Montessori-Inspired Medical Worker Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now 

Community helpers make a great theme at the beginning of the school year. This year, medical workers are even more important than usual. So I have a new unit with free medical worker printables and Montessori-inspired medical worker activities! You'll also find a medical worker themed newsletter subscriber freebie at LivingMontessoriNow.com! 

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. 

At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Montessori Shelves with Medical Worker Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired medical worker numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Go to my Free Medical Worker Printables and Montessori-Inspired Medical Worker Activities post at Living Montessori Now for the free printables and activity ideas you see on the shelf and collage above!

Free Montessori-Inspired Medical Worker Pack

Montessori-Inspired Medical Worker Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

More Montessori-Inspired Community Helper Activities

• Talking with Children about 9/11 – Ideas and Activities
• Free Police Printables and Montessori-Inspired Police Activities,
• Community Helpers Activity Trays and Sensory Tubs
• Free Fire Safety Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fire Safety Activities
• Free Ambulance Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ambulance Activities
• Montessori-Friendly Community Helper Resources
• Montessori-Inspired Activities with Community Helper Figures and Free Printables
• “Look for the Helpers” Mister Rogers Word Art Freebie
• Free 9-1-1 Songs for Kids {Non-Scary Emergency Preparedness}
• Free Emergency Preparedness Songs for Kids {Character Education Resources}
• Free Water Safety Songs for Kids
• Montessori-Inspired Fire Safety Unit with Free Printables and Activities
• Free Fire Safety Songs and Educational Videos
• The Best Fire Safety Books for Kids
• Free Fire Truck Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
• Free Firefighter Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
• How to Teach Children Fire Safety in a Non-Scary Way
• Community Helpers Pinterest Board

More Montessori-Inspired Anatomy Activities

• Montessori-Inspired Skeleton Activities
• “All About Me” Free Printables and Activities for Back to School
• Handwashing Activities for Kids – Free Songs and Lessons
• Free Skeleton Printables and Montessori-Inspired Skeleton Activities
• Hands-on Fun with Montessori-Inspired Human Skeleton Activities
• Free Brain and Growth Mindset Printables and Montessori-Inspired Brain Activities
• Brain Hemisphere Hat and Montessori Activities to Learn about Parts of the Brain
• Free Brain Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
• Free Brain Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
• Free Heart Printables and Montessori-Inspired Heart Activities {Human Heart and Valentine Hearts}
• Montessori-Inspired Heart and Circulatory System Activities
• Montessori-Inspired Heart Unit {Hundreds of Human Heart and Valentine Heart Resources}
• Free Heart and Valentine Do-a-Dot Printables (Montessori-Inspired Instant Downloads)
• The Best Heart Books for Kids {Human Heart, Love, and Valentine’s Day Books}
• Human Body Unit Study Pinterest Board

If you'd like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout August, see August Themed Activities for Kids.

Be sure to go to my Free Medical Worker Printables and Montessori-Inspired Medical Worker Activities post at Living Montessori Now for lots of free printables and activity ideas!

I hope you find these helpful! :)

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 45 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.

Justin Colón Interviews Connie Dow

Hello Spring!

For today's blog, I am posting an interview by Justin Colón that is a conversation about writing and dance:

I’m excited to welcome to the blog this week, author Connie Bergstein Dow!

Interview with Connie Dow

I’m excited to welcome to the blog this week, author Connie Bergstein Dow!

About Connie:

Connie grew up in Cincinnati and took her first dance class at age four.  She went to Denison University, and received her MFA in Dance from the University of Michigan. She had a professional performing career in contemporary dance and ballet for twelve years, which took her from Michigan (Harbinger Dance Company), to Venezuela (Macrodanza), Guatemala (Ballet Nacional de Guatemala) and finally back to Cincinnati (Contemporary Dance Theater). She has taught dance in colleges, conservatories, studios, and public and private schools; she has taught students who are having their first dance experience at three years old, senior citizens in wheelchairs, and every age in between. Five years ago, she founded a dance program called Healing Through Movement at a safe shelter for trafficked women.

Connie writes books and articles about dance and movement, including the picture book From A to Z with Energy! (Free Spirit Publishing, 2019). She has written two books for teachers, Dance, Turn, Hop, Learn! Enriching Movement Activities for Preschoolers, (Redleaf Press, 2006), and One, Two, What Can I Do? Dance and Music for the Whole Day (Redleaf Press, 2011). She also writes articles for magazines and journals, and verses for Highlights magazines.

She shares her passion for dance by writing, teaching, visiting schools and libraries, and offering movement workshops to early childhood professionals. She believes that dance and the other arts are essential and transformational forces in our lives.

Please tell us a bit about your debut picture book, FROM A to Z WITH ENERGY: 26 WAYS TO MOVE AND PLAY. 

This is my first picture book. In my long career as a dance teacher, I have often used stories, poems, and verses as inspiration in my dance classes for young children. I have written two books for teachers about bringing movement opportunities to young children. I wanted to write a picture book that speaks directly to the preschool-aged set. This book is a playful way to inspire children to be healthy and active.  And for the adults who are reading along with them, there is a guide in the back about movement, with ideas for ten simple activities to enhance the enjoyment of the story, while addressing early literacy concepts through movement.

Who might this story appeal to? 

The story is written with the preschool set in mind, in that it is about what children love to do every day — move and play. Each letter of the alphabet shows children participating in a different activity. I also used rhyme and rhythm, which makes it a good read-aloud and inspires the readers to move along with the words and illustrations.  It appeals to adults who want to try simple movement activities with children.

What about bringing movement and play to the picture book format, specifically for an alphabet book, resonated with you? 

I am passionate about bringing awareness of the benefits of movement to the forefront, as research continues to show the connection between moving and the brain, as well as countless other benefits. I am always on the lookout for venues to bring this message to teachers and parents.  Alphabet books are a fun and accessible learning opportunity, but a layered alphabet book with other positive messages is even better.

I visited your website, movingislearning, and was instantly greeted by all these amazing images and fun stories of you instructing, dancing, and choreographing. Please tell us more about your background! 

I feel fortunate to have had a  long career in dance. You may know that a dancer’s performing life is comparable to that of a football player’s. By about 35 (there are exceptions, of course), the rigors of staying in performing shape — taking class and dancing all day — catch up with your body. Also, for women, our childbearing years are in that small window (I have three children), so I am grateful that I could dance professionally until my mid-thirties, both in the US and Latin America. I had also been teaching dance since I graduated from college, so I continued teaching children and adults. I have planned or helped with many community dance events, and I also speak and give movement workshops at early childhood conferences.

I love the creative aspect of our art form, and found I was gravitating more and more toward teaching younger children. This led to writing my two books for teachers about creative movement, and particularly how to integrate it into the daily lives of children, including into the classroom. I then began writing picture books and verses so that I could write directly for the 3-6 age group.

To backtrack a bit, what is the meaning behind ‘moving is learning’? 

The more I have danced,  and the more I have written about, read the research, and analyzed the benefits of movement, I have realized that there are learning opportunities for everyone who dances. (I use the terms “movement” and “dance” interchangeably, as I am referring to the art of movement, which is dance). There are physical benefits, benefits for the brain, the nurturing of social-emotional learning skills, creativity, and the possibility of teaching virtually any subject through movement.   Here are some of the things going on in our body and brain when we dance:

What are the basic steps?  What do your arms do, your head, your torso?  Where do you go — right, left, forward, back, diagonal circle, stand in one place, etc.?  How does this change as the dance progresses?  Sequence: What comes next?  What are the counts?  Regular, irregular, repeating?  If there is accompaniment, how do the steps fit with the music or the beat?  What is the overall floor pattern?  Does it repeat, does it have variations?

What is the formation with other dancers?  A line, circle, face to face, partners, holding hands, etc.? How does that change as the dance progresses? And that is not all! You can see the many opportunities for learning, even when you are doing a very simple, basic dance.

movingislearning.com features a poster with ‘Moving is Learning! Bringing Dance to the Lives of Young Children’ on it. What captured it most about it was the children featured on it, clearly from different backgrounds with different experiences, but all connecting and sharing experiences through movement. Would you tell us more about that.

I’m happy to hear you like that delightful poster! It was created by the folks at Free Spirit, using Gareth Llewhellin’s beautiful illustrations from the book.  [I will attach a copy of it. Free Spirit asked that if you use it, to please link the image back to the book page for From A to Z with Energy! freespirit.com/early-childhood/from-a-to-z-with-energy-connie-bergstein-dow-gareth-llewhellin]

What was the timeline like for FROM A to Z with energy, from your inception of the idea to publication?  

I had written a poem about being active that was four stanzas long, for the letters A through D, with the idea of submitting it to Highlights.  While I was editing it, I thought about expanding it. That led me to a lot more ideas:  E is for the Energy you need to run and play!  F is for the fun you’ll have while moving every day! and before I knew it, I had what I thought could be a picture book manuscript.

I started researching publishers that might be interested in a story that would inspire children to be active. In addition to the other benefits I have already mentioned, dance also addresses many social-emotional learning (SEL) concepts, such as problem-solving, body awareness, impulse control, and creativity.  I came across Free Spirit Publishing and submitted to them. They were interested in the ways I tied dance/movement activities to SEL and also early literacy skills.

I had submitted to them in October, 2016, they contacted me about two months later, and by the time we had a contract, it was a little under two years to publication.

Who were the team members you worked with on it and what was the process like collaborating with them?  

It has been a pleasure to work with the whole team at Free Spirit.  They ushered the book through the editing, chose a fantastic illustrator (Gareth Llewhellin, who added so much to the book with his bright, lively, energetic and inclusive illustrations), and also guided me through the release and publicity process. I am enjoying working with them again on my second picture book.

What about writing this story in rhyme appealed to you? 

I think it must be my dance and musical training that have made writing in rhyme something that I really enjoy.  Rhyme’s core premise is really about rhythm, and of course, rhythm drives music and also many types of dance. An underpinning of rhyme, especially in this type of concept book, gives the story a lilting framework that appeals to children.

The rhyme and meter quite literally keep this story moving. Was that a conscious decision from the start? 

That is what I was hoping!  Yes, it was a conscious decision.  When I decided to write a verse that ties the alphabet with movement, I thought that the story should have a rhythm  and beat that is reminiscent of music. That way the story has a built-in accompaniment; the rhythm of the story and the words and images of movement are like dancing to music!

I read over at Lydia Lukidis’s blog (lydialukidis.wordpress.com/2019/06/27/q-a-with-author-connie-dow-plus-giveaway/) that at the end of the book you provide ideas for “integrating movement into the classroom, the books also includes information about the benefits of movement, ideas for classroom management, and modifying movement to include all children in the activities.” Do you perceive those to be gaps that exist within early childhood environments such as schools? And if so, was filling them a conscious mission of this story?

Oh, yes. I am driven by a passion to offer movement opportunities to children.  I think it is important that we remember that children’s work is play, and creative dance is playful and fun.  Also, it seems that teachers feel more comfortable with art, music, and drama, but are somewhat intimidated by movement. I understand this. They might have an image in their head about children running in all directions and creating a chaotic situation. But the wonderful thing about movement, that I always stress, is that not only can it be a fun learning environment for children, it is also a gift to teachers, in that guided movement activities can actually aid in classroom management. During creative movement, children learn body awareness, including regulating their speed, changing direction, and stopping and starting. They learn about personal space vs. shared space, and how to respect other children moving in the space with them. They learn about taking turns, individual and group problem solving, and using the medium of movement to look at problems in new ways. I tell teachers that guided movement activities, with built-in boundaries and guidelines, are a win-win for both teachers and students. The suggestions in the back for enhancing the reading of the story was a way to extend its use and enjoyment, and to offer more learning opportunities for young children.

Have your own suggested ideas mentioned above influenced how you present your book signings and/or engage with young readers? 

Definitely. When presenting my book to parents, teachers, and young children, I use lots of movement. I usually start out by saying that we are going to read, and we are also going to dance. I do a playful warm up, and often use the alphabet as a framework. For example I might say, A is for arms.  How many ways can you move your arms?  B is for bounce — bend your knees and bounce slowly, then keep bouncing all the way to jumping. C is for Cat. Can you move like a cat? . . . O is for opposite.  Does anyone know what the word opposite means? A lot of little ones don’t know, so they learn what it means through movement (moving is learning!): Can you march slowly, then quickly?  Can you reach up, then down to the floor?  Can you walk quietly, then very loudly?  Can you make a straight shape like a pencil, then a twisty shape like a pretzel? Can you show me how you move when you’re tired, and when you are energetic? Once we have done these activities for a while, I read the story, and then finish with some more movement games.

I end the session with a quiet finish, to bring the energy level down, as I do for almost all of my creative dance activities.

Do you have any movement tips, tricks, techniques for writers who spend hundreds and thousands of hours sitting stationary as they write?

I can tell you some of the ones I use!  Sitting at a desk is a good time to work on posture. I try to sit centered and straight, not leaning to one side or another, with my shoulders down, my neck lengthened, and not slouching with my head forward. In addition to thinking about posture during writing time, it is really important to take breaks at least once an hour.  Walk around, stretch, or do some of your daily exercise routines in between long stretches of writing.

Is there anything you’re currently working on and would like to share with us?

I am currently working on two projects.  I am excited to share that I am writing a second picture book about movement for Free Spirit. It has an innovative format for offering movement activities. I am enjoying the challenge of the creative process in developing it with the folks at Free Spirit.

The other is a story that came to me through a friend. It is the true story of a border-collie mix, LouLou, who was born in France and adopted by my friend’s son when he was volunteering for WOOF. LouLou has had a long journey, but she is now at her forever home in Indiana, where she is a therapy dog and a CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) for the courts.  She is the first dog in Southeast Indiana to receive this designation and be sworn in at a courthouse. It is a wonderful story, and LouLou continues to do lots of good work today for both children and adults. I am submitting this story now and have my fingers crossed.

WILDCARD QUESTIONS:

What’s your favorite style of dance? 

I am reminded of my son’s violin teacher who was a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  I asked him his favorite piece of music, and his answer was “whatever I am playing.”  His point is well taken.  I love to dance, watch dance, make dance, teach dance, any kind of dance!

But, I would have to say that contemporary dance is my favorite. Classical ballet and contemporary dance have been slowly blending together over the years, taking the best parts of each style, and the result is strong, gorgeous dancers trained in both disciplines. This mixing has also resulted in beautiful choreography, which celebrates both classical ballet and contemporary dance, and this type of dance is present today in the repertory of both contemporary and ballet companies.

If you could partner up with any dancer, living or dead, for one performance, who would you choose and why? 

It would have to be Merce Cunningham. While I was growing up and discovering contemporary dance, he was already a towering figure in the dance world. I had the opportunity to train on and off (sometimes he taught the classes himself) at his NYC studio. His contribution to the field of dance is hard to quantify. He basically separated dance from the constraints that music can put on it, which freed dance to stand on its own. It didn’t have to  have counts or follow a musical score. It didn’t have to be “about” something, other than the choreography, the space, and the dancers. I think he enabled us to look at and value dance in a new way.

Thanks for your time, Connie!

Thank you, Justin!

Reader, you can check out FROM A TO Z WITH ENERGY! By visiting any of the following links:

movingislearning.com/works.htm
kidcareapproved.com/new-book-6/
nationalautismresources.com/from-a-to-z-with-energy/
susannahill.com/2019/04/26/perfect-picture-book-friday-from-a-to-z-with-energy/
https://kadn.com/kidlit-pick-author-aly-and-guest-everyday-elise/

Keep on dancing,

Connie
www.movingislearning.com

Moving is Learning!

Building Community from the Inside Out

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE INVEST 

IN EARLY LEARNING?

Those of us in the Early Childhood Community, already understand why early learning is so critical to our children, families and to the building of community over generations. For those not in our community of early learning, it may not be so obvious, and that's not a judgement, just simply a matter of perspective.... so this month's blog is for you to share with your friends, family and colleagues who are new to the idea that "When you invest in early childhood education, the ROI (Return on Investment) is extremely positive for our communities in many concrete ways."

I could makes some simple points, attach some images and say.... Happy Holidays!  However, if you know me, you know I never do that.  Instead, lets make this real, and the timing couldn't be better.  I'm going to use a real-life example of investing in early childhood by a specific community to make this ROI thing real and exciting.

To get started, what are others saying about this idea?

In this article, a group of over 1,000 law enforcement leaders signed a letter urging support for a new state-federal partnership.  This was back in 2013.  The research this group provided stated that "nationwide, 7 of 10 people in state prisons don't have a high-school diploma. In getting to the root of the problem, it all boils down to a strong foundation for success provided by high-quality preschool and early education programs. This proposal would have provided states with $99 billion to initiate and strengthen quality preschool and early childhood programs.

Why didn't this take hold? Children and education in general continues to be a pawn of politics.  Notice I'm not taking sides politically, nor will I.  My energy and efforts remain on serving children and I believe our future depends on that.

Some states took innovative action to create funding for early childhood education. One such program is in Arizona, called First Things First, and it has been a success.

There have been other attempts and here is a great article.  It's a bit ponderous to read, but essentially it shows valid statistics that clearly show:

1. Children who receive a preschool experience stay in school longer and have a much greater chance of graduating from high school and going beyond into higher education.

2. While this keeps more people out of the work force and can equate into a lower economic output in the short term, the long term impact is extremely positive for our economy.

3. Over the long haul, here are the number it shows for our economy when we invest in early childhood education:

• Between 2038 and 2046, the impact of an investment in early childhood shows a rapid increase.
• By 2080, the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would grow by 2,000,000,000,000, yes, 2 trillion dollars.... and that would be 2 trillion dollars in 2005....it's a lot.
• The cost of this program would be 59 billion... do the math.

So why wasn't this program implemented?  There are many reasons, but the essential reason is that children and early childhood education, continues to be one of many bargaining chips in the world of politics.

We need to set early childhood education into a special place where it is a non-political issue and embraced by all, regardless of political preference.  Why?  Pick your reason:

1. You believe in creating opportunity for all children to succeed.

2. You feel strongly that a solid economy will improve many aspects of many people's life.

3. All of the above.

Which did you choose? Doesn't really matter, does it? :) The ROI with this investment has been described in many ways, and each it is, the result is impressive... investing in early childhood education is where it's at, when we are talking about improving our communities, from local to national to global.

For a more global perspective on how investing in early childhood education has a very positive impact on economy on a different scale, check out this article. It is easy to forget that in our country, many are born healthy, while in many other countries, up to 1/8 of all children (in developing countries) are born malnourished. I'm not suggesting who's responsibility it is to make positive change in this area.  What I am asking you to consider is this:

In whatever way we can, we should be investing more funding into early childhood programs.  Even if it means paying a little more out of pocket in taxes.  The rewards would be exponential and our future children and grandchildren will be the recipients of this "sacrifice."  I put that word into quotations because in comparison to the sacrifices many have made, this would be, in my opinion, a small sacrifice.... really it would be more of.... an investment.  When we invest in early childhood education, the chances of young children succeeding, including but not limited to breaking the cycle of poverty increases dramatically.

So far, I've pointed out one very successful program that was initiated by the citizens of the state of Arizona, and anyone can make that happen in any state.  However, what about the many smaller early childhood programs that aren't served as well, not out of neglect, but simply because the needs outweigh the capacity of any one program.

Let me introduce you to a new initiative, in my hometown of Tucson, Arizona.

It's called Strong Start Tucson.

For a .01 cent, that's 1 penny, sales tax, millions of dollars are created for the sole purpose of making high quality preschool a reality for any family.  I'll let you visit the site and read more about it.  Right now, I'm asking you to endorse this by clicking on this link.

To build community, we have to put both our actions and our wallet where our mouth is.

• For a strong community, we need to invest in early childhood education.
• For a strong economy, we need to invest in early childhood education.

Notice I didn't say "day care".  The programs involved are nationally accredited and offer a wonderful preschool experience that includes learning in language, math, science, and social-emotional growth.  I know because I am in those classrooms working with children, teachers and parents on a weekly basis. If you ever want to tag along with me one day, here is your invitation.

Hopefully, I can now say, "Thanks for endorsing Strong Start Tucson!"  I now invite you to make a donation to this worthy investment by clicking on this link.  Any amount is helpful.

What's next.... share this idea and this program with someone in your community and ask yourself, "should we invest in early childhood education?"

Chat with you next time on January 10!  Happy New Year!

Enrique

Founder and Director of Education, Global Learning Foundation

Public Speaker

Co-Author, Children's Book Series, Sam the Ant

Co-Creator, iBG (Intellectual Brainwave Games)

Performing Artist and Composer

Music Producer of Kaleidoscope, 

a new album for children and families

Producer, The Tree and the Wind, 

for brain games and breathing strategies

SaveSaveSaveSave

HOW TO ENGAGE A CHILD'S BRAIN and More!

CREATIVE BRAIN DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CHILDREN
Introducing iBG
Intellectual Brainwave Games

Hello again!  I'm so grateful you chose to spend some of your time visiting my blog. Back in 2001, when I founded the F.A.M.E. Foundation, now known as the Global Learning Foundation, one of

the first sets of strategies I created were unique physical brain games that went along with the rhythm of very specific music. As I began to play these games with young children, I noticed they loved the physical activity and teachers noticed they were more focused after playing them. We did some research and we found improved performance in many areas. Enjoy the image below of some brain games and this short video from me to each and every one of you!

A Storytime Session, led by Enrique at Make Way for Books in Tucson, AZ, which quite often begins with iBG, Intellectual Brainwave Games to help everyone enter their optimal zone for learning... and get some exercise!

Here's a quick glimpse of the research we first documented which helped our Foundation create a name for itself. Today we continue to research the impact of these proven brainwave games.

People kept asking me to make videos and I thought, I don't want my face on a video playing these brain games.... and I thought about it for years while I kept creating these brain games.  

That's me! And I stuck to my guns... I am not the face of
these videos...whew!  Just not play-based enough.

Today there are 324 of them!  We've been crossing our mid-line in time with specific classical music with specific frequencies and there has been a lot of learning, laughter and the creating of a natural desire to learn!

Since 2001, over 85,000 children and families have experienced our many strategies, including iBG, but only with the live format.  Together with many of my colleagues and their children we used these brain games to:

• Create a more alert learner at any age
• Improve cognition with young children ages 3 - 6
• Improve patterning skills with young children ages 3 - 12
• Create short and enjoyable brain breaks for any learner
• Remind adult learners how to elevate their energy and create new messages for their brain
• Help all learners of all ages reduce their stress level.

The challenge for many of us who present around the country is there is only one of us, yet I knew these brainwave games needed to be accessed by any family, school or organization.  My 92-year old mentor who just recently passed away, was also insistent with his question "How do we get IT out there?" About a year ago while in a meeting with one of my creative teams, we were creating the first of a new series of children's books titled Sam the Ant. 

Daughter/Father Co-authors of Sam the Ant Series,
Sam Sierra-Feldman and Enrique Feldman

Illustrator Abe Mendoza and his wife.

I mentioned the brainwave games and an idea for the videos, so simple yet profound, came to me. I said, "Why don't we animate Sam the Ant and have the Ant be the face of these Brain Games. It felt playful, honoring and like the beginning of a new journey. And so we have done exactly that. Here's the first time I have ever shared this image with anyone! 

Sam the Ant comes to life in 3D real time with iBG.  The Sam the Ant team are big fans of perspective building and
as you can see, that grass looks more like a forest of grass!

How do you play these brain games?
Simply open the videos and follow Sam the Ant's lead as you:

• Cross your midline
• Do that in time with the classical music
• Start from easy brain games and move up the challenge levels
• Change the speed of the video to slow it down or speed it up

Sam the Ant in the middle of a brain game.  Each video is short and designed to help your child get off the technology and use their own body.

Today these games are known as iBG, Intellectual Brainwave Games, and guess what?!   It is an online platform that allows you to access brainwave videos that are designed to take the young learner or old learner OFF the technology.... as a friend of mine said, from Online to Offline.

The Co-Author of the Sam the Ant books, Sam Sierra-Feldman
 back when we started this journey in 1998!

I find some key elements of this journey truly amazing. When my daughter and I began creating the Sam the Ant stories, I didn't realize it would lead to these brainwave games. If we had not followed our curiosity, and if I had not paid attention to my daughter's interest in creating original stories, who knows what might not have happened. 

Sam the Ant demonstrates a simple brain game.

Children mimic a simple brain game, or is it so simple?  It's food for
your brain!

I'm so pleased that children love both the videos and playing the brain games off the video.  The images to the left are a great example of how the movements shown by Sam the Ant, become physicalized by the learner, in this case, young children.  Some of these look simple, but not all are...lol!

Which videos do I use for children and which for adults?

Numbers 1 - 4 are for young children, and number 5 is for adults.  When you experience number 5, you will experience what a young child feels like when they are playing games 1 - 4.

The first 5 games are the original 5 and more will be coming out.  Watch each short video (15 - 20 seconds), ideally with a young child, and copy what the Ant is doing.  As was pointed out earlier,you can even choose your speed.  Soon, there will be brainwave game videos for all ages and you'll be able to create your own iBG playlist.

iBG being used with adult leaners! Creating new messages for our brains wakes us up from our routine adult lives
and creates a different energy that improves how we do whatever it is we do.... such joy!

Today is the first day you can actually purchase these brain games for a school, a center and even for your own use, and it's extremely affordable for individual users. A big thank you to our first school user, Outer Limits Preschool!

"I'm so excited to be the face of iBG!"

But what if you're not a school?  The school license would not be affordable for an individual. For a limited time, we am offering the first set of brain games for $11.99 a year, which comes out to less than a $1 per month. You can begin engaging your young children in your home and begin to build their brain in a very playful and relevant way!

Sam the Ant is all about following your curiosity
and helping others.

With recess being lessened (and it needs to be put back in!), and the general level of attention span diminishing, these videos are based on the live playing of the brain games.  Actually, the point of these brainwave videos is to help you and your child learn how to play them and then play them whenever you want.  We'll keep adding brainwave videos and you can keep expanding the capacity of your child's brain... and your own!

All you have to do is click on our Sam the Ant website and you'll be on your way. Over time you'll continue to receive more brainwave games.

For schools who purchase the school license, my Foundation is offering heavily discounted professional development workshops, and in some cases, waive the cost completely! If you are wanting more information on this, please click on my public speaking website and fill out the contact info and I'll be in touch.

We also want to thank Barnes & Noble and Mildred and Dildred's Toy Store for there support of all things Sam the Ant!  For the many upcoming events, click here!

Thank so much and now it's time to feed your brain!
Enrique C. Feldman
Creator, iBG
Co-Author, Sam the Ant Children's Book Series
Founder, Global Learning Foundation
Performing Artist and Composer
Producer, Kaleidoscope
(Music for Children)


Free Bonus Resources
Sam the Ant videos for improved critical thinking and creative problem solving.  Just click here! There are currently 13 videos and 17 more to come.  Each one is 15 - 20 seconds long and offer you an authentic opportunity to engage young 
learners with great questions.

Illustrator Abe Mendoza creates the images of Sam the Ant for our videos and books!