Help I'm overwhelmed by TPT!

Do you ever feel this way? I do! In fact sometimes when I go back through my purchases to find something I find 20 other things I forgot I had purchased. So I thought I'd share my favorite purchases from TPT- the purchases I use the most and of course the books I'd pair with them.

check out all these resources

I am so in love with the amazing group of counselors I work with. Once a month we meet to learn, share, and have fun. I am like a kid in a candy store- acting like a crazy sugar driven maniac, but instead of sugar I am buzzing off good ideas.
Today we shared our favorite books and activities and you know I love a good book. Check out these awesome ideas:

A book to encourage good character. This books is great because it's universal and touches on many cultures and religions. Learn more here. I also found this activity guide online from Lakeview Elementary. 

Another Miranda Peabody goodie! I also like books that talks about what to do if students see or are bullies and this book is especially great because it comes with activities in the back.

The counselors and I also talked about the power of role play. One idea that really struck a cord with me is discussing the role bystanders take having them role play what they nonverbally say simply by where they stand. You can have the students role play a situation where the bystanders stand close to the "bully" and then stand close to the target. It's a great way to lead a discussion on how we can use our bodies to stop bullying if we are too scared to use our words. 

A a word web to generate a definition of bullying. 

This is Mrs. Mimi and she might own more books than me. This book is "Tiger, Tiger Is It True?"

It seems like the universe is really pushing me towards cognitive behavior therapy lately. I love using it with older students, but I defiantly have been looking for a way to introduce it to our younger students who are having "irrational thoughts/fears." This book looks perfect for K-2 students who need a change in mindset. 

 Separation anxiety  is a topic that every elementary counselor encounters and it's great to have a lot of resources on hand. This is a sweet story about a little girl scared to start K. 

Check out this story and activities about separation anxiety by Mental Fills. What a great addition and follow up to the these books. 

What if you were so scared of school your parents spent the day at school with you? Find out with "Jake Starts School." This is a great book for students in K-2.

Another great addition for books on separation anxiety.  

How can you go wrong with a book written by a leading authority on ADHD. This would be a great way to discuss multiple intelligences. It's also perfect for those students with self doubts and may say things like "I'm stupid." The best part is there is information for teachers and parents at the end. What a great way to connect with stakeholders. 

Perseverance as summer approaches!

This time of year is all about testing, field days, and more testing. I know this time of year I start to lapse on my training with Brooklyn and the dogs get away with a lot.

This time of year I love to do lessons on perseverance (although I still need spell check to help me with that word after many years of teaching.). My favorite book this time of year is "The Three Ninja Pigs" by Corey Rosen Schwartz. I love it so much I've blogged about it many times . I love it so much that I created a packet designed to help teachers and counselors tie it into testing, perseverance/resiliency , team work, problem solving, cultural appreciation, and of course CCSS.  Also, you can connect this book to bullying (link at the end of the blog post).

So here is my latest packet for a book you all NEED to have on your book shelves:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Three-Ninja-Pigs-Activity-Guide-a-lesson-on-perseverance-test-prep-and-more-1792121

ASCA #14 Reflections

Wow! What an amazing conference. How many newbie ASCA conference attenders can say at their first conference they heard the First Lady speak!!

I am writing this post for 3 reasons:
1) To share with you my highlights and lessons/knowledge learned at the best conference ever.
2) To help ADHD brain remember all the things I want to share with the other counselors in our district.
3) To help me go back and access the information. A online "storage space" for reference if you will.

So let's get started:

Catching our breath.

When Brooklyn gets excited she whimpers. When she see's a cat, another dog, children, or anyone over the age of 40 her whimper quickly turns tragic. It's loud! Then the whimpers get faster, she starts pacing, and before you know it she's panting. I love her, but man is she an anxious little girl.

So today I put together some of my favorite resources for those in our lives and schools (or maybe even for you yourself) that are anxious:


            Strategies For Relaxation

5-Star Breathing: This simple breathing technique includes a good visual for students. It's easy to follow, remember, and use. I created a full scale sheet for practice and smaller stars for students to take with them/tape to their desks.





Belly Breathe with Elmo- This video from Seasme Street is still one of my favorites to show! The song is catchy and my first graders always make me play it over and over again. We watch it together once first, then I play it again and ask them to join in the belly breathing. They always want more, so I tell them as a reward at the end of class we will play it one more time.







Good ole fashioned stress balls! I love having stress balls around my office and so do the kids. They also tend to disappear, so I try and stock up whenever I can. You can get some cute stress balls on Oriental Trading (about $15 for 24),  you can make custom stress balls for about $1.15 each at Office Depot, and you can find several versions (some hysterical but not school appropriate) on Amazon, including this silly one.  I have also used play dough and attempted to make my own at school (it was fun but messy). Lastly, whenever there is a career fair, an armed forces information day, or free event with business prompting themselves I try and stop by because often I can
get one or two free stress balls.


Apps

Breathe 2 Relax-  This app allows students to follow along as they take deep inhales and exhales and learn how to belly breath. You can lengthen or shorten the counts of each inhale and exhale, so I think it's interesting to talk about how my inhale my differ from others, how long is too long, how long is not enough to calm down, etc. Ideally each student could have it on their own iPad, iPhone, etc. When I used it I only had one iPad so it was pretty funny to watch us all sit around the iPad like we were around a campfire and practice. The students got a kick out of it through. In high school this is a good resource for your students to put on their own phones.

Squeeze and Shake Stress Relief- When I was a high school counselor I remember letting many students "borrow" stress balls. The longer I am in this job, the more I realize there is no "borrowing."This would be a great app for middle school age through adults. It's a virtual stress ball! It also vibrates the phone which is great for any kids with sensory issues you might be working with. I am going to recommend this to our SPED department. Be warned though, it's not a free app (it's 99 cents) so you want to make sure students aren't buying it on their phones and then have the parents send you the bill.

Read about more apps here

Welcome New Friends

Brooklyn and Fidget

Boss making new friends at the "Nuttcracker."

We love making new friends! I also love seeing that people are visiting my blog, which is just a fun way for me to share ideas and of course puppy pictures. Since I have noticed the ticker keeps increasing I wanted to share a few things about Sassy School Counselor with my new readers.

5 Things You Should Know About Me:

Brooklyn hard at work in my office.

1) I have horrific grammar. English was my worst subject from elementary school through college, and it looks like things aren't changing. I started this blog as a fun way to share ideas I have had and the ideas I have begged for, borrowed, and stolen. It's also a fun way for me to write about what I am doing, so in many ways it's like a journal for me. Thus I tend to write my blog entries as if they were my journal entries, which means bad spelling and poor grammar. Worse I have moved away from the amazing E.S. (my former music teacher) who also assisted as a personal editor. So sorry in advance for the spelling and grammar mistakes!

Meeting new friends.

2) Much to the dismay of my friends I often compare working with my students to dog training. The comparison of my baby Brooklyn to our sweet Kindergartners has lead to many a head shake, but I just can't help it. For starters having a dog reminds me of having a toddler- they are always moving, they always need to go to the potty, and they are always learning how to treat others/follow the rules. I have spent hundreds of dollars in dog training and I want to put what I learned to good use. Most of all it connects for me. We are always looking for connections to make with our students and ways to make what we are saying relevant to their lives, and for me looking at a behavior/social problem the way I would look at working with my dog- well it just makes more sense. Please don't take the comparison personal.

Which way are we going?

3) I love finding fun new websites! I remember in the summer of 2010 I was sitting pool side and a friend of a friend said have you heard of this site "Pinterest".  At the time you needed an invitation to join and I thought "huh wonder what that's about." Less than a year later I was addicted. 

I hope will all follow me! (http://www.pinterest.com/sassyscounselor/)

My paycheck goes to Target.

The dollar bin at Target gets me every time! Here are a few of my new favorite finds.

Pencil holders. One sits at the center of each desk. Easy to transport for small groups too.

My check list. I actually got these for my students. You can laminate them and give to students for "goal setting". I love seeing them inside or better on the top of desks! I also love these for students to check off before they turn things in. It's a great way to write down a check list for ADHD students and for my OCD/Autism kids it's a great way to give them a list of what we are going to do/accomplish/etc.

At my last school we had lots of students (especially those with Autism) that needed directions broken down.  For example, first put your name on the paper, second read directions, third do numbers 1-5, fourth check your answers with your teacher. I went through post it notes like crazy. So I love that these are $1, but also you could laminate and reuse.