Jogo Behaviour Support Blog

Day 10 of our Advent Calendar Wednesday, 11 December 2019

Day 10 of our Advent Calendar

Christmas Calm Box

Christmas time can be a stressful time. It is a time of indulgence, sensory overload and change of routine. Creating a sensory calm box can help reduce the overwhelm. Using play and playful approaches is one of the quickest ways to calm and settle.

A sensory calm box is a box that includes a range of sensory elements. When children become overwhelmed and stressed, they are often functioning in the lower parts of their brain (brain stem/reptilian brain). As the brain stem works with sensory input, sensory materials are required for them to calm down and move back into their thinking brain.

See below some suggestions, but the children will direct you to what helps them.

· soft fluffy seal puppet for sensory soothing & playful interactions

· different speed visual timers to focus their visual attention

· hand cream so that you can provide nurture

· sketch & sniff pencils/pens for sensory soothing

· A sheet – to hide under when becoming overwhelmed

· A bag of small world toys to engage them in playful interactions and play engages the social engagement system

· Bingo pen to facilitate playful interactions with another

· Different types of playdough for sensory and stress soothing

· A piece of silky fabric that the child likes to touch

· Post it notes for you to write/draw little nurturing notes

· A piece of sheep’s wool

To make it more Christmassy include some pine cones, a small piece of tinsel, a piece of Christmas tree. The list is endless.

Day 9 of our Advent Calendar

Book Review

The Social Neuroscience of Education by Louis Cozolino

“From a neurobiological perspective, the position of the teacher is very similar to that of the parent in building a child’s brain. Both can enhance a child’s emotional regulation by providing a safe haven that supports the learning process.” (p. 18)

As you can see from the photo with all the sticky tabs highlighting useful information, this is a book we like. Social neuroscience is about how our brains are hard wired to be connected with others. Louis Cozolino has authored a book about how understanding social neuroscience can inform our practice in education.

He explores the evolution and development of the social brain, how the brains get turned off to learning. He then examines how to turn the brains on, including the importance of play in facilitating this. Finally, he discusses how to apply this knowledge to classrooms and schools.

It is an informative book with useful ideas and one for your Christmas reading list.

Day 8 of our Advent Calendar

Christmas Breakfast Granola by Women & Home Magazine

https://www.womanandhome.com/recipes/christmas-breakfast-granola/

This yummy recipe from Women and Home magazine is a

great way to start the day.

Ingredients

· 300g oats

· 6tbsp maple syrup

· 2tbsp vegetable oil

· 1tbsp honey

· 2tsp cinnamon

· 2tsp mixed spice

· 1tsp vanilla extract

· 1tsp sea salt

· 70g pistachios

· 75g dried apricots, chopped

· 75g dried cranberries

For The Nuts:

· 70g pecans

· 70g hazelnuts

· 1tsp maple syrup

· 1tsp mixed spice

· gold edible glitter spray (available from Sainsbury’s)

Method

· Heat the oven to 180C. Mix the oats, syrup, oil, honey, pistachios, spices, vanilla and salt, and put on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Bake for 20 mins, then leave to cool.

· Meanwhile, combine the pecans, hazelnuts, maple syrup and mixed spice, then roast on a separate baking tray for 15 minutes. Leave to cool then spray with gold glitter.

· Combine the granola mixture, nut mixture, pistachios, apricots and cranberries. Store in an airtight container.

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