Happiness Runs in a Circular Motion

As a child, I used to sing this song in Girl Scouts:

HAPPINESS RUNS
Performed by Christine Lavin
written by Donovan Leitch
Happiness runs in a circular motion
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea.
Everybody is a part of everything anyway,
You can have everything if you let yourself be.
http://glasshalffullcd.com/happiness-runs/

When I Googled the lyrics, these weren’t exactly the ones I remembered . . . but this song runs through my head as we explore “circles” and “connection” during the month of March!

My current FAVORITE book when thinking of circles, is Circle, Square, MOOSE by Kelly Bingham.  Moose is BACK!  He made his debut in the alphabet book Z is for MOOSE in 2012.  This wonderful story explores anger management and how to be a good friend to those who struggle with it.  Although Moose continues to be challenged by self-regulation skills in this new book introducing shapes, he now has an opportunity to be a friend (and clean up the mess he creates when he’s out of of control)!

Wanna make some pictures with shapes?  This would be a fun creative expression extension to your class!  Lois Ehlert’s brightly illustrated Circle Zoo and Circle Farm are springboards for how to get started.  These are oldies (©1990s), but goodies!

Do you know Kathryn Otoshi’s work?  She first wrote One in 2008, followed by Zero in 2010 and Two in 2014.  The circles in these stories represent numbers and are all about connection and the lack of.  When I share One with young people, I ask who do  they think they are in the story?  These stories provide a beautiful avenue for discussing kindness, why some folks choose unkindness, friendship, and how EVERYBODY “counts!”  Simple, clever and powerful.

Shel Silverstein’s The Missing Piece is another twist on the circle theme and  may be fun for your advanced participants. This book delves into deeper topics like fulfillment, happiness, perfection and how it’s more about the journey! In the sequel, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, the story explores the missing piece’s point of view.

And finally, circle stories!  These are stories that end where they begin!  Some of the most familiar are Laura Numeroff’s If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, and  If You Give a Dog a Donut. Create your own circle story in class!  Have fun weaving the story up and down and around and back again.

Check out Elephant and Piggie’s We Are in a Book to be reminded, books are to be read again and again! 

The connection you create when you share a story is a low cost, great investment.  May that fabulous circle of sharing a good story again and again be unbroken.  Happy Reading~db

You Got the POWER

Tonight we explored negotiation when Dinah found Puss 'n Boots in her bed!  STAR, _S_top, _T_hink, _A_ct, _R_eview, is a  protocol to let your little light shine brightly when problem solving.  What exactly is the problem?  What are your choices?  What are the consequences of the choices you can make?  Which is the best fit?  Make a choice.  Reflect on the choice made.  What can you learn from the experience?

Who will Dinah find in the bed next Wednesday @ Pisgah Yoga?  What will we learn from the next storybook character?

Broken Hearted?

 My heart head band broke when I tried to put it on yesterday . . . and my hands were cold, cold, cold . . . I was thankful when Mr. Cook offered for me to "go inside" before time was up on morning duty! 

When you are feeling low, like when your hat of the day lets you down or your fingers are frozen, remember what you can do! I'm in charge of what I think, where I look, what I say, how I feel, and what I do. Here's a movement you can do with your hands: Interlace the tips of the fingers and fold into center. Touch the thumbs together and stretch downward so the hands form the shape of a heart. How does this movement make you feel? Cold hands, warm heart? 

Be an active participant in your own rescue! Happy Valentines Day!

A Visit with Kid President

A Visit with Kid President makes one a LUCKY DUCK!

Do you know Kid President?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o

His new book is a reason to dance!  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22552567-kid-president-s-guide-to-being-awesome

Great Weather for DUCKS

Cloudy skies and wet weather are great for DUCKS!  How's the weather inside your body, brain and heart today?  When you need to "dust the clouds off your heart,"  try a movement called "chest expansion."  Reach your arms behind you, maybe you can clasp your hands together.  If not, you can use a hand towel, dad's necktie, or a ruler maybe to meet the hands, roll the shoulders back and down, and stretch the chest muscles.  You can change your internal weather with movements and breathing!  If you want to know more about how to do it, ask Mrs. Broam!  

Healer of Our Every Ill

Try this zipaDeeBee Dance!

http://youtu.be/7Kiw5Xr8yoU

I LOVE Family Yoga!

Energize and connect with your loved ones at FAMILY YOGA on 

Tuesday, February 24, 5:15-6:15 at Pisgah Lutheran Church. 

We'll learn about Cupid and discover "what's love got to do with it!" 

$10 for adults, $5 for children, or $30 maximum for your family

Want a private session of Family Yoga?  

I'll be glad to roll my red wagon your way!  Please give me a call @ 463-6255.

I appreciate the opportunity to write for GFY's blog!

http://globalfamilyyoga.com/blog/2013/06/feel_the_love/382/