Hey Forest Friends Fam,

Firstly, I wanted to check in and see how things have been going at home, particularly in terms of your children’s social-emotional wellbeing. Have you seen any behaviors that you’re not sure how to address? Are there certain times of day that are particularly challenging? (Ex: nap time, washing hands before eating, late afternoon/early evening, etc) Are your children experiencing strong emotions that are difficult to support? The Forest Friends Teachers are creating a list of behaviors that we can address, and hopefully provide support for in this moment that is incredibly dis-regulating for adults and children alike.
Today’s activities:
I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely feeling the lack of movement in my life. Today I’m sharing a couple different dancing activities with you. Dancing can be a great way to relieve stress and process feelings through movement! I know that I often feel much more grounded and relaxed after I’ve danced.
Balancing a book dance – See the video of me at the bottom of this email demonstrating this very simple game! How to play: find a floppy book/notebook, balance it on your head, turn on you and your kiddo’s favorite music, and then DANCE! The goal is to keep the book on your head. If it falls off, try to catch it and put it back on. You can make this game more advanced for older children by adding an extra rule: players who catch the falling books stay in the game while players who drop their books are “out” until the next round. The song in the video is “Groove is in the Heart” by Deee-Lite 🙂
“Milkshake” by Go Noodle – This movement song was a crowd favorite at the charter school I worked at before CCS. It’s great because it gives kids a chance to move and get loud in a controlled, safe way. Go Noodle (the YouTube channel of the video linked above) has a lot of silly movement videos like this one for those moments when your kiddo has the wiggles and you can’t go outside, or when you need a couple minutes to focus on something else. (No judgment!!)
Sending you well wishes,
Teacher Eliza