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Featured Article -

BRRRR...It’s Cold Outside: How to Warm up Your Body and

Brain During the Cold

Brain Sparks!

Presenter Spotlight

Mother Goose on the Loose

Calendar of Events

Benefits of Gratitude

Vol. 11, Issue 5 November 2019

The Children’s Guild Alliance Conference

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social event.

To learn more or inquire more about

booking the Conference Center please call

410-444-3800 and ask for LaMar Williams.

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w w w.t ra n ze d i n s t i t u t e . o r g

As the weather changes to brisk, chilly days our minds dream up warm thoughts of cuddling up with a cozy blanket, hot chocolate and a good movie in front of a roaring fire. Our lives become sedentary as we brace ourselves against the cold and hibernate until spring. Activity levels plummet, brain activity slows as we settle in for a warm winter's nap. Right?

Wrong! It's time to get moving and grow your brain! Brain research confirms that physical activity and play can actually enhance the learning process , promote healthy habits and emotional well-being.

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F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E

An e-newsletter f rom the Transformat ion Educat ion Inst i tute

BRRRR...It's Cold Outside: How to Warm up Your Body and Brain During the Cold

Weather Months By Kelly Spanoghe, Ed.S. - Chief Organizational Learning Officer,

Transformation Education Institute

Society is plagued with issues of obesity, toxic stress, poverty and trauma; each of which impact the social emotional well-being and healthy brain development in children. The brain filters approximately 2,000 bits of information per second. When you are feeling anxious, depressed, frustrated, or bored, your brain filters this information in a reactive state which may result in ignoring it, fighting against it or avoiding it. We need to help reroute this stimulation to the thinking brain. One way to promote wellness and learning is to get moving!

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F E AT U R E D A R T I C L E - c o n t i n u e d

Schools, offices and cold weather contribute to the amount of sitting one does. Sitting for long periods of time may result in poor breath-ing, strained spinal column and lower back nerves, poor eyesight and overall body fatigue. Lack of movement results in decreased oxygen which fuels the brain. Research suggests that sitting for longer than 10 minutes is likely to have negative effects on your physical health (Cranz,1998). Changing your position to standing, lying down, leaning against a wall or walking around can resharpen focus on learning and completing tasks.

John Ratey, author of A User's Guide to the Brain, calls exercise “Miracle-Grow” for the brain. Research shows that regular physical activity improves memory, concentration and a positive outlook. Engaging the senses - visual, tactile, auditory and olfactory - makes learning more memorable. This can be achieved through hands-on activities that require children to creatively use materials to engage in collaborative projects. Social exchanges, physical activity, listening and responding to someone can increase dopamine levels which are the brain’s most important neurotransmitters. A boost in dopamine not only increases one’s sense of pleasure but also enhances executive functions of alertness and memory.

Brain stimulation, or exercise for the brain, contribute to growth and development. There are numerous ways to exercise the brain that are both enjoyable and challenging. For example; trying eating with your non-dominant hand, put your clothes on in the reverse order, drive home a different route, reverse your schedule for the day or do arm and leg crossover activities that force both hemispheres of the brain to connect. Each of these requires your brain to think differently, thereby, growing! Changing the physical environment also stimulates the brain. The brain seeks novelty and will search its physical surroundings to look for familiarity. Engaging in any new activity is exercise for the brain so go out and learn a new sport, how to dance, take a photography class, go to a museum or try out a new restaurant!

Unstructured childhood play is one of the best brain boosts available for children (and adults). Today’s children spend much of their time in structured activities: sports teams, after school

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activities, band/music practice, debate teams, etc., which limits the time afforded to creative play. Researchers at the American Medical Association identified three domains that benefit from unstructured play: (1) attention/cognition, (2) affiliation/social and (3) affect/emotional. Attention is defined as “cognitive functioning that involves inhibition and impulse control that enhances learning” (Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, 2005). Decision making, problem solving and creative thinking are encountered during unstructured play which enhanc-es children's executive functioning and is transferred to classroom learning. Affiliation is the ability to develop and maintain relationships, to take the lead, to follow and to cooperate all of which are essential life skills. During play students face a myriad of social problems; what to play, who to play with, where to play, when to stop, all of which require the ability to compro-mise and cooperate. Improved emotional well-being occurs as children engage in play by minimizing anxiety, depression, aggression and sleep problems. Outdoor activities also provide exposure to sunlight which also positively impacts mood. The merits of play cannot be under-sold as children experience the joy of movement, imagination, friendship and exploration.

Recommended Book: The Brain That Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge, M.D. This is a book that shows the brain's ability to change itself. We see that through stories about scientists and doctors who help patients transform their neurological conditions. The stories come from different patients with different types of brain disabilities.

Brain Fact: Each side of the brain interacts largely with just one half of the body, but for reasons that are not yet fully understood, the interaction is with opposite sides. The right side of the brain interacts with the left side of the body, and vice versa.

B R A I N S PA R K S

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This tip was provided by Dr. Betsy Diamant-Cohen, DCD early childhood literacy consultant and executive director of Mother Goose on the Loose, LLC. For more information visit www.mgol.org or send a message to info@mgol.org.

The Spotlight is on Amy Fortney Parks

1. Number of years as a TranZed Institute Certified Presenter: 10

2. Occupation: Child & Adolescent Psychologist

3. Amy in a nutshell: To use a quote from fellow certified presenter, Frank Kros, “Hearing you speak is like having Oprah living next door, a neighbor who knows a lot about important things, and knows how to communicate.”

4. Favorite Quote: “Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” - Robert Fulghum, Author

• Becoming a Mental Health Sleuth: The “Sherlock Holmes Skills” Every School Needs

• Beyond Poverty: Brain-Inspired Ways to Understand and Respond to Poverty

• Brain Matters: The Essential Guide To Brain-Based Learning

• Change Your Language, Change Their Lives: What Adults Can Say Differently Today to Transform the Tomorrows of Our Youth

• Conquering Boredom, Apathy and Indifference in the Classroom: Strategies to Engage, Excite and Motivate Your Students

• Giving a Fish a Bath: The Untold Story of the Adolescent Mind

Developmental Tip of the Month: Young

Brains and Movement

C E R T I F I E D P R E S E N T E R S P OT L I G H T

Workshops presented by Amy include:

Have your child try to jump with both feet off of the ground while reciting this rhyme (see below for link). The physical actions helps your child let off steam while building gross motor skills. Because this short rhyme plays games with sounds, it exposes your child to the qualities and differences in sound. And, acting out kernels turning into popcorn ignites your child’s imagination.

“Popcorn”: https://youtu.be/WOnI6fZGUBA

F O R T H E E A R LY C H I L D H O O D A U D I E N C E : M OT H E R G O O S E O N T H E L O O S E

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Schedule of Upcoming Events,

Conferences and Workshops N O V E M B E R November 16 The Basics of Building Great Brains The Resilience Code What We Say to Strengthen Thinking Skills Frank Kros | Howard County Office of Children and Families | Laurel, MD November 19 Change Your Language, Change Their Lives: What Adults Can Say Differently Today to Transform the Tomorrows of Our Youth Frank Kros | Harford County Department of Community Services | Bel Air, MD November 20 Change Your Language, Change Their Lives: What Adults Can Say Differently Today to Transform the Tomorrows of Our Youth Angelique McKoy | The Children's Guild, Baltimore Nonpublic School | Baltimore, MD November 25 Giving a Fish a Bath: The Untold Story of the Adolescent Brain Tunisia Buise | Montgomery County Child Welfare Services | Rockville, MD

D E C E M B E R December 3 Understanding and Effectively Responding to Our Students’ Stress and Trauma—PART I Frank Kros | Nassau BOCES/Long Island Consortium for Excellence and Equity (LICEE) | Westbury, NY December 4 Understanding and Effectively Responding to Our Students’ Stress and Trauma—PART I Frank Kros | Eastern Suffolk BOCES | Holtesville, NY

C A L E N DA R O F E V E N T S

Gratitude is good for the brain! The five benefits associated with gratitude are: reduced pain levels, re-duced anxiety and depression, better sleep, in-creased energy, and increased stress relief.

What are you grateful for today? Consider writing down what you are grateful for at the beginning or end of each day and see how it transforms your thoughts

(Source: https://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/benefits-of-gratitude-research/)

F r o m Yo u r F r i e n d s a t B e h a v i o r a l H e a l t h S e r v i c e s

Transformation Education Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and advocacy of Transformation Education, an organizational philosophy and operating system for child-serving organizations. The

TranZed Institute offers professional development experiences, mentoring services, learning tools and organizational branding that help improve the skills of people who educate, parent, guide and care for young people. For more information, visit our website, call: 410-444-5415 or e-mail pauld@tranzed.org.

N AT I O N A L AT - R I S K E D U C AT I O N N E T W O R K - N A R E N

2019 NAREN Conference a Big Hit! Impactful speakers, lively performances, industry

experts, drones and mini robots, virtual reality, yoga, youth performances, ZED Talks, and

plenty of good company.

The 2019 conference had it all.

Thanks to everyone that presented, participated in, and supported the event!