Welcome to my blog!
This is where I share my thoughts, ideas, and activities to support the emotional growth of children.
I am not a Drama Queen – Why we cry over small things
Yesterday as I was walking up the stairs to my front door, I saw a little yellow finch, dead and laying by my doormat. It wasn't ruffled or bruised. It simply looked like it was peacefully sleeping. It was just too much. My eyes welled up and down came the tears. We...
We are Children! An activity exploring the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
*Please note that you can modify this activity should it not work for you for time constraints and/or for online versions or for social distancing needs. Ideas for modifications: Simply watch the video together and engage in a class discussion (discussion prompts are...
What Our Emotions have to do with Inclusive Classrooms
In my last blog, I spoke about the power of anchors as a tool for keeping our students connected to us and to one another. These consistent connection activities help to keep systems from falling apart. And embedding them as rituals gives us a break from having...
Why Every Family (and Class Family) Needs an Anchor
The above is a picture of my dining room table. This table is the anchor for my family. In an era of disconnection, with busy lives and so many devices that can pull us away from one another into our individual worlds, the dining room table can serve as an anchor for...
As Children Head Back Into Classrooms, Teachers Will Need To Focus On Emotions, Not Academics.
As schools begin welcoming students back to classrooms, their teachers will be tasked with not only getting them back on-track academically—but also helping them manage the psychological impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. And that emotional support must take...
Making Kids Say Sorry Does Not Create More Empathic Children
We all want kids to care about one another. We want our children to grow up to be kind, empathic humans who feel a sense of caring for one another. We want our classrooms to be inclusive spaces in which a sense of caring is alive, not just with words, but in lived...
Heart and Mind Lessons from Aanmitaagzi on Big Medicine Studio
Sid Bobb – Co-Director of Aanmitaagzi, Photo By: Bettina Vollmerhausen This month I wanted to take the time to celebrate and share the heart and mind transformations that my students and I received from working with Aanmitaagzi at Big Medicine Studio on the...
Supporting Our Students as They Return to Our Classrooms
How we can reduce anxiety and aggression through activities that provide emotional release As our elementary students head back to school during this turbulent time, there will be many emotions stirred up in them. Alarm. Frustration. Worry. Excitement. And...
We’ve replaced play with entertainment – and it is not boding well for children’s emotional health.
A few weeks ago, Tamara and I were invited onto the American educational podcast Unstuck, to discuss our newly released book, Reclaiming Our Students. During this podcast, we got talking about why kids are more anxious, aggressive, and shut-down than ever. Well, there...
![[Podcast] Getting Unstuck: Shift for Impact talks to us about Reclaiming Our Students](https://hannahbeach.ca/wp-content/uploads/Getting_Unstuck_cover_art_NEW-400x250.jpg)
[Podcast] Getting Unstuck: Shift for Impact talks to us about Reclaiming Our Students
A couple of weeks ago, Tamara and I joined Jeff Ikler and Kirsten Richert on their podcast, Getting Unstuck, to talk about Reclaiming Our Students and the huge potential for every single person who cares about children's learning to create deep, meaningful...