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Relaxation

Relaxation is influenced by so many things: attitudes, activities, music, etc. More information is on my Anger and Stress Management page where you can find books for children, parents, and other educators.

Let's start by improving our own attitudes and relaxation skills. Let's enjoy Beach Walks by Diane Dean White and visit her website: Seeds of Encouragement. "Ticket To Tahiti" is one of the delightful songs in Teacher Therapy by Judy Domeny Bowen.

This was written in February.

Well, take a trip to a place such as Puerto Rico. Brush up on your Spanish and take my book, 10,000 White Horses / 10,000 Caballos Blancos, with you. See excerpts: a child pretends to catch the white horses of the sea and ride them to shore; ten thousand white horses and more. You can enjoy the book even if you don't take a trip. The Spanish translation is by Natty Cruz who teaches third grade in Puerto Rico. Visit her attractive Spanish-English website: Tercer Grado de la Srta. Cruz (Ms. Cruz's Third Grade Class).

We need to be mindful of the reactions of the children. I've heard one adult say the constant motion of the waves at the beach was nerve racking to her. Some children might be excused from certain activities which others adore.

At Songs for Teaching, visit Mood Music which has suggestions for transitions, state changes, energizers, relaxing music, positive attitudes, and just plain fun. Let's keep in mind that music serves different purposes. We don't need energizing music when we want to help kids relax. This site has an extensive collection of songs and articles for using music to promote learning. I suggest starting your tour with Eric Jensen's insightful article: Implementing Music in the Classroom.

A simple back rub or head massage from a friend can be relaxing.

We can also remember not to sweat the small stuff. Albert Einstein said: "Not everything that can be counted, counts. And not everything that counts can be counted."