Giving kids more independence may help anxiety

This piece really resonated with me: This Simple Fix Could Help Anxious Kids

Quote: "While there could be many reasons our kids are suffering, what if the problem was simply that kids are growing up so over-protected that they’re scared of the world? If so, the solution would be simple, too: Start letting them do more things on their own."

There's also a good video showing lots of kids who look about 4-6th grade

This is the website/program Let Grow mentioned in the piece

Equity Unbound

From the Scout Report:

EQUITY UNBOUND: COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES
onehe.org/equity-unbound

Recognizing that online learning creates unique obstacles and opportunities for building community, a team of educators crafted this resource kit to assist their fellow instructors in creating inclusive and engaging virtual classrooms. Though many activities are geared toward educational settings, event organizers may also appreciate this tool. The activities were curated with "intentionally equitable hospitality," in mind, a framework that emphasizes the importance of meeting people where they are at, in order to make them feel welcome, and recognizes the different needs and perspectives of those within any given classroom or group.

Activities range from short exercises that give students a break during class to icebreakers that will help create respectful and relational classrooms. Clicking on an activity will reveal additional details that may include a purpose statement, preparation guide, instructions, and other resources.

This activity kit is a collaboration between OneHE (an educator support organization) and Equity Unbound (a collaborative curriculum focused on principles of equity, open access, connection, and intercultural learning experiences). [EMB]

Six Word Memoirs

Six Word Memoirs website includes many resources for teachers, including:

• New! “My Life Now: Six Words on the Pandemic” Teaching Guides (which also takes you to three more free Six-Word Teaching Guides)
• Welcome teachers & guidelines for posting on Six-Word Memoirs
• A video about the Six-Word Memoir project
• Bring Six-Word Memoir creator Larry Smith to your school or classroom

We love to feature students using Six-Word Memoirs.
Keep us posted on your latest projects — contact us at news@smithmag.net

SEL Checkin Slides

How is everyone doing? Use these  great SEL checkin slides

• You can post these in your real or virtual classroom
• You can put the on a jamboard and have people circle what they feel like
• You can put it into a google form and ask kids to say how they're doing so you can share results anonymously and show them that everyone is somewhere different each day, but you can capture what they say in case you need to follow up
• You can have kids discuss in small groups
• You can use it with each other in staff meetings!
• etc. etc.