10-14-11

Friday, October 14, 2011

Hi, Folks,

A heartfelt tune for you...

Feelings - Morris Albert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyBcHUe4WeQ


How are you feeling?

(Angry with me because now you will have that song in your head for the rest of the day?)

Unlike Morris Albert, we don’t try to forget our feelings (of love) In the Predator’s room. We like to talk about them, write about them, and, yes, sing about them.  It can be so difficult for children (and adults) to name their feelings. Kids can usually tell us when they feel good; a laugh, a smile, a snuggle, it’s easy to spot a happy kid. But bad feelings are harder to pinpoint. Children sometimes feel overwhelmed by an emotion, but don’t know what it is or what it is called. Feeling frightened, frustrated, jealous,  and embarrassed are all completely normal human emotions, but children don’t always know that. This week we learned all about the “Emotions Color Wheel”. Take a look:

We talked a good bit about the intensity of our feelings and why it is a good idea to try to stay on the outside of the wheel. Everyone feels sad or disappointed at times. Yes, there are times in life when our disappointment can turn to despair or rage, but 99% of the time, disappointment is something we can learn to handle. When we get to far into the middle of the wheel, it starts to hurt those around us. The kids were fascinated with this visual; a couple of them even asked for a copy to take home. I actually showed it to my own kids, which led to a really great dinnertime discussion. Here’s the link:

http://www.do2learn.com/organizationtools/EmotionsColorWheel/index.htm


I found a cute app for the ipad called “Angry Octopus: A Relaxation Story” which gave us some practice on how to calm ourselves down when we feel like we’re slipping too close to the center of the Emotions Color Wheel.

And do you know what happens when an octopus can’t handle his emotions?
He turns into a crazy, mixed up squid.

Speaking of emotional animals...

That big bad wolf came around again this week, and boy, was he ENRAGED! You see, according to our new book, “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs”, our friend, Alexander T. Wolf was framed. All he wanted was a cup of sugar to bake a cake for his dear old granny, but those rotten pigs would not cooperate. So he ate a couple of them. Which leads me to our cooking activity. We are still anxiously awaiting a few more ingredients from you guys. If you don’t remember what your kid was assigned to bring, check out last weeks’ note or shoot me an email. Much like the wolf, I plan on eating the children who do not bring in their ingredients. Just kidding....maaaaybe...

Have a great weekend!

Amanda and Erin