*Calm Classroom* as a Classroom Management Strategy: Blogging Challenge Day 17

Day 17: Share a great classroom management strategy.

Visit Bigtime Literacy for the Challenge!

I want to start off by saying, "Today is the birthday of my twins!!"  As of 5:07 A.M. and 5:08 A.M. they turned 3 years old.  I can't believe it.  Time sure flies.  

Celebrating early this morning!

Okay, back to business... ;)

Years back, our district provided an Institute Day dedicated to creating more focused students in classroom environments.  Presenters from the Calm Classroom  program shared various breathing techniques and strategies with the staff, including one of my favorites, Butterfly Breathing.  See below for the full lesson plan. 

I use this specific technique with my students as often as needed.  Many times the students come to me after lunch recess or physical education class and need a few minutes to calm themselves.  On average, each technique takes only about 30 seconds to 3 minutes to instill calmness, depending on your population. :)

According to the program, "Calm Classroom helps improve academic achievement and creates calmer, more focused classroom and school cultures."   Take a peek HERE for additional information related to our Professional Development session.  

The program offers guides for teachers recommending various techniques for differing age groups.  The guides are categorized as PreK-Kindergarten, 1st-8th grades, and high school.  Take a peek HERE for pricing information, if interested. 

By the same token, a book with similar strategies (not associated with the Calm Classroom) is called The Calm Classroom: 50 Techniques for Better Behaviour.  

Only the eBook version is currently available.  Her original book was called You Can Create a Calm Classroom published by Scholastic, but it's gone out of print, according to the Amazon site.   Nevertheless, it's a great resource.  If you click on the title above, you can view inside the Table of Contents to see if it's something you may want to purchase.  The eBook version is only $2.99. 

Hope this information is helpful to someone out there.