Batty about Books
I have been a teacher,
library lady and now serve as a school counselor. I am a mom of four:
16 year old, 13 year old, 11 year old and 7 year old—2 boys, 2 girls!
I love to share a good story! My favorite way to share a story is
to move and breath while you tell the tale! It’s time to FALL into a GOOD
BOOK. “Tis the season” to enjoy one of these:
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
This is my absolute
favorite this season. It’s better to “tell” the story and move. The
witch and her cat are riding on her broom. Warm up with Cat/Cow except
have a “happy cat” and an “angry cat” in October. Try out Warrior 3 for
“Witch on a Broom” (thank you, Mira) and when the witch’s hat drops, do
triangle. It’s awesome how many postures and breathing patterns you can
incorporate. I especially appreciate “dragon’s breath” or Breath of Fire
for the brief appearance of the dragon. This delightful tale is also fun
for encouraging working together or synergizing. You can make a
connection to The Bremen Town Musicians, a traditional story where
animals cooperate to scare away the “bad guy” too.
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
Another great for story
synergy! I love the way the little guy’s idea is the BEST idea. Sometimes
the shortest person in the room has the most to contribute . . .
this is a seasonal story much like the traditional story, The Enormous
Turnip. Partner yoga works great with this story to encourage
cooperation and working together!
I explored fear and courage with some of my kiddos this month and
found Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley, My Monster Mama
Loves Me So by Laura Leuck, and The Monster at the End of the Book
by Jon Stone great fits for these experiences. When considering our circle
of control (I’m in charge of what I think, where I look, what I say, how I
feel, and what I do), we are also in charge of our imaginations!
Sometimes with fear we need to reign in an overactive imagination.
We’re anticipating something bigger and more beastly than what’s before
us. So we MASHED the MONSTERS with a game of Musical Mats to the “Monster
Mash” song by Bobby "Boris
" Pickett. This was SO MUCH
FUN. Put the yoga cards on the mats, crank up the tune and when the music
stops--MASH the monsters! We used quiet music as we mashed or held our
yoga postures. A free Apple app for iPad, iPod, or iPhone-Relax Melodies
Seasons Premium--is awesome for some autumn sounds.
Yoga is so great for
your bone health. The weight resistance opportunity strengthens bones and
the calming effects of practice helps with managing the stress hormone
cortisol. Cortisol has been linked to decreasing bone formation and
increasing its breakdown. Have fun improving all 206 of “dem bones!”
Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa
I have a wonderful Jack
‘O Lantern Hat I enjoy with this story! We walked around in a circle like
in “Monster Mash Musical Mats” and during the chorus of “shake, shake dem bones
now” we held a posture. I think it would be fun to hold the posture while
reading the “verses” and then do the Milkshake (dynamic twist) on the “chorus.”
Dem Bones, Dem Bones by Bob Barner
“Untie the Knots” from
YogaKids Silly to Calm Video: Untying the knot: alternate opening & closing mouth while
hands mime pulling (untying) a string from the mouth> stick out tongue>
move jaw around> untie neck muscles> head rolls, both directions>
untie shoulders> move shoulders up & down> shoulder rolls, back &
forth> untie ribs, hips move side to side w/ arms> untie hips, hip
circles, both directions> Untie thighs, knees & ankles> shake body
out. http://www.videofitness.com/reviewsdb/disp_review.php?id=3875
Also, new in the world
of children literature this month is (1) Pete the Cat and His Magic
Sunglasses by Kimberly and James Dean and (2) Mo Willems’ Elephant and
Piggie star in I’m a Frog! If you don’t know these book
characters, prepare to FALL in love with them! The lessons learned are
absolutely priceless. You can have fun exploring postures with each, but
I particularly love how I’m a Frog! opens the door to “pretending” to be
animals with your body. Pete the Cat and the Magic Sunglasses
would be great to partner with a gratitude journal and “alligator breath,”
FALL
into a GOOD BOOK! No BONES about it—it will add COLOR and SPICE to your
season!
