He's been lurking around the class all week, this rascally Unthinkable. Hiding in dark corners, behind bookshelves, under tables. We're calmly going about our day until *BAM* he leaps out into someone's brain! Often, we can quickly contain this nefarious creature, but sometimes he is contagious. Like an out of control wildfire, he leaps from brain to brain, controlling our thoughts and keeping us from doing what we are suppose to be doing in the class. Who is this vile villain?

ROCK BRAIN, that's who.

Yeah, he looks mighty cute, doesn't he? Don't let his chiseled features fool you.

Rock Brain is the dude that causes us to get stuck on things. He's been known to go by the aliases "Sticky Thought" and "Obsession". Here are some moments this week when we knew that Rock Brain had infiltrated our class:

1. Kid A wants to take an engine break, but there is already a student in the engine room. Teacher asks Kid A to wait, but Rock Brain tells Kid A to repeatedly leave the room and stand in front of the engine room door.

2. Kid B loves to repeat a made-up word. Over and over. Teacher reminds Kid B that the word causes other students to get silly, and can only be repeated outside. Rock Brain tells Kid B to continue to say the word over and over and over (and over and over...)

3. Kid C wants a book. Kid D has the book that C wants. Rock Brain tells Kid C that he MUST have that book. Right. Now. Kid C to attempts to grab the book several times without using his words.

Oh, Rock Brain! How can we ever defeat you????

 Thankfully, there were several times this week that we were able to be Superflex-ible superheros and we crumbled Rock Brain to bits!

Unfortunately, along with Rock Brain comes a whole cast of nasties: Igor Ignorer (ignores the teacher when she tries to help), Nosy McMeddleman (wants to know what everyone else is doing), Brain Eater (distracts us) and Body Snatcher (moves our bodies from the group).  We love to remind the students when an "Unthinkable" shows up, because it gives us a chance to work on behaviors and flexible thinking without making the students feel as if they are bad. It's much easier to say, "Oh, no! I think Rock Brain has invaded your brain!" to say, "You are being bad. You are doing something wrong." The behavior is still being addressed ("Boy, Rock Brain is really making it hard for you to focus on your work right now because he REALLY wants to have that book!"), but the students don't feel as if they are being judged. We help  them  find strategies to defeat the character and allow them to practice these strategies throughout the day. A couple of examples we have discussed:

Self talk: do I really need this right now? What will happen if I don't have this book/engine break? Is this a really big problem? A small problem? How does this make my classmates/friends feel?
Deep breathing/relaxation: Quick! Inhale and squeeze all of your muscles really, really tight! Hold them, hold them...count to 10 s-l-o-w-l-y. Exhale and release!

Do the strategies work immediately? Of course not. It takes practice, practice, practice (I'm still practicing). Do we make a lot of mistakes when we are learning? Of course! We like to tell the students that they can have a "redo" on their behavior, as in, "Hey, I noticed that you grabbed that book without asking. Do you want a redo? Try it again, using your words!"

Want more info? Visit Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking site:
http://www.socialthinking.com/

Thankfully, this week hasn't been all  about conquering the Unthinkables. Being a Superhero is awesome, but we still need time to learn, play and experiment!

We've trip-trapped over a bridge:



 We kicked off our Fairy Tale time this week with "The Three Billy Goats Gruff". Always a favorite thanks to that nasty, ugly old troll! We've acted it out several times already, taking turns in the coveted role of the Biggest Billy Goat Gruff (though I personally adore a bridge-dwelling troll). We certainly have some talent in here. And not just acting talent...see above for some colorful, creative goat masks. And singing? Like a chorus of angels...well, except when I chime in. I was told several times by one grumpy young troll to "not sing so loud." Harrumph. But how can you not want to sing at the top of your lungs to this???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=083031sByf8


We've played some math games:



  
Much more on math games later. You'll soon find out I am a huge, huge fan of game playing as a way to make learning basic skills fun. Stay tunes for some you can play at home!

We've written stories:


Journal topics this week included goats,trolls, explosions, Pokemon, Mario, and, well, underwear. Because underwear is just plain funny.

and we finished the week off with

QUICKSAND!!!
 Yep, we actually made our own version today. Here are some shots of our scientists in the laboratory


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 Have a great weekend!!