Peaceful Piggy Meditation

We are traveling this week and have been enjoying bookstore stops along our way. We picked up "Peaceful Piggy Meditation" -- a book that was introduced to us in Grace's first grade classroom last year and seemed useful for helping us all handle the challenges of travel. Unfortunately, the book does not hold Kate's attention as much as her other choice : A Fine, Fine School but both deliver great messages.

Peaceful Piggy Meditation, by Kerry Lee MacLean, is written both for children and their caregivers and provides ideas about how and why we should create intentional space for relaxation and reflection. The web site offers an online meditation to follow.

A Fine, Fine School, by Sharon Creech, portrays an overzealous principal who wishes to keep children and teachers in school 24/7 until a wise child talks him down (the illustrations are especially humorous). This book reminds me of Take Time to Relax, by Nancy Carlson, which similarly reminds us of the joys in unstructured time.

There are copies of both books on sale at BookCloseOuts right now - for some reason Take Time to Relax is not on Carlson's web pages, but most of her books feature an element of SEL and they're all very fun. We've especially liked "I LIKE ME" which encourages us all to say nice things about ourselves, "Harriet and the Garden" which encourages problem solving and dealing with mistakes, "It's Going to Be Perfect" about the gap between a new mother's ideas about early childhood/parenting and the realities, and "A Visit to Grandma's" about how a grandmother can break-out of traditional roles.

Children's Books update

Maine's Born to Read project is releasing the Peaceable Stories curriculum ! Get more info from their blog.


I forgot to include the booklist from Open Circle (a SEL program for schools, particularly in the MA area). The booklist includes very brief descriptions of books that address a range of social and emotional topics. They also offer a bibliography for educators, but most of the books were written in the 1990s.

"How We Are Smart" ~ a children's book about multiple intelligences

Nikola-Lisa, W and Sean Qualls. 2006. How We Are Smart. New York : Lee and Low Books.

This book uses poetry and artwork introduces talented Americans and emphasizes 8 different ways that people can be smart (body, logic, music, nature, people, picture, self, word). Drawing on Howard Gardner's ideas of multiple intelligences, the book provides insight into the different ways that "famous" people express their talents and invites kids to think about themselves and each other in a multifaceted way.

RESOURCES :

LEE & LOW BOOKS : Teacher resources for teaching about diversity. (PDF classroom guides, by theme, that are connected to books published by Lee & Low).

Multiple Intelligences and Child Development (the basics)

Project Zero at Harvard -- research and publications focused on integrating ideas of MI into the classroom. Project Zero offers professional development opportunities, an annual conference and an e-bookstore.

Strong Start : A SEL curriculum

John Gottman developed the idea of "emotional intelligence" and has a wonderful book on the topic : "The Heart of Parenting" as well as other resources for families.

Boys to Men

Boys to Men is a unique SEL / violence prevention organization that focuses on helping boys find healthy ways to express masculinity in a culture that emphasizes a deep connection between manhood and the use of violence.

They offer an e-mail newsletter, an annual conference and a monthly Cable Access show. The last scheduled program : "What being a man means in other cultures" will be aired Tuesday, August 28th on Channel 4 (in Maine) from 7 - 8 p.m.

If you get a chance to see it, let us know what you think!