margriet Ruurs (Gorgeous painted illustrations depict a camping adventure. The back of the book contains hints for finding animals hidden in each painting. Opportunities for kids yoga: tent, sleeping bag, moose, bird, squirrel, canoe, sun stretch & breath, mountain, fish, woodchopper, campfire, bear, skunk, elk, forest of trees, cross crawl hike, butterfly, worm, water bugs, frog, berry picking, owl, eagle, cricket. More if you can find the animals hidden in each picture)
The Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids book has “The Night Sky” & “Making Friends with a Tree” relaxation stories

A free kids yoga lesson plan that I wrote for Your True Nature inspired by “Advice from a River” – https://omazingkidsllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kids-yoga-lesson-plan-inspired-by-advice-from-a-river-your-true-nature.pdf. It is also available on the Your True Nature website, along with other lesson plans, at http://www.yourtruenature.com/yoga (http://www.yourtruenature.com/library/images/Teacher%20Curriculum/Omazing%20Kid%20Yoga.pdf)

Want lots of fun ideas for a “camping” themed kids yoga class? Check out the post on the Little Yoga Stars blog – http://littleyogastars.blogspot.com/2012/03/camping-lesson-plan.html)

Here’s a great camping coloring sheet: http://www.seeyosemite.com/support-files/camping-page1.pdf.

Another coloring sheet: http://funcoloringsheets.blogspot.com/2011/08/camping-in-moonlight.html.

Lots of fun free camping-themed printables & craft ideas: http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/2011/09/camping-preschool-unit-preschool-corner/

Camping Bingo free printable: http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Family-Fun/outdoor-activities/Camping-Bingo.aspx

Father’s Day Theme

Daddy Hug by Tim Wares
Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle
My Dad by Anthony Browne
My Daddy is a Pretzel by Baron Baptiste
Papa, Please get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle

(see kids yoga ideas shared during this brainstorming session on OMazing Kids: http://tinyurl.com/kxfyf3a)

4th of July Theme

Two great books with lots of opportunities for kids yoga: Red, White and Boom! by Lee Wardlaw & “Carl’s Summer Vacation” by Alexandra Day (doesn’t specifically mention the 4th of July but could easily fit that theme since it ends with them watching fireworks). Here’s a free teacher’s guide for Red, White and Boom!:http://www.leewardlaw.com/PDF/redwhiteboomguide.pdf.
Namaste Kid has a fun Firework Breath video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGlcD9DNpVc.
Yogainmyschool.com has this fun sequence: http://yogainmyschool.com/fourth-of-july-kids-yoga-sequence/
Kids Yoga Stories has a new lesson plan inspired by the book “M is for Majestic: A National Parks Alphabet by David Domeniconi: http://www.kidsyogastories.com/free-resources/

* Free printable pinwheels from Spoonful: http://spoonful.com/printables/mickey-donalds-patriotic-pinwheel (great for breathwork)

* Love this idea from Pink and Green Mama Blog for a patriotic “Eye Spy Bottle”: http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2011/07/smart-summer-challenge-week-2_07.html?m=1

I’d love to hear your ideas for more summer-themed kids yoga! 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

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

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

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

Posted on May 4, 2013 by OMazing Kids

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

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

seeds & garden themed books

Books:

Big Yellow Sunflower by Frances Barry (kids yoga ideas)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Playlist:

Dandelion by Steve Weeks

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

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

Garden Song by David LaMotte

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

In My Garden by Serina Jung

Like a Flower to the Sun by Jack Grunsky

Mama Nature by Kira Willey

One Seed by Laurie Berkner

One Small Seed by Nu Myth Band

Planting a Seed of Peace by Betsy Rose

Planting Seeds of Love by Pam Donkin

Seed Song by Tom Hunter

Seeds for My Garden by Jack Grunsky

Sleepy Night Garden by Sada (guided relaxation)

Working in My Garden by Peanut Butter Jellyfish

You are My Flower by Elizabeth Mitchell

flowers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More seeds & garden fun:

Kindness Tree idea from The Learning Station ♥

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

Free printable seed packets

wwsees-preview

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

Great gardening printable packs:

http://homeschoolcreations.com/gardenpreschoolpack.html

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

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

Make flowers out of cupcake liners:

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

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

pladough-garden-title

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

Yoga 4 Classroom Metamorphosis card

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

Imaginations cover

The Yoga Garden Game

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Peace Garden guided relaxation story from Bodylogique

Spring, Insect & Flower Mandalas & Coloring Pages

DIY Veggie Garden Sensory Box

Rock Garden Marker Craft

Bug finger puppet rings printable

Bug mobile printable

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

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A story of Gratitude, Loss & Blessing in the Kids Yoga Community

Posted on April 7, 2013 by OMazing Kids

How do you express gratitude? How do you respond in times of loss? Do you actively seek out opportunities to be a blessing? Your heart will smile to hear this story of gratitude, loss & blessing.

HandPlantingSeeds

This story began on February 5, 2013 when Rossana Carrasco, a kids yoga teacher in Mexico City, won the giveaway for Jeeva Finds Courage (Read and Learn Yoga book) and took the time not only to express “thanks” via e-mail but also to post a pic several weeks later of her young yogis enjoying the book and a word of “thanks” on the OMazing Kids Facebook page (a very rare instance of someone taking the time to do so). She also shared pics on the company’s Facebook page. Rossana planted “seeds of gratitude”.

Rossana's yogis with the Jeeva book FB post

When she entered the Nurture Cards – affirmation cards for children giveaway on March 30, 2013, I found out that the Jeeva Finds Courage book she had won along with all of her other kids yoga materials had been stolen. Her entry comment:

“Hello again, I´m Rossana Carrasco, from Mexico City. I´m always looking for new material for my Little Yogis and I´m obsessed with affirmations, especially when they include these two words: I AM… I am so convinced that what follows those two words is what you become… And I want to empower my kids, I want the best for them. I would use the cards with them. I´ve got around 50 students from the ages 3 to 12 at Lancaster School in Mexico City, some of them are special kids with special needs and I love working with them. In the other hand, I was blessed by winning the Jeeva finds courage book, which I loved and my kids did too. A few days ago someone took from my car trunk all my yoga material: my card decks, Jeeva book, teachers´manual, toys, etc. All the things that I´ve been acquiring for the last 3 years… I have to start over again. I´ve been a little sad because of this and Nurture Cards would really be great to restore my optimism. In fact, they just did.” Rossana had experienced loss.

Of course that was one of the winning entries and the story could have ended there. But I knew that Rossana would need more than that to continue her work with the kids. Her situation touched me so much because she had taken the time to show gratitude & works with kids with special needs. I was inspired to reach out to the kids yoga community on Rossana’s behalf at least in part by the message in the book “Good People Everywhere”. While I don’t personally have any of my own kids yoga or wellness products to donate to Rossana, I knew that I could do something to help her by using my time & the connections that I have formed with those who did.

So I reached out to all the folks I know in the kids yoga community who have products and shared Rossana’s story with them. I was hoping for just a few extra things to get Rossana started on the path of rebuilding her collection of kids yoga materials. What happened next surprised & filled me with great joy! (well actually it shouldn’t have surprised me since I had “planted seeds” too. Over the past 2 years I had connected with these folks in the kids yoga community through “liking” and sharing things from their Facebook fan pages, retweeting, repinning, doing reviews/giveaways for their products, etc….)

showers-blessing-wallpaper_1920x1200

What started as a few sprinkles became showers of blessings of offers to send products to Rossana. Here are the blessings heading her way:

Mindful Practices – yoga cards (Carla Tantillo – Mindful Practices)
La Musica de Yoga en Movimiento (Spanish music) and Relax (English) downloads (Shakta Khalsa – Radiant Child Yoga)
Yoga Yingo – Yoga Yingo games and an Indigo Dreams CD (Jeanette Runnings – Yoga-Yingo)
You Are Not Your Thoughts & You Are Not Your Thoughts…but what you think matters books (Brian Despard – You Are Not Your Thoughts – Mindfulness for Everyone)
Musical Yoga Adventures first CD and a routine booklet (Linda Lara – Musical Yoga Adventures)
Sofia en una Aventura por la Selva Kids Yoga Stories book (in Spanish) (Giselle Shardlow – Kids Yoga Stories)
Shanti Generation DVD’s – Yoga Skills for Youth Peacemakers and Partner Yoga for Teens (Abby Wills – Shanti Generation)
Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids (Carolyn Clarke – Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids)
I am the Breeze Guided Meditation CD (Nancy Williams – Yoga Therapy 4 Every Special Child)
Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck (Lisa Flynn – Yoga 4 Classrooms)
Jeeva Finds Courage book from Read and Learn Yoga (Tasha Rose – Read and Learn Yoga)
Come Play Yoga! CD (Shari Vilchez-Blatt – Karma Kids Yoga)
The ABC’s of Yoga for Kids books (English & Spanish versions) & Yoga Adventures With Downward Dog: A Yoga Alphabet Playdate DVD (Teresa Power – The ABCs of Yoga for Kids)
Yoga Power Curriculum and Pizza Party DVD (Leah Kalish – Move with Me Action Adventures)
Rainbow Kids Yoga cards & manuals (to replace the ones she had lost) (Gopala Yaffe – Rainbow Kids Yoga)
Yoga Games Galore downloadable e-book (Donna Freeman – yogainmyschool.com)
Good People Everywhere book (Lynea Gillen – Good People Everywhere)
Kings & Queens of the Forest: Yoga Songs for Kids Vol. 2 (Kira Willey – Kira Willey)
Elevator Series Pose Cards (Amy Haysman & Cheryl Crawford – Grounded: Yoga, Laughter, Elevation)
Yoga Motion & Once Upon A Mat DVD’s (Amira Gaynor – Namaste Kid)
Dragonflies Adventure , The Ocean Surfari, 21 ways to grow a healthy brain, & Calm and Connected books plus 2 digital downloads: 15 play dough recipes and the 4 B’s self-calming smart card (Barbara Gini – BodyLogique)
Little Lotus Kids yoga cards (Tracy Johnson – Little Lotus Kids Yoga Cards)
Kidding Around Yoga, Namaste ‘n Play & OM Work 3 CD’s (Haris Lender – Kidding Around Yoga)
It’s Time for Yoga book (Tara Rachel Jones – Flower Yoga)
Yogi and Yogette Learn the Asana Alphabet coloring book (Ann Robideaux – Asana Alphabet)
Music for Dreaming CD & Creative Relaxation Yoga for Children DVD (Louise Goldberg – Creative Relaxation: Yoga Therapy for Special Needs)
Storytime Yoga: Teaching Yoga to Children through Story! book – Spanish version (Sydney Solis – Storytime Yoga with Sydney Solis)
Update 4/8/13: Calm Kids – Help Children Relax with Mindful Activities book & Level 1 online course (Lorraine Murray – Teach Children Meditation Campaign)
Update 4/26/13: Kurma Kids Kit – in Spanish (1 Kurma Kards, 1 Kurma Poster, 1 Kurma Puzzle) (Ana Menchaca – Kurma Yoga)
Update 6/4/13: Creative Yoga Games for Kids Volume 1 & Volume 2 (when it’s released this summer), Creative Yoga for Teenagers Book & From Yoga to Dance DVD (Edna Reinhardt – Over the Moon Studio in Australia. Edna has a fabulous FB Group that you should check out: https://www.facebook.com/groups/293881080695013/)

I encourage each of you to take the time to check out and “like” each company’s Facebook page (links in blue). While you’re there, go a little further by liking, commenting on and sharing something they have posted on their page. I know it encourages me when folks do that on my page so I’m sure they would appreciate that as well. Each FB page will have a link to their website in the “About” section. Go check out the products they offer. I have listed the person’s name so you can put a name with each page. I think sometimes we forget that there is a real person behind each company or page. A real person that has sown much energy into the work they do & have sown their own “seeds”. Many of them expressed being grateful for the opportunity to participate in this blessing project. So when you visit their page, please keep that in mind. They are part of the kids yoga “community”. When visiting a page, treat it like visiting a friend’s house.

challenge yourself

So the story could end there….a nice happy ending. But I want to challenge each of us to see what we can learn from this. In the past 2 years I have hosted 50 giveaways and had become very discouraged at the lack of gratitude in folks who have won. This is concerning since an “attitude of gratitude” or “thankfulness” is often a theme included in kids yoga classes…. so one would think the adults would be leading by example. Our high-tech digital age makes it so easy to communicate & express thanks but it seems to be having a reverse effect. The other thing that has bugged me lately is when someone has “liked” something I have posted and then a few moments or hours later it shows up in a post on their FB page or blog with no mention of seeing it on OMazing Kids. I think that bugs me so much because I go out of my way to find, “like”, share & promote other pages & blogs and go to great lengths to give credit. I know this has happened to others as well. This is again particularly concerning from folks who are teaching kids.

I’m not claiming to be perfect but I am always striving to be better every day. About 10 years ago my husband & I went through a very dark period with the loss of a pregnancy. After a long period of grief, infertility treatments, depression & weight gain, I had to come to the place to choose to be happy for the many blessings I “do” have in my life vs. being consumed with focusing on what I did “not” have. From that day forward I have made a conscious choice each day to express gratitude & to seek out how I could be a blessing to others. It is not just something I “do”…. it has become who I “am”.

I am hoping that my blog post about Rosanna’s story & these kids yoga companies’ generosity will inspire folks. I am looking forward to hearing how Rossana’s young yogis enjoy the new materials & seeing pics of them. Every time Rossana uses each item that has been donated it will have a special memory & story attached to it. I’m sure she will relay the story about her loss & then a great outpouring of blessings from folks all over the world. Imagine the seeds this will sow in these young children! I’m sure someone sowed a seed in Rossana’s life that planted this deep expression of gratitude in her.

See this album on the OMazing Kids FB page. I will be adding pics that Rossana posts of her young yogis enjoying the donated items. The smiles are priceless! – https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga?ref=tn_tnmn#!/media/set/?set=a.539215672796109.1073741830.174264525957894&type=1

Theses websites have great info about gratitude:

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. ~ Ezekiel 34:26

kidandplant

P.S. I attempted to be as inclusive as possible in reaching out to the kids yoga community when seeking donations for Rossana. Guess what….. this does not have to be the end of the showers of blessings. If you have a product that you would like to donate, you can reach me by e-mail. I’d be happy to update this blog post with any future blessings 🙂

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

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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Music to Promote Acceptance & Love for Kids of All Abilities

Posted on April 2, 2013 by OMazing Kids

See the story behind “Love Me For Who I Am”….

“Like” Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could & Celebrate The Children School on Facebook.

Listen to & purchase their great music. This beautiful album honors kids of all abilities with themes that resonate particularly well for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Sensory Processing Disorder:

See the lyrics & artwork at: http://www.bradyrymer.com/grammy2011/interactive/

love me for wh I am lyrics

April is Autism Awareness & Acceptance Month. Inclusion, acceptance & love should be practiced every day…. but months like this are a good opportunity to raise awareness & then go beyond awareness to building programs, services & communities that support individuals of ALL abilities and needs ♥

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

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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2nd Blogiversary at OMazing Kids

Posted on March 30, 2013 by OMazing Kids

I just realized that today is my 2nd blogiversary!

I started the OMazing Kids blog & Facebook page two years ago as a way to share info with 55 participants at a workshop I was scheduled to present at. I had no idea that it would grow into so much more! It was fun to see the OMazing Kids Facebook page pass the 3,200 mark today. I love networking and sharing ideas. My hope for this upcoming year of blogging and social media is that OMazing Kids will continue to grow as a community of folks who exchange ideas, connect & support each other in our work with kids.

Feel free to ask a question, share ideas, share links for fun things, share your kids yoga Facebook page, blog posts, etc…. Anything related to kids yoga, kids wellness, education, special needs, etc. is fine. Feel free to post on the OMazing Kids Facebook page or send me a Facebook message and I’ll be glad to share it with the group. If you post logged in as your FB page, please give your name & if you post logged in as yourself, please “tag” or include the link to your kids yoga FB page if you have one. It will help folks get to know each other & build connections. It’s also one of the main ways I find new FB pages to “like” 🙂

The only things that I ask in return are that you post a comment on that brainstorming session thanking folks who took the time to share ideas, that you consider “liking” each other’s kids yoga Facebook pages & that you consider inviting a couple of friends to come join us on OMazing Kids.

Feel free to share ideas that you see on OMazing Kids. Thanks in advance for tagging my page or mentioning that the OMazing Kids blog, Facebook page or other social media sites were the source. I go to great lengths to share original sources, give credit and to help promote other pages…. so I would appreciate the kindness in return 🙂

Be watching for lots of fun reviews & giveaways over the next few months…. at last count I had about a dozen on the “to do” list. The JD McCarty Center, where I work full-time as a Speech-Language Pathologist, is a non-profit pediatric rehab hospital for kids ages 0-21 years with developmental disabilities. So budgets are always tight. Doing reviews & giveaways on my own time in the evenings & on weekends is the primary way I get kids yoga & wellness materials to use with our patients. Plus it’s a fun way to spread the word about great products and provides an opportunity for you to win great items to use with your kids!

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