Posts Tagged ‘schools’
Yoga in Schools – Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable
Twitter is one of those things that I tried simply because I was told it was necessary for today’s startups — but did so reluctantly with little engagement. Then one day I received a twitter notification from a first grade teacher who was using Sing Song Yoga with her students. This gradually evolving connection not only inspired me to reach out to more yogis and educators on Twitter, but it eventually led to… meeting in person!! 
When you develop a program you hope that someone will find benefit in it, utilize the tools and share its value with others. But just because YOU love it and think it’s great doesn’t mean anyone else will find it valuable!
It was delightfully surprising to me how connected I began to feel with Mrs. Z. and her #firstgradeyogis on Twitter. They tweeted about their experiences with yoga in school and asked great questions (#ssykidquestion). We learned from, and encouraged each other and made continued Twitter connections – even with first graders in China! 
And last Tuesday my heart grew!! Have you ever gotten to know someone only online and then get the chance to meet? Well it’s just like in the movies! When you see their familiar faces and begin to chat it feels as though you’ve known them forever. The mutual excitement is tangible! Hugs and chats and hugs and chats! And then… the magic continues as our yoga songs fill the air. My songs have become their songs. My heart skips a beat the moment their voices join with mine and fill the room — with about as much love as a room can contain before bursting at the seams! As I write this I can still feel the expansion of my universe that occurred in those moments. 
Thank you Mrs. Z. from Michigan for not only providing the loving platform tying my heart to yours and your students’, but for providing your kids with the practical tools and benefits that kids’ yoga has repeatedly demonstrated. Your kids get a jump start on their learning each day because you have taken the time to learn what’s best for kids — and of course yoga is only one part of that!
Until we meet again… Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 
If you’d like to connect with @singsongyoga on Twitter or Facebook we’d love to hear from you… 
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2014.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Sing Song Yoga.
Tagged: childrens yoga, dvd, gifts, kids christmas, kids yoga app, schools, sing song yoga, testimonial, twitter, yoga benefits, yoga for children, yoga for kids, yoga in schools
Top 5 Tips to Help Kids Yoga Balance
This topic was inspired by a helpful kids yoga question tweeted by Mrs. Z’s #1stgradeyogis in Michigan…
Do you have any tips to help us balance better?”
Mrs. Z’s #1stgradeyogis doing Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
These talented first graders and their creative, tech savvy teacher have been tweeting about their experiences with Sing Song Yoga and we’re loving it! Thank you @MrsZFabFirsties for sharing your yoga experiences of kids yoga with us and the world! Thank you also for the inspiration for this post!!
Some simple tips to help you balance in your favorite kids’ yoga poses…
1. Know that it’s okay to fall over. When I was first learning to do headstand, I was unsure about moving my pose away from the security of the wall. However, once my instructor mentioned that it’s okay to fall when trying headstand in the middle of the room, I gave it a shot and never turned back! Now it’s a favorite of mine! Sometimes children (and adults) simply need to know that it’s okay to lose their balance and fall. Taking the pressure off can sometimes be all the support they need to feel success in a balancing pose.
2. Try to look at one spot in front of you. Fix your relaxed gaze on something that is not moving. To experience how helpful our eyes are when balancing try this: Before doing a balancing pose, experiment with the kids having them close their eyes while in Mountain Pose (Tadasana). Even Mountain Pose feels wobbly with our eyes closed. Then compare how Mountain feels with their eyes open. Then do Tree Pose (Vrksasana) and compare the different experiences of first, moving your eyes all over the room and second, keeping your eyes fixed on one spot. Might be fun to illustrate the comparing/contrasting experiences with a Venn Diagram in the classroom, with some interactive or shared writing.
Mrs. Z’s #1stgradeyogis doing Tree, Big Butterfly and Flower
3. Hold your arms out to the side like a tightrope walker. Children tend to do this naturally, but you can also discuss this with them. You could also, for example, do Eagle Pose (Garudasana) twice. Once with their arms wrapped together in front of their chest and once with their arms out to the side. And ask the kids which feels easier. Answers will likely vary but it’s powerful to feel these differences within their own bodies.
4. Start at the ground and move up. Focus first on having strong balanced feet (or whatever body part is on the ground). Try to distribute weight evenly between the front and back and between the inside and outside of each foot. Oftentimes when yogis are attempting a balancing pose, they don’t even notice that they are holding their feet crooked and half off the ground because they are so focused on balancing. So again it can be helpful to experiment with Mountain Pose (Tadasana). Close the eyes for a moment to feel how the weight changes within their feet as they wobble. Try to keep from falling over by focusing on the feet remaining flat on the floor. And once they open their eyes try to keep their attention on their feet while they steady their balance. Then try to re-balance the feet before beginning the next balancing pose. Closing the eyes allows us to attempt to focus more clearly on other balancing systems that we are less likely to notice when our vision is being used — in this case the feet (and vestibular system).
5. Imagine that you’re floating up. Next time the kids are doing a balancing pose have them imagine that they are really light and nearly weightless — maybe even that their foot is glued to the earth with hardly any gravity. This one in particular is not based in anything I’ve learned, only in what I’ve experienced. So give it shot.
Bonus: And just for fun try thinking about your belly button while balancing. It seems to help sometimes — and if not, it tends to bring on giggles 🙂 Thank you James Fry for this one!
Please send your kids’ yoga questions to Sing Song Yoga’s
Twitter or Facebook using #ssykidsquestions
See this link for an outline of the Simple Process for Creating and Saving a Kids’ Yoga Balancing Sequence within the Sing Song Yoga App
Creating Balancing Sequence within the Sing Song Yoga App
For more info:
DVD: https://www.singsongyoga.com/childrens-yoga-dvd/
App: https://www.singsongyoga.com/kids-yoga-app/
school program: https://www.singsongyoga.com/school-program/
This entry was posted on Sunday, October 19th, 2014.
Posted in Education, Sing Song Yoga.
Tagged: app, balance, balancing yoga pose, childrens yoga, dvd, ipad app, iphone app, ipod touch app, kids, kids yoga, kids yoga app, schools, sing song yoga, yoga app, yoga for kids, yoga in the classroom, yoga poses
Sing Song Yoga 2014 Charity of the Year: Life Services Parent Center
Sing Song Yoga® is thrilled to partner with “Life Services Parent Center, home of Deanna’s Playhouse” for our 2014 Charity of the Year. They have a long history of serving local families in the Holland Michigan area beginning way back in 1983. Life Services Parent Center including an indoor fully accessible play center, Deanna’s Playhouse, provides a gathering place where young parents can learn all about how to help their children be the best they can be. The Center provides respite for parents and hours of fun for their young children. The Center has developed in large part due to Deanna DePree’s work at the Federal and State level. Deanna’s belief that “parents want to do the best for their kids, but need information to know what to do” intrigued the U.S. Department of Education. They granted the Life Services agency a 5 year grant to implement the belief. The grant ended in 2011, with many successes to report.
• A large 26,000 square foot Parent and Play Center exists in Holland.
• 13,500 visitors came to the Center in 2011; 16,000 visitors came in 2012.
• Prepared the greater Holland community to collaborate on Early Childhood and school readiness
Parents have the opportunity to learn the basics of child rearing very early in their baby’s life.
• Just the simple activity of reading to their baby makes a big difference in their child learning to read.
• A parent’s hug may seem like a small thing, but it is huge to a baby’s sense of worth and emotional feeling of being valued and loved.
• Loud arguments make a baby feel scared and insecure, but parents often think that their little one is too young to be affected. The fact is that this is very emotionally upsetting to the baby. The baby’s brain begins to concentrate on survival rather than on learning.
Deanna’s Playhouse (DPH) – The Playhouse and its staff assist parents in teaching creativity through interactive Play. 
The Playhouse’s E-Club Newsletter informs over 2,000 families about resources & opportunities for play:
• In 2011, over 13,500 visitors participated, including 22% free.
• In 2012, 16,000 visitors, including 24% free.
• In 2013, Playhouse visitors and memberships have continued to increase as families increasingly recognize the value of this socio-emotional and developmentally appropriate experience for their young children!
• DPH annually hosts ~70 birthday parties, ~30 field trips and ~60 special events for families (themed events, company parties and family reunions).
Parenting Resources and Consultation – Parents have access to free parenting support resources in our libraries. PAT-trained educators are available for individualized consultation. Referrals are made to community services, as appropriate. Classes for Parents – PNC grant, “Grow Up Great”, provides financial literacy for 135 families with young children by offering Workshops at the playhouse. Children make banks and parents take home important information. 
Parents as Teachers (PAT) – working cooperatively with the Ottawa County Health Department serves over 600 families annually – predominately in the Holland area. As the State Office for Parents As Teachers, LSPC coordinates parent educator trainings and certification across Michigan. Local agencies with PAT-certified parent educators include Ottawa County Public Health, InterCare, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, Child Development Services and Deanna’s Playhouse.
“Books” Program – Each year provides a before-school, literacy program for students at all four Holland elementary schools. Parents could safely drop-off their children before school began each day. In 2012-13 served over 980 students.
Pre-School Fair – held every January to provide parents an opportunity to visit with staff from area preschools. Many family members attend in preparation for selecting a preschool for their child.
Leaders for the 21st Century Since 1999, LSPC has designed and coordinated a 3-day leadership training for over 800 Holland area seventh graders at Hope College. The student leaders return to school and, coached by their counselors, continue to work to make their middle schools a welcome place for all students!” Thank you in advance LSPC for allowing us to be a part of your 2014! For more information please see www.lifeservicessystem.org
This entry was posted on Friday, February 7th, 2014.
Posted in Charity of the Year.
Tagged: app, boys, charity, children, childrens yoga, girls, iphone app, kids, kids christmas, kids yoga, kids yoga app, kids yoga benefits, parenting, physical activities for toddlers, raising kids, schools, yoga
Can a Tablet Actually Get Kids Moving?
Tablets are typically a source of screen time for kids. During screen time the child is still, the eyes hold a fixed gaze, and the image on the screen is moving. So as a teacher and a mom, I’m thrilled to encourage your kids to use the Sing Song Yoga® kids yoga app to transform their screen time into some “music and movement” time.
This whiteboard animation and jingle are a fun way to say the same thing…
When kids move, play and sing they use their brains well.
Building their brains is naturally fun.
Paving the brain roads and making connections
A well-developed brain makes learning easy and fun!
But too often now kids sit with one of these.
Which at times can be a bit of a concern.
So let’s use tablets to get kids moving
So we can see the benefits of moving return
Experts find that yoga helps kids
With focus, awareness, coordination and more.
A kids’ yoga studio on your TV
Find the Sing Song Yoga® App in the App Store.
So have fun encouraging your kids to use their tablets to keep moving! And thanks in advance for sharing this post!
The Sing Song Yoga® App is available in the Apple App Store and is explained in detail in this former blog post.
For more information about our program check out www.singsongyoga.com
screenshot:
This entry was posted on Saturday, November 23rd, 2013.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Parenting, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga Research.
Tagged: app, app store, boys, children, childrens yoga, christmas, daughters, dvd, gifts, girls, health, joy, kids, kids christmas, kids yoga, kids yoga app, kids yoga benefits, music, parenting, physical activities for toddlers, raising kids, research, schools, sing song yoga, studies, toddler yoga, video, yoga, yoga app, yoga benefits, yoga for kids, yoga poses
Yoga in Schools Proven Effective
The #1 question for school-based yoga programs is “Does it really work?” The International Association for School Yoga and Mindfulness (IASYM) responds with a resounding “Yes!”
Discover how yoga is impacting kids, teachers and administrators through innovative programs proven effective by University research. (more…)
This entry was posted on Saturday, July 7th, 2012.
Posted in Yoga Research.
Tagged: research, schools, yoga