Posts Tagged ‘yoga in the classroom’


Sticky Note Reflections: Mindfulness in Middle School Yoga

middle school yoga mindfulness toolFor some, yoga is experienced as just another “workout.” The effects are often overlooked as we simply show up on the mat, do our thing, and move on with our day.

The impact yoga has on each person is certainly multifaceted and individual. But through deliberate reflection, even young yogis can notice changes within themselves as a result of doing middle school yoga.

As part of our yoga class, our middle schoolers write down their state of mind when they arrive to class, after our opening relaxation, and at the end of class after Savasana. They gather these daily reflections in a folder for further contemplation in the last week of their 8-week session.

As they walk into class they grab their mat and blocks, as well as a blank stickymiddle school yoga sticky note reflections note and pencil. They quickly jot down the date and a word that describes their current state of mind or emotions. They set the note and pencil aside while we do an opening relaxation and they then record their state of mind again — often times feeling a change after only 90 seconds of stillness.

We enjoy a full yoga class. And then after Savasana they record their third word and put their sticky note into their folder, which is a large piece of construction paper folded in half.

Their folders remain with me in between classes and the young yogis see them at the end of each class as they add their latest sticky note to it. Keeping the folders with me is not only less distracting for them during class, but it keeps our young yogis from middle school yogalooking back to their feelings from the previous weeks. This allows them to remain more focused on their current emotions and experiences, rather than being taken back to past feelings.

At the end of the eight weeks our yogis will use their sticky note reflections to inspire a written or illustrated culminating expression of their experiences as yogis. I look forward to witnessing this full-circle process for them!

This has been such a gift to me as their teacher to be able to see vivid results from their experiences of yoga – through this super simple tool and process.

Yoga Course Work

Author and Sing Song Yoga® Founder, Deb Weiss-Gelmi offers kids’ yoga teacher training and professional development for school teachers. Connect with her on FB, IG and Twitter.

 


Related Posts:

Yoga for Kids in School on Fox 17kids yoga in the news Sing Song Yoga® founder and school teacher discuss some tools for using yoga in school as well as some benefits of it.


Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training A heartfelt synopsis of our kids’ yoga teacher training experience through the grateful eyes of our founder.

 


Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.38.49 PMGetting Kids Ready to Write: Yoga in Schools A teacher question answered: “I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”


2015-04-21 09.48.028 Kids Yoga Myths Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga. Explore other view points for a broader perspective.


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Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 1.21.43 PMYoga in Schools: Kids and Teachers Talk Kids’ Yoga A quick peek into what kids and teachers are saying about using the Sing Song Yoga app in the classroom.


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balancing sequence Sing Song Yoga AppKids’ Yoga App – Create Your Own Balancing Sequence Effortlessly create a balancing sequence with a few taps of this kids’ yoga iOS app.


Top 5 Tips to Help Balance in Kids’ Yoga: Kid Twitter Question Answered A kid question answered: “Do you have any tips to help us balance better?”

Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable  Sing Song Yoga founder does yoga with students she connected with on Twitter.

Kids Yoga App Series – #3. Restore Purchases –FAQs: How to easily restore in-app purchases in seconds with this simple illustration.

Kids Yoga App Series #4 Guidelines Video Our Sing Song Yoga Kids share their wisdom about doing yoga in this Guidelines Video.

Kids Yoga App Series #5 Time Management for Home & Classroom Super efficient time-management kids yoga app tools to get the most out of every second spent with our kids.


Some of Sing Song Yoga®’s offerings:Yoga in a School Setting

Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training

PD for School Teachers: Yoga and Literacy

Kids’ Yoga App

Kids’ Yoga DVD

School program

Our Website

 

 

This entry was posted on Monday, March 19th, 2018.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,


Workshop: Kids’ Yoga in Daycare

Learn to Use Yoga Within the Childcare Setting

If you’ve ever considered incorporating yoga into your childcare programming, we have just the training for you. Sing Song Yoga® is an award-winning international kids’ musical yoga program in which song lyrics instruct children how to get into the poses. Our offerings include an iOS app, a DVD, a School Program (Book/DVD), a full Sing Song Yoga® Teacher Training and various professional development trainings.

This Sing Song Yoga® in Daycare Workshop is designed to provide participants with ideas and new understandings to use the program tools to incorporate Sing Song Yoga® into the childcare setting for children ages 2-11.

Participants will…

  • learn how to most efficiently use the Sing Song Yoga® App and the Sing Song Yoga® DVD within the childcare setting*
  • learn basic sequencing guidelines of poses
  • learn basic brain and body systems
  • learn some benefits of yoga
  • experience the 49 original SSY poses
  • experience some yoga-based activities
  • learn some ideas for incorporating yoga as part of the natural childcare environment
  • experience and leave with the manual, “Using Sing Song Yoga® in the Childcare Setting: a supplemental resource guide to support childcare providers using Sing Song Yoga®
  • take home the Sing Song Yoga® DVD

INFORMATION

REGISTRATION HERE


Teaching Sing Song YogaDeb Weiss-Gelmi, Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, found her roots in teaching children through songs as an elementary school teacher. Her major in child development, her Masters in Literacy K-12, and teaching Sing Song Yoga® in a variety of settings for 9 years has further deepened her understanding of developmentally appropriate practices for children and fuels her passion for relating with children in powerfully unique ways. The learning environment Deb provides encourages children to explore their surroundings and themselves more deeply. Trainees are welcomed into her unique world of children allowing them to experience kids in this way. Deb has 16 years combined experience practicing and teaching yoga to adults and children and is thrilled to pass on her rich knowledge and passion for children and yoga.

* The Sing Song Yoga® iOS App is only available for Apple Products (iPhone, iPod, iPad). Most of the training will also be applicable for those childcare providers using the DVD to teach SSY, but a portion of the training will be demonstrating the app. Furthermore, it is assumed that the facility, in which the participants of the SSY PD intend to use our program with children, will have a means for projecting the content of the App or DVD onto either a large TV or a screen for children to experience the program learned through this SSY PD.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 9th, 2017.
Posted in Education, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , , ,


Kindergarteners Loving Yoga in School

What do you get when you add 230 seasoned kindergarten yogis, a big school library and some fun-loving teachers? Fantastic yoga fun!!

It was such a blast teaching Sing Song Yoga to several groups of kiddos at McFall Elementary in Thornapple Kellogg Schools yesterday morning! Happy faces, big hugs, warm hearts, high fives, singing yogis… Pure bliss!

Yoga in schools

Teachers and students at McFall have been using either the Sing Song Yoga App or DVD in their classrooms for the past 4 years.  I certainly experienced their yoga wisdom in their poses, in their singing and in the way they appeared to have absorbed the essence of the program; empowerment — I am strong, smart and worthy and I matter!

Thanks heaps for inviting me McFall! I’m so grateful for the time with your kiddos!! The heart goes pitter pat!

yoga in schools

yoga in schools

yoga in schools

Related Posts:

Yoga for Kids in School on Fox 17kids yoga in the news Sing Song Yoga® founder and school teacher discuss some tools for using yoga in school as well as some benefits of it.


Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.38.49 PM

Getting Kids Ready to Write: Yoga in Schools A teacher question answered: “I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”


2015-04-21 09.48.028 Kids Yoga Myths Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga. Explore other view points for a broader perspective.


hamstring picsTop 5 Kids’ Yoga Tips for Greater Flexibility A kids’ yoga question answered: “We want to know how we can stretch better! Any tips?”


Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 1.21.43 PMYoga in Schools: Kids and Teachers Talk Kids’ Yoga A quick peek into what kids and teachers are saying about using the Sing Song Yoga app in the classroom.


kids yogaCrossing the Midline and Kids’ Yoga yoga for kids is one of the many activites that can provide cross-lateral experiences for children. If done regularly might assist in building the brain for…


dead bugTop 6 Yoga Poses for Toddlers  “A few months ago a parent asked how she could best do yoga with her one-year-old daughter…”


balancing sequence Sing Song Yoga AppKids’ Yoga App – Create Your Own Balancing Sequence Effortlessly create a balancing sequence with a few taps of this kids’ yoga iOS app.


Top 5 Tips to Help Balance in Kids’ Yoga: Kid Twitter Question Answered A kid question answered: “Do you have any tips to help us balance better?”

Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable  Sing Song Yoga founder does yoga with students she connected with on Twitter.

Kids Yoga App Series – #3. Restore Purchases –FAQs: How to easily restore in-app purchases in seconds with this simple illustration.

Kids Yoga App Series #4 Guidelines Video Our Sing Song Yoga Kids share their wisdom about doing yoga in this Guidelines Video.

Kids Yoga App Series #5 Time Management for Home & Classroom Super efficient time-management kids yoga app tools to get the most out of every second spent with our kids.


For more info:Yoga in a School Setting

Sing Song Yoga® Kids’ Yoga App

Sing Song Yoga® kids’ yoga DVD

Sing Song Yoga® school program

Sing Song Yoga® website

This entry was posted on Friday, May 20th, 2016.
Posted in Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , , ,


Family Yoga Night @ The GRCDC

Family Yoga is such a lovely concept! Yoga is often defined to mean ‘union’ or ‘connection.’  It’s so brilliant that the Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center created an evening of bringing families together through Sing Song Yoga at school – allowing for connections on several levels!2016-04-18 18.09.38

As often happens within new unfamiliar experiences, our evening together began with some of the children feeling a bit nervous and unsure. But as soon as we started rolling, they warmed up and soon fully engaged in our Family Yoga Night.

“The mission of the GRCDC is to continuously expand the potential of children, Screen Shot 2016-04-19 at 9.26.28 AMthe experiences of educators and the involvement of parents within the diverse community of Grand Rapids, MI.” Thus, using yoga as one of their tools for moving toward their mission makes perfect sense.

Thank you GRCDC for inviting Sing Song Yoga into your welcoming space to explore and play with yoga with your lovely families. I so enjoyed our time together!

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Related Posts:

Yoga for Kids in School on Fox 17kids yoga in the news Sing Song Yoga® founder and school teacher discuss some tools for using yoga in school as well as some benefits of it.


 

Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.38.49 PM

Getting Kids Ready to Write: Yoga in Schools A teacher question answered: “I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”


 

2015-04-21 09.48.028 Kids Yoga Myths Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga. Explore other view points for a broader perspective.


hamstring picsTop 5 Kids’ Yoga Tips for Greater Flexibility A kids’ yoga question answered: “We want to know how we can stretch better! Any tips?”


Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 1.21.43 PMYoga in Schools: Kids and Teachers Talk Kids’ Yoga A quick peek into what kids and teachers are saying about using the Sing Song Yoga app in the classroom.


kids yogaCrossing the Midline and Kids’ Yoga yoga for kids is one of the many activites that can provide cross-lateral experiences for children. If done regularly might assist in building the brain for…


dead bugTop 6 Yoga Poses for Toddlers  “A few months ago a parent asked how she could best do yoga with her one-year-old daughter…”


balancing sequence Sing Song Yoga AppKids’ Yoga App – Create Your Own Balancing Sequence Effortlessly create a balancing sequence with a few taps of this kids’ yoga iOS app.


 

Top 5 Tips to Help Balance in Kids’ Yoga: Kid Twitter Question Answered A kid question answered: “Do you have any tips to help us balance better?”

Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable  Sing Song Yoga founder does yoga with students she connected with on Twitter.

Kids Yoga App Series – #3. Restore Purchases –FAQs: How to easily restore in-app purchases in seconds with this simple illustration.

Kids Yoga App Series #4 Guidelines Video Our Sing Song Yoga Kids share their wisdom about doing yoga in this Guidelines Video.

Kids Yoga App Series #5 Time Management for Home & Classroom Super efficient time-management kids yoga app tools to get the most out of every second spent with our kids.


For more info:Yoga in a School Setting

Sing Song Yoga® Kids’ Yoga App

Sing Song Yoga® kids’ yoga DVD

Sing Song Yoga® school program

Sing Song Yoga® website

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2016.
Posted in Parenting, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , ,


Yoga for Kids In Thornapple Kellogg Schools

Always great to read about yoga for kids in schools and even more fun, personally, when it’s Sing Song Yoga!

Thornapple Kellogg Schools recently published an article from which the below text was taken and can be read in its entirety as Kindergarten Students Find Calm in Yoga at TKschools.org. Thank you TK schools for using our program regularly and for sharing it with your readers! We so appreciate it!

yoga for kids

Some highlights from TK Schools’ article follow:

Screen Shot 2016-04-12 at 2.35.27 PMMcFall Elementary kindergarten teachers have found yoga helps their students transition between lessons, take “brain breaks” and even find calm during a hectic day.

“I love it. It makes me feel good,” said Aubree after about 15 minutes of yoga right in her classroom.

yoga for kidsKindergarten classmate Dylan Wallach gladly showed off his strength and balance in a balancing frog pose and Cameron Mancuso said his favorite yoga pose is “the one where we get to roar like a lion.”

yoga for kids
Carissa Caskey said she likes the fish sit the best. “I just love how it makes me feel better when we’re done,” she said of the yoga stretches. “I feel happy.”

At least once or twice a week, McFall kindergarten teacher Jasmine Koster has her students practicing yoga in the classroom with a program called “Sing Song Yoga” developed especially for children. Students follow yoga pose instructions given in a sing-song version using music and rhythm.

“We use it in between lessons as a transitional tool. It reinforces concentration and gives students a brain break,” said Koster. “The afternoons can sometimes get long and we just need to have a little break and a little calm.”

Koster said she’s thrilled to be able to combine her two passions – teaching kindergarten and doing yoga. She’s been teaching at McFall four years and been practicing yoga for about six years. She started incorporating Sing Song Yoga in her classroom immediately. She said most of the other kindergarten teachers at McFall also use the program developed by Deb Weiss-Gelmi.

yoga for kids

Koster said she sees many benefits to using yoga in the classroom.

“Sing Song Yoga is a great way to transition from one lesson to the next as a way for the students to refocus their attention and concentration,” Koster said. “It has been a wonderful tool to help create a sense of calm within our classroom.”

She said it also helps students realize the importance of caring for their bodies. “I see their flexibility, coordination and strength improving. And that’s really fun to watch progress.”

She said she also loves seeing how proud the students are of themselves when they master a new pose for the first time. “They are so excited and so proud. It just helps build their self-confidence, ” she said.

“We’re not meant to sit still all day. So getting up and doing something physical is important. Yoga involves concentration, but it’s also very calming and a good way to get kids out of their seats for awhile,” she said.

Since using the program in her classroom, Koster said parents have started using it at home as well. “I always get really positive feedback from the families,” said Koster. “Some of them use Sing Song Yoga at home now as a calming exercise before bed or sometimes when they (students) just have a stressful situation at home.”

yoga for kids

Weiss-Gelmi came up with Sing Song Yoga as a way of using music, movement and fun together to naturally help students physically and emotionally. [The] Sing Song Yoga [app] offers the ability to create individualized yoga sequences or choose from one of the 39 preprogrammed sequences already in place. There are preprogrammed sequences designed specifically for brain breaks or test preps.

Koster said the beauty of the program is that anyone can do it and students may continue to find yoga a useful tool in their lives long after kindergarten.


Related Posts:

Yoga for Kids in School on Fox 17kids yoga in the news Sing Song Yoga® founder and school teacher discuss some tools for using yoga in school as well as some benefits of it.


Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 11.38.49 PM

Getting Kids Ready to Write: Yoga in Schools A teacher question answered: “I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”


2015-04-21 09.48.028 Kids Yoga Myths Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga. Explore other view points for a broader perspective.


hamstring picsTop 5 Kids’ Yoga Tips for Greater Flexibility A kids’ yoga question answered: “We want to know how we can stretch better! Any tips?”


Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 1.21.43 PMYoga in Schools: Kids and Teachers Talk Kids’ Yoga A quick peek into what kids and teachers are saying about using the Sing Song Yoga app in the classroom.


kids yogaCrossing the Midline and Kids’ Yoga yoga for kids is one of the many activites that can provide cross-lateral experiences for children. If done regularly might assist in building the brain for…


dead bugTop 6 Yoga Poses for Toddlers  “A few months ago a parent asked how she could best do yoga with her one-year-old daughter…”


balancing sequence Sing Song Yoga AppKids’ Yoga App – Create Your Own Balancing Sequence Effortlessly create a balancing sequence with a few taps of this kids’ yoga iOS app.


Top 5 Tips to Help Balance in Kids’ Yoga: Kid Twitter Question Answered A kid question answered: “Do you have any tips to help us balance better?”

Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable  Sing Song Yoga founder does yoga with students she connected with on Twitter.

Kids Yoga App Series – #3. Restore Purchases –FAQs: How to easily restore in-app purchases in seconds with this simple illustration.

Kids Yoga App Series #4 Guidelines Video Our Sing Song Yoga Kids share their wisdom about doing yoga in this Guidelines Video.

Kids Yoga App Series #5 Time Management for Home & Classroom Super efficient time-management kids yoga app tools to get the most out of every second spent with our kids.


For more info:Yoga in a School Setting

Sing Song Yoga® Kids’ Yoga App

Sing Song Yoga® kids’ yoga DVD

Sing Song Yoga® school program

Sing Song Yoga® website

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 19th, 2016.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,


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