Get Organized Without Losing It

For this weeks Friday Find, I wanted to share a resource that I use for Organization groups.  It is part of Free Spirit Publishing's Laugh & Learn Series.  The title is Get Organized Without Losing It by Janet S. Fox.  The back cover reads "Is yoru desk at school a distaster?  Is your school locker a shocker?  Do you spend tons of time looking for things you need to do your schoolwork or homework?"  This book is chock-full of tips and tools to help any child be organized, and covers all aspects of organization from organizing your things to organizing your time.

My favorite part of this book is how inclusive it is!  It  goes over all apsects of organization, and even uses a little humor.  I love that I can make copies of the after school scheduler, homework checklists, and project planner for my students to use.  The book also includes some great chapters on organizing your time, using your agenda, and how to successfully get ready for school (the night before, and the morning of.)  Kids really seem to enjoy the book, and I have enjoyed using it.  It even inclues a note to send to teachers or parents.

I have used this book for all aspects of my counseling program--individual, small group, and classroom guidance--and I've even recommended it to teachers.  In my small groups, I pick certain parts of the book to use, depending on the needs of my students. One year, I decided to make an "Organization Boot Camp" packet that included all types or tricks and tools to help students be organized.  We went through the packet in our group, and then the kids got to take it home.  In classroom guidance, we talked about some of the tips from the book and then got to go through our agendas and cubbies to do some cleaning and organizing!

I hope that you can enjoy this book as much as I have, and check out some of the other books in the Laugh & Learn Series.  Another favorite of mine is Dude, That's Rude!  (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick.  Maybe I'll write about that another day...

Self Care

In our classroom guidance lessons, small groups, and individual counseling sessions, we so often teach about coping strategies.  In my school, we teach about Habit 7: Sharpening the Saw--we even have a class about it in our "specials" rotation.  It's so funny that we spend all of this time teaching our kids this important habit, but often forget to do it ourselves.  So often, I find myself feeling like i'm right below the surface of the water--just paddling and paddling trying to get my head up, but not quite there.  It's easy for us counselors to feel this way--we take on everyone's issues while trying to balance our daily schedules and comprehensive counseling programs at the same time.  When I get like this, I know that I'm not dedicating enough time to self care.  I decided to put together a list of some ways that help me sharpen the saw, that I think could be helpful for any counselor.

• Schedule a lunch!  I learned this lesson pretty quickly.  My first year or so was definitely a learning experience, and I figured out that stuff was going to come up!  Issues would come up, and before I knew it, the bell was ringing at the end of the day and I didn't eat a thing.  Every day, I have my schedule written out in my daily planner.  When i'm making my schedule-making time for students, classroom guidance lessons, and groups-I also schedule my lunch.  I dedicate 30 minutes to it.  It's written in my schedule and when something else comes up that I need to schedule, it has to be at a different time, or the next day.  My lunch is at a different time each day due to scheduling, but every day--it's in there.
• Leave some openings.  On the same note, I also try to keep a couple of openings in my day.  I schedule the most important things first and then fill in with other things.  This year, I have been giving myself 15-30 minutes at the end of the day to catch up on writing my notes, finish up phone calls, or take care of emergencies that come up.  My school is on a block schedule, so I pretty much know the times that I can meet with kids, which makes scheduling this a little easier.
• Leave on time on Friday.  I got this idea from another blogger, and it's something that I try to do as well.  We stay late so many days, so Friday is my day that I can leave right on time.  Every now and then a meeting comes up, but if not, I'm out the door!
• Keep it at school.  There are 2 parts to this. 
•  When you leave school, allow yourself to process the day on the ride home, and then leave it there.  Whatever chaos happened that day, whatever sad story you heard, leave it at school.  This is so hard to do, but it is important too.  While you're at school--work your hardest at helping the situation, but once you leave, it is no longer in your circle of influence.  Focus your time on things you enjoy, your family, your pets, and your friends.
• If at all possible, try not to take schoolwork home with you.  I really strive to do this.  I am more likely to stay late after school, or taking time during the day to finish things up so that I don't have to take them home with me.  My time at home is dedicated to my family, myself, and my dog! 
• Find a hobby.  This is something that I'm trying to dedicate more time to.  Go out and learn to do something new--crafting, hiking, bike riding, etc. 
• Get outside.  There really is nothing quite like a breath of fresh air!  Make sure that you spend some time outside, doing something active.  What a great way to refresh yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
• Network.  Blogging has changed my life!  Reading experiences from other bloggers, and writing my own blog has reinspired me.  I feel refreshed, and I know that anytime that I'm feeling down or helpless, I can read school counseling blogs to get back on track.

Here's a picture with me and my #1 self care helper!

What To Do When You Worry Too Much

For my very first Friday Find, I wanted to share a resource that I have absolutely fallen in love with.  The book is called What to Do When You Worry Too Much:  A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner  I ordered this book to use with a small group, but I have found myself using it in individual counseling as well.  The book has several chapters that go through the different aspects of anxiety and has some really useful strategies.    I love how it explains anxiety in a kid-friendly way, and helps kids recognize anxious feelings.  The best part is that it is an activity book, so it makes it really easy to plan your sessions. 

I love the chapter about the worry bully!  Kids get to draw a picture of what they think their worry bully looks like.  Next we talk about telling the bully to "Buzz off!" or "get out of here!"  We even practice flicking the bully off of our shoulder and stomping on it.  I have a student who was in one of my worry groups and shows me how he flicks his worry bully off of his shoulder everytime I see him in the hallway.  I love it!

When I use this activity in small groups or individual counseling, I make copies of the "activity pages" and put them in a folded big piece of construction paper to create a worry book.  On the first day of our group, we go over the guidelines of the group and do the other activities I do when starting a new group, and then the kids get to decorate the cover of their worry book.  Then, as our group progressing, we go through the book and the kids get to do the activities in their own worry book.  The best part is, they can take it home at the end of our group and show it to their parents, look at it to remind themselves of strategies, etc.

I hope you will enjoy this resource as much as I have.  Also, be sure to check out more of Dawn Huebner's "What to do" books. 

New Feature!

I am excited to announce a new feature that I will begin on my blog!

introducing....

Check here on Fridays to see recommendations on books, websites, games, and any other resource that I share.  I can't wait to share with you and hope that you'll share some great ideas with me as well!

School Counseling Linky Party 2013

I was so excited to hear about the linky party that Marissa Rex over at Elementary School Counseling started, so here goes:

This is a tough one for me.  I haven't really added many features, except for the Shelfari widget :)  I hope to add more features in the new year.  Creating this blog has been a release for me.  It's a way to share and become refreshed as I journey through the challenging job of School Counseling.  Reading what others are doing and experiencing in their school helps me keep moving and stay motivated.  As I keep writing, I hope to come up with some creative features, so I hope that you will keep reading, if you have been reading my posts.5, so I've just spent about 20 minutes searching through my blog posts to find my favorite, and It's so hard to choose!  If I absolutely have to pick, I'd have to say that I really enjoyed writing about my daily schedule.  "A Day in the life."  It is rewarding to me to look back on my days work and think, WOW!  I'm one busy lady, and I DO make a difference.

According to my widget, my most popular blog post is "Whats the best part of an M&M?"  This is always one of my favorite lessons to do with students because it's fun for all of us...but more importantly, the students really have that "ah-ha" moment, which is so exciting.  I have been so excited to see my blog posts linked on pinterest this past year, which has really inspired to keep sharing!

This is a really tough one!! I have been inspired by so many of you!  I have celebrated with your successes, cried with your struggles, and been motivated by your ideas.  Some of the ones I'm always excited to see new posts by are:

Holiday Lessons

Many of you have probably read my post from last year on Special Snowflakes--a lesson on diversity using coffee filter snowflakes.  There are also a few other lessons that I'm using this year in light of Christmas.  On of my favorite parts of this time of year is that it can easily be tied into lessons.  For Thanksgiving, I love to use The Giving Tree and talk about gifts that don't cost any money.  I like to create a giving tree with my 2nd graders.  Other lessons that I'm doing this year that are related to Christmas are:

How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky

This is one of my favorites to do in Kindergarten because the kids are excited to read anything that has to do with Santa Claus.  We talk about what Santa's job is currently and then read about different jobs that he has tried out before deciding to deliver toys.  He tried to be a chimney sweep, a postman, and even a zoo keeper (which is where he met his reindeer). After reading, kids get to share (by drawing) what they might like to be when they grow up. 




Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett


This is one of my all time favorite books because of it's lesson on generosity.  I read this story with 1st graders and we first talk about what generosity means.  The students are eager to tell me about how they have been generous or could be generous to someone else.  We read the story and learn about how Treve teaches the trolls, Tig and Mig, to be generous.  Afterward, students show me how they can be generous to someone.  It always touches my heart to hear them talk about donating old toys, helping others, and sharing with their brother or sister.


As stressful as this time of year is due to the overwhelming amount of families in need of help this Christmas, I love to see how caring and generous the students can be this time of year.  I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a restful holiday break!

Playing Santa

Hello readers!  I apologize that I have been M.I.A.  It is that time of year when we are all getting the opportunity to play Santa.  This year, I am coordinating assistance for 51 of our families--a whopping total of 132 children.  I have done more in the past.  I have been very busy making phone calls, taking donations to go shopping, and pretty soon it will be time to organize it all and start handing it out.  Our local Rotary Club is generous enough to provide one box of food per family, and today I just went to pick up 75 bags of toys from Toys for Tots.  It is a big job, but someone has to do it!  I always tell my staff and donors that I feel like its not fair that I'm the only one who gets to give the actual "giving."  I start out by sending applications to my families who have participated in the past and/or are a part of our Backpack Bunch program.  These go out in October!  Once I have them back, I create a "christmas tree" for each child listing their clothing size, shoe size, and wish list.  I still have about 20 families to fulfill and time's ticking away!  It always seems to come together, but it is definately one of the most stressful (and rewarding) parts of my job.  It's totally worth it to know that all of my students will have a smile on their face on Christmas morning.