Review & Giveaway: Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs book & Creative Relaxation Yoga for Children DVD

Louise Goldberg Yoga Therapy Giveaway

.

Want to learn more about doing therapeutic yoga with kids with Autism and other special needs? Check out this fabulous book & DVD from Louise Goldberg…..

.

Product Descriptions:  

549416_491435557585356_1278378383_n

Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs by Louise Goldberg

For use in school, at home, or in therapeutic settings, Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs is a how-to manual that meets children where they are, providing a yoga therapy “lesson plan” that will engage them; promote play, social interaction, speech, language, and motor development; and enhance their self-esteem. It teaches an array of Creative Relaxation techniques using posture, breathing, and mindfulness designed specifically for children with autism and special needs. Drawing on her 30 years of yoga therapy experience with children and those who work with them, the author walks readers through yoga strategies that both calm and energize, emphasizing sensory and bodily awareness and the “sacred space” that is so important for these children. Learn the best ways to use your voice and body effectively when working with children; how to minimize distractions and ease transitions; and how to create personalized yoga breaks to enhance independence and avert meltdowns. Featuring 60 illustrated poses, 89 photos, and 65 lessons, songs, and games, child-friendly instructions are provided for posture, breathing, and mindfulness exercises. All poses and routines include suggested adaptations and precautions for use, and are organized to address specific sensory skills. Current research on the benefits of yoga for health and learning is summarized, and readers learn how, through yoga practice, the brain’s response to stress can be effectively mitigated.

  • Hardcover: 300 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (August 26, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393707857
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393707854
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 10 inches

Amazon.com has a good preview of the book….. here are just a few screenshots from that:

TOC autism

toc autism 2

curriculum for calm

golden rules

whole child

chants

It was cool to see OMazing Kids & my name mentioned in the book (pgs. 88, 121 & 288-289)  🙂

CR-dvdcover

Creative Relaxation Yoga for Children DVD by Louise Goldberg

Yoga-based Exercise Featuring Children with Special Needs. Complete Yoga Class plus Mini Relaxation Class. Louise guides children through a 25 minute yoga class, including floating on a cloud (deep relaxation). Her gentle voice and encouragement put students at ease. The mini class is an 8-minute calming session to soothe and help students focus. Curriculum created and taught by Louise Goldberg to students within the autism spectrum, grades 4 – 5. Program is suitable for children ages 4 through 9, or older children with special needs, in school or at home. Released in 2004.

Preview video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvYWrlj7lJM

A few screenshots from the DVD:

Creative Relaxation DVD 2

.

Creative Relaxation DVD 3

.

Creative Relaxation DVD 4

.

Creative Relaxation DVD 5

.

Creative Relaxation DVD 7

.

Creative Relaxation DVD 8

.

Creative Relaxation DVD 9

bar - green

Here’s what I love about these products: 

This book is full of wisdom & insight into working with kids with special needs. The weight & feel of it reminds me of a textbook from grad school. I took several weeks to read it slowly & soak in all its wealth of info. The depth of information & research behind “why” you would do activities is phenomenal.  I love that the first 140 pages of the book are devoted to developing a solid understanding about assessing needs, the brain, stress, creating a safe space for yoga, contraindications for particular poses or activities, engaging children, levels of prompting, simplifying instructions, handling challenging behaviors and more. These are all very important to understand before jumping into doing therapeutic yoga. Each of the 60 yoga poses includes a black and white photo and information about the starting position, benefits, simple child-friendly instructions, points to remember, variations, precautions, counterpose & sequencing tips. Additional information is provided for yoga flow sequences & yoga for particular needs (this section will come in handy for OT’s, PT’s, SLP’s and other therapists wanting to incorporate yoga into their therapeutic “toolbox”). The Yoga Therapy for Classrooms section contains great sequences and tips for incorporating yoga breaks. I get several requests per month from folks wanting information on how to do therapeutic yoga. This book will now be added to my short list of “must have” resources. The concepts in this book are solid beyond the scope of a therapeutic yoga class…. anyone who works with children with special needs should read this book!

.

I love that the video shows a real yoga therapy class in action. All the children in the video have Autism and it was taped in a classroom. There is occasionally background noise from the hallway or other classrooms, they use nap pads vs. yoga mats & like any classroom there are visual distractions. Yet Louise creates an oasis of calm for these kids that is golden! Her calm soothing voice & slow pace keep the kids engaged. She provides the minimal amount of prompting needed and always asks the child’s permission first. Many of the poses and activities in the video are also included in her book as well as the S.T.O.P. and RELAX© curriculum. If you are looking to build your therapeutic yoga library, all three items are recommended.

bar - green
The book is available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Therapy-Children-Autism-Special-Needs/dp/0393707857, publisher’s website: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294972273. International ordering information is available on the publisher’s website: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/aboutcontent.aspx?id=4394.
The DVD is available on Louise’s website: http://relaxationnow.net/yogaforchildren.html
.

For product updates, be sure to  “like” the author’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Yogaforspecialneeds , “follow” her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Yoga4Autism and check out her website: http://www.yogaforspecialneeds.com/

FYI…. Louise is also one of the co-creators of the S.T.O.P. and RELAX© curriculum and offers trainings: http://www.yogaforspecialneeds.com/classesCR.html.

.

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

giveaway

Easy Entry Form:

USA only 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 October 28, 2013.

Rules of Participation:

  • Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
  • One entry per person.
  • Only USA 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 October 29, 2013.

1 winner will receive the following prize package:

  • 1 copy of Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs (book)
  • 1 copy of Creative Relaxation Yoga for Children (DVD)

  • 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: $24.95 book, $22.00 DVD = $46.95 total value

Other Legal Stuff: I know they’re just kids yoga products 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.

grass-green-divider-bar

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

crayons divider

Review & Giveaway: Yoga Education Resources

.

Check out these fabulous products from Yoga Education Resources…..

.

It was so fun to receive packages all the way from Edna Reinhardt at Yoga Education Resources in Australia. They arrived after several months via “sea mail” (in case you are wondering, postage for companies to ship items internationally is VERY expensive so they often use “sea mail” as a cheaper but slower alternative). Edna is one of the generous souls who donated items in the Planting Seeds blessing project in the spring. It made my heart smile to see that the products she sent to Rossana finally arrived in Mexico after 4 months of traveling.

One of Rossana’s yogis doing Stumpy Tailed Crocodile pose from Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 2

stumpy tail crocodile

Product Descriptions:  

Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 1: 8 sequences, 48 cards. ages 4 and up.  I received the digital download & boxed set version to review. The boxed set is made up of 48 numbered yoga postures on 130x130mm (5.125 inch x 5.125 inch) laminated cards and a 28 page booklet. The postures are of varying degrees of difficulty. The booklet includes 14 class plans for teachers and instructions for activities and games. These include memory games, transition games (creating links between postures) and creative movement, encouraging the link to dance in a natural and simple way. The digital download version is a 50 page PDF file (4.5MB). All the pose cards and the general instructions are included. The remainder of the instructional booklet that comes with the boxed set is not currently part of the digital download (the company is working on adding it).

Creative Yoga Games for Kids - Volume 1 (Boxed Set and digital download)

Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 2: 8 sequences, 50 cards. ages 4 and up. I received the digital download & boxed set version to review. The boxed set is made up of 50 numbered yoga postures on 130x130mm (5.125 inch x 5.125 inch) laminated cards and a 28 page booklet. The postures are of varying degrees of difficulty. The volume 2 instructional booklet includes general info about the postures, class theme ideas, including playlist suggestions for each (quiet focus, yoga pictures, positive and negative space, co~operation, traveling) and choreographic challenges. The digital download version is a 52 page PDF file (5.9MB). All the pose cards and the general instructions are included. The remainder of the instructional booklet that comes with the boxed set is not currently part of the digital download (the company is working on adding it).

Creative Yoga Games for Kids - Volume 2 (Boxed Set and digital download)

Creative Yoga for Teenagers – this spiral-bound 112-page 10.25″ x 10.5″ book presents each posture on a separate page before showing how they are combined to create sequences of movement. Instructions for the yoga postures are accompanied by photographs demonstrating correct alignment.

CYFT-1 CreativeYogaTeenagers1

Here is a sample of one of the sequences:

creative yoga for teenagers - sequence 2

From Yoga To Dance For Kids DVD: In this 53 minute video ten boys and girls from 5 to 12 years old demonstrate a selection of yoga postures that are artfully arranged into 4 comprehensive yoga sequences.

  • a  warm up yoga sequence
  • kaleidoscope (a yoga sequence practiced in a circle)
  • traveling (a yoga sequence that can move in space)
  • a cool down yoga sequence

Each sequence is demonstrated twice. Once with detailed instructions so that the postures can be practiced accurately and then again with musical accompaniment to inspire the flowing nature of yoga sequences. In all there are 48 postures to learn. An added bonus is the delightful demonstration of how you can use yoga technique as a basis for improvised or choreographed dance.

YogatoDance-DVD-Cover-lg1

DVD yoga to dance

DVD yoga to dance 2

DVD yoga to dance 3

DVD yoga to dance 5

DVD yoga to dance 7

DVD yoga to dance 6

bar - green

Here’s what I love about these products: 

  • The cards are a nice size, have a protective laminated finish & come in a storage box.
  • The photographs of the kids are stunning and depict a range of ages of boys & girls from diverse ethnic groups.
  • The instructions on the cards & in the book are simple.
  • The boxed card sets come with an instructional booklet that is packed full of helpful ideas.
  • I can see the benefits of having PDF & boxed set versions of the cards. The PDF version would be great for settings where you want to print posters of the poses or show them on a smartboard in a classroom setting. The boxed sets of cards would be nice in yoga studios, small group settings, individual use at home or as part of a yoga break station in a classroom.
  • The spiral-bound book has nice large pages, big pictures and stays open when laid on the floor. I love the ideas for flows of yoga sequences in the book.
  • The DVD has a nice variety of poses, explains them in detail and then shows them in a flow set to lovely music. The narrated portion provides a lot of detail that will be helpful for those who may be unfamiliar with kids yoga. This amount of verbal detail may be too much for kids with auditory processing problems, intellectual disabilities or other special needs. In this case, the adult could watch the section to gain understanding and then present it to the child with the sound muted and provide simplified verbal cues. I love the ideas for flow of transitions between poses & that guided relaxation is included.
bar - green
Available on the company’s website: http://yogaeducationresources.com.au/
.

For product updates, be sure to  “join” their group on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/293881080695013/ & for more ideas subscribe to their Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/yogaresources/videos

They also sell kids yoga lesson plans on their website: http://yogaeducationresources.com.au/product-category/class-plan-pdfs/. Edna sent me a copy of the two included in the prize package. Love that they include photos of the poses!

See a free lesson plan sample from a giveaway that was recently held on another website:

http://yogainmelbourne.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/The-yoga-picnic.pdf

Edna in front of her new home for Over the Moon Studios in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia.

.

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

giveaway

Easy Entry Form:

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 October 14, 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 October 15, 2013.

1 winner will receive the following prize package:

  • 1 PDF download of Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 1 (via e-mail)
  • 1 PDF download of Creative Yoga Games for Kids – Volume 2 (via e-mail)
  • 1 PDF download of the A Spring Breeze lesson plan (5-page PDF) (via e-mail)
  • 1 PDF download of the A Handstand Primer for Early Childhood lesson plan (12 page PDF) (via e-mail)
  • 1 copy of the DVD From Yoga to Dance for Kids (via mail)

  • 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. Please be patient for shipping of the DVD. As I described above, shipping from Australia can be very slow. Any questions about the prize should be directed to that company. 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: $25.00 DVD, $24.00 for each card set PDF download, $5.00 for each lesson plan PDF download = $83.00 total value

Other Legal Stuff: I know they’re just kids yoga products 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.

grass-green-divider-bar

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

crayons divider

I Love Sock Monkey!

 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)

book-photo2

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!”

I-Love-Monkey-by-Suzanne-Kaufman-4492-09

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.

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!

DSCN0234

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

481072_586287374755605_1450735313_n

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….

 

music_scale

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

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.

1069848_586171161433893_1490067284_n

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

.
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

Image (2)

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

look_and_feel_monkey_has_a_dream_blog

“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!

.64605_583328768384799_2080239544_n

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/

grass-green-divider-bar

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
Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
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
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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

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.

crayons divider

Inspiring Kids to Add “A Little Bit of Oomph”

 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:

 

A Little Bit of Oomph activity sheets

.

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

.I

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

grass-green-divider-bar

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
Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
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
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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

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.

crayons divider