Category: LIfestyle Habits

“Should my child have routines this summer?”

Yep. Here’s the deal: If you’re reading my blog, your child struggles to navigate school. His or her executive function has not yet developed the skills necessary to manage the overwhelming number of tasks that schools require in order to be “successful” academically. So keeping them in practice with routines will help in the long run. In other words, your child struggles with things like managing homework, details, planning, time management, priorities, procrastination, organization, etc.. In a nutshell, they struggle with systems. So yes, you should use systems this summer as much as is realistic. Routines are systems. You should do anything you can think of to help them continue to develop systems and routines. Discuss routines throughout the summer so your child gets to practice using “system words”. This will help prime the brain for the fall. You may be thinking, “Sure, but my kid needs summer. They need a break from routines.” You’re absolutely right! They do, and you might as well. So don’t worry about being rigid or perfect. Even if your child does not follow routines strictly, the fact that they are posted (which makes them concrete) and the fact that they sometimes do them is good. It counts and it will make a difference. Just systematize the things that make sense, like chores at predictable times, posting camp schedules, bedtime routine, etc.. Again, just do your best to discuss and use routines as much as is realistically possible. It’ll pay off in the fall. Best, Seth

7 Tips For Dealing With Daylight Savings & Falling Back

Screen Shot 2015-10-31 at 2.15.27 PM We fall backwards an hour on Sunday November 1. Here are some actionable tips that will help smooth the transition.
  1. Be proactive with your clock. Reset your clock the night before to set yourself up for success and make sure you are on time for your events.
  2. Set your clock ahead. While you’re at it, if you’re always running late, this will help you to be more on time. I often recommend 5 minutes, but you may want to do more or less depending on your needs. Beware: people are often very unrealistic about time, so be honest with yourself about what will work for you. If you don’t know, it’s probably better to overdo it to be safe.
  3. Move the alarm clock. Place it across the room so that you must get out of bed to turn it off. Since you have to get up and move, it helps you to wake up more easily.
  4. Vitamin D. As the days get shorter and we have less exposure to sunlight, we are in greater need of Vitamin D. Also, considering how many people are Vitamin D deficient, this becomes especially important to consider.
  5. Turn the lights down as bedtime approaches. Our bodies are wise, and if we listen carefully, they tell us exactly what we need. The problem is that our modern lifestyles cause a lot of “interference” and we can’t hear our body’s signals very well. Light is a great example. It gets darker earlier, but many of us have bright lights on at night, which can interfere with our circadian rhythms. Use softer lights once it becomes dark. Turn the light on devices waaay down. In fact, turn them off as much as possible because the blue light emitted from electronic screens replicates daylight! This is horribly disruptive to the brain’s ability to know what time it is and to know what the body needs. This happens to be a major contributor to sleep problems for adolescents.
  6. Go to bed early. Seriously. If it’s dark, and you’re tired, it’s ok to go to bed really early sometimes! Listen to your body.
  7. Make sure you have a sleep friendly environment. Remove distractions from the bedroom (pets, electronics, etc.), have a good routine, make sure it’s quiet, dark, cool and comfortable.
Do you have any tips? Feel free to comment below. If this helped you, please share

Winter Break 101 (Video)

antarcticaIt’s break. Everyone’s more than ready to get away from the daily grind… Students, teachers, parents, admin. You deserve this break. In fact, you need it. This time is about your needs. You need time to recharge, relax, revive, rejuvenate. Self-care is critical, and is not selfish. If fact it’s one of the most unselfish things you can do. Here are some ideas:

1. Chill.

Don’t think about school.  Come up for air. Relax. Unwind. Rejuvenate. Recharge. Let go of the agenda mindset.

2. Do what you love.

If you read or write over break, do it for pleasure. Do it for you. Read stuff you want to read. Write stuff you like to write. Take time to do other things that energize or stimulate you. Do your favorite workouts or sports. Dive into your hobbies. Watch some mindless movies. Do your thing for fun and relaxation.

3. Be present.

Take time for the most important thing in life, the people you care about. Really BE with them. Let go of distractions, (like technology) and engage with your family and friends. Be as present as you can be. This quality time is precious so don’t take it for granted.

4. If you MUST to do something for school, chunk it.

Plan a block or two that you will dedicate to these tasks. When you’re doing your task, focus on that one thing, do it in a large block of time and be done. When you’re done, DON’T think about it. Let it go and move on to what’s most meaningful in your life. Have a fantastic break. You deserve it. Happy holidays, Seth

Clean Slate

New semester = clean slate. I work with a lot of students right before a semester begins so they can get a strong start. From grade school to grad school, here’s what I do with many students:

Backpack

Empty it, clean it out. Ask what they use each pocket for. This raises awareness that they are choosing “homes” for things such as books, supplies, folders, money, etc. I don’t necessarily care where they put things, I care that they have intentionally chosen the place, because it’s all about intentionality, conscious choices, awareness. I’m not a fan of backpacks with a ton of pockets- the simpler the better (invest in good material though). A place for books/folders and a pocket for supplies is my preference, especially if they’re always losing stuff.  This backpack, not this one. If a backpack isn’t big enough, they’re probably using unnecessary 3 ring binders, pushing way too much paper, are probably doing too much busywork and not enough engaged learning. But that’s another story.

Folders

We go through every single paper and recycle everything possible-I don’t like the idea of making kids push paper for the sake of pushing paper. We sort remaining papers. I ask why they are keeping them and support or challenge their reasons depending on what would be helpful. Either way, I want them to be intentional regarding their choices. We often set up an “archive” box for sentimental papers or stuff they “might” need. I make sure folders are labeled with huge letters on front AND back, with name and subject. Finally, color code folders to match composition notebooks for each class, which are also clearly labeled.

3 Ring Binders

If you’re familiar with my writing, you know I’m not a fan of 3 ring binders for most kids who aren’t naturally organized. They require too many steps to manage papers that are often meaningless to the student, which is counter productive and unnecessary. We generally replace them with simple accordion files or cheap pocket folders.

Planner

  • Thin it out: get rid of all pages from earlier in the year and all useless pages.
  • Use a highlighter to box out every single day they have off for the rest of the year. This helps students get a better perception of time, helps get a big picture of the upcoming semester and makes everything feel more manageable.
  • Print and post all new syllabi.
  • Transfer ALL info possible from syllabi to the planner, at the beginning of the semester. (By the way, weekly planners are usually ineffective for struggling students. These students are typically global/big picture tinkers who do much better with monthly planners where they can see the big picture. They just need to learn shorthand to fit assignments in the smaller space.)

Computer

We set up Google Chrome to automatically open relevant tabs: calendar, school website, online gradebook, email, google drive, etc.. It’s worth taking the time to customize the browser.

SSS

Take time to intentionally set up a Sacred Study Space (SSS). Seriously think out how to design the ultimate work space with the student. Music or no music? Bright or dim? What are the preferences? White boards? Cork boards? Minimize clutter, have supplies within reach. Get a timer, digital recorder, extra note cards or any other items that help study smarter not harder.

Schedule

Help students structure study times, meal times, and other activities at the beginning of the semester when possible. The schedule can be changed, but having a plan makes things a lot easier. It’s also good to post a weekly sketch/schedule for students to reference. It helps them develop a better perception of time.

Logistical

If there is a class that needs to be switched or dropped, do it sooner rather than later! Same with tutors or other logistics.

Social

Review social goals they have, give guidance when necessary, ask them about their plan regarding social challenges. Again, it’s about intentionality. I don’t need to solve every problem or give “advice” on every issue. In fact that’s often counter productive. I just want my students to have to articulate what’s going on socially because it forces them to raise their awareness. It allows them to make choices rather than blindly jump back into the social environment in school.

Emotional

I do a temperature check with students about each class, about teachers, friends, organization, etc. to see how they feel about things. I help them regulate emotion in 2 primary ways: 1. Helping students choose an authentic attitude that serves them positively (reframing). 2. Showing them how to regulate stress/their nervous system (you can google grounding exercises, diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, etc.).

Physical

We discuss sleep, food and exercise. We look at their wellness goals and see if anything might help learning, focus, overall sense of well-being, etc..

Finally

For the next few weeks we make times to maintain everything so students aren’t swimming upstream. We flag important papers with bright post its, eliminate waste, update planners, etc.. We raise awareness in every area so they are learn to make intentional choices, so students are having actual experience writing their own script in life rather than mindlessly doing what they’re told. Good luck and contact me with questions or better yet, post your thoughts below.

"Our Natural Sleep Cycle"

Here’s a short post which links to a 4 minute TED video about sleep by Jessa Gambale. As I work with families, I try to figure out how well a student is sleeping because of it’s effect on his/her daily life. In this clip, Jessa refers to sleep and our internal clock as, “the most underrated force on our behavior.” It certainly has a tremendous impact on a student’s learning and concentration. In order to keep it simple, I usually start the sleep discussion with a question that gives me enough insight to see if we can help a student sleep better. The question is basically, “how rested do you feel after your typical night of sleep?” This leads into finding practical ways of improving sleep habits since our modern lifestyles often interfere with our natural rhythms. So, how rested are you or how rested are the students in your life??? Jessa mentions how our “natural sleep cycle” would follow this general pattern: About 8pm- 12am: Sleep About 12am – 2am: Meditative quiet time in bed About 2am – Sunrise:  Sleep She states that when the people in these studies get the sleep their bodies naturally want, they report “experiencing true wakefulness for the first time in their lives.” Now that’s a powerful statement.  Here’s the clip: Jessa Gamble: Our natural sleep cycle