releasing stress after disasters (and in the class, office, home)

I have a wide experience of working with children in education, special education and disaster areas - mainly as a first aid responder and re building educational systems. I believe in the power that games and physical activity have in order to help reduce stress, build self-confidence and to help construct staffs and groups of children.

The four elements I'm presenting here can help children (and adults) to be calmer, feel better and rearrange their selves in disaster areas and in regular schools, where research has shown that there are high levels of stress *.

In different positions I have had in this area I have usually used different combinations of those elements (see pictures from Haiti) and realized how fast is the impact and how it can help the children and the second and third circles of the family and the entire community.

If you choose to use them, please remember that children that need more attention/ help then others must also see a professional help (psychologist/ consultant/ other)

1. Group activities that connect the group members to the same issues, simultaneity with coping with
    small challenges. Playing short ODT games, dancing together, playing short Sport activities like-
    chase, clapping games, "catch me" and more. The main objective is collaboration and trust
    building.
     we can use different methods like- playing, football, running and more.

2. Dancing- free dance and guided dancing.
    The guided dance needs to be with local/ familiar music and create a dialogue of emotions and  
    movement. Our aim is to create a "safe space" that will encourage them to open up and talk, share
    and express emotions and letting their body talk, releasing dopamine and adrenalin while reducing
    stress.
   For and example: drama dancing in which we play- happiness, anger, surprise and more.

3. Music- music is a safe field for children and adults. We give the children a space to share the
    music they like on one hand and a free options to use music. We can ask them if they want to
    dance, listen, draw it, invent movements or talk about it. the purpose is providing relaxing time.

4. Talking- information and normalization; giving the group information about what happened,    
    common coping/ problems etc., and an option to talk about everything.

Do you have questions? Comments?
I will be happy to hear them and answer.


* we can also use this elements in different way to create equal environment, self-value and more in the class, or any given group.

All the posts and materials belongs to Sharon Michaeli- Ramon ©

Parent child play around age 2-3, more than just play

Learning, experimenting and adventure go hand in hand with developing skills, language, communication with friends, friendships, space comprehension etc.

An ideal age to broaden children grasp of space, objects and people along with building their curiosity and thirst for broader experiences is 2 years +/-.
The main areas are the home, the playground and a yard - with or without grass. In each of these areas you can play with or without accessories, while we as adults need to figure out how to enable a certain amount of freedom, while setting boundaries and rules.

Four possible directions:

1. A hoop
a round object with a hole, colorful and very interesting, and there are lots of playing options with it.
play in-out which can develop to land/sea as the child grows older; ; roll it forward and ask the child to roll it back or bring it back by hand; spin it on your hand or body and let the child try and spin it; run towards it and sit inside. If there are several children you can draw a start line and each child will run towards its hoop/ the only hoop in a short race. You can also free play or dance with it, with or without music.

2. The playground
Usually we encourage the children to climb on ladders, slides, swing on the swings etc., or let them play by themselves.
You can add an adventure and discovery aspect - climb all the first level of all the ladders; crawling and looking for a hidden ball or hoop; passing through unusual passages at the different playground's facilities; hanging from every rope, pole etc. - which is also great for the shoulder belt and for balance.

Improvising the way they swing or slide - back and forth, together, to the sides, walking up the slide etc.

This might seem a bit intimidating and scary to you parents - and yes, it does require us to allow them more independence than we are used to, but this will enhance their learning skills, and especially will strengthen the joy of joint experience and revelations.

3. The body
 the human body is a fascinating playground of its own for children. You can climb it, roll with it, make funny shapes and voices, balance with it, pull, jump etc.
Children are great mimics, and they love it when you mimic them back. Allow yourselves to loosen up, free your mind and make goofier stuff with the kids. You will all enjoy this, and they will also benefit from a higher self-esteem, better body vision, and lots of metrical advantages.
The main bonus is creating a closer bond based on mutual quality time while having a mutual fun activity.

4. Language
Language is an excellent and important tool. I recommend talking to the children as much as possible - during games and playtime, a variety of word for each experience, important concepts, rhymes, word and songs games etc.
Using more language variety and games will enrich their vocabulary and their ability to express themselves.

Enjoy

All the posts and materials belongs to Sharon Michaeli- Ramon ©

See music and rhythm

As part of the work I'm doing with my class I try to stimulate all the senses, and to interweave different kinds of experiences and study methods - Both from the notion that every child has a different way of learning, and from knowing that different experiences (thinking, moving, imagining etc.) contribute to the cognitive-physical-emotional development.

The different experiences are part of the study material, all intended  and contributing to my main goal and labor as a teacher - building and reinforcing the children's self-esteem.

Every other week or two we hold a rhythm session in class - drumming, playing by a certain rhythm, playing, dancing etc. 

Here, for example, is a sequence of four sessions we did in class:

Session no. 1 - 

We opened with this amazing video I found on alaxon.co.il 

https://vimeo.com/111593305 by Nigel Stanford.

After watching the video in which you see how music presents itself in different materials we discussed various ways to draw music. Is it possible? I asked the children how would  they draw different kinds of music. 

I played a rather melodic and calm song, and the children drew the music, The diversity was immense: musical notes, letters, pictures, colors, textures, thoughts and shapes.

We came to the conclusion that music can be drawn in many different ways and that it involves not only listening, but feeling, movement, thought, criticism etc.

Session no. 2 - 

I divided the class to several groups of three, and each threesome was guided to show me some sort of rhythm.

The originality blew me away! 

Some took a paper, placed it on a table, then drummed on the table causing the paper to bounce according to the rhythm. Others used sticks to play. Another group waved their sweatshirts in the air, creating sound and air-movement.

Session no. 3 - 

I opened with this video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlvUepMa31o

And then we worked with play dough and hand-colors. Each child received a big paper, and they created whatever they felt like according to what the music stimulated in them. 

Later on, each child presented his or her creation to the class with movement, sound, or

Session no. 4-

A mother arrived to the class and gave a lecture on Kandinsky and "music in the arts".

Working with music and combining it with unconventional demands encourages thinking, criticism, openness, curiosity, interest and lots of fun.

The children enjoy creating, playing, thinking, and collaborating. The challenges increase the experience and enhance it. Additional subjects also arise, such as musical instruments, different kinds of art, physics, science, creativity etc. 

Personally, I enjoy getting to know the kids in unconventional ways, not just by strictly teaching the formal materials, thus, enabling each and every one of them to express different and new parts of themselves; and above all I know that fun is a crucial element in class.

  

All the posts and materials belongs to Sharon Michaeli- Ramon ©

working in groups independently

Hi, My name is Sharon, and educator, training developer, behavioral analysis professional and specialized in disaster response and precedence. I currently work as a first & second grades teacher a lecturer and in different projects.

I've decided to write the first post on "working in groups independently" because it's a skill with multiple sub- skills. I hope you'll find it useful.

All the posts and materials belongs to Sharon Michaeli- Ramon ©