Tag Archives: children yoga

St. Patrick’s Day Kids Yoga Ideas from OMazing Kids Yoga

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Here are some ideas for a St. Patrick’s Day kids yoga class…. see the comments & links on each picture in the album on the OMazing Kids Yoga Facebook page. I’m trying this out to see if posting ideas in an album is quicker than a blog post….. let me know what you think. Are ideas easier to look at in an album on Facebook or on a blog post?

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.336777133039965.93978.174264525957894&type=3

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids Yoga, LLC – inclusive yoga for kids & teens of all abilities in Norman, Oklahoma

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Blog: http://omazingkidsyoga.com

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

Review: Wise Heart Books – Smart Value Series

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  Looking for a fun way to teach kids positive values?

Then check out the Smart Values Series from Wise Heart Books! The Smart Values Series is a collection of five stories that help children understand the positive and transformative nature of good values. Each story describes how certain values – such as generosity, cleanliness, and honesty – can change us for the better.

Books with clear consequences and a moral to the story are a good way to teach values, character education and to use a yoga term: Yamas & Niyamas. Yamas are social disciplines –  how we behave toward others & Niyamas are personal disciplines – how we care for ourselves.

My two favorites in the Smart Values Series are “Manny the Mouse” & “Captain Grimy”. Here are a few details about them:

 Captain Grimy – Losing his leg to some greedy pirates turned Captain Grimy into a dirty, mean sea captain. But when a smart dolphin decides to show him respect and love, Captain Grimy cleans himself up and changes his ways. A beautiful story of how we can help change others by seeing the goodness deep inside.

I love how this story shows the power of kind words 🙂

  Manny the Mouse – After losing his tail to the baker’s cat, Manny the mouse quickly learns the consequences of stealing flour from the bakery. In this delightful and twisted tale of a tail, the mouse learns the importance of respecting what belongs to others.

I love how this story shows a clear consequence for actions & how the mouse learns to make better choices 🙂

I love that Wise Heart Books uses a portion of the sales of the books to support educational programs for disadvantaged children around the world & that they have free coloring sheets & discussion questions for each book on their website: http://www.wiseheartbooks.com/educational.html. (PDF of my two faves: Manny the Mouse & Captain Grimy Coloring Sheets)

  

Thoughts of the other three books in the series: The story line in “Annie the Ant” was a little more difficult to follow. Due to the settings I work in, two of the books in the series will not be as helpful due to the religious tone of “The Wise Woman of the Mountain” & the use of magic in “The Magic Bucket”.

Wise Heart Books

Website: http://www.wiseheartbooks.com/ – order books on their website. Books are available in a set or individually.

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

Blog: http://readingandgiving.blogspot.com/

They are in the process of developing a 2nd book series so be sure to “like” their Facebook page to get updates!

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review. Opinions expressed are my own.

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids Yoga, LLC – inclusive yoga for kids & teens of all abilities in Norman, Oklahoma

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Blog: http://omazingkidsyoga.com

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

Happy Fall – fun fall books & activities (updated for Fall 2012)

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A few fun fall books & activities to celebrate my favorite season…..

Several of my favorite fall books also have tons of great opportunities for kids yoga poses & breathing:

  • The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri (tree, spider, mouse – child’s pose, bird, grasshopper, frog, fish, cat, dog, pumpkin, owl, squirrel + do toe-ga to pick up pom-pom “acorns”, picking apple stretch, sun stretch & breath, buzzing bee breath, pick up leaves)
  • When the Leaf Blew In by Steve Metzger (blow on leaves, cow, spider, owl, pig-happy baby pose, goat-donkey kicks, chicken-bird, horse-neigh & stretch up, sheep-jump, duck, frog, dragonfly-buzzing breath, dog, squirrel, bird, tree) – Click here for story props I made for this book: When the Leaf Blew In story props(PDF)

  • Count Down to Fall by Fran Hawk (raccoon, possum, moon stretch, cat, butterfly, squirrel, bear, turtle, tree, owl, deer, paddle canoe partner pose, quaking aspen tree, bird, bunny breaths)
  • Red Are the Apples by Marc Harshman & Cheryl Ryan (flower, fish, cat, blowing wind breath, chicken-bird, raking-forward bend, bean pods-child’s pose, corn stalks-mountain pose, pumpkin, tractor drive group pose, bug-happy baby pose, scarecrow, crows-bird, apple picking stretch, ladder climbing-brain gym cross crawl)
  • We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger (sun stretch & breath, hike-brain gym cross crawl, mountain, tree, forest-trees group pose, waterfall, boat, skunk-cat pose lifting tail to spray, house- rooftops partner pose, leaf blowing, leaf picking). Click here for printable “Thankful Leaves”: Thankful leaves(PDF) & Be Thankful leaves bookmarks (PDF)

      

Kids Yoga Poses for There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves:

 

Music: To Be a Tree by The Flannery Brothers (http://flannerybrothers.com/track/to-be-a-tree)

Fun Five Golden Autumn Leaves song & printable props:

See more details on this post: http://picklebums.com/2012/05/17/printable-autumn-leaf-puppets-and-a-song/

Fun Free Printable Fall Barrier Game from 3 Dinosaurs: http://www.3dinosaurs.com/printables/packs/fall.php

Check out the cute video by Alluem Yoga Kids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jxN8r-BzM0

(Alluem Yoga Kids Blog – http://alluemkids.blogspot.com/)


Join in on a discussion about fun fall kids yoga ideas on the OMazing Kids Facebook page:

Click on a book cover to find that book on Amazon.com….
 
Other fun fall finds:
Leaves Falling song from Bill & Tammy’s Children’s World Music Express: http://www.amazon.com/Leaves-Falling/dp/B0017KQ2S6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349304582&s=dmusic&sr=1-1
   
 
 
Coloring Sheets:
       

Craft: Make a Basket & Leaves: 

http://familyfun.go.com/autumn/fall-printables/holiday-basket-with-leaves-704304/

  
Make Pumpkins
Fall Memory Match Game (print 2 copies on cardstock & cut apart into game cards. I added fall scrapbooking paper to the back of mine before laminating them)
A fun Pumpkin Pie Playdoh Recipe (to play with…. not to eat 🙂 )
More free printables, including fall-themed apple, leaves & pumpkin songs: http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/fallfun.html

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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