Friday, February 19, 2016

Mindfulness Apps

I enjoyed listening to all the mindfulness ideas today at our team meeting and hoped I could extend the conversation in the blog.  I thought you all might like a link to the site Mindful Schools that Sally used to access the video - it has other useful resources and videos.  I was also intrigued by Laura's use of the app Headspace, and wondered what might be out there designed specifically for students.   Common Sense Media had some nice suggestions, including Settle Your Glitter, a simple app that has the student rate their mood, then spend a minute watching virtual glitter settle down while a pufferfish guides their breathing.  Another app called Stop, Breathe, and Think looked promising but had a larger file size so I chose not to download it on my almost-full iPad.  A site called Goop recommended Smiling Mind. It's free, but you need to register to use the activities.  Once you've registered, you select activities for your age range, such 7-11 years, or you can select "bitesize" or "extended" activities.  There is a range of short narrated mindfulness exercises to choose from, such as body scans or breathing.  I did like the Australian accent but wondered if some students would be thrown off by that.  It also has a mood-rating component that could be helpful.  I will ask Maggie to push them to the teacher and student iPads, so look for them in the next week or so.  Let me know how it goes if you try any - or if there are others out there that we should look into.  Also as a reminder, we do currently have Relaxia on teacher iPads, which is nature sounds and images.

    iPhone Screenshot 1 iPhone Screenshot 5iPhone Screenshot 2

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