Storytelling triggers episodic memory, which is why we are more engaged when we hear a story than when we read or hear a list of facts or instructions. Humans are intrinsically more interested in stories about places, people, events and emotional descriptors because our minds relate to social events, or episodes, as small bites of possible survival information.
Most of you reading this will have experienced the phenomenon first-hand. When wanting to capture the attention of young minds, directive commands are often ineffective. However, telling a dramatic story that kids can relate to works every time.
Facts are most often categorized by the brain as declarative information. Since they do not include story-type kinesthetic, visual, or auditory stimuli, they are pruned away as unnecessary to make room for information that is deemed more valuable because it is connected to our bodies and senses and emotions.
In other words, when we are being told a story, not only do our language processing centers activate, but any other area in our brain that we would use when experiencing the events of the story are activated, too. We create multiple avenues for retention and recall and the information sticks.
Dr. John Medina, Molecular Biologist and the author of Brain Rules, is succinct and specific about how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. The bottom line is, if at all possible, we should turn what we are teaching into a story, activate the episodic memory channels, light up the whole brain for learning and watch the information be absorbed in an amazingly holistic and vital way. http://blog.bufferapp.com/science-of-storytelling-why-telling-a-story-is-the-most-powerful-way-to-activate-our-brains
Add playful movement such that children are acting out the story physically and you have a super-charged teaching tool. In a recent study published by Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., The Cognitive Benefits of Play: Effects on the Learning Brain, Dewar found that play not only promotes creative problem solving, better language skills, and improved memory, but that play and exploration also trigger the secretion of BDNF.
Give one of the Scooter & Me movement story video classes a try for your PE and SEL curriculum activities. See for yourself how engaged children are by this powerful combination of story, movement, and social-emotional lessons and how much they remember – especially if you reinforce the health and self-regulation techniques with the Adventure Skill cards!
Learn fun and effective ways to plan and present yoga to children (ages 3-12) at
home, school, yoga studio and beyond. Leave with a template for both
group and individual sessions that provide playgrounds of self-discovery.
Taught by Leah Kalish, MA. Includes 16-week Yoga Power Curriculum!
Cultivate a more sensitive listening to your children, students and patient
Discover how to transform yoga principles into practical life skills
Experience how to hold a safe, supportive and empowering space
Play fun and educational games and activities
Nurture self- awareness, self-care, resilience and social harmony
Help kids sustain well-being through healthy self-regulation
Where:Santa Monica Yoga | 1640 Ocean Park Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90405 (310) 396-4040
When: March 9 – 10, 2013 9 am – 5pm
Cost: $400
Teaching Yoga to Children with Special Needs with Craig Hanauer
Discover the many ways that yoga can promote the healthy development of children, ages 4-12. Find out how the practice of yoga parallels and supports other therapeutic modalities in addressing difficulties with attention, self-regulation, speech and language, learning, and high and low muscle tone.
This experiential workshop will provide a strong foundation to teaching yoga to children with the following diagnosis: High Functioning Autism / Asperger’s Syndrome, Sensory Processing Dysfunction (SPD), Speech and Language Based Learning Disability, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Where: Santa Monica Yoga | 1640 Ocean Park Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90405 (310) 396-4040
Both are perfect for any yoga practitioner who works with kids –yoga teachers, parents, classroom/PE teachers, therapists and para-professionals.
Leah Kalish, MA is a recognized expert and national speaker dedicated to health and empowerment through yoga and creative play. She has taught at Omega, Kripalu and Esalen and authored many successful yoga-based curricula and products for companies such as Yoga Ed., Barefoot Books, Gaiam and School Specialty. Her work has been featured in Yoga Journal, Yoga Plus, Vanity Fair and Integral Yoga Magazine. She is also the award-winning producer of Move with Me Action Adventures, yoga-based educational resources for young children.
Craig Hanauer MA, MS, LCAT, ATR-BC is a New York State Certified Creative Arts Therapist, Art Teacher, and School Building Leader. He is also a Kripalu Certified Yoga Teacher, and a Yoga Alliance 500-Hour Experienced Yoga Teacher. Committed to the health and empowerment of children, Craig has developed ”Every Kid’s Yoga”, a unique and successful program for children with special needs that integrates the creative arts, yoga and play. He specializes in training yoga teachers, special educators, therapists and parents in this therapeutic and fun-filled approach to working with kids. Craig maintains faculty positions at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and The Parkside School, a non-public special education elementary school, in New York City.
It’s grey, it’s cold, everyone’s been sick and you’re totally uninspired. We all know the feeling. But don’t let winter gloom and cabin fever turn you into a couch potato. Plan some FUN & EXERCISE!
Active playtime is just as important as some extra doses of vitamins C and D to keep your spirits lifted and your immune system strong during the winter and flu season. Why? Because play is the optimum state for both health and learning. Playing and exercising literally shift your mind-body state and your chemistry – into the zone of coherence, joy, creativity and bonding.
Recent studies have shown that during moderate exercise, immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are better able to kill bacteria and viruses. According to professor David Nieman, Dr. PH., of Appalachian State University, when moderate exercise is repeated on a near-daily basis there is a cumulative effect that leads to a long-term immune response. His research showed that those who exercise daily have half as many sick days due to colds or sore throats as those who don’t exercise.
Bottom-line, active play for kids is more than just FUN, it also boosts well-being, strengthens immune system and enhances:
creative problem solving and conflict resolution
language skills and communication
memory and learning
focus, attention and sustained concentration
impulse control and emotional intelligence
balance, coordination and confidence
maintaining healthy body weight and sense of well-being
ability to manage stress and reduce anxiety
bonding
Though it’s easy to just let the family all go to their respective corners and technology, especially when it’s bleak outside, don’t! Make sure you plan and enjoy some playtime with your child or children every day. You’ll all feel closer, happier, healthier.
Here are some ideas:
Plant an herb garden or window sill pots
Explore a new trail or park
Visit the aquarium, planetarium, zoo or children’s museum
Create an indoor obstacle course
Play Twister or Yogi Benders
Act out your favorite book as a movement story
Play a board or card game
Do a Move with Me or other exercise video
Cook or bake something special and surprise a friend
I have a personal story that I would like to share with you. I grew up as an overweight child and it was really rough. I was bullied, limited by weight to participate in school activities like cheerleading, and incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin. I have a story, like many people do, but I’m not writing to you about me. Rather, my story is about the generation currently affected. Specifically my nephew.
My nephew is 10 years old, incredibly smart, a natural comic, talented, and an incredible little soul. Old patterns in my family have given him a legacy of being overweight. Like his family before him, he doesn’t have the nutrition education and fitness knowledge that will inspire and encourage him to be healthy. He’s like many kids in his community who don’t have real resources that talk about these issues in positive ways. Encouragement is hard to come by for an obese child. Activity can be daunting and there’s a lot of pressure to be fit. Being made fun of is always a fear.
We are all responsible in helping our children to be healthy. Movements like Partnership for a Healthier America and Move with Me to help end childhood obesity need our support. This is easier than you might think: click to vote and get our message heard in Washington D.C.
I’m worried that in two years time my nephew, who will be 12, could be diagnosed as a pre-diabetic or worse, diagnosed as a diabetic. You and I can make a difference now with our votes.
When weight holds you back as a child, it’s devastating…
My friend, Francesca, grew up as an overweight child and it was really rough. She was bullied, limited by weight to participate in school activities like cheerleading, and incredibly uncomfortable in her own skin. Now, her nephew, who is 10 years old, incredibly smart, a natural comic, talented, and an incredible little soul, like her family / his family, is also overweight. He doesn’t have the nutrition education and fitness knowledge that will inspire and encourage him to be healthy, nor do his parents value making changes to their eating and exercise habits. Francesca is a positive role model. She shares information and activities but, because she’s not in charge, she can only hope he makes the choice, as she did as a young adult, to change, though her family did not.
Her nephew’s story is like many kids in our community who don’t have the resources it takes to change their lifestyles. We all know and/or teach children who are over-weight or obese. Our heart breaks as we see them uncomfortable, struggling, embarrassed, and rejected. We worry that they could soon be diagnosed as a pre-diabetic or worse, diagnosed as a diabetic. When we calculate the long-term cost – to confidence, skill mastery, relationships, self-esteem, health, and quality of life, we cannot just turn away. We are all responsible in helping our children to be healthy.
I was moved to start producing movement story video classes as a way to help families use the TV and computer for affordable, fun, active play and instruction that kids can do anytime.Move with Me is my way of stepping forward and contributing a solution. And I am inspired by organizations such as,Let’s Move and Partnership for a Healthier America, for leading a direct conversation about weight, health and nutrition and supporting programs, awareness and education.
In your own classrooms and communities, you can also:
Take it seriously. Do not be afraid to discuss health, weight, food, etc.
Find a time and place to talk with parents, family or friends who are overweight or have overweight kids. Come from love. Give support. Have helpful suggestions
Refer to statistics regarding the negative impact to help them see the big picture
Be a role model – in your actions, food choices, lifestyle
Introduce them to and include them in fun activities
Movement stories & exercise videos
Yoga & breathing
Indoor play such as dancing to music, Wii Fit, twister, etc.
Outdoor play – at the park, or on the sidewalk – hopscotch, jump rope, etc.
Shopping, making and eating unprocessed foods, fresh fruits and veggies
Create support and play groups, plan community healthy lifestyle activities. Together we can and must change these statistics!
In the United States, 22% of pre-school children are overweight and 10% are obese.
Children who were overweight as preschoolers are five times more likely than their peers to be overweight at age 12. Sedentary and/or overweight children are often overwhelmed by emotion, academics and social interaction. Some are even clinically depressed.
There are many barriers to daily opportunities for active play at home and at school. Families and schools share budget limitations and environmental safety concerns (e.g. violence, drug sales) inclement weather, parent work schedules, time and curricular constraints, as well as inadequate knowledge or training about how to lead and integrate active play into children’s daily routine. http://www.letsmove.gov/sites/letsmove.gov/files/TFCO_Challenge_We_Face.pdf
This post is a continuation of our Youth Yoga Movement Heroes series. We continue to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who have collaborated to support Move with Me in Partnership for a Healthier America’s End Childhood Obesity Innovation Challenge. We encourage to take a moment to check out these inspiring organizations and the great products they offer to support children’s physical and emotional well-being.
Vote for Move with Me by visiting: https://www.urgentblue.org/facebook/pha-innovation-challenge/video/details/submission-for-2012-11-15-152740
And then, enter to win one of 85 incredible youth yoga products by visiting: http://www.shantigeneration.com/blog/vote-for-move-with-me-uplift-the-whole-field-of-youth-health-and-wellness
Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Meditations for Kids is a book of stories to help children learn to calm their bodies and relax their minds. Wildly imaginative and whimsically joyful, Carolyn Clarke’s guide is a wonderful tool for children to learn that the most important spaces in life are often the quiet moments in between. The stories and illustrations contained in this volume help children learn to calm themselves and release the tension of their lives in a positive, healing manner. A child’s ability to consciously relax their body and clear their mind can help address a myriad of issues, such as anxiety, stress, and excessive worry; sleep disorders, nightmares, and fear of the dark at bedtime; anger issues; focus and concentration issues; special needs, including ADD, ADHD, Aspergers, autism, and OCD; depression; low self-esteem; grief; and life changes such as moving, divorce, or changing schools. Opening up worlds and universes with evocative stories and vivid details that simultaneously calm the mind, body and spirit, Clarke’s debut is an extraordinary aid to help children not only tap into their inner calm, but to expand their imagination to its outer limits—and beyond.
I am happy to support Move With Me because I believe that every child can benefit from yoga and relaxation. Yoga is especially beneficial for kids that don’t have an interest in or are intimidated by competitive sports, and this is one way to address the problem of childhood obesity in this country.- Carolyn Clarke
In the kindie music world, Kira Willey breaks through with her unique, two-in-one albums that blend upbeat, danceable music with get-up-and-move yoga inspiration. In October 2011, this innovative singer-songwriter from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, released her second CD, Kings & Queens of the Forest: Yoga Songs for Kids Vol. 2. The collection of 13 joyful folk/pop originals also features 13 bonus yoga tracks with Kira’s instructional voiceovers. Included in the album is a lyric booklet that guides parents with illustrations of Kira’s kid-friendly yoga routines. Kira is also donating one of her debut CDs, “Dance for the Sun: Yoga Songs for Kids.”
Kira believes strongly in the battle against childhood obesity and the importance of instilling healthy fitness habits in children early in their lives, and is happy to support Move with Me!
Yummi Yogi is a collection of yoga shaped cookie cutters! This is a fun way for kids to learn more about yoga in and out of the kitchen.
Yummi Yogi is excited to be a part of supporting MwM and it’s passion to end obesity.
OM Schooled the book grew out of the intention to support more kids yoga teachers! After teaching yoga in schools for many years full time I wanted to share what worked and what didn’t with others looking to bring health and mindfulness to children, especially in school environments. OM Schooled is a teachers’ guide and I hope the book is fun and of use!
The work Move with Me is doing is so in-line with all OM Schooled believes in! There’s power in numbers, so we are giving a major shout-out to MWM!
This post is a continuation of our Youth Yoga Movement Heroes series. We continue to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who have collaborated to support Move with Me in Partnership for a Healthier America’s End Childhood Obesity Innovation Challenge. We encourage to take a moment to check out these inspiring organizations and the great products they offer to support children’s physical and emotional well-being.
Vote for Move with Me by visiting: https://www.urgentblue.org/facebook/pha-innovation-challenge/video/details/submission-for-2012-11-15-152740
And then, enter to win one of 85 incredible youth yoga products by visiting: http://www.shantigeneration.com/blog/vote-for-move-with-me-uplift-the-whole-field-of-youth-health-and-wellness
Winner of 4 national awards: Parent’s Choice, Mom’s Choice Gold, Dr. Toy’s Best Green Product, and Creative Child Magazine’s Preferred Choice.
Storyland Yoga is a fun-filled adventure that infuses children with an eco-conscious message. Two unique stories, Save the Whale and Condor Trek, engage a child’s imagination through storytelling. Kid’s learn yoga postures by becoming part of the story and imitating animals. Yoga is great exercise and helps to calm children, giving them greater focus and increased clarity. By connecting with nature and gaining respect for their own health and well being, children become empowered to create solutions for the health and sustainability of our planet. Storyland Yoga is equally fun for parents and family members who can benefit from yoga, while enjoying organic time with their children.
Program run time:
Condor Trek 23:10 minutes
Save the Whale 18:30 minutes
Instructor: Ahmed Fahmy
It is important for communities to support each other in their efforts to spread the word about the benefit of healthy activity. Move with Me is doing just that by actively engaging kids in moving more and taking them out of the cycle and end childhood obesity!
Endorsed by athletes, film stars and moms alike, The ABCs of Yoga for Kids, written by Teresa Anne Power and illustrated by Kathleen Rietz,is a multiple award winning book which uses the alphabet, rhyming vignettes and colorful illustrations to introduce children to basic yoga postures in a kid-friendly way. Yoga Adventures with Down Dog, a Mom’s Choice Award Winning DVD produced by Teresa Anne Power,also teaches kids how to be fit and healthy by practicing simple yoga poses as well.
I am supporting Move with Me because I feel that yoga can play an integral role in ending childhood obesity. Statistics show that 33% of U.S. kids are now obese, and yoga for kids helps to develop discipline, aids in the performance of other sports, heightens body awareness and self-control, helps kids gain flexibility and strength, increases their ability to concentrate and focus, and helps kids feel empowered and calm at the same time. All told, this translates into healthier minds and bodies, not to mention better performance in school!
In 2007, LisaFlynn, E-RYT, RCYT and founder of ChildLight Yoga, was inspired and challenged by the classroom teachers she encountered to create a yoga and mindfulness-based program focused on the whole child that would also be appropriate for the classroom setting. After three and a half years of research, development and test piloting, Yoga 4 Classrooms® was born.
Yoga 4 Classrooms offers professional development workshops for educators, in-service workshops for school staffs, a classroom residency program, and opportunities for yoga teachers, educators and school counselors to train to be Y4C Trainers. Due to popular demand, we are now thrilled to offer the Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck, a supporting or stand-along resource for classroom teachers.
The Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck is a fun and effective tool for teachers to use with their students for a peaceful and productive classroom.
Yoga 4 Classrooms helps children develop the self-awareness to realize how they feel and what they need; teaches them strategies to slow down, unwind and manage their emotions; guides them through movements that optimize their strength, flexibility and balance; demonstrates healthy habits; and reminds them to love and forgive themselves. Y4C provides students with tools for learning and lessons for life.
Absolutely anyone can use and benefit from the Y4C Activity Card Deck – teachers, students, parents, therapists. No prior yoga experience required.
Abby Wills of Shanti Generation organized a raffle as soon as she heard the news. Within hours other youth yoga organizations stepped up to offer their products and services as prizes for the raffle. Today, the raffle has turned into a “Mega Giveaway” with over 85 incredible prizes that support the physical and emotional well-being of our youth. Every person who votes for MwM in PHA’s challenge, can enter to win these prizes.
We are so overwhelmed with gratitude for the support from our colleagues, that we wanted to let you know who these organizations are. In a series of posts, we will be featuring each of these organizations and their products. We hope you take a moment to learn more about them and what they have to offer.
Karma Kids Yoga is donating our CD, “Come Play Yoga!”, a gold Mom’s Choice Award winner for best kids music! Fifteen original songs, rockin’ yoga music for kids, tons of yoga fun! Come Play Yoga features an eclectic mix of musical styles, including rock, reggae, disco, country, new age, and rhythmic chanting. Kids can practice yoga along with popular songs from our classes, or they can just chill out and enjoy the yoga groove. Each track playfully aims to inspire confidence, strength, imagination and inner-peace, as well as bring a smile to your child’s yoga practice.
We are supporting Move with Me in this challenge because Leah is a pioneer in the world of children’s yoga and we believe in her mission. And because we love Move with Me videos!
“January’s Child: A Birthday Month Book” by Andrea Alban Gosline & “Agate: What Good Is a Moose?” by Joy Mogan Dey. Since I don’t have any products or services to raffle off, I decided to donate two of my favorite picture books to use in kids yoga classes. I have hundreds of kids pictures books but the decision was easy. I chose these two books because they beautifully weave affirmations into the story. For more info, a lesson plan, playlist & free printables see this post on the OMazing Kids blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/09/12/moosely-marvelous-omazing-kids-lesson-plan-printables-music-more/.
I am supporting the Move with Me campaign because I am passionate about yoga as a wellness activity for kids of all abilities. It taps into multiple learning styles, can be easily adapted to meet individual needs, can be done individually or in a group, is non-competitive & has research showing its benefits for kids with special needs (in particular for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, anxiety, etc…).
This Still Quiet Place CD offers short guided mindfulness practices for teens. These practices let teens chill out and help them deal with daily challenges.
This CD offers young children playful guided practices for discovering their natural stillness and quietness. These practices help children learn to be kind and compassionate with themselves and others.
Move with Me is an excellent example of a school program that enhances physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.
Thank you Abby Wills of ShantiGeneration for uniting youth yoga leaders across the country to help us gain more votes and WIN the PHA’S Challenge.
ShantiGeneration and dozens of other organizations have donated their products and created a raffle for anyone who votes for Move with Me in the challenge. When you vote and follow the directions below, you will be entered to win one of more than 60 prizes.
From the ShantiGeneration Blog:
Something powerful is happening right now and you are invited to participate!
The national community of children’s, teens and school yoga teachers are joining forces in a Community Action project to support our colleague, Leah Kalish, founder of Move with Me.
Partnership for a Healthier America chose Move with Me as one of the top 10 ideas for ending childhood obesity.
And now they want YOU to choose ….
Vote for Move with Me at the link below.
With the most votes, Leah gets to present to Michelle Obama and other leaders at the 2013 Health Summit !
To help inspire you to vote and mobilize your friends to vote, we are collectively offering over 65 raffle prizes including books, dvd’s, decks, trainings, manuals, curricula, cd’s and more (See full list below).
All you have to do is vote and you qualify for entry into this great raffle!
Please consider sharing this invitation to act of a whole community far and wide. This is a tiny something you can do right now to enrich the lives and health of young people.
And now for the prizes!
5 Come Play Yoga! CDs from Karma Kids Yoga.
2 three month GOLD memberships to Kids Yoga Academy
1 Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck
3 I Grow With Yoga: Yoga Songs for Children CDs from Childlight Yoga
4 Whale Yoga DVD’s from Next Generation Yoga
5 Hip-HopYoga tees from Mindful Practices
1 The Story of Ganesha with companion book from Yoginos: Yoga for Youth
1 I Am OHMazing® music CD with bilingual coloring book from Yoginos: Yoga for Youth
2 Yoga Skills for Youth Peacemakers DVDs from Shanti Generation
2 Partner Yoga for Teens DVD’s from Shanti Generation
3 My First Yoga books
1 Yoga Cutter from Yummi Yoga
2 Yawning Yoga books from Laurie Jordan
4 Imaginations books from Carolyn Clarke
1 Dance for the Sun: Yoga Songs for Kids from Kira Wiley
1 Kings & Queens of the Forest: Yoga Songs for Kids, Vol. 2. from Kira Wiley
2 Yoga 4 Teens DVD from Christy Brock
1 January’s Child: A Birthday Month Book by Andrea Alban Gosline from OMazing Kids, LLC
2 Grounded Superheroes: An Elevated Yoga Curriculum for Kids and Teens from Grounded
1 Agate: What Good Is a Moose? by Joy Mogan Dey from OMazing Kids, LLC
1 Sophia’s Jungle Adventure from Kids Yoga Stories
1 Anna and her Rainbow-Colored Yoga Mats from Kids Yoga Stories
1 Luke’s A to Z of Australian Animals: an Alphabet Coloring Book from Kids Yoga Stories
1 Calm & Connected: Yoga Based Tools for Self-Regulation from S.M.Art Kids Adaptive Yoga
1 The Dragonfly’s Adventure and Ocean Surf-ari – (S.M.Art Stories™ – photo-illustrated adaptive Yoga curriculum books)
4 ABsolute Beginner Yoga DVDs from Joanne Spence
1 Still Quiet Place: Mindfulness for Young Children CD’s from Amy Saltzman
1 Still Quiet Place: Mindfulness for Teens CDs from Amy Saltzman
1 YogaBuddies Bedtime Stories DVD
1 Good Morning, Good Night CD set from YogaBuddies
5 copies of Every Kids Yoga Manual and DVD
1 The Whole Brain Child by Dan Siegel from Little Flower Yoga
1 Building Inner Resilience by Linda Lantieri from Little Flower Yoga
1 LOTUS mat from The Little Yoga Mat
1 Storyland Yoga DVD
1 Frog Yoga Alphabet Teacher Training Double Pack – e-book from Young Yoga Masters
1 Yoga Man vs. The Stressor – Yoga for Boys Teacher Training – e-book from Young Yoga Masters
2 OM Schooled book from Sarah Herrington
1 What I See, I Can Be: A Guided Yoga for Children Book and CD from Janet Williams
1 Yoga Match: A Memory and Movement Card Game from Janet Williams
1 Coaching Session with Leah Kalish: In-person or Skype
10 DVDs from Move with Me Action Adventures
Thank you to PHA for organizing, promoting and sponsoring this opportunity for leaders, teachers, administrators and entrepreneurs to come together to end obesity and give every child a healthy start!
Stories light up the brain for learning!
