What's on Your Bucket List

This time of year our students are ready to be done with school. Let's be honest, so are we. It can be hard to remain focused and on task. The weather is nice and sitting inside is the last thing most of us want to do. 

Let's take some time this week to create an End of the Year Mindfulness Bucket List

Think about the mindfulness activities you've tired and love, those you want to try and haven't, and even those that were challenging and a deserve a second chance. What is making it on your bucket list?

I'll start a list and you jump in and share more. Let's Fill a Bucket List with Mindfulness!

1. Kindness Day: Have students do one kind thing for someone. Journal about it.

2. Take a mindful clean up walk. The playground needs some care from time to time.

3. Sit outside and notice the colors, sounds, and smells.

4. Set a water drinking goal for you class. Have a challenge.

5. Set a healthy food only day. Make it fun!

6. Take Inner Explorer outside. Grab your computer and hit the courtyard.

7. #5 can also be used as a mindful eating time. Talk about how to eat mindfully. There was a blog on mindful eat a couple of years ago.

8. Review old mindfulness blogs. Read one you missed. Reread one you liked. Remind yourself of something that you needed to hear and helped.

9.Mindful movement. Try yoga. Alo Gives is a great site with yoga mindfulness for kids. I used this for mindfulness session when we were virtual and the kids enjoyed it.

10. Feelings day. Review the mood meter. Check in on current mood and feelings regarding summer break. 

11. Set summer goals (wishes). Mindfulness goals. Learning goals. Personal goals.

12. Gratitude lists. Start and/or end your days with some gratitude.

13. Mindful silence. You can do it. Set a time for a minute or two of reflective silence. 

14. Journal. Write a prompt on the board. Make it fun. Make it meaningful. 

15. Read a fun book to your class. 

Remember mindfulness is about paying attention on purpose to the current moment/feeling without judgement. Get creative with how you help yourself and your students be in the moment.

 

Tech Free Time is Mindfully Developing Students

 Technology is great. I used it to research my information for this, and every blog I write. There is nothing wrong with using a screen. Social media can help us stay connected with friends and family who do not live near us. People share tips, tricks, and helpful hints all over various platforms. We have benefited from the growth of technology. However, science teaches us that for every force there is an equal and opposite force. The same is true when it comes to screen, technology, and social media.

A quick google search, "Technology and Children's Brains" and you will find information from; Harvard, Ohio State, Pepperdine, and more. These peer reviewed scholarly articles will inform that some technology use is good, but too much use is dangerous. 

Our brains and the brains of our students need tech free time.

Think about all of the screen time there is involved in testing, Lexia, Dreambox, and Technology class. When we are rewarding students, giving students a break, and not doing active work, we must encourage tech free times. Instead of an electronics day, have a; mindfulness day, a kindness day, a board game day, a friendship building day, a favorite book day, or an outdoor clean up day. 

Pepperdine.edu shares a list of 5 negative aspects of too much screen time.

1. It changes the structure of the brain. It alters and reduces attention span.               

2. Reduces physical activity. 

3. Technology triggers the use of the pleasure center of the brain. Too much technology wears out the pleasure center and creates a need for bigger stimuli.

4. Reduces memory.

5. Reduces sleep.

Ohio State University also shared their list of reasons we should reduce the time our students spend on a screen.

1. Harms attention. (seems to be a theme....screens reduce attention span)

2. Reduces the ability to self-sooth and self-regulate (and we wonder why our students explode so often...they do not have the ability to calm themselves down)

3. Increases aggression (anger up and ability to calm down is down)

4. Stagnates physical activity

5. Hurts school performance

6. Limits interpersonal skills 

7. Affects emotional development

If you notice the lists have similarities. This tells us to pay attention and start working toward fixing this problem. 

Harvard medical school has also shared their finding regarding children and technology. 

Harvard reports that children need boredom and the opportunity to let their minds wander. This creates the space and time for creativity. Harvard uses the word "Impoverished" when they talk about the brain and development as it relates to screen time. Screens create impoverished brains as it relates to the development. 

This week we had representatives from Inner Explorer come to our school. One of the things that they shared out stuck with me. I love learning about the brain and being reminded of things I have previously learned about and made not have thought about lately. One such thing I was reminded of this week was synaptic pruning and how our children are literally having important parts of their brains pruned away from lack of use. Due to the over use of the amygdala our students are slowly having parts of their prefrontal cortex pruned away. (Mindfulness can help change this!!) 

In my research this past week I also stumbled across a video regarding ADD/ADHD. In the video a doctor shared all of the things he would not do if he had ADD/ADHD. One of the things he mentioned was spending too much time on a screen.

The doctor went on to share that screens heighten ADD/ADHD symptoms. He also shared that screens addict you and steal dopamine. This reflects nicely on what we previously learned from Pepperdine and OSU. Dopamine is our happy brain chemical. Screens create a need for more and more because we have worn out the pleasure center. Using a screen uses up our dopamine. 

The doctor then called ADD/ADHD basically a Dopamine Deficit Disorder. Those with ADD and ADHD already are low on dopamine. A screen takes what little they have left. These friends are then going to need more stimuli to create more dopamine. (This is when we see them ramping up behaviors) 

Our brains do not fully develop until about age 25. Due to this our students lack the development of the control center and thus they struggle and cannot shut off the obsessive behaviors created when screens trigger the reward center of the brain.

Knowing that the majority of our students will head home and sit on a screen the rest of the night we should take great effort to create a space to help them develop the logic center of their brains.

Mindfulness is a great way to strength the brain. It also calms the body. It will help our students in a great tech free space. Even using Inner Explorer can be done without the screen on and just listening to the sounds.

Get creative in class and create a space to grow and learn.

One last thought to leave you with this week. A great many of our students have smart phones. This is harming mental health. Another great reason to have tech free days in class. 

Sustainably Optimistic and Grateful

 "With gratitude optimism is sustainable." -Michael J Fox

                                          

Have you been lacking optimism lately? The end of the school year can drag. Testing can be challenging. You can lose your positive outlook on school, students, or even life. 

Thankfully we have a great way to help us reorganize our thinking. Gratitude Mindfulness.

In case reading his words didn't hit you with profound introspection, listen here - Find Something To Be Grateful For

This is a lesson we all need to learn and then pass along to our students. We have the ability to dig deep into gratitude and embody it daily. All it takes is a gratitude mindfulness practice.

I have shared about this mindfulness in the past, but it is always worth revisiting to remind us to reframe and refocus our thinking.

In a 2003 article Psychology Today shared information regarding our brains, the negative bias, and what it takes to create space for the positive.

The article started by sharing a study conducted by John Cacioppo, PhD. While Cacioppo was at Ohio State he conducted a study in which participants were shown positive pictures and negative pictures. The brain was watched during this time to see neurological reactions. 

This study concluded that our brains show a greater surge of electrical activity and a stronger response toward what is perceived as negative. From this information it was also observed that the negative more heavily influenced attitudes of participants. 

Let's take a moment to think about what this means in a school setting. 

When something negative occurs brains are more readily attentive and reactive. Our students see others acting out, hear adults yelling, and thus their brains are on the negative path....and so is their attitude.

The Psychology Today article goes on to talk about multiple studies replicating the findings of Cacioppo. It has been discovered that what we need is to find that atmosphere needed between the negative and positive to help rewire the brain toward the positive. We need to find the balance. Our brains were hardwired toward the negative for survival purposes. We cannot undo this, but we can help change some wiring to see more positive.

In a study on marriage and sustainability, researchers found what they now call the magic ratio. If the magic ratio is utilized in a relationship, the relationship has a higher survival rate. The magic ratio is 5-1. 

We need 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction. 

Other studies looked at the magic ratio outside of a romantic relationship and found that the 5-1 continues to be what our brains need to find the right atmosphere between negative and positive.

Think about what this might mean with your classes. What about that one student who is always in trouble? What about that one student you do not connect well with and struggle to see the positive?

What might it look like if you made sure you followed up with 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction with this student?

We can use a Gratitude Mindfulness to help us with rewiring our own brains to see the positive. We can then use the magic ratio to create the atmosphere needed to help positivity thrive. 

A basic gratitude mindfulness practice asks us to notice at least 3 good things each day. Once we notice them, affirm them. Say them out loud or write them down. Finally, savor at least one. Pick one and think about all the senses involved in this gratitude. Think about what made this your gratitude. Savor the moment, place, or person.

Many gratitude practices will tell you to end each night with your gratitude. I personally start each morning with mine. I write out my gratitude as I sit alone in my dinning room sipping my morning coffee. Before anyone else is awake I savor the positives from the previous day and I think about the good that is to come. I like to rewire my brain for the positive before I enter school. I prepare my brain to be ready to see the good in our students. 

Can you practice a gratitude mindfulness today?

Can you practice the magic ratio?

Will your gratitude grow your optimism?

Grow in the Peace of Silence

People writing songs that voices never share
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence - Simon and Garfunkel 

 There is something mysterious about silence. It can be uncomfortable but it can also be an escape. We are bombarded with so many sounds all day long. The copy machine (maybe), students, cars, videos, phones, feet (running), etc. It can become a sound sensory overload. 

The picture above really connected with me and my mindfulness. Growth is silent. Destruction is noisy. 

If we think about this in relation to our students we can begin to ask ourselves if our classroom is filled with growth or destruction.

More than 2,500 years ago Buddhist monks began a practice called, unguided meditation, which essentially was what today we call silent mindfulness.

When we practice intentional silence we began to gain the ability to cultivate awareness of our bodies and where our minds wonder and lead us.

According to Healthline.com a practice of silent mindfulness can foster calm, clarity, and acceptance. We can learn to take ownership of our thoughts and where our thoughts lead us.

As we already know, but has been presented again to us in a 2017 research review, we know that mindfulness like silent meditation can:

*lower anxiety, depress, and stress

*increase empath

*boost attention and focus

*improve sleep and overall mood

Also in another 2012 review it was presented, sitting in silence can help us learn to better regulate our emotions.

Growth is silent.

Emotional regulation comes from silence.

Our health overall is better from silence.

Inner Explorer has mindful meditations to help us and our students build the ability to sit with and in silence. I have had the pleasure of watching a kindergarten class fully engage in three minutes of silence.

Embracing a  practice of silence can help us prepare whatever task we have next. Silence can help you evaluate your thoughts. Not all thoughts are true. We often are caught in deep rumination. Our minds can misremember. Our brains are programed in emotional default mode. Sitting with silence can help us reprogram our brains to utilize logic.

Try an Inner Explorer silence mindfulness. Prepare your students for the discomfort and encourage them to explore their minds and accept the moment without judgement. Allow thoughts to come and go. Sit with them. Notice them. Maybe even journal them. 

Silence can bring clarity and understanding. Give it a try.

Color Your World with Mindfulness

What is your relationship with color? 

Do you think about the colors that you see daily? Have you ever considered what it would be like to not see color? 

For some color blindness is real and frustrating. They now make special glasses to help people with color blindness experience all of the colors the majority of us take for granted. Look up some videos on YouTube and take a minute to watch reactions to seeing all of the colors for the first time. In fact, as a good way to kick off this mindfulness let's watch together.

Gift of Color 

April 17th episode of The Happiness Lab (if you've been reading these blogs over the years then you know this is a favorite podcast and I reference it from time to time) was called; Sight and Sound: How to Joyfully Awaken Your Senses. This episode's guest was author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin. She has recently written a book about mindfully getting in touch with our senses. Her book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, came about after she was told she was at high risk of losing her sight. Gretchen began exploring her senses and what they mean to her every day life. We can do the same.

Listening to the podcast I loved how she talked about color and forming a new relationship with color. Gretchen shared that she began by picking one specific and unique color. She then set out to find it and collect it. Gretchen picked the color Scarlet. She shared that she goes to thrift stores and seeks out anything in this color and has built a unique collection of scarlet items. She loves taking time to look at the collect, it reminds her to take time to enjoy what this color brings to her life.

Gretchen also spoke on involving others in this new mindfulness of color. I love the ideas she shared and I think we can take time to create a class mindfulness related to color.

The idea is to pick one specific unique color. Not just red, but scarlet. Not simply blue, but sapphire. Don't seek our green, look for emerald. Instead of focusing on yellow, seek out daffodil. Pick one color and look for it. Make it a color of the day. Ask students to (silently) focus in the halls and seek to find this color. Have them make mental notes and report back to you once in class. Encourage students to find the color during recess and come tell you what they find. Make a list and review it at the end of the day. 

Gretchen and the host of the podcast Dr. Laurie Santos also talked about, finding the perfect color. You can pick a color, like orange and try to find everything orange. Then rate the oranges. Students can share why they like one shade better than another. 

Color mindfulness helps us pay attention. It encourages us to slow down and appreciate what we see. 

Color mindfulness can be a great way to redirect a class who begins to go off task. You can observe the class and if you notice too much going on tell the class it's a color break. Encourage them to take slow deep breaths and look around the room for color of the day and after a minute ask them to report back to you what they find. I would even challenge you as the adult to intentionally add something new in that color to the classroom. Surprise your students with something new and colorful! 

Take a color walk if your class is struggling with sitting still. Again, give them a color to focus on silently as they calmly walk and breathe. When you return to class review what the students have found.

Our lives are filled with color. Music artists names songs after colors:

Yellow...Mellow Yellow...Purple Rain...Purple Haze...Red...Red Red Wine...Lady in Red...Little Red Corvette...Brown Eyed Girl...Behind These Hazel Eyes...Paint it Black...Orange Crush...Touch of Grey...Pink...Behind Blue Eyes...Blue Velvet 

Color is a big part of our lives. We learn to stop at a red light. We know green means go. If we are angry it is said we see red. You can be green with envy. Go ghost white when sacred. When we are sad, we are feeling blue. If you are cowardly you are, yellow bellied. 

In the spring so much is coming back to life in vibrant and colorful ways. Utilize this season to take some time to experience color mindfulness.

Pick a color today and try it out! Notice something new. Experience beauty. Be in awe. Have fun!

The Mindful Way to Test

 April showers (of rain and snow) bring....testing season.

Testing often brings on anxiety, stress, and frustration. This can hinder a students' ability to do their best. 

We can help with mindfulness.

Here is a video sharing the benefits of a mindfulness practice before a test is taken. If you take time to watch the video you will learn that students can increase test scores if they are taught to practice mindful breathing before and during the testing. Have you ever considered playing Inner Explorer before starting a test? Did you know if you navigate to the Counselor Series you will find a couple of testing mindfulness? Try one! 

I have spent time this week exploring various Inner Explorer lessons at various levels. I encourage you to move up or down based on how you feel your students will receive and process the material. A middle school class who has been practicing regularly is not too young to try a high school mindfulness. A upper elementary class who daily engages in mindfulness could try a middle school mindfulness and be successful. 

In my exploration I listened to some good meditations on; testing taking mindfulness, growth mindset, handling big emotions, and even some from the new safety series.

Inner Explorer has recently launched a new Safety series. This one is great for after a drill, an unexpected stressful event, or maybe even a challenging test. Help your students decompress and shake it off. Imagine after taking a high stakes test you are gifted with a mindfulness that acknowledges that you just went through something stressful. 

We could all benefit from someone addressing reality and not brushing over it. This is mindfulness. It's saying "It is cold outside. I can handle the cold." and after you handle the cold saying "I made it!" Mindfulness isn't tricking your mind to think something else. It is acknowledging and accepting reality to help us build strength and perseverance. 

Let's take some time to acknowledge and accept that testing is anxiety inducing and not tell our students to brush it off or maybe even to suck it up (I hope we aren't saying this...but you may be tempted to at times).

In a 2016 paper,  Test anxiety and a high-stakes standardized reading comprehension test: A behavioral genetics perspective, we look at the stark reality that 10-40% of our students experience test anxiety. The large gap is based on gender, race, and socio-economic status.  If you think about the diversity of our students you will see we have students on the low end and students on the high end of anxiety.

We can combat this anxiety by equipping our students with a growth mindset and a mindful calm and readiness to succeed. 

It may also help your students to ask them to take time to examine their sleep and electronic habits. 

Our students for their ages should be going to bed between 7:00pm-9:00pm. The time increases with ago and can change based on wake up time. Come to my office and look at the sleep schedules I have posted.

For the best sleep possible our students should also stop looking at/watching a screen at least an hour before bed. 

Mindful testing cannot be done by chance. Mindful testing is a choice. It is a conscious action you need to choose for your students. You need to work hard to create the environment you desire to ensure that your students achieve at their fullest potential. 

 

Helping our Flowers Thrive

If your students are not blooming, don't fix them, fix your environment.

We can help our students grow and thrive if we take some time to attend to the surroundings. We can take an Orchid Child and work toward giving them the skills of a Dandelion Child. We can at the very least try to get them to become a Tulip Child.

Pediatrician Thomas Boyce and Psychologist Bruce J Ellis started research into why some children thrive and some wither, even in the same environment. More recent studies have expanded this research and found that with compassion a child showing genes and traits of an orchid child can be helped to become a tulip child.

The flower theory is simply this: a dandelion grows anywhere, an orchid needs specific conditions to bloom, and a tulip needs tending to but can withstand cold temps and still grow. This means that a dandelion child is one who can grow even in an environment with trauma, chaos, and few needs met. In contrast an orchid child will not do well in that same environment. An orchid needs a calm, peaceful, and supportive environment. Then we have our tulip child, one who may have started out an orchid and with support has learned to be more like a dandelion.

Findings show that about 29% of people are dandelions, 31% are orchids, and 40% are tulips.

Research also finds that the first determinate of our flower type is genes. While there are many different genes in play, one important one looked at is the dopamine gene, of which we have two types. One type is known as the, risky type. The risky type dopamine gene is associated with ADHD, lower ability to handle stress, addiction, and aggression. You are more likely to be an orchid with this dopamine gene. But you do not have to remain an orchid.

One study tracked babies over 3,6, and 12 months. In this study it was discovered that by 12 months, if a baby with the risky dopamine gene had a highly warm mother who was sensitive to their needs the baby could shift to be more like the dandelion babies. These babies would be consider either dandelions or tulips.

We have a school full of orchids, dandelions, and tulips. We can look at some of our orchids and help change the environment and provide them with tools needs to become a tulip. We aren't changing the students, we are changing ourselves and the environment. In the baby study the researchers noted that it was the mothers affection that helped the babies change and thrive. How we interact with our students matters. The environment we create matters.

One of the easiest tools to use to help change us and the environment is mindfulness. 

Mindfulness doesn't change the flower. Mindfulness changes the environment. You create a calm, safe, and present space for students to thrive, grow, and bloom. With our help, over time, our orchid children may change to tulips. 

To go with our flower theme, here is a quick flower mindfulness. 

Does the classroom environment support or hinder the growth of your students? Are you helping your students with the risky dopamine gene to thrive? What about your environment may need to change to promote growth?

As we continue our April-May mindfulness challenge I encourage you to consider your classroom environment. Perhaps 5-10 minute of mindfulness a day could change the environment and help your students thrive and bloom. Inner Explorer is an easy way to cultivate a positive environment.