My Work

Bell Let’s Talk Day (Erin Public School)

– The students at Erin PS participated in a graffiti wall to celebrate Bell Let’s Talk day. The students were asked to draw or write how they feel today on the wall. After finishing that activity students with permission were allowed to use their phones for 10 minutes to text, tweet, Snapchat etc.. to celebrate Bell Let’s Talk. There were also some fun stress busters going on at lunch including; yoga, art, funny videos, robotics, reading, sports and more….

 

Take A Walk In My Shoes (Montgomery Village PS) 

– This activity asked all students in the school to write something about themselves that others did not know anonymously. This taught students that there are many differences in the school and that we should treat each other fairly and equally. Here is the result….

 

CALM DOWN JAR:

Grade 5 student H.S and I created a calm down jar together. These jars are used to help relax children who are in an anxious state. The child is told to stare at the bottle until the glitter and other objects have settled. It can help a child began to self regulate when they feel overwhelmed. I have found the sensory aspect really helps to ground children again.

What is needed:

– plastic or glass bottle

– glitter

– Paint or food colouring

– beads or other small objects that can float

Making Slime:

(Ingredients): Emlers Glue, Tide Detergent, purple paint and black glitter

There are many healing properties to slime and many children find the process of playing with slime to be relaxing. My grade 5 Student H.S said that the sound of the slime and the texture actually relaxes her and calms her down. This is a great therapeutic activity to do with children who are fidgety and may have a hard time staying calm. It is easy to make and kids love it! Very theraputic and fun!

Self Talk Bracelets 

Positive self talk can make a big difference for kids! There are many things that can overwhelm a child and make them doubt their own abilities. The self talk bracelet is a great activity for children who aren’t as confident in themselves and need a boost. Self talk can boost self-confidence, self-esteem, self-control, and influence impulse decisions. This activity gets students to create a bracelet with a positive affirmation on it. The facilitator can also choose to use different colour beads to represent a strength.

Here is my example

My student decided that her word of encouragement was “I Can Do This”. We also decided to label each bead colour.

Pink: I am smart

Purple: I am strong

Orange: Breathe

– The student then wears the bracelet and when they feel overwhelmed it reminds them of some of their strengths through self talk.

And Tango Makes Three (Theraputic Storytelling)

And tango makes three was a picture book about two male penguins that adopt and egg and raise it as there own. I read this to the K-6 grades at each of my schools. The topics that were discussed is all the different members you can have in a family. We touched on same sex parents as well as blended families. Then each student was given a heart to draw the people they love in. The goal of this activity was to teach children that families come in all different forms and we are to treat them all the same.

Life Skills Assignment: These sessions were designed for a Go Girls! group. The participants were all girls age 10-11. The program was created to help promote self esteem and encourage positive thoughts

Session 1: (Session Length 1hr)

(Ice Breaker): Two Truths and a Lie

(Materials Needed: pencils and paper/note card)

Give each girl a piece of paper or a note card. Ask each girl to write three statements about themselves. One of the statements should be false and the other two are to be true. Let the girls know that the goal is to fool people about which one is the lie. Give the girls about three minutes to come up with their statements. Once each girl is finished have the read out their statements one by one in a circle. Once each girl reads her statements the other girls are to guess which statement is the lie. This game allows the girls to get to know each other a little better and also get a little silly with their statements.

(Activity 1): Human Knot

Have all the girls stand in a circle facing each other. Tell each girl to reach their arms forward and grab the hands of someone in front or across from them. The girls then work together to untangle themselves back into their original position. This is a fun activity that allows the girls to work together and encourage each other.

(Activity 2): Self Esteem Journal

(Materials needed: self-esteem journal, pencils, markers)

Have each girl complete the Self Esteem Journal worksheet that is located in Appendix 1. The journal has each girl reflect on the positive aspects of their day. It focuses on remembering positive acts of the day as well as giving themselves compliments for the day. Once each girl completes their worksheet have everyone sit in a circle and have a discussion about the activity.

Discussion Questions:

(1) How did it feel to think about positive traits about yourself?

(2) How can we encourage other girls to find positive traits?

(3) How do you feel after completing this activity?

It is the hope that the girls will feel more positive about themselves and will have kind words for their friends as to how they can encourage others.

(Closure Activity): Mindful Moment

As a closure activity have the girls listen to this short mindfulness video to relax them and set them on their way for the rest of the day.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvF9AEe-ozc.

Session 2 (1 Hour in Length)

(Icebreaker) Coloured Candies

(Materials needed: skittles/starburst, appendix questions)

Give each girl in the group 4 different coloured candies such as skittles or starbursts. Each colour will correspond to a specific question which can be found in Appendix 2. Have the girls one at a time pick one of the skittles in their hand and answer the corresponding question. This activity allows the group to get to know each other better and also have a yummy treat.

Activity 1: Mirror Mirror

(Items Needed: mirror worksheet, pencils, markers)

Use the mirror worksheet that can be found in Appendix 4. Have each girl write down five compliments about themselves in the mirror outline. Have the girls practice these statements by picking up the mirror and saying the statements out loud. Remind the girls that they can practice this technique in front of a real mirror. Have a discussion with the girls and ask how saying those statements out loud makes them feel.

Activity 2: Flip

Read the flip negative statements located in Appendix 3. Cut out the 7 statements into individual strips. Give a statement to each group roughly a group of 2-4 girls. Have the girls in each group read the statement on the piece of paper. Then as a group, have the girls create a flip statement that now makes the statement positive. By doing so it encourages the girls to see the positives within their struggles and encourage each other to do better. Once each group has come up with their positive statement, have each group present it to the rest of the girls. Once all statements have been heard have a group discussion with all the girls.

Discussion Questions:

(1) How are you girls feeling after this activity?

(2) How did you girls feel switching the negative statements to positive ones?

(3) How can we encourage others to think positively?

(Closure Activity): Reflecting Feelings

Have all the girls sit in a circle. Go around the circle and have the girls describe how they are feeling at this current moment in one word. This will give you a better understanding of how the activity went and if the girls responded well to the goals.

Session 3: (1 Hour in Length)

(Ice Breaker Activity): Great Wind Blows

The game is simple to play; one person in the middle starts by saying “Great wind blows for everyone who…” and then says any characteristic that is true for that person. For example, if the persons favourite colour is red, he or she can say, “Great wind blows for everyone who likes the colour red” All players who have been to Canada before must stand and quickly find a new seat that is more than 2 chairs away from them. If the player is not able to find a vacant seat, he or she is the new person who is in the middle.

(Activity): Positive Feelings Bracelet

(Items needed): yarn or string, coloured beads, lettered beads

Talk with the girls about the power of self-talk, ask them if they understand what self-talk is. Ask them how they feel about positive and negative self-talk statements. Help each girl think of a positive trait about themselves. Then using the lettered beads each girl spells out their positive statement. Place the beads on the thread and add coloured beads to make it decorative. Now when the girls wear the bracelet they can be reminded of positive thoughts.

Discussion Questions:

(1) Did you find it hard coming up with a trait? If so why?

(2) How do you feel wearing the bracelet? Will it help you think more positively?

(Closure Activity): Debrief

As this is the last session, have the girls sit in a circle for a nice discussion. Have each girl say their favourite activity of the program. Also ask the girls how they think they may have grown over the last few sessions.

Volunteer Assessment Interview:

• As  a part of the volunteer enrollment process, Big Brothers Big Sisters requires all applicants to come in for an in person interview. This interview looks into the reason they want to mentor, there relationships and scenario questions.

Example of Questions: