Books
Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda, Lauren Alderfer
This book would be great for introducing the topic of mindfulness, or even exploring the impacts of mindfulness on happiness and well being. In the beginning, Monkey is a busybody, but through his friend Panda he recognizes that sometimes it is better to just enjoy the moment.
This book would be great to discuss how Monkey changes once he embraces mindfulness. The Mindfulness Coloring Book, Emma Farrarons
I love the idea of mindful coloring. Even for older students, and adults, coloring can help calm us, reduce our heart rate, and remain focused on a simple but enjoyable task. It is not necessary to purchase a specialized mindfulness coloring book such as this one, but engaging in the practice of mindful coloring is an effective mindful practice. Mindfulness and Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, Mark Williams and Danny Penman
If you are interested in kick-starting your personal life with mindfulness, and have no idea where or how to start, this book is quite thorough and offers a multitude of suggestions. It is targeted for a single individual, rather than a classroom. I do not think it would be a suitable classroom resource, however, some of the strategies, and many of the ideas, could be adapted for a classroom environment. Anh's Anger, Gail Silver
In this book, Ahn has to come to terms with his anger and learn how to work through his emotions after his grandfather asks him to stop playing so he can eat dinner. Though this book does not outwardly discuss mindfulness practices, Anh is asked to "sit with his anger," and by doing so becomes mindful of his emotions. This book would be great to open up a discussion on how being mindful can help us rationalize our decisions. It Looked Like Spilt Milk, Charles G. Shaw This large board book would be great for younger students (early DIV I) to practice mindfulness. The book portrays different white shapes silhouetted against the blue background. Students could focus on the images, and imagine what the spilt milk shapes might be. Take the Time Mindfulness for Kids, Maud Roegiers This book would be good to read to students to reiterate some of the mindfulness philosophies of slowing down and appreciating the moment. It is short, sweet, and has gentle rhyming throughout. |
Videos
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What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, The Shallows
Here is a short and humors, but powerful, video that would be great to use to introduce to your students WHY mindfulness is valuable to them. It illustrates how people of today are over stimulated and over connected, and alludes to how damaging that can be for us. The video ends with the message to "unplug" and to just "take a few minutes" which is a great lead in to mindfulness. |
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Ted Talk All it Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes, Andy Puddicombe
Perhaps suited to older mindfulness students in late DIV II and up, this Ted Talk addresses how busy our lives have become. Puddicombe states that "We are so distracted that we are no longer present." The video discusses how he became interested in mindfulness, as well as outlines why and how it is beneficial for us. It would be a good introduction video. |
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1 Hour Focus Music, Yellow Brick Cinema
This video is a loop of different calming instrumental music. I used this video every day in my classroom after last recess. The students would listen to the music and work quietly at their seats coloring, drawing, reading, or doing nothing but listening. The music is quiet calming and nice to listen to. I recommend it for mindfulness practices, or even for "white noise" during work periods. |
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Mindfulness for Children ~ The Brain and Stress, Enjoy TEFL
This video is great for students in DIV II and up. It is an animated video that shows some of the scientific benefits of mindfulness, and how it impacts the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system. While some of the terminology may be difficult for younger students to understand, the animation and narrator do a great job of making the content make sense. |
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The Learning Brain, The Learning Pod
This video is better for older DIV II students and up. This video discusses how the brain works, and its role in learning. It discusses how neuron connections are made, and also how different factors such as stress can negatively impact your learning. I would share this video with more analytical students who are skeptical of the benefits of mindfulness. |
Websites
The Mindful Classroom
This website is a blog about one educator's infusion of mindfulness within their classroom. Unfortunately, it has not been update in quite a few months, but the information and blogs that are on the site are quite insightful and informative. I recommend perusing it if you are interested in bringing mindfulness to your own classroom. |
Edutopia's How to Start a Meditation Program in Your School
If mindfulness is something that you're really interested in, then check out this article! It has some suggestions for how to start a QT (quiet time) meditation program in your school. It would be great to see a school-wide initiative of mindfulness! |