Posts by signewhitson
LSCI Certification Training: Aug 5-8, 2019
0It may be snowing outside of my window, but I am looking ahead to summer and happy to announce an LSCI training opportunity in August in eastern Pennsylvania:
——
LSCI Certification Training
DATES: August 5-8, 2019
LOCATION: The Swain School, 1100 S. 24th St., Allentown, PA 18103
COSTS: $495/pp before July 15, 2019; $525/pp between July 16-31, 2019
REGISTRATION CLOSES on AUGUST 1, 2019
——
To register, click here or cut and paste the link below:
ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM: https://goo.gl/forms/AUkyJdUTJqG2pFrm2
——
NEW BOOK RELEASE: Parenting the Challenging Child
0The LSCI Institute is extremely excited to announce that after more than three decades of helping professionals work with some of the most challenging children, we now bring our brain-based, trauma-informed, kid-centered approach to the unique needs of parents and caregivers.
Parenting the Challenging Child: The 4-Step Way to Turn Problem Situations Into Learning Opportunities provides readers with:
* Specific skills for building more positive relationships with kids
* Proven strategies for de-escalating stressful situations
* A reliable 4-step framework for turning common problem situations into lasting learning opportunities
This solution-focused book equips readers with new skills to identify and change six problematic patterns of behavior in young people. Even more importantly, readers will learn about how simple changes in the way they interact with loved ones during a problem situation can significantly improve the parent-child relationship and their kids’ future behaviors.
TRAINING AVAILABLE
In addition to the Parenting the Challenging Child textbook (now available for pre-order at a reduced rate), the LSCI Institute will offer both a 2-hour and a full-day training option. Biological parents and caregivers, foster care & adoptive parents, and professionals working in therapeutic foster care and adoption services will all benefit from these live training opportunities offered by certified LSCI Senior Trainers.
Click here to learn more.
PARENTING THE CHALLENGING CHILD: THE 4-STEP WAY TO TURN PROBLEM SITUATIONS INTO LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IS SCHEDULED TO BE PUBLISHED ON MARCH 1. 2019. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO ORDER BULK COPIES, PLEASE EMAIL signewhitson@lsci.org today!
Celebrate Kindness Week Activities
0One of the most effective ways to prevent bullying in schools is to build school culture through positive activities focused on Kindness.
And soooooooo, we are CELEBRATING KINDNESS this week school-wide! With spirited, silly dress days, a door decorating contest, and other simple but meaningful activities to help keep kids’ minds on kindness all week long, our goal is to show all students that little acts of kindness can make a big difference for others.
Here’s some of the fun we’re having on Day 1, where our CRAZY FOR KINDNESS theme of the day means crazy socks and/or crazy hair!
Teaching Feelings & Empathy in Early Childhood Education
0This week, I’m teaching my Pre-K and Kindergarten students about Feelings and Empathy, using Frosty & his many feeling faces. There are endless variations to this great core matching activity.
- I’ve had kids work in partners or groups of three to complete the activity. Some students have asked me if I
can leave a copy of the activity in their classroom after my lesson is over because they want to continue playing the Feelings matching game during their Quiet Time.
- With pre-readers, I omit the feeling word cards and just challenge students to come up with their own original feeling words–which is a great way to build their emotional vocabulary.
- Students who like a little friendly competition have spontaneously started to time each other in matching up the faces and words correctly.
- I’ve challenged kids to copy the face on the snowman with their own face, to deepen their experience of the feeling and facial expression.
- Best of all, I’ve had kids tell each other what could possibly make the snowman feel each individual feeling. Their imaginative and empathetic responses have been amazing!
School Culture Builders: Inspirational Messages for All
0A positive school culture that leaves no space for bullying is best built through the dozens of “little” things that faculty and staff do on a daily basis to connect with kids and create shared values of kindness, unity and compassion. On that note, winter Mondays call for Inspiration!
Here are some of the messages I printed and shared all around our school today–on mirrors, on doors, inside bathroom stalls, on walls, and anywhere else students and faculty could use some pick-me-up messages and reminders that the most important thing we teach inside of our school walls is how to care for ourselves and others with kindness and dignity.
Hope the messages lift you up as well!
Teaching Feelings Literacy and Empathy Skills to Young Students
0When I wrote my first book on the topic of bullying prevention, Friendship & Other Weapons, I wrote it with kids ages 5-12 in mind. Knowing that bullying peaks in middle school, I wanted to help young kids develop the social emotional skills they need to prevent the dynamics of bullying from taking root in their friendships.
To that end, I am still always developing and teaching new lessons that focus on building fundamental social and emotional intelligence skills, even from the earliest ages. This month, with my youngest students, I am teaching skills to differentiate feelings and recognize non-verbal emotional cues. This week, “the sorting game” has been a big hit, as kids pick a “feelings face” card from my magic box, then decide if the face looks MAD or SAD. With Kindergarten students, to build empathy skills, I add in a component where the kids are asked to imagine what might be making the person feel mad or sad. They love it!