Zones of Regulation Through Art

We read the book, Happy by Miles Van Hout. The illustrations of the fish are beautiful as they show different emotions. We talked about our emotions and how they  relate to Zones of Regulation. After a practice drawing we chose an emotion and used pastels to create our very own fish. We discussed which zone our fish would be in if they showed that emotion. The results are fabulous.

Here are our thoughts:
I am making an angry fish that has sharp teeth. -Marcus
My fish has lots of colours. -Chelsea
My fish is scared. Its mouth is open. -Shain
I did a loving fish. It has colours. -Laniah
I made a brave fish. It has a smile. -Etta
My fish is surprised. I made an o-shape mouth and lots of details. -Ryder
My fish is so pretty. It's brave and fights away fish. -Ella
I made a happy fish. It has a smile and some fins. -Everett
My fish is surprised because it has lots of colours. -Kayley
I made my fish with colours and it has a calm face. -Marley
Mine is brave. It is looking up and it is smiling. -Noah
My fish is shy. I put a straight mouth and it is medium size. -Claire
My fish is mad. I put crazy fins and sharp teeth. -Kalem
My fish is blue zone because he is very sad and I put tears on him. -Mercedes
I made a mad fish. He has scratches on him and gills. -Joel
I did a happy fish. -Harlow
My fish is delighted. It has a smile. Grayson
I made a happy fish. it has a smile and it is purple. -Sophie

  We like to do gallery walks to see other people's work. It was so nice to hear the kind words that were shared and the compliments people gave to each other. Our fish will also be posted on Artsonia.
-Mrs. T :)

School Assembly

The grade 1s hosted an assembly on Wednesday. We introduced the school to Zones of Regulation which talks about how we can self-regulate by identifying the zone we are in. Also, we led all the students in the singing of our school song. Thanks to Ms Wasney for videotaping some of the assembly so we can share it with you.

Assembly

Zones of Regulation from trec on Vimeo.

Strategies for Zones of Regulation from trec on Vimeo.

BHS Song from trec on Vimeo.

Here are our thoughts:
I liked singing the Bird's Hill song. -Stacey
I liked singing. -Ava
I felt nervous singing. -Desi
I liked the assembly because we got to sing. -Arianna
I liked singing the Bird's Hill song. It is my favourite song of my life. -Chase
I talked about the blue zone. -Bianca
I was nervous standing in front of everyone. -Brody
I liked doing belly breathing. -Theo
I liked singing the song and I liked to stand in front of the school. -Ben
We sang Mashed Potatoes when we were leaving. -Tyson
I liked singing the Bird's Hill song. -Blake
I liked that I got to talk about red zone. -Jack
I liked the assembly because I had all my friends there. I was nervous, but now I'm not because my friends are there. -Brooke
I was nervous, but I was okay after it was over. -Adria
I got to talk in front of the whole school. It was fun. -Andrew
I liked singing. -Dominic
I liked singing the Bird's Hill School song. -Charlotte

Great job everyone. It can be scary being in front of the whole school. You performed well and the students enjoyed the assembly.
-Mrs. T :)

How Are You Feeling?

We have been talking about feelings as we learn more about Zones of Regulation. Our faces really do show how we are feeling and it is helpful to be able to know what facial expressions mean. We drew faces to show happy, sad and angry. It was important to pay attention to the shapes of our eyes, eyebrows and mouths when we were drawing these faces. Students are working on identifying their own feelings and how they look and act differently. 

Here are our thoughts:

Sometimes I can feel happy or sad. -Arianna

When you are happy you can see peoples' teeth. -Tyson

When I drew a happy face I drew big eyes and a smile. -Ava

When I am sad I cry. -Desi

I am sad and my face looks droopy. -Blake

I smile when I am happy. -Dominic

When I am angry I am mad. -Jack

When I get happy I smile. -Ben

When I am sad I feel like I am going to cry. -Charlotte

I feel mad when I go to my room. -Lily

I yell and slam my door when I am mad. -Chase

I am mad when other people do mean things to me. -Brody

Sometimes my face looks mad. -Andrew
I drew a happy face. -Stacey

I smile and it's so much fun that my friends want to play with me when I am smiling. -Brooke

When I am sad I cry. -Theo

When I am happy I have a smile. -Adria

It is good to be able to express ourselves. Can you identify these feelings?

-Mrs. T :)

Zones of Regulation Video

We were inspired by the video, Just Breathe, by Joan Bayer Salzman and Josh Salzman which can be viewed here. Room 2 decided to create our own version. Students wrote the script for their part in our Zones of Regulation video. We rehearsed what we wanted to say and then it was lights, camera, action! Thanks to Ms. Booth for filming, editing and producing the final production. It was viewed at the Celebration of the Arts Evening, but some of you may have missed it. We hope you enjoy our version.

Zones of Regulation from trec on Vimeo.

Zones of Regulation

I am impressed with the language I have been hearing as we continue to talk about the Zones of Regulation. At student-led conferences, many parents commented on how the language is being used at home as well which is fantastic. Throughout the day we use our zones folder to indicate which zone we are in. One day after lunch a student came in and asked if we were doing our zones self-assessment now, One student said he was in the yellow zone because he was excited about the afternoon and another student asked how to draw "ready to learn". See why I'm impressed! Students have been identifying strategies to help them get in the green zone so they can have productive learning times. We will be creating a "zones video" as well. We can't wait to see how it turns out!

Here are our thoughts:
I'm nervous to make the video, because I have never made one before. -Landyn
I'm happy to make the video. I'm deciding between red zone and green zone. -Russell A.
I'm going to talk about the green zone. -Josh
When I am in the red zone, I go to the quiet spot in the classroom. I sit for 10 minutes. -Cody
I am writing about the red and yellow zone. When I am in the yellow zone I read a book or draw to calm myself down. -Bapreet
When I am really angry sometimes I just need to take a rest or have alone time or do the lazy eight. -Zachary
I'm writing about the green and blue zone. I picked those because sometimes I'm in the green zone and sometimes I'm in the blue zone. -Eliza
I am in the green zone because I am happy. -Ethan
I feel sad when I am in the blue zone. I take deep breaths to help me get out of the blue zone. -Levi
When I'm in the red zone, I take deep breaths. It helps me get calm. -Jake
When I am in the green zone, I feel ready to learn. When I'm happy I like to play with my friends. -Sierra
When I am in the green zone, I feel calm and focused. -Cady
I am in the green zone because I am calm. -Russell L.
When I am in the blue zone, I feel kind of sad. When I want to go back to the green zone, I just go and play with my friends. -Anna
When I'm in the red zone, I take deep breaths and I try to calm down. If it doesn't work, then I read a book. -Brady
When I am happy I am in the green zone. -Jay Dee
When I am in the red zone, my brain can get a headache. I take deep breaths to calm down. -Gavin

I hope your day has been very green zone-ish!
-Mrs. T :)

How Are You Feeling?

The grade 1s have been talking a great deal about our feelings. We have been doing lots of role playing and we are getting very good at being able to tell how a person is feeling by looking at someone's face and by looking at how a person moves their body. Everyone has different feelings. We will be talking more about identifying our feelings and strategies to help us deal with them. We watch this video called, "Just Breathe" often to as we discuss how we are feeling.


Here are our thoughts:
When I breathe in my nose and out my mouth I will be calmer. -Brady
When I am very excited I have to take a breath to help me calm down. -Landyn
When I am angry I punch a pillow. -Levi
I take three breaths to calm myself down. -Cody
When I am mad I have to breathe in and out and close my eyes. -Bapreet
I don't get mad a lot. I feel happy. -Jake
I can take breaths to feel better. -Russell L.
When I get mad I need to remember to take a deep breath. -Callum
If I feel bad I don't like being mad. I could take a deep breath. -Gavin
If I am angry I go in a quiet spot or I punch a pillow. -Josh
I take three breaths. -Ethan
When I get mad I go to my room for a bit and I sit on my bed. -Eliza
Sometimes I get mad so I calm myself down my taking a deep breath. -Zachary
Sometimes when I get mad I go to my room and lay down for a little bit and watch T.V. -Sierra
When I get angry I walk away. -Naomi
When I am mad sometimes I react. I could go in my room and breathe. -Cady
When I get mad I go and take a break in a quiet space. -Anna

Sometimes we are too upset to talk to someone and that's when things are said or done which may lead to hurt feelings. We need to calm ourselves so we are ready to speak and listen to each other respectfully. This takes practice. I know we are all working hard at finding strategies to calm ourselves so we are ready to learn and behave positively.
Remember to breathe.
-Mrs. T :)