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My Favourite Yoga Prop – Puppets

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:41:02 +0000

Puppets work especially well in yoga class. Even the shyest child will engage with a puppet and they are a valuable way to introduce topic work or to vocalise feelings. Puppets are great for asking questions, for injecting humour, and for providing a ’safe’ place to interact. They are also wonderful at bringing stories to life and can be found in all shapes, sizes, and themes. It is best to choose puppets with a welcoming face, who can become a confidant, amabassador or friend. The key to being a good puppeteer is to make the audience believe the puppet is alive by looking at the puppet when talking to it, using gentle movements, and having the puppet display emotions.

happy: mouth open while rocking side to side
sad: head faces down/hands wipe tears
shy: look up slowly , then away slowly, repeatedly
worried: glance quickly back and forth
angry: head tilts to one side away from puppeteer
tired: make the puppet yawn or move slowly

Aruna Kathy Humphries, of Young Yoga Masters, has these suggestions on using a puppet in kids yoga class from her experiences with Mr. Moo Moo.

Mr. Moo Moo: In case you haven’t guessed Mr. Moo Moo is a cow. But he is a very special cow because he loves yoga. He’s a black and white puppet that I’ve had for about 10 years.

When I introduce him he hides his face in my neck (he’s shy). He often whispers things in my ear and then I’ll ask the kids, “He wants to know if you are kind?” “He’s wondering if anyone will grab him, he doesn’t like that.” If people are sitting quietly he will come over and whisper in their ear. If they are doing a yoga pose he may sit on them, under them, or go through them. He likes to wake kids up from their relaxation too.

If they are not quiet or doing the pose he doesn’t come. Great incentive to get kids (even 11 year olds) to pay attention and do what we’re doing.

Aruna Kathy Humphries is a certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor whose teachings and life has been influenced by Tulshi Sen. She can be found on her website Young Yoga Masters.

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Kids Yoga Outside – Summer Yoga is Everywhere

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:55:25 +0000

Summertime is for playing outside. These kids recently took their yoga out of doors and played with various props (rocks, statues, and benches) found along a river. The inspiration came from the gorgeous First Nations themed statues by Stewart Steinhauer found beside a local river: eagle pose, then bear walk. From there exploring some nearby boulders was a logical next locale for some yoga poses: tree pose, dancer, camel, rock the baby, downward dog, and lizard on a rock. Finally double boat on a park bench before heading off to the library to find some more great books for summer reading.

eagle pose

bear walk

tree pose

dancer pose

camel pose

rock the baby pose

downward dog

lizard on a rock

double boat pose

Be inspired to do yoga wherever, whenever the mood strikes. The park, the playground, the botanic garden, on the beach, or at the cabin…get your yogi on and strike a pose, or two, or ten. Happy summer!

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Kids Yoga with Stuffed Animals

DonnaKFreeman — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:16:49 +0000

YogaInMySchoolTV presents Kids Yoga with Stuffed Animals.

Today we’re here with Greer.

“Hi, I’m Greer. I’m 5 years old.”

She is going to show us how you can use stuffed animals to help you with your yoga poses. She has three stuffed animals beside her, so we are going to do three different poses.

The first pose we’re going to do is “Cat pose” and there is our cute little kitty cat. To do cat pose…

The next pose we’re going to do is “Downward Dog.” There’s our puppy dog. Lovely. Now, again we’re going to make a table with our body…

We have one last pose for today. What’s our pose Greer? “Lion Pose!” This is Greer’s favourite pose. To do lion pose you can start…

So that is how stuffed animals can help kids do yoga. I hope you have enjoyed our video today. And we’ll sign off with…”Namaste.”

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54 Fun Family Activities for Summer Yoga Style

DonnaKFreeman — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:32:22 +0000

Hooray! The long lazy days of summer have arrived. After having successfully completed another school year you can’t wait to spend time doing nothing. It is important to allow kids unstructured time to renew, refresh and come to know themselves. However, more often than not, sometime during the next few months children will utter the words, “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do!” (add whiny voice as appropriate). Here are some suggestions to keep kids active mentally and physically which also nurture them emotionally. Remember summer is a wonderful time to build relationships by spending time playing, doing, and growing together.

Have family members set summer goals. For example: list of books you want to read, things you want to do, places to visit, skills you need to learn.
Take your child to the library and sign up for a summer reading program.
Have your child help put together a first aid kit that can go with you on your many summer outings.
Give your child an inexpensive camera and let them take pictures of all the fun activities you do over the summer. Create a scrapbook of memories.
Practice pranayama by blowing bubbles or dandelion heads.
Pack a picnic and enjoy eating outdoors.
Watch a baseball/football/soccer/beach volleyball game together. Talk about the rules and how they are important.
See how many places in your home (not including books) where your child can find words to read.
Make paper airplanes and practice airplane pose (Warrior III with arms out to the side).
Plant a garden and enjoy tending it throughout the season.
Visit a local museum or art gallery.
Sketch or paint outdoors: clouds, night sky, trees, a favourite view, an interesting building…let your imagination and creativity soar.
Lie on the grass and look at the clouds. Make up stories about the shapes you see.
Colour mandalas. Go for a walk and find mandalas in your neighbourhood (flowers, signs, art, stepping stones, etc).
Learn geography while watching the World Cup. Find participating countries on a map.
Teach your child their personal information: phone number, address, etc. Practice each day.
Can your children tell time? Teach them how to read an analog clock with yoga eyes.
Check out a book of jokes or riddles. Share one over dinner each day.
Create an indoor or outdoor miniature golf course. Play a round or two.
Grab a broomstick and hold a limbo contest. Back-bends open the heart and invigorate the body.
Add food coloring to a dollop of shaving cream. Let your child use it as finger paint.
Make homemade ice-cream. Practice two scoops partner pose.
Help your child write a letter or card to a relative or friend telling about summer events.
Fly a kite. Practice triangle pose (sometimes called kite pose).
Have a pillow fight.
Enjoy face painting and then perform face yoga in the mirror and laugh at your funny faces.
Read under the stars. Take a blanket and book outside and read with your child by flashlight.
At dinner have each family member say something nice about every person at the table.
Make puppets out of a paper bag, an old sock or a stick. Put on a puppet show.
Cut out pictures from several magazines. Have your child write a story about them.
Give your child a bucket of water and some paint brushes. Let her “paint” the sidewalk, fence, house, etc.
Find out when the sun sets and rises in your area. Learn how to do Sun Salutations.
Look at the stars with your child. Make up new constellations together.
Find a local kiddie pool, beach or fountain and go wadding.
Play alphabet games with your child. List countries, animals, cars or yoga poses in alphabetical order.
Build a fort inside or out using blankets, sheets, boxes, tables, chairs and other items found around the house.
Meditate upon the breeze as it ruffles the leaves of your favourite tree.
Create a treasure/scavenger hunt and help your kids follow the clues for a fun reward.
Play hopscotch.
Choose a new recipe. Have fun cooking with your child.
Cut out pictures of healthy foods from weekly grocery ads.
Discuss the Food Pyramid. Have your child use the pictures from the above activity and make a chart of nutritious choices.
Look at family photos. Share stories and remember wonderful moments together.
Play with a hula hoop and discover hoop yoga.
Make musical instruments from things around your house. Have a concert.
Play a card game with your child; Crazy 8s, War, Rummy, Old Maid, Go Fish, Snap all build memory, hand-eye coordination & math skills.
Collect bugs and do insect poses such as locust, spider, inchworm, bumble bee lips, etc.
Fill water guns, buckets and water balloons and have a water fight.
Camp out in the back yard.
Create amazing sidewalk art with sidewalk chalk and a little water.
Help out at the local SPCA. Learn how to do downward dog pose, cat pose, rabbit pose and other poses for animals at the shelter.
Visit an orchard or u-pick farm.
Build sandcastles.
Feed the ducks at the local pond. Enjoy a great hip opening exercise by walking like a duck.

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My Favourite Yoga Prop – Hoop Yoga

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:02:53 +0000

Guest post by Karen Gilmour

They come out for picnics, birthday parties, and backyard summer fun. The hula hoop - one of America’s oldest fads predating the 1950s – are now sneaking their way into yoga studios!

Hoop Yoga recently made it’s way to an Alluem Kids class at Alluem Yoga in Cranford, NJ. The kids grabbed their hoops and started hooping it up! Hula Hooping alone is a great tool for connecting with your body, which is what we strive to do in yoga. Grounding your feet into the earth for stability, being mindful of your surroundings, utilizing core strength, and feeling the hoop rotate the circumference of your body – all aids in achieving body awareness. And what better way to teach a child about body awareness then through play!

Hula Hooping is also a great opportunity to teach children about heart rate. As hooping is a cardiovascular activity, have the kids take their pulse before and after hooping so they can see the way a constant rhythmic movement gets the blood flowing. Incorporate pranayama to slow down the breath even while moving. Take a deep breath to 5 rotations of the hoop and exhale to 5 rotations of the hoop. See how slow you can get the breath to go.

What if the child can’t hula hoop? The first lesson there is practice and patience! It takes time to learn a skill and we don’t all get it on the first try. Using focus and concentration to increase coordination is the key. But not to worry, Hoop Yoga isn’t just hooping! There are so many ways to incorporate a hoop into your asanas. Starting with stretching, holding the hoop with extended arms over the body will intensify the experience. In Mountain Pose or Butterfly Pose stretching left, right, front, back opens up the shoulders and the heart. Move through a Sun Salutation using the hoop to help aid alignment. Hips high in Downward Facing Dog balancing the hoop. Forward bend over the hoop reaching for the floor. Incorporate the hoop into a variety of poses. Allow the hoop to help lift your back leg in Dancer Pose. Tall spine and hoop over head for Tree Pose. Balance on your seat with the hoop surrounding you in Boat Pose. Balance the hoop on your feet in Candlestick. Allow the kids to be creative and make up poses of their own with the hoops!

Add some non-competitive group games to the mix:

“Pass The Hoop” is a game to work on body awareness and working together. Holding hands and forming a circle with the hoop linked around the players’ arms, the object of the game is to simply pass the hoop from one person to the next stepping through it without letting go of each other’s hands. Be prepared for smiles, giggles, and cheering!

“Over Under” is a game to increase flexibility down the back body. Standing in a line, the first person passes the hoop over head, arching back to the next person. The next person bends forward stepping over the hoop passing it to the next person. Leave ample room between each player.

“Walk, Hop, Hoop” is a game to work on listening skills. With hoops spaced out around the room, instruct the children to carefully walk around the hoop, hop in or out of the hoop, or to pick up the hoop and hula hoop. To increase the difficulty, tell the kids that when you say “Walk”, you want them to “Hop”, and when you say “Hop” you want them to “Hoop”, and when you say “Hoop” you want them to “Walk”. That will really get them paying attention!

The list of activities for Hoop Yoga is endless! Open up the imagination gate and let the creativity flow! Have fun with it and connect mind, body, and spirit!

Karen Gilmour: Upon discovering yoga in 2004, Karen watched her true self shine through every time she practiced. After experiencing the many benefits of yoga first hand, she knew bringing these benefits to children could help shape their awareness, self-esteem, and confidence now and in their future. Karen trained with Little Flower Yoga in NYC and currently teaches classes at Alluem Yoga in Cranford, NJ. When Karen is not practicing yoga, she is most likely working on illustrating her next children’s book. She has currently illustrated 4 children self help books focusing on health, emotions, imagination, and self-esteem.

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Endangered Animals Kids Yoga Class – Elephant Journal

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:50:43 +0000

I love National Geographic. Always have. Maybe it was because my Dad insisted on having a subscription and keeping every single issue—I think they still have them on shelves in the basement. As a child I would spend hours looking at the amazing photographs and reading about the world and its many wonders.

As a family we also would watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom every Sunday evening and join Marlin Perkins as he traveled around the globe sharing his love of wildlife and the many dramas that unfold in the animal kingdom. And of course, there is World Wildlife Fund (WWF) with their work to sustain nature and save endangered and threathened animals.

Needless to say, I’m a big fan of protecting endangered and threatened species. I figured with all the animal yoga poses it would be natural to mix the two. So when I found these great colouring pages of a variety of precious species at Kids for Saving Earth I knew it was meant to be.

Read the full article on elephant journal.

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Earth Yoga: Nature Mandala Celebrates Earth Day

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:47:39 +0000

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower.

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

- William Blake

Are you looking for a fun, creative and sensory filled activity for kids to celebrate Earth Day? Then look no further. A nature mandala is a wonderful, group activity which brings the outdoors in.

Supplies for a Nature Mandala

vinyl table cloth or other large drop cloth

measuring tape

straight edge or ruler

black felt marker

found items from nature

How to make a Nature Mandala

Lay the vinyl table cloth white side up, mark the centre, from there create a geometric pattern for the mandala ( I went with an easy star burst).

Go for a nature walk and collect lots of interesting items: pinecones, moss, sticks, bark, sand, leaves, rocks, berries, grass, etc.

Create the mandala by placing the various items onto the geometric pattern. For a group give each child one item and have them take turns deciding on its placement.

Be aware that this activity does involve bringing the outdoors in. Come prepared with a broom and dustpan for easy clean-up or better yet make the mandala outside.

Inspired by Shanti Generation’s Earth Yoga: Inspirations for Celebrating Earth Day with Kids and Teens

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Yoga at Home – Involve Kids in the Kitchen

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:05:36 +0000

My kids love to cook.

It started when they were very young and I’d ask them to stir jello, make play-dough, or dump measured ingredients into the bowl to make muffins or cookies. These days we have assigned evenings where they are the designated ‘sous-chef’ and get to help with dinner doing everything from setting the table and pouring the water, to chopping the vegetables and puréeing the cheese and broccoli soup. A favourite activity when friends come over is to create something delectable to eat which is often inspired by the Food Network (one of my kids favourite TV channels) or by a kids cooking recipe book currently on loan from the library. This spring my son has graduated to the BBQ where he recently grilled up honey mustard chicken breast to perfection.

Yes, having my children in the kitchen requires effort and organization. Like most tasks, it would be easier if I simply did it myself. However, I’d definitely be denying them, and myself, many wonderful memories and numerous life skills. My job is to ensure that my children have all the tools necessary to live as engaged and accomplished adults. I see teaching them how to cook everything from Caesar Salad to Crock Pot Stew as part of that responsibility.

And from a yoga point of view, I’m striving to teach them good nutrition and to establish a positive relationship with food. When helping in the kitchen, kids interact with their food on a totally different level. By taking the raw ingredients, discussing basic nutrition requirements, and learning how to combine different flavours to create wonderful dishes, children take charge of what they are putting on the table and into their bodies.

What Kids Learn When Cooking

Involving kids in the kitchen develops a host of skills. These include:

Following directions – reading and following a recipe
Basic arithmetic – measuring ingredients or doubling (tripling for cookies) a recipe
Vocabulary enrichment – ingredients, tools, and directions all provide new and interesting vocabulary
Sensory stimulation – tastes, textures, and smells in great variety come from the kitchen
Cause and effect – leave out one ingredient and see what happens
Cooperation – working together and waiting their turn
Sanitation – cleanliness and safe food handling skills come with the territory
Confidence – empower kids with cooking skills that will last a lifetime
Creativity – express kids unique tastes with their own recipes/kitchen creations

Ground Rules for Cooking with Kids

Here are a couple of suggestions for getting your kids into the kitchen.

Safety first – never leave children unattended in the kitchen. Your supervision is essential and your children’s well being always comes first.
Never assume that children know how to handle a knife or when something is ’safe’ or ‘unsafe’. Establish safety ground rules which are age and ability appropriate.
Provide your child with their own kitchen utensil kit such as the Kid’s Cookware Kit - I haven’t done this but think it is a brilliant idea to foster independence and ownership.
Start with a clean kitchen and keep a sink of warm soapy water ready to clean-up as you go along. Cleaning up is part of cooking so don’t let your kids escape once the dish is made without washing up and wiping off.
Make it fun! If you or the children are getting frustrated try again another time or with a different recipe. This is a time to connect, share, and explore the wonder of creating good things to eat while spending time together.

Cooking With Kids Websites

Spatulatta is a great website that teaches kids to cook. Hosts Liv and Belle provide over 350 videos of how kids can make a variety of healthy and nutritious foods including vegan & vegetarian options, comfort foods, holiday specials and more.

For the little ones (ages 2-5) learning to prepare food uses all their senses and exploits their desire to please. It gets them fully involved with their food and with helping around the home. A win-win for sure. Cooking with Children: Kids in the Kitchen offers suggestions for age appropriate tasks and recipes even the youngest children can help prepare.

Cooking With Kids is a school based program that uses hands-on methods to teach elementary students about the joy of delicious healthy foods. From tasting classes which introduce kids to food they may never have had before, to getting local chefs to donate their time and talent to schools, this innovative program brings fresh and healthy options into the classroom.

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Princess Kids Yoga Class Perfect for Birthday Parties

DonnaKFreeman — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:39:22 +0000

Princesses are loved by little girls. Out of my three darling daughters, two of them have been princess aficionados. I have lost count of how many princess parties, princess costumes and princess cupcakes I have been responsible for organizing and creating. So if you are in a similar situation and have a special little princess in your life who is looking for something princess themed and fun to do, you are in luck because this article is all about how to create a princess themed yoga class. It is fun, easy, and will involve your princess and her court of closest friends and advisers.

First of all, you need to define what kind of princess is desired. I personally like my princesses to be friendly, adventuresome, creative, problem solvers, graceful, full of integrity, compassionate, and lovers of fine chocolate. I most often use Dancer Pose to represent the princess.

Read the rest at How to Create a Princess Themed Yoga Class – Perfect for Birthday Parties and Kids Yoga Classes

A shout out to Karmaspot’s Blog for sharing ideas.

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Useful and Fun Yoga Games – Swami Says

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:25:04 +0000

This game is always a hit and can be used as a warm up, to review poses, simply to fill a few minutes, or to change the pace of the lesson especially if kids are getting a little wiggly. This is a fun way to teach listening skills. Studies also show that this game improves self-control and restraint of impulsive behavior. Furthermore, playing Swami Says attunes children to the power of example as we automatically want to follow the leader but sometimes need to choose our own actions (in the game) and path (in life). Teach leadership skills by allowing children to take turns being the ‘Swami’ and calling out poses to perform. I usually review 4-7 poses that we will be using before beginning the game to make sure everyone knows what’s what.

Swami Says

This game is played like the playground favourite ‘Simon Says’, however this time the Swami is in charge. The ‘Swami’ calls out instructions such as, “Swami says Cat pose.” Everyone performs Cat pose. If the ‘Swami’ calls out instructions without “Swami says” then everyone should disregard the instruction.

I never play so that kids are ‘out,’ instead simply remind them to listen carefully and reward their great auditory and yoga skills. Usually we all have a good laugh and continue on. Speeding up the poses ‘Swami’ calls out will make this much more difficult as will simply using the suggestion “Swami says Do this” while performing the pose desired. The later also works really well with younger kids or those new to yoga who don’t know the names of the poses yet but do know how to do them. Another tricky suggestion, once your class is good at this, is to say one pose but perform a different pose. Ohhhh, I knew you’d like that.

Have fun and play a yoga game today!

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