(free) Relaxation iPad apps

Is it me or is it super busy at your school right about now?  It certainly seems extra busy lately these days.  Something that seems to "calm the storms"throughout our daily counselor lives when dealing with student issues is to have students cool down or relax.  So here are some free (my favorite price) apps for relaxation that you may want to add to your iPad:

-Breathe2Relax (free):  Neat app that I use quite a bit with students individually, small groups and even during class visits!  This app will let you practice your breathing using deep inhale and exhaling exercises.  This is also available on Android devices, click here for link.

-My 1st Yoga (free):  Quick and easy yoga poses for children.  *Note you may need to call this something else other than yoga to be politically correct (maybe relaxation poses).

-Fluid (free):  Cool calming app that gives the effect of running your fingers through water.  A bonus is that you can choose the background (including pictures from your camera roll!)

-Silent Island Relaxation Lite (free):  Ahhh, the relaxing sounds are all here!  

-Zen Space (free):  Create your own zen garden of tranquility!

-Pocket Pond (free);  Looking at fish is nothing but relaxing and since I don't have the space for a tank this will be as close as it gets.

-Relaxing Sounds of Nature Lite (free):  Another soothing and relaxing sounds app!

Do you have any other free relaxation apps?  Please share!

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Parent Resources to Deal with Tragic Events

After last week's tragic events in CT, I'm sure many of you have been answering questions from students, parents and staff about ways to cope and handle the worries and anxiety that we've all faced. Most of the questions I've received have been from parents concerned about how to talk with their child about it.  Here are some parent resources that I've shared with parents at JYJ:

-CNN report:  Should you talk to your kids about Newtown?
-Talking with Kids About the News
-Talking to Kids About Violence (from Scholastic.com)
-Telling my Child About the Massacre in Newtown
-5 Helpful Resources for Talking to Kids About Tragedies 
-Should Children be Allowed to Watch TV News Reports?
-In a Crisis, Parents Must Be There, Be Aware for Their Children

Some other fantastic counselors (School Counselor Blog & Counseling by Heart) have provided some very helpful resources on how to work with worries and concerns also.





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Counselor Pocket Chart

A 1st grade teacher friend recently gave me one of her extra pocket charts (it's her very 1st year as a teacher and she had several given to her).  As I happily took the pocket chart, I already had an idea in mind of how to use it. I thought of a previous post on "I statements" from blog buddy Tabitha from Scrapbook of a School Counselor and how she used whiteboard sentence strips for "I statements".  I thought why not use similar statements on a pocket chart?

Pocket chart

Here's what I did:

-I started out with 2 "I statements","I feel" and "I like to"; I typed these statements in Word.  I cut and glued the "statements" onto sentence strips and trimmed the edges with wave trim scissors.

Printed "I statements"

"I statements" cut, glued onto sentence strips, trimmed with wave trim scissors

-I typed (feeling & action) words into a Word document and printed onto mailing labels.  I put the mailing labels onto colorful index cards (I put words on both sides of the cards).  I also made some blank cards so that students can write a feeling/action with a dry erase marker.

Here's a list of feelings words I used:  Happy, Awesome, Sad, Down, Angry, Upset, Fantastic, Great, Ok, Not Sure, Really Angry

Here's a list of action words I used: Play, Run, Play Outside, Read, Write, Hang out with friends, Hang out with family, Listen to music, Draw.

Feelings words printed on mailing labels

Feelings/Action cards

-I laminated the "I statements" and index cards.

-The pocket chart is now ready to go:

Finished product!

I LOVE this counselor pocket chart idea for students to express how they're feeling and what they like to do! I'm now thinking of other ways to use the pocket chart.  Do you have any ideas to share?  I'd love to hear from you.

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School Counselor=Fulfilling Career

I recently had an opportunity to attend the graduation ceremony at my Alma Mata NC A&T State University (Aggie Pride) where the speaker was none other than our 1st lady Mrs. Michelle Obama!  During her speech she spoke on how we should be fulfilled in what we do and that we have the power to shape and change the world.  She mentioned how she graduated from law school and worked at a large firm making a lot of money, drove a nice car and had a big office.  She said that those were the things that were "expected" of her but she felt a void.  She didn't fill that void until she took a job working at the mayor's office (taking a significant pay cut) but she said that giving back and helping others helped in filling that void.

As she spoke, I couldn't help but feel that I am truly fulfilled in my job as a school counselor.  I could almost describe it as Oprah says "an ah ha moment".  I love what I do and know that I am truly making a difference in the lives of the students, staff and parents that I work with.  Figuring this out takes some time and is a feeling that "you just know".

If you didn't already know, I was a high school teacher prior to becoming a school counselor. I enjoyed being a teacher (and learned a lot from being a teacher) but I felt as though something was missing.  Beginning in my 2nd year of teaching I started working at a new school and was meeting the staff.  I met one of the school counselors and we talked for a while.  She was telling me about herself and how she enjoyed being a school counselor.  She seemed very passionate about her career as we spoke.  As we were ending our conversation, she said to me "you'd really like being a school counselor, it's something that you should consider".  Ah ha!  I hadn't even thought about being a school counselor, I just assumed that I'd always be a teacher.   It was just something about the conversation that sparked my interest in school counseling.  I began to research about school counseling, requirements, job descriptions, etc.  That year, I applied to graduate school and was accepted into a counselor education program.  In a perfect world I'd say "and the rest is history" but that's not totally true.  I needed some time to adjust to my new career as a counselor.  There was the change from working only at a high school to now working in an elementary school, working with a team to working solo, pretty much finding out what works best for me.  It took me several years to figure out what works best for me (and I'm still learning) but I can honestly say now that a simple suggestion from a co-worker (and now friend) lead me to a exciting, fun and fulfilling career as a school counselor.

Message from our PTA, makes you feel so appreciated!

Do you feel fulfilled in your career as a school counselor? I certainly hope so or hope that at least you have an opportunity to find fulfillment.  Sometimes in order to find fulfillment we have to make some changes.  Changing schools, changing districts or just changing up your program a bit can make a huge difference in your "void filling".

How did you get your ah ha moment that being a school counselor was the best fit for you? Pin It

Field trips

How many of us are asked to chaperone field trips?  Some people cringe at the thought of going on a field trip but here's the thing...I love going on field trips!  I do have my pick of the trips that I chaperone on, some trips I'm not as interested in going (I pass on those trips) while other trips, I'm just as excited as the students.  I have found that even on a field trip those trusty school counselings skills are always needed.  Here's an example:

I chaperoned a field trip to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA with my school's 4th and 5th grade show choir.  Myself and a parent chaperone had a group of 7 young ladies who were very giddy about the trip (well all the students were excited).  I had agreed to ride the rides with the girls while the parent stayed with the girls that didn't want to ride.  As a child I loved roller coasters and thought that I could just pick back up my "coaster skills" on this trip (I was wrong on this one).  As we waited in line for the coaster, the girls began to show signs of fear and anxiety about getting on the ride.  I was a little nervous myself but couldn't show them as they may worry even more.  I kept telling them that we were all doing this together and we would have fun and be okay.  So we got on the ride, took our deep breathes and were ready to ride....Whoa is all that we could say during and after the ride. It was much more intense than any of us had anticipated and after that our group of 7 "serious" riders was cut to 4 (including myself).  The other girls and I rode a few more rides but I chickened out after we walked to get in line for the Griffon ride.  When I saw that the ride was 210 feet high going 75 mph, I just couldn't "stomach" that kind of ride.  Our "serious" riders group was now cut to 2!  The rest of us watched the girls ride the ride and they were just fine telling us the we missed "the most awesome ride".  No thanks, I'll pass.

The ride I chickened out on.  By the way I'm standing on the ground and this is way high up!

Field trips allow counselors to get a break from the school building, make a connection with students and parents during a meaningful experience and most important they are fun!  If you have an opportunity to go on a field trip make the most of it.  I've found that many of the trips I've been on I went on as a child but enjoy more as an adult (example NC zoo trip, which was great) and I've been places that I hadn't been to (Wilmington, NC Battleship & Aquarium).  I will admit that on the bus ride back that I was worn out, but will do it again!  How many of your students can say that they rode a roller coaster with their school counselor?  How awesome is that!

Here's some pictures from my field trips:

This was the highlight of the zoo, seeing the baby chimp (3 months old).  Oh so cute!

Baby Chimp w/ mom

What a great way to get the point across

Zebras & Giraffes

Elephant

Counselor intern & me

Aquarium

Turtles sunbathing on a log

On the NC Battleship

Beautiful, just a tease of summer?

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Great item for sharing feelings

 

When students come to the counselor's office (especially for the 1st time) many are overwhelmed with the toys, games, pictures throughout the room.  We've noticed that many are really enjoying Kimochis (Key-Mo-She) or as our students call them "the feelings toys".  Kimochi is the Japanese word for....Feeling!!!  These "feelings toys" are cute little stuffed friends that show an emotion or feeling.  Students often use Kimochis to describe how they are feeling in various situations, when telling a story or event and even to explore other feelings and emotions that they may have.   I have also recommended to several parents having them at home also so that children can share their feelings with their parents too.  These are a great addition to our counselor toys and games.

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