Mrs. Davina's Blog

Are you looking for something to do this summer?  Take a look at the following online art lessons and summer camps available for FREE! Camp Kinda: A FREE summer experience for kids! Please note, parents will need to provide their email address for this site. An email will be sent out weekly offering families a list of materials needed for the coming weeks activities. Have fun exploring! https://campkinda.org/ Camp Wonderopolis: A FREE virtual summer camp for you to explore, create and learn! Please note you do need parent approval to register for this camp along with an active email address! http://camp.wonderopolis.org/ Calgary Public Library: The Ultimate Summer Challenge is full of fun activities and is being offered from June 1 – August 31, 2020. Please note, you can register anytime throughout the summer with your free Library card (each child must have their own card, but if they don’t have one, they are available for free online). https://calgary...

Five Gossip Tips Although we are not is school it does not mean that the gossip has stopped. It is naturally for us to want to connect and at times we feel connection through gossip. Sometimes we might not be totally aware we are gossiping in the moment.   Gossip can be  toxic  and really make things worse. So here are some tips to help with gossip Resist Use restraint and don’t be tempted to spread a rumor. Distract The art of distraction is very powerful. Tell a joke or a story to take the attention away from the rumor. Be Honest Tell the messenger that you don’t want to discuss something about somebody who is not there because you feel like it is the wrong thing to do.  Let them know that gossip can hurt friendships and you don’t want to be a part of it. Ignore Smile and don’t respond verbally. Walk away and pretend to have other things to do. Redirect Ask “Why are you telling me this”. This gets the other person to stop ...

I am going to read you one of my favourite stories about feelings. Being in-tuned with how we feel in the moment can help us in understanding what we need.When we pay attention to these feelings then we can do something or seek someone out to help. How do you feel today?

Breathing is an essential practice to mindfulness. Being aware of our breathe and what it is doing. We often forget to breathe, especially when stressed. Here is a fun way to practice deep proper breathes. Get some bubbles, if you have some and have a bubble blowing contest. Who can blow the biggest bubbles? The biggest bubble wins. The best way to make a big bubble is to take a big deep breath in from your nose and out SLOWLY through your mouth. Take this game to another level by following or popping the bubbles that you blow.  Grab a parent or a sibling and have them play too! This is simple way to practice being in the present moment. How big were your bubbles? Happy bubble blowing!

When things get tough and we feel like it is bigger than we are it can be easy to go down the negative thought path. If we tell ourselves something enough we begin to believe it to be true about ourselves. Good or bad. Sometimes it is easier to tell ourselves the bad part. Next time you are face with a tough time or situation try saying one of these statements to yourself or better yet say it to yourself daily. Write it out, put it up in your room where you can see it and it can remind you when you can't bring it up in your mind on your own.  Comment which statement you would chose?

This week has been mental health week and we brought awareness with wearing our hats yesterday. Today I thought I would share the kids help phone with you. If you ever need someone to talk to whom you can trust, who won't judge you and wants to help. The kids help phone is there for you 24/7 and is confidential. You can call, chat or text. https://kidshelpphone.ca/

It’s “Hats On for Mental Health” today and we wear a hat to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health. I’m sporting my favourite hat in support of every person that faces their day with courage and resiliency. It’s important that we’re there for one another. Check in on someone today! #MentalHealthWeek #Hatsonformentalhealth

It's mindful Monday again. I want to share with you my favourite mindfulness activity which is colouring. It is very calming and I reset my system. Mindfulnes activities take work and can feel frustrating when we feel like we are not doing it right. This one comes easy for me and I feel confident when doing it. I grab a Mandala or if I don't have one near a colouring book or plain piece of paper will do. If you have access to a printer here is a website you can print off Mandalas from: https://mondaymandala.com/

Although we cannot see each other face to face right now, it is important to remember we are still connected and here for one another. Tell me who makes you feel the following emotions, it can be all the same person or someone new for each feeling. Reminding ourselves that we have people that care about us is important right now. If you can, reach out to one of them today and talk to them by phone or video chat. Joy Love Courage Peace

Meditation on your own is really hard and I struggle to do it on my own. So I use guided meditation as a mindfulness strategy. This is one of my favorite ones. It is a bit long but worth it! Give it a try and let me know how it was.

So yesterday there was a rain shower in the evening and after that storm appeared a rainbow. A double rainbow and it made me think of the saying: "THE GREATER THE STORM THE BRIGHTER THE RAINBOW" Each of us is experiencing our own storm (stress) right now and that is okay.  It can be easy to get caught up in the storm and forget our rainbows. The thing that makes you happy, grateful or thankful. My question to you is what is your rainbow?

Hey Everyone, Welcome back from your break. I hope you enjoyed the break. I welcome you back with another Mindful Monday.  Today we are going to practice mindful breathing. Check out this five minute video to walk you through some mindful breathing! What is your favourite way to mindfully breath? I like thinking of smelling fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and blowing them off because they are too hot to eat.

The sun is finally shinning which means it is time to get outside and have some fun. It is important to get outside at least once a day to get some sunshine or exercise. This is an essential part of your well-being. It helps uplift our mood and energy. It can be hard for some to get outdoors as not everyone has a yard, but it is possible. Here are some ideas to get you started Go for a walk. Ride your bike. Play a game on the deck/yard. Draw on your sidewalk with chalk. Throw and ball or kick a ball around. Go on a scavenger hunt. Here is one to get you started.. What did you do outside today?

Feelings are neither good nor bad. I like to think of them as either comfortable or uncomfortable. All the feelings are important as they tell us if something is wrong or something needs to change. Sometimes feelings can be mixed up with each other or we can feel more than one feeling at a time. Take some time today to think about how you are feeling and share it with someone you trust. It might just help with the uncomfortable ones!

Mindfulness is important for our overall wellness. I often explore and practice this with kids in my group and in classrooms. It is something that should be practiced lots and takes time to get use to. I too try to practice this everyday. So each Monday I am going to give you a mindfulness activity to focus on for the week. First we will start with "What Mindfulness is". It is being in the present (and I don't mean the kind you get for your birthday). Check out this video to see more!

The breathe is a powerful thing. Deep breathes can help us calm when we are stressed, anxious or angry. Practicing deep breathes is important so we know what to do when we need the. Here is a visual I use when practicing my breathing. Give it a try! 

Today is April fools day. Today is a day to have a little fun and share some laughs. A prank should not be harmful/hurtful to another person or destroy or break things. Here is a little trick I did at my house today. I put googly eyes on the fruit😄😄

It has been a little over 2 weeks since school was last in and things really have changed. I am sure most of you are missing friends, teachers and family you saw regularly. It is important to try to stay connect to those you care about. Reach out and say hi to those you are thinking of as I am sure they are thinking of you. Give a call, reach out via online forums you have access. If you are not able to connect with those people talk about them with someone in your house, write them a note or draw them a picture that you can share with them later.

Hey Everyone, Here is my blog. I will be posting things on here to share with all of you. I will be sharing all kinds of ideas from little tricks to help with big feelings, ways to practice mindfulness and different kinds of activities to support your wellness.  I look forward to sharing my ideas with all of you! Please feel free to email me @ davina.reiner@learn.cssd.ab.ca