On Saturday, I wrote a blog sharing an offline choice board teachers can use to blend offline activities into their online classes. On Twitter, Barbara McInnes suggested teachers add a wellness activity to their offline choice boards. I loved her suggestion and immediately started working on a choice board dedicated to health and wellness activities.
I asked my good friend, Dr. Maria Hersey, to lend her expertise around social-emotional learning to this project. Initially, I asked her to collaborate on a health and wellness board for students, but she suggested we create a board for teachers as well. She made the point that teachers must take care of themselves before they can help students.
Ultimately, Maria and I created three separate well-being boards. One board for teachers, one for secondary students, and another for elementary students and their parents.
Well-being Board for Teachers
Well-being Board for Elementary Students & Their Parents
Well-being Board for Secondary Students
Maria and I hope these boards will encourage teachers and their students to carve out time each day to care for themselves during this challenging time.
14 Responses
Can you change the access on Google Drive? Right now I need permission to view the document. (I’m requesting it, but you’ll probably get a lot of requests.)
Thank you!
Hi Kim,
It should prompt you to make a copy –> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yur0EsF1upv7ViLgM9mRnyx5obsr_qoF5KAol2NU_sc/copy
Here is the view-only version too.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yur0EsF1upv7ViLgM9mRnyx5obsr_qoF5KAol2NU_sc/edit?usp=sharing
Take care.
Catlin
Each week I a give my students a Homework Assignment Sheet Monday morning. It tells them what they are going to do for the week. It’s a reference sheet. I push one assignment out each day, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. It with the philosophy less is more like you talked about in your Podcast. No work on Thursday or Friday on these days they can turn in any work that they did not turn in earlier in the week.
On the Assignment sheet, I put a quote at the bottom each week to inspire the student to have a great week.
This weeks quote was: “The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.”
Helen Keller
Thank you for sharing the strategy that is working for you, Kym!
I love that quote!
Take care.
Catlin
Hi,
I need to be creative when I’m stressed. Art making has been proven to reduce cortisol levels in the brain. I think this could be added to your choices.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/11/795010044/feeling-artsy-heres-how-making-art-helps-your-brain.
I think these health and wellness choice boards are fantastic! If we’re stuck back in lockdown is it okay if I post them to my high schoolers if I give you and Dr. Hersey all the credits?
Absolutely! You are welcome to share them with your high school students, Jerilyn!
Take care.
Catlin
I love your choice boards! May I edit my own copy of them to add a few extra options for my high school students. I will of course give credits.
Absolutely! Feel free to modify them to use with your students, Jody.
Take care.
Catlin
I absolutely LOVE these Choice Boards – as a teacher and as a mom. Thank you for creating these and sharing these! I can’t wait to put this into practice this school year.
Hi Catlin! I started a 30 day, 10 minutes a day, morning yoga challenge with Kassandra (Canadian) for just this reason. It is amazing how much ten minutes a day can make, especially with so much screen time. Thank you for making your choice boards free and being so amenable to folks tweaking them. That is the true spirit of helping educators in these weird, weird times.
PS Affirmations are good too. Today’s, “I am calm and centered.”
Hi Amy,
I love that you do that for yourself. I’ve been missing yoga. I should check out Kassandra’s 10 minute morning yoga! I miss going to yoga class.
I hope you are well.
Catlin
Hi Catlin,
I love your choice boards!!! I would like to share these with my teachers as well. If they wanted to share these with their students, would it be alright if they post these in their Google Classrooms for their students to access? We will credit you and Dr. Hersey.
Absolutely! I’m thrilled your teachers will be using them, Courtney!
Take care.
Catlin