Showing posts with label healthy choices. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2016
Increase The Dose
It's Mental Health Month and my guest post over at Free Spirit Press focuses on a mind, body, spirit three-pronged approach to mental health and wellness.
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| Click the graphic to go read the post. |
What are your go-to strategies to maximize your mental health?
One huge thing for me after the trauma of that head-on collision was finding things to be thankful for, blessings in the burden. Did you know that gratitude can tack on up to seven years of life? Gratitude creates such a win-win because it blesses the giver and the recipient.
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week 2016, so I set out to thank our school staff by putting these little sticky-note pads together for them today.
It made my heart happy to spread a little sunshine.
Yesterday I was blessed by the invitation to give a one-hour keynote about grace at the women's renewal retreat at our church. Committee members made one of these for each of us. Don't you love this? Grace.
To close today, a few reflections to ponder from my research and presentation.
For more from Craig Denison, visit First15.org
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| Photo credit: Amy Homa |
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| Photo credit: Jennifer Runde |
So I ask you the same question I posed to retreat participants:
How will you increase the dose this week?
Sunday, October 25, 2015
What's Your Anti-Drug?
Today I'm excited because I've worked it out with my friend Shelley to give all of the readers who commented on Friday's post {10/23} a copy of her
Mindful Bodies, Mindful Learning packet.
If you left a comment on Friday or Saturday and would like a packet, please email me {bgruener5@gmail.com} and I'll send you the digital file. Thank you, Shelley, for your kindness!
Now, let's be Frank ... how cute is this visual display?
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| Isn't it cool how much "chains" and "change" sound alike? |
My friend Terri Brady came to Bales last week to help us kick off Red Ribbon Week with this clever creation. Our plan is to send home red strips of paper so that students and their families can answer the question:
What's Your Anti-Drug?
Then we'll link them together to make a red chain border.
I can't wait to read what their anti-drugs are.
Visits from our PALs start Monday, so I know the halls will be abuzz as those teenage mentors fill our campus with friendship and love.
School family members will get a mustache and a pencil because
We 'mustache' you to be drug-free.
On Tuesday we'll wear our favorite jersey or team shirt to
Team up against drugs.
On Wednesday, our role models from Friendswood High School will lead our Hometown Heroes Pep Rally before school. That's always a fan favorite that supercharges us and sends us soaring because
We've got the power to be drug-free.
On Thursday we'll Give drugs the slip wearing slippers, of course.
And Friday will find us dressing up in 50s garb or our costumes, both of which will say Drug-free is a nifty way to be!
So we've got a busy week ahead as we celebrate Red Ribbon Week
and say yes to healthy choices. Click {here} to download the mini-poster freebies that we'll be putting around campus, like this one from the creative
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| Click graphic for source and freebie download at Teachers Pay Teachers. |
Her creations are adorable, so please take a look at her store and support this seller next time you need something. Thank you, Shelly, for generously sharing your time and talent with us!
How will you and your school family celebrate this week?
Friday, October 23, 2015
PPBF: The Rechargeables
How was your Character Counts! Week? Since many pay-it-forward opportunities came my way, my heart is overflowing with delight. Next week is National Red Ribbon Week, our chance to spotlight saying no to drugs and alcohol and yes to healthy choices, perfect timing for today's PPBF pick.
Title: The Rechargeables Eat Move Sleep
Author: Tom Rath
Illustrator: Carlos Aon
Publisher: Missionday, LLC
Date: May 5, 2015
Suitable for: ages 3-8
Themes: healthy choices, energy, hope
Realistic Fiction
Brief synopsis: In the village of Verve (don't you love that name?), the people are running on empty. Can one little girl help them recharge?
Opening page: In the village of Verve, a mysterious thing has occurred ... all of the people are completely still.
*Compare and contrast the book with the people in this clip
from Pixar's Wall-E.
Why I like this book: In this clever reality check, brilliantly illustrated by Aon, children will journey through the pages with Poppy and Simon as they not only yearn to reawaken the life that they've slowly seen slip away in Verve, but actually look for and find ways to make it happen.
Today's pick beautifully complements Tom Rath's first picture book, How Full Is Your Bucket for Kids, which was all about taking care of our hearts and refueling our emotional reserve using a bucket-filling metaphor. This one's message about the health of our bodies is supercharged using the battery metaphor. Just like with a battery's power, our energy wears down and we need to recharge to stay in the game, to be fully present. When we start to run on empty, we owe it to ourselves (and others!) to plug in to healthy habits like eating the right foods, drinking plenty of water, getting adequate amounts of sleep, and engaging in meaningful movement so we can be the best version of ourselves that we can be.
To maximize learning.
And growth.
So that we can serve.
And lead.
There's so much food for thought in this little nugget; follow the read-aloud with a goal-setting session after discussing what steps your students think they (and their family members) could take in order to positively recharge and live life with more verve.
I'm super excited and grateful that my friend Shelley at The Write Stuff Teaching blog has generously donated one of her Mindful Bodies, Mindful Learning packets to one lucky reader of this post, so leave a comment and we'll randomly select the recipient from all of today and tomorrow's reflections.
This offer has now ended and the winners have been selected. Thank you all for your reflections.
Oh, and don't forget to check out today's other
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