We can be embraced, and we can embrace. My children and students remind me of this every single day. I have a 10 year old who cherishes physical touch, a six year old who is one of the most loving humans I know, and a two year old whose favorite thing is to give “big squeezes”! On top of that I see over a hundred students a week so embraces are almost in constant supply. But why does it even matter? Does it really make a difference? There have been numerous proven studies with supporting evidence on why this “social support” as its being called is so important. Hugging is actually linked not only to making you feel happier, but lowering stress, boosting your immunity, lowering blood pressure, and helping release tension. STRESS REDUCTION It has long been known that big embraces can actually lower stress and make you feel happier. You may have even experienced this yourself, and no, it is not just in your head. The reason behind this is because hugging increases the level of oxytocin in our blood. Oxytocin is a hormone known to cause a “bonding” or “caring” response in people. It can then also cause a reduction in blood pressure and stress hormones. Physically, hugs also naturally relax your muscles and release tension in your neck and shoulders. LIFTS YOUR MOOD Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and acts as a hormone in your blood system. Serotonin impacts every part of you including your emotions and motor skills. It helps with sleeping, healing, digestion, and can even regulate anxiety. When your serotonin levels are low, you are more likely to experience feelings of depression and loneliness. Hugging can increase the production of serotonin in the brain, helping to boost your mood. IMMUNITY BOOST The Laboratory for the Study of Stress, Immunity, and Disease in the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University has conducted studies on specific benefits of hugging. In one study they looked at how “social support” impacts your immunity and recovery. Participants were exposed to a common cold virus and were then monitored for signs of illness. The study found that those who were hugged more often also experienced less-severe signs of illness. They also found that touch deactivates the part of the brain that responds to threats, and this causes your cardiovascular system to experience less stress. To be honest I am not always in a hugging mood, but when one of my children or students asks for a hug I am not going to deny their little hearts a big squeeze. Let’s face it, most days I need it more than they do.
Peter reynolds book study
This was a morning that I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to do. I was just feeling tired, and a little overwhelmed. At school breakfast, I had a student say, “Mrs. Anthony, you look tired, did you get enough sleep?” (She’s a kindergartener and very wise) If a kindergartener notice I knew it must be bad. long mornings… Anyway, right after morning announcements I have a group of second graders for a reading class. I was going through attendance and what we were going to do for the day when a little girl suddenly said, “I could really use a hug this morning”. Before I knew it I had 5 second grade girls giving me hugs, and I truly believe from that moment on my day was changed. I am actually not a huge hugger, but with little kids sometimes it is not an option, and somehow this morning they knew exactly what I needed. PETER REYNOLDS BOOK STUDY These students have been diving into an author study on Peter Reynolds and let me tell you we are all learning a lot. Not only does this man write some of the most insightful books ever, but his variety makes for a perfect book study to encompass advanced literacy topics, as well as address social emotional needs of so many different students. One of the main themes we have seen him conveying over and over is “Keep going, never stop”! Is this not something we all need to hear! We have opened up some great discussions about the fact that no matter what stage of life you are in or what you may be going through you must keep going. It is funny how often I am learning from my students. BOOK STUDY OUTLINE: Here is a link to the printables I reference in this study Word Collector Sky Color The Dot Ish Be You Journal: when has this ever happened to you? How did it feel? Happy Dreamer The World Needs Your Voice The North Star So few of me Our Table I Am (this is a series of book)
THANKSGIVING STEM: building a geometric turkey cage
EMBRACE THANKSGIVING STEM by building a geometric turkey cage It is getting to be that time of year. Holidays in the classroom! It would be easy to dread that chaos that the season brings, but I love embracing all the holiday activities. These memories have the potential to stay with the students through all walks of life. This is an activity I did with my 4th grade group of advanced math students right before Thanksgiving. They are learning about geometric properties, and really enjoyed the hands-on approach. We started by reading this story… The turkey trap One day, long ago, there was a man who noticed a flock of a dozen wild turkeys who gathered in the same clearing in the woods at about the same time nearly every day. Since times were tough and his family often went hungry, the man decided he would capture those turkeys and his family could eat well for quite a while. So, the man went out into the woods with a large wooden crate, a length of string and the last of the corn and grain his family had for making bread. He turned the crate upside down and used a stick to prop one end of it up off the ground. He next placed a pile of cracked corn and grain under the crate. Finally, he tied a long string to the stick and held onto the other end as he hid in some nearby bushes. When the turkeys went under the crate to eat the corn and grain, the man would pull the string which would dislodge the stick. The crate would then fall trapping the turkeys inside the upside-down crate. After about two hours, the twelve turkeys wandered from the woods and toward the trap the man had set for them. One-by-one, the turkeys gathered under the crate–all except one particularly large turkey who, for some reason, stood just outside the crate refusing to walk in. Eleven of the twelve birds were already standing under the crate, but the man decided to wait until this last bird wandered in before pulling the string. That way, he would have all twelve turkeys. After a few minutes, one of the eleven turkeys already under the crate walked back out and over to where the twelfth bird was standing. “I can’t pull the string now,” the man thought, “I had eleven in the trap and now I have only ten. I’ll wait until that eleventh bird wanders back into the trap.” While the man was waiting for that to happen, another turkey wandered out of the trap. “Well now I have to wait,” thought the man, “for now I have only nine birds in the trap which before held ten. I’ll wait for one of those others to walk back into the trap before pulling the string.” This pattern continued with one turkey after another wandering out of the trap and the man continuing to wait for his situation to improve. Before long, there was only one turkey still standing in the trap. “I certainly can’t pull the string now,” decided the man, “I will not settle for only one bird when I could have had eleven; and besides, I have already spent so much of my corn and grain. I’ve gone this far, I’ll just hold on until things get better” Finally, all of the remaining corn and grain had been consumed by that last bird and it too wandered out of the trap. All twelve turkeys now strolled back into the woods and were soon completely out of sight. The man…
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The start of a new season
The start of a new season is always exciting. I coach the high school varsity swim team every winter for the last 10 years, and with practice just beginning comes all sorts of emotions. Exhaustion, excitement, nerves, hope, ambition… and these are true for me as well as the athletes. We come into the season hopeful, but yet not at all knowing what to expect. Making it work It all starts many weeks before we actually get in the water. While we are busy picking out and ordering suits and caps, setting up meets, making up rosters, I am also spending my time figuring out the calendar of child coverage and how to make everything in my life balance while I add another plate. I have to make sure my three children are being taken care of, get their homework done, have rides to their own practices, etc. We also have to make sure my husband requests off work for the weekend where I am at a meet from sunup to sundown. This is a joint force between the two of us with some extra help from the grandparents. There are days where the kids get to have fun with their grandparents, and other days where I am coaching with a toddler on my back, but we somehow always make it work. so worth it So why do I do it? All the scheduling and rushing to practice? It is all worth it when a swimmer finishes a race, realizes the won or beat their time, and my face is the first one they make eye contact with through blurry tears. I even look forward to the dripping wet hugs after a time drop. Oftentimes the swimmer even let me nap on their blanket during down time at an all-day meet. It is not always an easy thing to do especially with a full-time job and three kids, but they definitely make it worth it. one day at a time Transitions are hard! The most common are when we have to return to school from summer break, the start of a new sport or club season, a shift in jobs, a new home, or even a new baby. Those are life transitions that we know are going to be difficult. We prepare ourselves, we make plans, and we breathe through it. However, there are less noticeable ones that are sometimes just as hard. For example, when your daughter packs her own lunch for the first time, or the last time your baby makes you rock them to sleep. These transitions often go unnoticed until they’re gone. Therefore, no matter how busy life may get I want to try and breathe in all of those moments while they happen. Embrace them now, because you never know when a new transition is right around the corner.
How to Embrace All the Little Things
What are things we can embrace? The day The Darkness Each other Our children Nature Life… Life. It’s been a lot lately. Just like so many others I know I’ve been trying so hard to slow it down, and it seems the more I try the faster it flies. When I take a step back and think about times I can successfully slow down I seem to often come back to this word… Embrace. Sinking In Have you ever had anyone hold you in an embrace for just a little longer than you were anticipating? Or maybe a lot longer. What usually happens? At first it may seem awkward, but then we sink in and realize it may have been just what we needed. That embrace. Sinking into a physical embrace is much easier than trying to feel out the embrace we have on life (or maybe the embrace life has on us at the moment). It is so simple to just move through the motions of life (sometimes it is a necessity), but what if we didn’t have to. What if we lived a life we are proud and excited to be a part of? Right, I know, easier said than done. Our Best is Good Enough I refuse to lose my embrace no matter what season I may be in. On a day where I have unending tasks to complete, and even more goals in the back of my mind, I am also reminded that this is the only life we get. While that often seems more overwhelming than anything else I know that it all will pass, and instead of just pushing through I want to embrace, hold on, and enjoy. Now, don’t get me wrong, the majority of time I do not have it together at all, and often life feels like it’s running in the other direction, but I rest in the fact that I’m not alone. It is ok to not have it all together! Sometimes I serve my children homemade sourdough bread with raw milk grass fed butter, and other times they have pizza rolls. It all comes with grace and acceptance that we are all just trying to do our best. This blog holds me accountable while hopefully helping us all realize our best is good enough.