Dear Educators, Students, and Families,
Thank you for what you do. This year has brought so many changes, and you have learned to adapt to these changes. For many of us, this year has also presented unexpected challenges and tragedies. In light of this, please remember that you matter and that you are important. There is no one quite like you in the whole world. Each of us is unique and special, and lifting each other up can remind us of this and of how we are all connected as a human race.
In this blog, you will find links to PBS videos and resources centered on the topic of mental health. Throughout the summer, we will continue to offer free teacher training sessions with a focus on mental health. Additionally, we will be hosting free family engagement sessions including Virtual Summer Sessions, Healthy Kids Nutrition and Fitness Breaks, and CAMP TV. For the time being, all of our sessions will be hosted virtually. Please visit https://www.klrn.org/events/ to learn more and to register. Please stay well and we hope to see you there.
TEAMology | Simplifying and Strengthening Emotional Wellness for Children (Grades K-5): TEAMology’s mission is to understand and improve emotional health to enhance every child’s ability to succeed in school, career, and life. This is a social-emotional learning curriculum with character-driven activities and videos brought to life by Pittsburgh Puppet Works. The characters age with the students as they move through kindergarten to 5th grade.
Healing Gardens (Grades 6-12): Horticultural Therapy is the use of plants and gardening to help treat a variety of mental illnesses, traumatic brain injuries and memory impairments.
Can Virtual Reality Make You a Better Person? | Above the Noise (Grades 6-12):Virtual reality is gaining traction as a powerful technology for education. Scientists say virtual reality can even promote empathy -- the ability to put yourself in somebody else's shoes. But can VR actually make you a better person? Watch the latest Above the Noise episode to find out.
Young Peace Leaders: Cultivating Empathy (Teacher Resource): In order to gain the perspective of another person and explore the quality of empathy, middle school students do an exercise that helps their development of core values in this video from The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values. Students choose an actual shoe and imagine the life of that shoe. As they write about the shoe—figuratively “walking” in those shoes—they reflect on how the experience helped them become more understanding and compassionate toward others.
Young Peace Leaders: Cultivating Self-Acceptance (Teacher Resource): In order to explore and experience self-acceptance, students use the performing arts to express who they are and to develop leadership skills in this video from The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values. Activities such as improvisation, singing, and movement help students better understand themselves, build their sense of confidence, appreciate their individuality, and use their newfound awareness to understand others.
Mental Health Myth Busters (Teacher Resource) This information is to help dispel some of the myths surrounding mental illness and to initiate discussion about the facts and fallacies.
Baltimore Program Hopes to Overcome Violence with Mindfulness: PBS NewsHour (Grades 6-12) By practicing mindfulness, students learn to avoid conflict and negative influences by stepping away from tense situations and reflecting inward, instead of letting things escalate.
Self-Management: Social-Emotional Learning (Teacher Resource) Learn how to teach children ways to manage their feelings and turn them into positive actions, including creating a calm and regulated environment, showing how to manage impulses, and discussing ways to resolve conflicts.
School of the Future | Fostering Self-Regulation in Young Children (Teacher Resource) Learn about the connection between household income and the development of essential learning skills, and a research study program whose goal is to improve learning outcomes of underprivileged preschoolers, in this media gallery from NOVA: School of the Future.
Yoga for Kids: Breathe with Me (Grades K-5) Kira Willey's Breathe with Me series is a compilation of instructive meditative breathing exercises meant to help students focus, relax, and feel energized. These videos are part of her mindfulness work that helps students learn to self-regulate and make good choices.
Power Up with Leadership: GIRL Power! (Grades K-6)
Meet the GIRL!: Sasha is 17 years old and had a difficult time in school due to being bullied. She found her outlet through art. She painted her feelings and then decided to share her art with others. She leads art classes at her local boys and girls club with an emphasis on bullying awareness and education. She wants to make sure others feel empowered to speak up for themselves and take action. She leads by example.
Healthy Eating: Family Gardens (Grades 4-8)
Samuel Davis (age 11, Louisiana) describes his use of garden vegetables in his Healthy Lunchtime Challenge winning recipe for Sam’s Southern Savoring Salmon Supreme (S5), in this video from WGBH. Sam shows off his family’s backyard garden, where tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and more, grow. He looks forward to getting gardening tips from First Lady Michelle Obama, who describes the White House garden as a way to spread the ideas of eating well, growing your own food, and making friends with vegetables. Sam encourages his family members to eat brown rice instead of white rice and a salad instead of pizza. He now has the opportunity to share his knowledge of healthy eating with his community.
Kindness, Empathy, and Resilience Collection (Student and Teacher Resources) The collection offers proactive approaches to help students forge new friendships and explore the concepts of self-care, care for others, and the responsibilities associated with being a supportive community member.
Building Compassion During COVID: Article from Sesame Street in Communities (Ages 2-6) The collection offers proactive approaches to help students forge new friendships and explore the concepts of self-care, care for others, and the responsibilities associated with being a supportive community member.
Webinar: Talking with Children Authentically About Race and Racism Grades K-5) This PBS KIDS for Parents-hosted conversation features fellow parents, educators, child development and trauma experts who join us to share tips and resources for how to talk with young children about racial injustice and violence against Black people. Explore questions such as: How can parents of Black children continue to instill confidence and pride in young kids while also explaining the racial inequity and barriers that continue today? And, how can parents of non-Black children help young kids understand their role in confronting anti-Black racism? Hear questions from fellow parents and learn tips and resources you can use to continue to have these meaningful conversations now and into the future.
Well-Beings (Teacher & Family Resource) The Well Beings campaign addresses the critical health needs of Americans through broadcast content, original digital content, and impactful local events. The multi-year campaign, created by WETA Washington, D.C., brings together partners from across the country, including patients, families, caregivers, teachers, medical and mental health professionals, social service agencies, private foundations, filmmakers, corporations and media sponsors, to create awareness and resources for better health for all.
A Trusted Space (Teacher & Family Resource) As the nation navigates an unprecedented school year, this film and curriculum offers tools to mitigate the effects of grief, trauma, anxiety, and other emotional stressors affecting both students and teachers.
All It Takes (Teacher & Family Resource) A Trusted Space is foundational training for educators on how to help mitigate the effects of the grief, trauma, anxiety and other emotional stressors that so many students, families, and even they themselves, are feeling as they walk – or video conference – into school. By learning about and understanding the complex issues and feelings that they and their students are coping with, teachers will be able to help redirect grief into growth by building a safe and trusted emotional space. This will ultimately create a better environment for learning and more resilient students. The docu-training film includes experts in trauma-informed education weighing in to address the overwhelming anxiety and fear many have about being in school, whatever the setting.