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Letter from Anxiety

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I recently had the pleasure of being able to chat with a couple of former students that had frequent encounters with anxiety… students that are now of the age to be able to reflect on some of those past behaviors they engaged in during those anxious moments that drove their teachers crazy!

It was interesting to hear the insight they were able to provide and reflect upon when it came to some of their past behaviors. To put it all together, I asked if they thought it appropriate that I write a letter reflecting their voice to their former teachers. I got approval before posting this.

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Big Benefits of Outside Play

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We are in the middle of a big melt outside! Plus, to add to this, I happened to notice our neighbor’s big melt flowing directly into our yard today in streams before stopping and pooling up in the middle of our back yard. (Yeah, this may be a bigger problem than I wish to focus on at this moment!) On the bright side, my kids are loving it! They put on their rain pants, jackets and rubber boots after school today and played in the great outdoors.

Child "Hunting Crocodiles" in Backyard

As a kid, I have awesome memories of doing the same! We do see a few out playing, but the streets are fairly quiet even though the temperature is bearable. I sometimes question: Are kids in general playing outside less than just a few years ago?

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Top Benefits of Board Games

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We had a holiday week recently and so my hubby and I took the kids for a little mountain getaway. In the local coffee shop there, they had a shelf full of board games. I’m not sure if this is more common in the mountains, but I’ve seen this in a few mountain shops even though I’ve never seen it in our urban shops. So of course we played some board games while there!

family in the mountains

I really like board games and sometimes feel they are a forgotten gem. We do have a few favorites that we seem to play in spurts at home, then forget about as the craziness of life and other activities takes over. Every time we play, however, I find myself wondering why we don’t do this more.

There are so many benefits from playing board games as a family! Some of my favorites are:

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13 Must-Have Quality Items for Your Sensory Space

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Why a Sensory Space?

Reactions to sensory stimuli often play a direct role in the behavior of individuals. Some individuals require a lot of sensory input in order for their bodies, and therefore behavior, to remain calm. Other individuals hardly require any at all. Either way, having multi-sensory input brought into an individual’s day can often help to maintain a level of emotional regulation and, therefore, can also help individuals more easily learn or achieve things.

Oxford dictionary defines sensory as “relating to sensation or the physical senses; transmitted or perceived by the senses.” 

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Diagnosis and Achievement

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student with a diagnosis near the classroom

Grade 8 Student: “I’m going to have a really off day today. I won’t be able to concentrate so I won’t get any work done. I will probably be super crazy, too! I have a diagnosis of ADHD and didn’t take my meds this morning.”

Me: “Hmmm, so do I have to send you to the principal’s office right now then… before you even do anything just in case?”

Grade 8 Student: (laughs) “No.”

Me: “What kinds of crazy things are you going to do on this off day?”

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Involving Children in Individual Education Plan Goals

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Have you ever made goals for New Year’s or another time of the year and failed to achieve them? How about the goals you have achieved? What was the difference between the two? I know for myself, the goals I have achieved were simply more meaningful to me. They were ones I wanted to achieve not because someone else thought I should achieve them, but because I personally wanted to for ME!

achieving goals

This doesn’t mean that I have achieved every goal I have had a strong desire to, but it does mean I was definitely more driven to at least making baby steps towards it. Therefore, improvement has been seen even for the meaningful goals I set that I did not fully achieve.

I want to transfer this thought to our children.

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Behavior and the Importance of Listening

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Years ago, when my now adult son was in grade 1, I got the dreaded call from his school that I would need to go in and discuss my son’s behavior. For a reason I will never know, he took a pile of glue and attempted to glue his bum to his chair. The chair and his pants were full of glue. My conversation with him and his teacher at the time went something like this:

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Compassion for the Bully

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Have you ever been bullied or been a bully yourself? Chances are, if you have siblings, you have experienced both sides of this at some point. However, what about when this transfers into school or elsewhere? I know I was quite an angry child and acted out frequently… often not thinking twice about hurting others. I look back now and I’m definitely not proud of having been frequently mean to others. I was a child on both ends of this spectrum… I was picked on at times for sure. I also was a bully many times over.

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I will receive a small commission if you click on a link and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!

lonely and hurting

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Distortions and Reading

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Does your child experience distortions or become disoriented while reading? This often isn’t just a question that you can ask and get a clear response. This is because, even when distortions or disorientation are experienced, your child won’t necessarily realize that this doesn’t happen for everyone. It may also be so normal for your child that it isn’t noted by him/her at all.

experiencing distortion

It is normal for everyone to become disoriented and experience distortions at times. With this stated, it is important to find out if this is a factor in a child’s reading struggles.

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