Bentley Bee loves to fly around and visit his friends in the garden. One day, he notices all of them in unusual poses. What could it bee? After reading Bee Calm, choose an activity (or two) to extend learning.
1.WATCH and LISTEN to Frank J. Sileo read his book Bee Calm for KidlitTV:
2. Practice yoga poses from the story. Identify the 8 different yoga poses depicted in the story: mountain, chair, airplane, downward dog, tree, warrior II, child’s, and cobra. You can find tips about good yoga poses for kids online.
3. Breathe.
- PBS Kids has a great introduction to belly breathing.
- The Mindfulness Teacher on YouTube has many breathing and mindfulness videos for kids.
- Create a pinwheel to use with a breathing activity! Providing an object to focus on is an easy way to encourage concentration during mindfulness practice. Use pinwheels in conjunction with the mindful breathing exercise, making the pinwheel spin with every exhale. Click here for a pinwheel tutorial
- 5-minute breathing activity:
- Sitting or standing, put both hands on your belly. Take three deep breaths in and out to see you can feel your hands being moved; count 1,2,3 for each breath in and each breath out, pausing slightly at the end of each exhale.
- Think about the following questions:
- What is moving your hands?
- What is filling your lungs?
- Can you feel air moving through your nose or out your nose?
- Does the air feel colder on the way in and warmer on the way out?
- Can you hear your breath?
- What does it sound like?
4. Ground yourself. Try one of these grounding techniques to gain control over anxiety and help center during moments of stress.
- 5-4-3-2-1 Senses: Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can smell, 2 things you can touch, and one thing you can taste
- Be a Tree:
- Focus on being as rooted and solid as a tree.
- Close your eyes and imagine you are firmly planted, your feet rooted to the ground, your back strong like a trunk, helping you feel stable.
- Feel your toes connecting to the ground and your arms as branches.
- Feel yourself reaching out to the world.
- Shift Focus: Name facts about the current moment. My name is… I am in… Today is… The season is… The weather is… I am wearing…
5. Share your feelings using color. Discuss the ways colors can feel like different emotions. Blue often represents sadness, while yellow represents happiness. Draw, paint, or color a picture using only colors that reflect how you feel right now.
6. Visit Overdrive for more yoga books for kids:
- Yoga for Kids: Simple Animal Poses for Any Age by Lorena V. Pajalunga
- Let’s Play Yoga! by Márcia de Luca
[adapted from Alpena County Public Library]