Mindfulness Newsletter
By Mindful Classrooms -- August 2017
Welcome Back!!
We are changing to a monthly rhythm in an effort to reduce clutter in your inbox and allow for more intentional work with campuses. If you'd like more regular updates, please follow me on twitter, @mrbutler629 & @mindfulclassrms. I post regularly, providing tips and highlighting mindfulness happening in Austin ISD and other schools/districts where I've worked. If you post, please tag me on Twitter so I can share and highlight your work.
Starting Mindfulness on Day 1
Define Mindfulness
Right here, Right now:
Paying attention on purpose
Responding, as opposed to reacting
Being kind to yourself
Teach About the Brain
Teach your students about neuroplasticity and how mindfulness can help strengthen the brain. Use this poster to teach about the three parts of the brain affected by mindfulness: FREE download on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Take 3 Deep Breaths
Focused, intentional breaths take time to learn. Start small with three collective breaths. You can use these animated GIFS to help guide your students' breathing.
Communicate with Parents/Families
Communicating with parents & families is incredibly important to start the year off right, especially when it comes mindfulness. Here's a letter about mindfulness in English & Spanish that you can share with families. It provides a brief description of mindfulness. I recommend having an administrator type up a brief paragraph supporting mindfulness in schools and adding it to the bottom of the letter.
Explaining Mindfulness....
Secondary Videos
Elementary Videos
Additional Resources
#mindfulAISD archives
2016-2017 Newsletters (One link to access all the AISD newsletters from last school year.)
Mindful Classrooms: The Educator Guide
You can purchase a copy and other supporting resources on mindfulclassrooms.com.
#mindfulAISD YouTube Playlist
Calm--FREE for educators!
FREE Calm.com Lifetime Subscription for Teachers (PreK-12)
**There are free sections on calm.com and the app, so feel free to share with your students' families.
Multilingual Mindfulness
Want mindfulness activities in Spanish, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Burmese, Swahili & Kinyarwanda? We've got them for you! (Huge thanks to the amazing AISD Refugee Family Support Team for translating.)
Zen Den YouTube Playlist
The "Zen Den" YouTube playlist offers 18 videos, ranging from 4-8 minutes in length.
Mind Yeti: Connecting Mindfulness w/ Explicit SEL Lessons
Mindyeti.com is a great resource that connects mindfulness with Second Step lessons, and it's FREE! There's also an informational page that explains the connection between Mind Yeti and Second Step.
GoNoodle
GoNoodle is for the body and the mind.
Here is a link to a document that lists all the GoNoodle Mindfulness videos sorted by channel and with the length of each video.
**Share gonoodle.com with your students' families so they can sign up for a FREE account to use at home.
De-Escalation Strategies Poster
This poster can be an addition to your classroom, Peace Area, hallways, Mindfulness Room, etc.
Mindful Life Project
Guided Mindfulness Activities in English & Spanish--Great for Secondary
Mindful Life Project is an incredible organization based out of Richmond, CA. They teach mindfulness, yoga, expressive arts, and hip-hop/performing arts to elementary and middle school students in under-served communities.
They also have a free app titled "Mindful Life Project."
Stop, Breathe & Think
Interested in Monthly Newsletters?
Contact
Founder & Author of Mindful Classrooms
Austin ISD SEL Mindfulness Specialist