A Winter Dance Story: The Most Perfect Snowman

Hello, and Happy 2020!

I have created a new dance story around one of my favorite picture books: The Most Perfect Snowman, by Chris Britt. This is a fun and lively mid-winter activity, perfect for story time!

This beautiful story is about generosity, kindness, and selflessness, and is told in a gentle way. The lovely illustrations and language portray the story of a lonely snowman, Drift, who only has two skinny stick arms, and a mouth and eyes made of coal.  He has no hat, scarf, or mittens.  He sees the parade of other stylish snow people go by, laughing, dancing, and playing, and he longs for company and to be like the other snowmen. Most of all he wants a nice carrot nose. He thinks that if he were stylish and had a carrot nose, he would be perfect.

Drift spends his days slipping and sliding through the woods all alone.  Three children see him and feel sorry for him.  One child gives him a hat.  Another gives him mittens, and a third gives him a scarf.  Then, one of them gives him a wonderfully big carrot, and says that now he is a perfect snowman. Drift is happy and plays with the children.

A furious storm blows in. Drift thanks the children and waves good-bye to them.  The wind blows his hat and mittens away, and he tries to find them.  He searches everywhere. He's sorry to lose his new clothes, but is happy that he still has his long, warm scarf, and his fancy carrot nose.

He hears a little whimper in the middle of the howling wind.  It is a small bunny who is trying to survive the cold winter night.  Drift gives the bunny his warm scarf.  Then he hears the bunny's tummy growl with hunger.  He gives the bunny his carrot, and this makes him "the most perfect snowman of all."

Now, let's dance the story!

THE MOST PERFECT SNOWMAN

Dance Story

Read the story aloud, then use the following prompts to inspire the children to retell the story through movement.  Call out each one, and give the children plenty of time to respond through movement. This activity takes about 15 minutes, and works best in a large space.

Play a quiet instrumental selection in the background, such as "Just Before Dawn," by William Ackerman, from the album "A Winter's Solstice," Vol 4.

Begin the Dance Story:

• Imagine you are Drift, the snowman. You have eyes, a mouth, and two stick arms.  

• You spend your days alone, slipping and sliding through the woods, slowly and sadly.

• Here comes a parade of fancy, stylish snowmen.  Can you parade around proudly, showing your hats, mittens, and scarves?

• Have an imaginary snowball fight.

• Now do a snowman dance!

• Swish and slide through the woods, like Drift, watching the other snowmen play. 

• Suddenly, you see three children.  Wave hello to them.  Maybe they will come over to you.

• One of them offers you her hat.  Put it on your snowman head!  What color is it?  How does it feel?

• Another offers you mittens.  What do they look like?  Put them on your stick arms.

• And now one gives you a long, warm scarf.  Can you wrap it around yourself?

• What is the little girl holding now?  A carrot!  She gives it to you!  Put it on your face, just like you have always wanted.  You are the perfect snowman! Play with the children in the snow.

• Imagine you are a snowflake flying around in the storm. What shape are you? Blow side to side, up and down, as the strong wind swirls you around.  

• Now imagine you are Drift, and suddenly your hat blows away.  Oh no!  Try to find it.  Now your mittens blow away.  Slide through the woods and try to find them too.

• It's time to hunker down for the night and wait out the storm.What do you hear?  Listen carefully. Do you hear a small voice?  Look all around. 

• Look down and see a tiny, shivering bunny who is lost.

• Now, imagine you are the bunny.  How does it feel to be very, very cold? The snowman is giving you his warm scarf! Wrap up in the soft scarf. 

• The kind snowman is giving you his wonderful orange carrot nose! Munch softly on the carrot as you snuggle up next to the most perfect snowman of all.

MOVING IS LEARNING!

Keep on dancin',

Connie

www.movingislearning.com

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD

DAY 4: BE AFFECTIONATE WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER – Teach your children about love by expressing love for your significant other in front of them. Children who have healthy models of affection around them are likely to recreate in their adulthood what they witnessed as children. When your significant other and you argue or fight in front of the children, be sure and let the kids see the two of you makeup.

Get all 14 tips as they get published at http://www.facebook.com/cooperativekidz

Make A Teacher's Day! Random Acts of Kindness For Your Favorite Teacher

Hi! I'm Ayn and I am a Ga. Pre-K teacher, serving 4 and 5 year olds in an inclusive setting. I share my classroom adventures on my blog, little illuminations.


Do you ever have a bad day? A bad week? I sure do! It seems that it has been one thing after another for the last couple of weeks! 

We started back to school and our building was undergoing a re-model. Most of the school is staying the same, but we are adding on and the addition is connected to my classroom. This meant cutting a small portion of my classroom to make a hallway for the new classroom. As with any re-model, things have not gone exactly as I had hoped, and the workers, trying to work around my teaching schedule, have had to come in after class hours. Often times (sometimes more than once or twice in a single day, almost every day, for the last few weeks) that has meant moving part of my classroom so the workers could have access. It has entailed dust, noise, distraction and many other annoyances. Can you spell S-T-R-E-S-S????? As I am trying to get my classroom ready for the new school year bulletin boards have come down and been moved. My areas for learning centers have had to be flexible because the electrical outlets are not all working while the electric has been worked on for the new room. 

It's been tricky getting a new group of kids on board with our routines and putting things in their places when things have been changing on a daily basis. BUT, I'm a teacher ---I can be flexible! (Or I try to do a good job of faking it, anyway!) I try to see things with a glass half-full perspective. It is a GOOD thing that our other Pre-K class will be getting a much larger room, the same size as the one I've been blessed with these last few years. It is a GOOD thing that we will have another class for our one year olds and we will be able to accommodate many of our families. My kids are loving, kind and excited about learning and they keep my bucket full. 

We've been looking forward to this past Friday as having most of the work done and we were scheduled to have a half day as a scheduled teacher workday. Yayyyyy! We were finally going to get our room in order. But wait. Not. So. Fast. It turns out that we were getting new (and much needed) carpet for our center. The workers would be coming in over the long weekend to put it down. Translation: instead of putting the room in order, we would pack the ENTIRE room up and move it up and out so the carpet could be laid. Then, Tropical Storm Hermine showed up on the scene. The Emergency Preparedness folks in our area suggested that we cancel school for students due to a threat of high wind. The upside is that we would have the full day as a teacher workday to pack the room up. (I was trying to keep a happy face on it but honestly, my bucket was beginning to leak.) 

Last month I was working on a post I thought was going to be pretty great. While doing that, I was making several "freebies" to go with the post. Just before the post was scheduled, I came across some really great things that I decided to share instead. I thought that I would add more great "freebies" and share them this month. I have been working on these all month and have been very excited to share them here with you. I was planning to add the finishing touches this weekend and schedule the post for today. Sounds great, right?

When I got home Friday evening, my computer started having one of those no-good-very-bad-days of its own. It went bonkers! I had my technician work on it all weekend. When I got it back Monday evening, I was told it was a good news, bad news situation. The good news was that the computer had been saved. It was restored to the condition I bought it in. The bad news is that it was in the condition I bought it in. Every file, picture, document, etc, that was on it was gone. Microsoft Office was gone. All the major applications that I use regularly---GONE.  (All those delicious "freebies" that I have worked on for the last month? Well, those are gone, gone, gone, too.)  

So I got up Tuesday morning and put on my "big girl pants" and went to school VERY early so I could put my room back together. I walked in and the carpet was BEAUTIFUL! My lights in the classroom had been switched out and I had bright, beautiful light in my room! I went to work putting the room in order again. (For the umpteenth time, but who's counting? ;) And then, someone did something nice for me. A small something. It wasn't much, but it made me feel better. It made me smile. I came home and this meme was the first thing I saw when I turned on my computer. 

from the No-Exceptions.org facebook page

Is all that other stuff what is important? It's stressful, yes. But in the grand scheme of things, is it REALLY important? And I realized that it doesn't take much to make someone's day. Someone can be having a REALLY "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" and one small something can turn it around for them. It is IMPORTANT to do good deeds for others. It makes them feel great and it can also do a world of good for the person doing the good deed.

The start of the school year, holidays and Teacher Appreciation Week are when many people think about doing something nice for teachers but random kindness is a GREAT way to show you care. Whether you are a parent and you'd like to show appreciation for your child's teacher or you are a teacher who wants to show a little love for a fellow teacher, here are a few simple things that don't take much to really brighten that teacher's day:

• A smile and a few kind words in the morning are a GREAT way to make a teacher's day!
• Offer to help in the classroom. You can read a story, cut things out, put up a bulletin board or even help with small group work or projects. Whatever your talents are, I'm sure your teacher will appreciate it!
• Send in school supplies. You always hear about how much money teachers spend for their classroom. Here's a secret: Every teacher LOVES Sharpies and colorful Post It notes! Or, take note of what items your teacher seems to use a lot. Does she tend to use a certain type of pen? Pick one up next time you are in the store. Or make a little "bouquet" with a few Post-Its, some pens, crayons and pencils!

• Candy! It doesn't have to be a big box of fancy chocolates! A candy bar with a sweet note attached can start a day off on a positive note and give the teacher something to look forward to later when she/he needs a little pick-me-up. I've had students bring me a single Hershey's kiss and that simple gesture went a long way in making my day brighter.
• A cup of coffee or a cool drink on a hot day. One parent brought us Sonic slushies on a really hot afternoon. It came up in my "Facebook Memories" last week. It has been several years, but when I saw the post, I smiled all over again. 

• A little snack. I once had a parent bring a HOT Krispy Kreme doughnut to me in the middle of the day. She said she was driving by and the "HOT" sign came on in the window and she couldn't resist driving through and picking one up for me and my assistant. Wowsers! 
• Bring in lunch! Something delicious is always a treat, especially when a) you don't have to cook it yourself and b) it's not cafeteria food!
• Flowers! A surprise bouquet is always a treat, but a quick snip of a flower from your garden will certainly brighten her day, too!

• Fruit baskets and Edible arrangements are nice, too! This one made my day and I still remember how yummy it was even though it has been a few years!

• A cute cup to carry drinks from home.

• A picture of the class with handwritten names on the matte. I have gotten several over the years and I love each one!

• Ask your child and their class mates what they love about the teacher. Make a video, card or poster with the responses. This will be a keepsake more precious than the most expensive gift money could buy!
• Spread the kindness! Encourage others to shower the teacher with little acts of kindness to make a truly special surprise!

These last 3 are BIG!!!    REALLY, REALLY BIG!!! And here's the thing....they are free. Completely free. BUT, they are sure to be some of the BEST ways you can show your appreciation and share a bit of kindness. Are you ready?

• Write a letter to teacher letting her know how much you appreciate her. Write from the heart and you will make her heart swoon. The "warm fuzzies" will last for days. Seriously. FOR. DAYS.!!!
• Write a letter to her administrator or principal. Let them know how much you appreciate her. Often times the administrators mostly hear from parents with complaints. Now you've made TWO people's day! (Don't forget to send the teacher a copy of the letter, too!)
• The Golden Apple. If you REALLY think the world of your child's teacher, nominate her for an award. Most towns have some sort of local award to recognize great teachers. The one in my area is called The Golden Apple Award. Teachers are nominated by families and recognized for their hard work and dedication. At the end of the year, there is an awards ceremony and a black tie banquet. It is truly a special recognition. Even if you have the GREATEST teacher in town and you think surely someone must have nominated them before, send a letter of nomination. I have a friend who got a Golden Apple Award after many years of dedicated service and teaching hundreds of students. It was well known that she was "the" teacher everyone always requested. It turns out that several families over the years thought of nominating her but didn't because they assumed she was so fabulous that someone else must have nominated her before. Finally someone did! It really made her year and has been an honor that lasts a lifetime!

I encourage you to make a teacher's day! Go big, go little, but show you care. We have way too many good teachers who are leaving our profession and we need to keep the great ones around! Remember, this is the person who loves and cares for your child for most of the day while they are away from you. Your Random Act Of Kindness can make a HUGE difference and in the end, you'll feel pretty good, too! 

Stop by and visit me anytime at littleilluminations.blogspot.com or visit the little illuminations fanpage on facebook! And be sure to check out PreK+K Sharing EEE!

Make A Teacher's Day! Random Acts of Kindness For Your Favorite Teacher

Hi! I'm Ayn and I am a Ga. Pre-K teacher, serving 4 and 5 year olds in an inclusive setting. I share my classroom adventures on my blog, little illuminations.


Do you ever have a bad day? A bad week? I sure do! It seems that it has been one thing after another for the last couple of weeks! 

We started back to school and our building was undergoing a re-model. Most of the school is staying the same, but we are adding on and the addition is connected to my classroom. This meant cutting a small portion of my classroom to make a hallway for the new classroom. As with any re-model, things have not gone exactly as I had hoped, and the workers, trying to work around my teaching schedule, have had to come in after class hours. Often times (sometimes more than once or twice in a single day, almost every day, for the last few weeks) that has meant moving part of my classroom so the workers could have access. It has entailed dust, noise, distraction and many other annoyances. Can you spell S-T-R-E-S-S????? As I am trying to get my classroom ready for the new school year bulletin boards have come down and been moved. My areas for learning centers have had to be flexible because the electrical outlets are not all working while the electric has been worked on for the new room. 

It's been tricky getting a new group of kids on board with our routines and putting things in their places when things have been changing on a daily basis. BUT, I'm a teacher ---I can be flexible! (Or I try to do a good job of faking it, anyway!) I try to see things with a glass half-full perspective. It is a GOOD thing that our other Pre-K class will be getting a much larger room, the same size as the one I've been blessed with these last few years. It is a GOOD thing that we will have another class for our one year olds and we will be able to accommodate many of our families. My kids are loving, kind and excited about learning and they keep my bucket full. 

We've been looking forward to this past Friday as having most of the work done and we were scheduled to have a half day as a scheduled teacher workday. Yayyyyy! We were finally going to get our room in order. But wait. Not. So. Fast. It turns out that we were getting new (and much needed) carpet for our center. The workers would be coming in over the long weekend to put it down. Translation: instead of putting the room in order, we would pack the ENTIRE room up and move it up and out so the carpet could be laid. Then, Tropical Storm Hermine showed up on the scene. The Emergency Preparedness folks in our area suggested that we cancel school for students due to a threat of high wind. The upside is that we would have the full day as a teacher workday to pack the room up. (I was trying to keep a happy face on it but honestly, my bucket was beginning to leak.) 

Last month I was working on a post I thought was going to be pretty great. While doing that, I was making several "freebies" to go with the post. Just before the post was scheduled, I came across some really great things that I decided to share instead. I thought that I would add more great "freebies" and share them this month. I have been working on these all month and have been very excited to share them here with you. I was planning to add the finishing touches this weekend and schedule the post for today. Sounds great, right?

When I got home Friday evening, my computer started having one of those no-good-very-bad-days of its own. It went bonkers! I had my technician work on it all weekend. When I got it back Monday evening, I was told it was a good news, bad news situation. The good news was that the computer had been saved. It was restored to the condition I bought it in. The bad news is that it was in the condition I bought it in. Every file, picture, document, etc, that was on it was gone. Microsoft Office was gone. All the major applications that I use regularly---GONE.  (All those delicious "freebies" that I have worked on for the last month? Well, those are gone, gone, gone, too.)  

So I got up Tuesday morning and put on my "big girl pants" and went to school VERY early so I could put my room back together. I walked in and the carpet was BEAUTIFUL! My lights in the classroom had been switched out and I had bright, beautiful light in my room! I went to work putting the room in order again. (For the umpteenth time, but who's counting? ;) And then, someone did something nice for me. A small something. It wasn't much, but it made me feel better. It made me smile. I came home and this meme was the first thing I saw when I turned on my computer. 

from the No-Exceptions.org facebook page

Is all that other stuff what is important? It's stressful, yes. But in the grand scheme of things, is it REALLY important? And I realized that it doesn't take much to make someone's day. Someone can be having a REALLY "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" and one small something can turn it around for them. It is IMPORTANT to do good deeds for others. It makes them feel great and it can also do a world of good for the person doing the good deed.

The start of the school year, holidays and Teacher Appreciation Week are when many people think about doing something nice for teachers but random kindness is a GREAT way to show you care. Whether you are a parent and you'd like to show appreciation for your child's teacher or you are a teacher who wants to show a little love for a fellow teacher, here are a few simple things that don't take much to really brighten that teacher's day:

• A smile and a few kind words in the morning are a GREAT way to make a teacher's day!
• Offer to help in the classroom. You can read a story, cut things out, put up a bulletin board or even help with small group work or projects. Whatever your talents are, I'm sure your teacher will appreciate it!
• Send in school supplies. You always hear about how much money teachers spend for their classroom. Here's a secret: Every teacher LOVES Sharpies and colorful Post It notes! Or, take note of what items your teacher seems to use a lot. Does she tend to use a certain type of pen? Pick one up next time you are in the store. Or make a little "bouquet" with a few Post-Its, some pens, crayons and pencils!

• Candy! It doesn't have to be a big box of fancy chocolates! A candy bar with a sweet note attached can start a day off on a positive note and give the teacher something to look forward to later when she/he needs a little pick-me-up. I've had students bring me a single Hershey's kiss and that simple gesture went a long way in making my day brighter.
• A cup of coffee or a cool drink on a hot day. One parent brought us Sonic slushies on a really hot afternoon. It came up in my "Facebook Memories" last week. It has been several years, but when I saw the post, I smiled all over again. 

• A little snack. I once had a parent bring a HOT Krispy Kreme doughnut to me in the middle of the day. She said she was driving by and the "HOT" sign came on in the window and she couldn't resist driving through and picking one up for me and my assistant. Wowsers! 
• Bring in lunch! Something delicious is always a treat, especially when a) you don't have to cook it yourself and b) it's not cafeteria food!
• Flowers! A surprise bouquet is always a treat, but a quick snip of a flower from your garden will certainly brighten her day, too!

• Fruit baskets and Edible arrangements are nice, too! This one made my day and I still remember how yummy it was even though it has been a few years!

• A cute cup to carry drinks from home.

• A picture of the class with handwritten names on the matte. I have gotten several over the years and I love each one!

• Ask your child and their class mates what they love about the teacher. Make a video, card or poster with the responses. This will be a keepsake more precious than the most expensive gift money could buy!
• Spread the kindness! Encourage others to shower the teacher with little acts of kindness to make a truly special surprise!

These last 3 are BIG!!!    REALLY, REALLY BIG!!! And here's the thing....they are free. Completely free. BUT, they are sure to be some of the BEST ways you can show your appreciation and share a bit of kindness. Are you ready?

• Write a letter to teacher letting her know how much you appreciate her. Write from the heart and you will make her heart swoon. The "warm fuzzies" will last for days. Seriously. FOR. DAYS.!!!
• Write a letter to her administrator or principal. Let them know how much you appreciate her. Often times the administrators mostly hear from parents with complaints. Now you've made TWO people's day! (Don't forget to send the teacher a copy of the letter, too!)
• The Golden Apple. If you REALLY think the world of your child's teacher, nominate her for an award. Most towns have some sort of local award to recognize great teachers. The one in my area is called The Golden Apple Award. Teachers are nominated by families and recognized for their hard work and dedication. At the end of the year, there is an awards ceremony and a black tie banquet. It is truly a special recognition. Even if you have the GREATEST teacher in town and you think surely someone must have nominated them before, send a letter of nomination. I have a friend who got a Golden Apple Award after many years of dedicated service and teaching hundreds of students. It was well known that she was "the" teacher everyone always requested. It turns out that several families over the years thought of nominating her but didn't because they assumed she was so fabulous that someone else must have nominated her before. Finally someone did! It really made her year and has been an honor that lasts a lifetime!

I encourage you to make a teacher's day! Go big, go little, but show you care. We have way too many good teachers who are leaving our profession and we need to keep the great ones around! Remember, this is the person who loves and cares for your child for most of the day while they are away from you. Your Random Act Of Kindness can make a HUGE difference and in the end, you'll feel pretty good, too! 

Stop by and visit me anytime at littleilluminations.blogspot.com or visit the little illuminations fanpage on facebook! And be sure to check out PreK+K Sharing EEE!

KINDNESS - Be Kind, Teach Kind

How to Be Kind, How to Teach Kind

Ms. Brigid here, from Merit School of Music  in Chicago. Thank you for joining me!

The title to my post may give the impression that I know what the answer is. Actually, I’m asking for your input. What songs, books, and activities do you use to support kindness in your Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms?

Please use the "comments" feature, or write me directly: gardengoddess1@comcast.net

As the temperatures dropped into the single digits, making recess impossible and post-school outside time unthinkable, kiddos have been coming to class displaying a higher degree of grouchiness and grousiness than usual. Meaningful and sincere kindness is being consistently modeled and encouraged in these classrooms, yet there is (sometimes) a spectacular disconnect.  

One of my schools (K-8) is involved in a “one school, one book” project, using R. J. Palacio’s book, Wonder, as a springboard to stimulate a discussion about kindness, compassion and empathy…and much more. After finding out about the book from a favorite Second Grade teacher, I checked it out at the Skokie Library and read the deeply moving story in quick order. It’s prompted a respectable amount of reflection, and I keep returning to a precept by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer promoted by a character in the book,  Mr. Browne, an insightful English teacher: When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.

Choose to smile. Give the benefit of a doubt. Don’t rush to judgment. Look for, expect, and believe in the best. Help a stranger. Help a friend. Open a door. Open your heart.

Choose Kind: Two words easy to agree with, but harder to live. I’m not one for making New Year’s resolutions, but I’m going to let them be my guide this year.

Merit School of Music, Chicago

Call on Merit School of Music! Our onsite school is in the West Loop. We work in the schools throughout the area providing band, orchestra, percussion, choir, early childhood, and general music instruction with project-based units including Recorder, Music and Storytelling and Songwriting. We do great work! YoYo Ma is a supporter!

Chicago Families

Please come to Merit’s Storytime sessions. It’s free, fun, and facilitated by singers and storytellers Amy Lowe, Irica Baurer, Janet Janz, & Brigid Finucane. Stories and songs start at 11am, and we end with time for family networking. Storytime is be offered once a month on the 2^nd Monday. The next session is February 8, 2016.

I am continually inspired by the Children’s Music Network (CMN) community, an international group of socially conscious musicians, educators, librarians, families, songwriters and good people, who “celebrate the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas, and creating community.” Please visit CMN, and find a gathering in your region.

©2016 Brigid Finucane  * 847-213-0713 * gardengoddess1@comcast.net

http://prekandksharing.blogspot.com

@booksinger1

Blog History

Dec. 2016. Star Light, Star Bright – Exploring Counter Chants

Nov.2015. Thanksgiving Songs to Be Thankful For

Sept.2015. Starting the Year with a Song – Part II

Aug.2015. Starting the Year With a Song – and CMN

July 2015. Transitions: Unsung Heroes of the Musical Classroom

June 2015. Summer Songs

May 2015.  Crescendo II! Chants & Games for Music Foundation

April 2015. Crescendo -And Sites to Sigh For: edWeb & CMN

March 2015. Piano and Forte! Songs and Books for Investigating Music Fundamentals

Feb.2015. Chinese New Year – Looking for Year of the Sheep & A Good Friend

Jan.2015. Multicultural Children’s Book Day - The Lions of Gir

Dec.2014. Singing a Storybook – Wintertime / A Winter’s Tale

Nov.2014. Singing a Story – The Magic of Musical Books: Part II

Oct.2104. Singing a Story – The Magic of Musical Books: Part I

Sept.2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs from the Heartland Part III: From the Midwest & Great Lakes Regions (Listening Locally)

Aug.2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs – Part II: Midwest & Great Lakes (Listening Locally)          

July 2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs Part I: Midwest & Ontario (Listening Locally)

June 2014. Garden Lessons, Typographic Art Apps and Thank You Notes

May 2014. Spring! Songs, Chants & Apps to Welcome the Season

April 2014. Part II. Dancing, Singing & Drawing Legato and Staccato

March 2014. Part I. From “Hush Little Baby” to Yo-Yo Ma – Using Books, Apps and YouTube Videos to Introduce Legato and Staccato

Feb.2014. Pete Seeger – A Time to Thank

Jan.2014. Gung Hay Fat Choy! Stories, Books & Apps to Celebrate the Chinese New Year

Dec.2013. Singing Time! Embracing Appadiction

The Laughing Teacher: Laughter + Affirmation FUEL Growth

APRIL? Happy April Fools Day!

Spring, is really truly and officially in the air!

I was so delighted with Mar's recent article here on the value of laughter and how laughing and singing and music and happy brains are all connected.... that I thought I would piggy-back right on top of her reflections. If you somehow missed her article, by all means get over there, because she offers you a free download and we ALL know how teachers LUV free stuff!  

In the spirit of mirth, let's explore further!

Can I get a giggle?

This being the beginning of April, by the scientific chart above, 

my guess is that many of you are  somewhere in the purple phase. 

Yes. Indeedie-do! 

There is stress and then there is teacher-stress. 

Insert giggle here:________ (it IS good for you, like flossing and broccoli!)

Time for a little introspection now. 

What type of teacher are you? 

Check the staff development chart below to determine your type.

According to my own research? 

The world has all too many boring, strict, bad and lazy folks.

And yes. Some of those four types are in education.  

If you're reading here you're already in the best-of-the-best category. 

My effort today is to help you along your "fun" journey and to provide you with some research and muscle power to advocate for the HUMOR, JOY and LAUGHTER that we all 'know' are needed when working with children {while living on Planet Earth!} 

Next are a couple of TED talks devoted to the advocating of PLAY 

on behalf of children! 

According to these authorities, 

play and laughter are officially diminishing. 

{You probably don't need an 'authority' to be in agreement.}

Don't take my word for it. 

Listen to these brilliant wonders and their thoughts. 

Now we've determined that if you're anything but a FUN teacher, 

you seriously need to turn yourself around. 

GOOD NEWS!

You've come to just the right spot. 

I have a clinic for just that sort of make-over!

This sign goes with the corollary t-shirt + bumper sticker: 

"WHAT IF THE HOKEY POKEY 

IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT?!?"

What I do know to be true, comes from another bumper sticker 

in my personal collection.

If you want to be here, in this career, 

a season from now, a year from now, a decade from now,

AND the decade after that? 

You simply MUST learn how to laugh!   

We must learn how to laugh and you must engineer laughter,

teaching it to others in generous dollops of chuckling + gales of guffaws.

We as educators (and parents and grandparents and neighbors) 

must teach others how to laugh.

We must teach others how to 'see' the humorous.

We must have tools at our disposal:

We must have puppets, props and costumes, 

picnic baskets of the unexpected. 

We must have tricks and novelty up our sleeve.

We must have poems in our pockets and 

knock-knock jokes at the ready.

WE MUST BE WILLING!  

We must be willing to see our own foibles.

We must be willing to share those foibles as well!

Laughter is the very best insulation between 

 the stress and realities of our lives

and our dreams and potential. 

AND TRUST ME,

There are times when absolutely NOTHING is funny!

As a two-time cancer survivor, I know about things not being funny. 

And yet, we are directed to LAUGH! 

Laughter is good for you! 

What if you are in a 'season' where nothing is funny? 

Then my friends? 

You must:
"LAUGH ON CREDIT! "

Think of opening a laughter credit card! 

Some day this will be funny.... 

I'll put it on credit today! 

Go ahead and laugh NOW!

I was introduced to LAUGHTER YOGA by my sweet cancer-surviving sister, Linda, who has led numerous laughter-workshops around the globe. 

It turns our that our bodies and minds can receive all of the benefits of laughing,

 even when there is nothing that is actually funny! 

Linda is a kind, compassionate and generous individual. Which came first? 

The laughter or the generosity?

It is possible to be compassionately engaged in laughter from a wheel chair.

Linda is a living example of a Stage IV Meta-vivor filled with mirth,

so much laughter that it spills over onto all in the vicinity -- 

AND THROUGH PHONE LINES!

These next five images are from the website: 

Laughter Wellness with Karen. 

Stunning in their graphic glory, 

but all the more 'wondermous' for their knowledge!

Brilliant Karen "TEACHES" laughter as a career! 

I've done some clicking around on the web and found LOTS of additional resources for you! 

"How Laughter Helps in Schools and the World of Education"

"Why Laughter Makes Classroom Management more Effective" 

"Comedy in the Classroom: 50 Ways to Bring Laughter into any Lesson" 

"Study Shows how Humor Activates Child's Brain"

"40 Ideas to Experience Childlike Playfulness as Adults"

"Best Teaching Practices: Humor in the Classroom"

8 Back-to-School Activities that will get Students Laughing and Learning

"Laughing in the Classroom Safely"

"Using Humor in the Classroom" 

"Learning with Laughter and Play"

***As often happens.... it seems I'm not ever done with an article. There is so much to be said on this topic, but time has elapsed for now. I hope to expand with further thoughts, but this is what I have with the time available. 

I pulled up this FREEBIE pdf for our End of Year #TeacherFriends Twitter Chat last night and feel like you could appreciate having this ahead of time for your planning purposes. 

Go over to our Early Education Emporium to download your copy. Scroll down. It is RIGHT in the MIDDLE of my resources! Download. Print. Personalize. VOILA! 

While you're planning for your GRAND FINALE and all of your End-of-Year Performances, I want to remind you that I have two songs that are especially appropriate at this time of year! 

Whether you're looking for a great self-esteem song, or something more on the patriotic line, each of my songs is available in digital format. Each zipped file includes two Mp3s: one each of a sung version and the second is for the instrumental! There are pdfs included as well. Your students will enjoy learning the sign language to support their singing! 

Each file is available at our Early Education Emporium and at Teachers Pay Teachers, too!