Storybooks as Yoga/Movement Adventures - Build Fitness, Focus & Self-Regulation

Leah Kalish, MA: leah@move-with-me.com

www.move-with-me.com

818-667-3689 1

Leah Kalish, MA Education and Experience

• NYU in 70’s and Pacific Oaks College 90’s

• Teaching & developing resources/curriculum since mid-90’s

Successful Curriculum and Resources • Move With Me Yoga Adventures – Pizza Party and Scooter & Me and Movement & Mindfulness Curriculum

• Barefoot Books - Yoga Pretzels and Yoga Planet Decks

• Every Kid’s Yoga – Teaching Yoga to Children with Special Needs

• School Specialty and Yoga Ed – Pre-K through High School Curricula

• Imaginazium - Yoga Kit and Empowerment Pack for Kids

• Gaiam - Yoga Fitness Videos for Kids, ages 3 – 6 and 7 – 12

Dr. J.C. Pearce: Play is nature’s biological plan for learning.

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Objectives • Understand how play/movement/ embodied

self-regulation nurture executive function, optimal development, social-emotional competence, and learning readiness.

• Use 4 Adventure Skills in your daily routine to support well-being, ease of learning, self-control, and self-regulation.

• Use yoga games & story books for enjoying more movement / play activities.

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Pre-Activity

• Turn head to left. – Notice how it feels. – Notice range of peripheral vision.

• Turn head to right. – Notice sensation and vision.

• Fold from hips into forward bend – Notice sensation and range of motion, touch your

fingers lightly on your knees or shins to mark ROM • Snap Test

– Notice ease or difficulty.

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A B C D E F G

l r t r l r t

H I J K L M N l l r l r r t

O P Q R S T U l t r l t r r

V W X Y Z l t t l r

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• Adventure Skill # 1

• Adventure Skill # 2

• Adventure Skill # 3

• Adventure Skill # 4

*Ordered to coincide with Brain Gym®’s PACE 6

A B C D E F G l r t r l r t

H I J K L M N l l r l r r t

O P Q R S T U l t r l t r r

V W X Y Z l t t l r

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Post-Activity

• Turn head to left.

– Notice how it feels.

– Notice range of peripheral vision.

• Turn head to right.

– Notice sensation and vision.

• Fold from hips into forward bend

– Notice sensation and range of motion, touch your fingers lightly on your knees or shins to mark ROM

• Snap Test

– Notice ease or difficulty.

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Results After those simple activities, most experience: • Greater range of motion • Greater ease with cognitive tasks • Greater enjoyment, confidence, relaxation

Notice what’s true for you. Why? • When you play more, you stress less. • When you move more, you learn more!

Playful mind-body activities are natural self-regulators and support an emotionally stable and learning-able state =

access to neocortex and executive function.

Physical ease and coordination preceed cognitive ease and coordination.

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Play and Movement • Over-ride the body’s physiological response to stress.

• Organize whole-brain function for optimal learning. (Dennison and Hannaford).

• Fuel the brain and body with oxygen and glucose.

• Raise chemical messengers levels that balance mind/ body.

• Trigger BDNF, a neuro-tropic factor required for thinking. BDNF decreases after 20 minutes of sitting and is triggered again with movement.

• Strengthen key areas of the brain – basal ganglia, cerebellum and corpus callosum by building brain cells and connections. Improves mental focus and concentration (Caterino and Polk, 1999)

Play and Movement • Enhance memory, creativity and academic achievement.

(Michund and Wild 1991), (Brink, 1995), (Vanves and Blanchard).

• Develop eye muscle fitness and helps with reading.

• Help 85% of students who are kinesthetic learners (Hannaford). Learning through body is more powerful than learning through listening and recalling facts (Jensen). If it’s not in your body, you really haven’t learned it.

• Create a fun, harmonious and safe environment for learning and developing social skills.

• Develops self-awareness and the ability to self-regulate.

• Build self-confidence and strengthens the connection to inner resources and healthy choices.

Adventure Skill #1

Drink water regularly to sustain feeling well, thinking clearly and being friendly.

Enhances:

• Electro-chemical activity in Central Nervous System

• Processing speed

• Stress release

Drink Water

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Adventure Skill #2

Rub spots under collarbone with thumb and one finger while holding other hand over navel and tracking eyes horizontally. Deep breath and HUMMMMMMM to calm and focus.

Stimulates:

• Flow of oxygen to the brain

• Hemispheric integration

• Binocular vision - eye teaming

• Reticular Activating System –filter sensory info

*Similar to Brain Buttons in Brain Gym®

Humming Breath*

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Humming Breath Chant

One hand on my belly, I let it rest

The other, I bring up to my chest

I find a pair of buttons beneath the shelf

And Huuuuuummmmmm

To calm myself

I move my eyes slowly

From the left to the right

Heart calm, mind clear

Body strong, eyes bright! 15

Humming Breath Video

http://vimeo.com/68339890

Adventure Skill #3

March in place, alternately touching hands to opposite knees to energize body and wake up brain.

Enhances:

• Crossing the visual/auditory/ kinesthetic/tactile midlines

• Hemispheric integration

• Binocular vision

• Binaural hearing

• Left right coordination

• Stability in the walking gait *Cross Crawl in Brain Gym®

Monkey Wisdom*

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Monkey Wisdom Chant

I am healthy

I play every day

I drink lots of water

I don’t float away

I rest when I’m tired

I breathe when I’m mad

I eat fruits & veggies

‘Cause they are rad

Red, orange, yellow, green

At every meal and in between! 17

Monkey Wisdom Video

http://vimeo.com/68339892

Adventure Skill #4

1. Cross your ankles and wrists. Clasp hands and rest them at your sternum.

2. Breathe and think of something or someone you love.

Supports:

• Emotional centering • Grounding • Respiration • Self-control and boundaries

*Hook ups in Brain Gym®

Deep Down Wisdom*

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Deep Down Wisdom Video

http://vimeo.com/68339891

3 Fun Ways to Support Health & Executive Function

• Teach & Practice Embodied Self-Care Techniques – so kids have actions to take to help themselves

• Play, Games, Yoga Poses – active fun is natural self-regulator and enhances social-emotional learning

• Movement Stories – build focus, coordination, self-control & brain cells

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Games Be a Mountain –how to ground oneself to feel strong/stable

• Stand as a soldier – tense, stiff, straight. Test for stability.

• Stand in MT pose – test for stability. What the difference?

• When trying hard or tense – energy moves up. When relaxed or “well-being” – energy moves down.

• Once the distinction is embodied, invite kids to practice dropping into Mt quickly, solidly. Play upbeat music and have kids dance around the space. When music stops, kids stand immediately in MT (not freeze!). Test them and help kids who need coaching. Play several rounds, and revisit regularly.

Be a Mountain Video

https://vimeo.com/35411794 21

Games

Nature Kids – make up yoga poses & movement to express the forms & forces of nature such as trees, squirrels, storms, snow, sun, eagle, rabbit, rainbow - to de-stress, energize, integrate body and mind.

Be a Rainbow – embody the colors and qualities of a rainbow in order to move into good posture and feel balanced, alert, kind, and creative.

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Rainbow Poem

Red – I’m strong

Orange – I’m joyful

Yellow – I know I can

Green – I’m caring

Blue – I tell the truth

Indigo – I’m smart

Violet – Understanding

I’m a Rainbow!

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Rainbow Body Video

https://vimeo.com/33815681

How to make an origami rainbow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz

F8jqik8FE

Yoga Poses

Cat / Sheep / Cow / Pig

Dragon

Buffalo

Antelope

Frog/Volcano Turtle Star/Monkey Twisting Star

Yoga Poses

Rock Rabbit

Squirrel Star Twisting Star

Yoga Poses

Yoga Poses

Bridge, Bulldozer, Wheelbarrow Bicycle, jellyfish

Lion, Wolf

Shark, Loon, Superman

Movement Stories • Movement & Mindfulness Curriculum

• Make up your own

– Favorite characters, family events, pets, problems

• Invite Kids to create a story using yoga cards/poses –

– Yoga Pretzel/Planet Decks (barefootbooks.com)

– Yoga Kit for Kids (Imaginazium.com)

• Use storybooks

– Choreograph poses and movements first

– Kids act out the story as you read

– Read a section, then invite creative movement:

• Can you be a worm, mouse, cat? How do you move?

• If you were a turtle/beetle, stuck on your back, show what would you do to get unstuck?

Books for Movement Stories • When Sofie Gets Angry by Molly Bang

• Opposites by Eric Carle

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle

• Panda Bear, Panda Bear by Eric Carle

• The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle

• The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carle

• Animals, Animals by Eric Carle

• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

• My Daddy is a Pretzel by Baron Baptiste

• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

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Review Stress • Blocks access to ease & joy in learning (executive function)

• Stops kids from feeling well & able; learning & behaving well

• When chronic – negatively impacts brain development & SEL

• Stressors: o Dehydration

o Poor nutrition

o Lack of exercise, play, movement

o Not knowing what to do to self-soothe or regulate

o Developmentally inappropriate activities / expectations

o Your stress 30

• Promotes creative problem solving - apply to conflicts

• Facilitates better language skills and communication

• Improves memory and learning – use thru-out the day

• Improves focus, attention and sustained concentration

• Improves impulse control & self-regulation

• Improves balance & coordination = confidence

• Regulates body weight = well-being

• Calms, sooths and reduces self-reported anxiety

Benefits of Play

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Drink Water every 20-30 min throughout the day

Humming Breath – to calm and focus after outside time, before or after transitions

Monkey Wisdom – to energize as well as prepare for gross and fine motor skill activities and reading

Deep Down Wisdom – to ground and center when upset, angry, frightened

4 Self-Care / Regulation Tools

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What / When can you have more play, movement, yoga?

1. 2. 3.

What/When can you support kids’ self-care?

1. 2. 3.

Which books can you use as Movement Stories?

1. 2. 3.

Action Plan

Resources • Move-with-Me.com

• Imaginazium.com: Yoga Kit for Kids:

• Barefootbooks.com: Yoga Pretzel/Planet Decks

• Omazingkids.com

• Braingym.org

• Shambala.com – Sitting Still Like a Frog

• MindfulKids.com

• MindfulSchools.org

• Thich Nhat Hanh – Planting Seeds and A Pebble in my Pocket

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• Brain Gym® 101: Balance for Daily Life, Paul Dennison, Ph.D. & Gail Dennison, Brain Gym® and Me: Reclaiming the Pleasure of Learning. Ventura, CA: Edu-Kinesthetics, Inc, 2006. Teacher’s Edition Revised. Ventura, CA: Edu-Kinesthetics, Inc, 1994 www.braingym.com

• Ratey, John. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. http://sparkinglife.org/

• Healy, Jane. The Growing Mind. http://education.jhu.edu/newhorizons/future/creating_the_future/crfut_healy.cfm

• Goldberg, Elkhonon. The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc. 2001.

• Hannaford, Carla. The Dominance Factor: How Knowing Your Dominant Eye, Ear, Brain, Hand & Foot Can Improve Your Learning. Salt Lake City, Utah: Great River Books, 1997, Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head. Salt Lake City, Utah: Great River Books, 2005. http://www.greatriverbooks.com/PlayingInTheUnifiedFieldPage.htm

• Pearce, Joseph C. Evolution’s End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1992. http://ttfuture.org/jcp/front

• Sally Goddard Blythe - http://www.sallygoddardblythe.co.uk/index.php

• Dr. John Medina - http://www.brainrules.net/

Bibliography

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