This is the third week of kids yoga giveaways here at Yoga In My School. Thank you for your comments and sharing happening via social media. I know you’ll enjoy this week’s DVD. Have a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Captivating Stories Foster Creativity and Flexibility

Laura Harper’s new DVD Be the Story Yoga uses storytelling to take children on yoga adventures where they can enter the story not only with their imaginations, but with their whole bodies. Knowing that children bodies and minds need to be engaged and having honed her craft with a willing Grade 3 class, Laura’s uses detailed imagery, interesting plots and yoga poses to captivate her young audience.

The DVD includes two original stories.

The African Cat

Be transported to the beautiful Serengeti Plains where a little African cat searches for a fearless companion. Will it be a wild dog, baboon, crocodile, elephant or some other creature?

The Boy and the Eagle

Filmed in a stunning mountain meadow of the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains, this story follows a young boy as he proves he is ready to be a man. What will happen as he searches for the elusive golden eagle feather when a lightening storm strikes?

Watch previews HERE.

She had my complete attention while my children and I followed along to each story. We couldn’t wait to find out what happened next especially when the lightening storm came and the eagle was injured in The Boy and the Eagle… But I won’t ruin the ending for you.

The yoga sequences themselves are creative and easily accessible for all ages. Laura doesn’t worry about alignment but instead encourages participation and creative expression while providing an example of a calm, purposeful practice. Most of all she invites children to “listen and pay attention to the important stuff of life: kindness, courage, personal power.”

The handy insert includes Suggestions for Use including curriculum explorations into Geography, Culture and Biology.

Purchase a copy of Be the Story DVD for $14.99

How to Enter the Giveaway

We are giving away one Be the Story DVD.  Enjoy any of these ways to enter. Enter often and share to boost your chances of winning.

1. Leave a comment sharing something you are thankful for – Happy Thanksgiving Week everyone!
2. Share this review on Facebook & include an @Yogainmyschool.com link – limit 1/day
3. Tweet the #giveaway on Twitter with an @DonnaKFreeman and link back to this post– limit 1/day
4. Repin on Pinterest

Contest closes Saturday, Nov 24, 2012 at 9:00 pm MDT

Winner will be contacted via e-mail and their name will be posted. You’ll have 24 hours to claim your prize before another winner is chosen. Winner’s e-mail address will be shared with Be the Story Yoga for administrative purposes only.

Disclaimer: I am in no way reimbursed for this review. Product was generously provided for the review. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

This easy to play kids yoga game develops the dexterity and flexibility of the feet while also working on core stability and balance. Add in a sorting/classifying element (an early math skill) and you’re golden!

How to Play Toe-ga

For years I’ve been playing Toe-ga with my kids yoga classes. This is where you scatter a number of craft pompoms on the floor and then have children pick them up and put them into a container using only their toes. Toe-ga is always a hit and is often requested again & again. Usually I use small plastic baskets or cups as the container.

Then I found this creative use of a muffin tin to sort by color and develop fine motor skills on Raising 4 Princesses. I knew immediately that this would work like a charm for Toe-ga. So I dug out a mini-muffin tin and my pompoms and got to work.

I’ll be using my fine new Toe-ga Kids Yoga Sorting Game whenever I teach a colors kids yoga class. For tons of great yoga ideas to teach colors check out My Many Colored Days on Omazing Kids.

Toe-ga and over 100 other fun and creative kids yoga games will soon be available for download in our fabulous new resource Yoga Games Galore, scheduled for release late September 2012. Like us on Facebook and watch for the announcement.

Here at YIMS we’ve been busy collecting and compiling yoga games to include in our soon to be released Yoga Games Galore book. One of the games we love and are including in the book is Yoga Memory. The very day we were adding it, Janet Williams of Childrens Yoga Books got in touch telling me about Yoga Match: A Memory & Movement Card Game. (Gotta luv serendipity.)

Played like concentration or Memory, Yoga Match involves flipping over two cards at a time in order to find a match. If you find a match you do victory pose. If you don’t find a match you do both poses, then flip the cards back over and try again.
As you can guess kids LOVE Yoga Match. It’s familiar rules allow them to jump right into playing the game. The challenge of finding a match is wonderful for developing concentration, recognition and recall. Adding the yoga element allows for active learning promoting strength, flexibility, creative expression, cognition and self-regulation.

The deck is comprised of 30 cards (15 yoga poses) plus one instructional card. The game can be played individually or in teams making it adaptable to various size groups in the home or classroom/studio. Bonus is that you can always use the cards themselves as a yoga card deck for any number of other activities which require visuals as a teaching aid.

Things I like about Yoga Match:

• familiar rules get you playing right away
• charming illustrations of both a boy & girl doing the poses
• easy to transport – pop in your purse/pocket
• sturdy cards can take a lot of use
• FUN!

I’m definitely looking forward to using this game with my kids and teen yoga classes this fall and know it will be a class fave.

You can purchase Yoga Match from Childrens Yoga Books online store for $19.99 CAD (a current savings of $6.00).

How to Enter the Giveaway

We are giving away one Yoga Match: A Memory & Movement Card Game. Enjoy any of these ways to enter. Enter often and share the #kidsyoga love.

1. Leave a comment with your fave yoga game
2. Like Childrens Yoga Books on Facebook – comment here to let me know you did
3. Share this review on Facebook & include a @Yogainmyschool.com link – limit 1/day
4. Tweet the #giveaway on Twitter with a @DonnaKFreeman link – limit 1/day
5. Repin on Pinterest

Contest closes Friday, Aug 31, 2012 at 9:00 pm MDT

Winner will be contacted via e-mail and their name will be posted. You’ll have 24 hours to claim your prize before another winner is chosen. Winner’s e-mail address will be shared with Childrens Yoga Books for administrative purposes only.

Disclaimer: I am in no way reimbursed for this review. Product was generously provided for the review. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Read my review of Janet’s book What I See, I Can Be – a lovely guided yoga flow for children.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Jen Mueller the winner of Yoga Match Game. Watch for more give aways coming this fall.

Every four years we celebrate athleticism, healthy competition, fair play and dedication with the world’s foremost sporting event…The Olympics. Here at YIMS we love playing Yoga Olympics with our kids. With the help of Alicia Watins, we’d like to share these fun, Summer Olympics inspired, kid-friendly yoga activities. So go ahead, cheer your fave athletes on their quest for GOLD, admire them for their dedication and determination, imitate their incredible skill and expertise, and remember it’s really not about winning, but about actively doing and giving your best each and every day.

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. ~Olympic Creed

Yoga Olympics

Supplies: A flashlight to act as the torch. Small dollar store or homemade medals one for each child.

This is a fabulous way of honoring Olympic athletes and the Olympic games ideals of healthy competition and always striving to do and be your best.

Begin the class with a torch relay where one child runs around the room with the torch and then passes it off to another child. Be sure everyone has a turn before placing the torch in a place of honor for the remainder of the games.

Using your creativity develop yoga-inspired activities which mimic Olympic events. The activities will differ depending on if it is the Summer or Winter Olympics. Be inventive and have fun. If you can’t think of anything ask the kids to come up with some ideas.

Finish with a medal ceremony where each child is awarded a medal for their hard work, determination, and spirit of fair play.

Summer Olympics Kids Yoga Suggestions

Thanks to Alicia Watins of Wee Warriors Yoga Playtime for these creative Olympic inspired, kids yoga activities.

Rowing (‘row boat’)

Sailing (‘sail boat’)

Canoeing (Salabhasana)

Hi Dive Breathing (swan dive)

Archery  (from virabhadrasana 2, drawing arms back as if pulling on a bow; also can be done seated with legs)

Fencing (from Vira 2)

Tennis (improv: playing tennis.  Torso rotation)

Badminton (improv: badminton.  Torso rotation)

Weightlifting/Curls (from Tadasana,  improv.)

Tae Kwondo/Judo (Horse stance, similar to Goddess.  Do some Karate-like punches and chops)

Boxing (improv shadow boxing; smaller torso rotation)

Gymnastics/trampoline (jumping!)

Gymnastics/Rhythmic w/ribbons & hoops (I use ribbons attached to small hoops)

Equestrian (trotting & jumping or horse kicks)

Aquatics (swimming on belly – Crawl, Breast Stroke, Butterfly; on back – Back Stroke)

Synchronized Swimming (group in circle, perform poses in unison, adding in head twists, wrist snaps, leg kicks, etc.)

Cycling (prone cycling legs)

Olympic Torch Craft

What you’ll need:

• Tissue paper (reds, oranges, and yellows work best)
• Empty paper towel roll
• Glue
• Markers for decoration (optional)

Directions:

1. Crumple the tissue paper into fun and/or flame-like shapes.
2. Place a ring of glue on the inside of the paper towel roll to hold the tissue paper in place.
3. Stuff the tissue paper into the roll. Secure any loose sheets with extra glue.
4. Voila! You’re done! You can decorate the paper towel roll with markers, stickers or wrap in aluminum foil.

Music Suggestions

• We are the Champions by Queen
• Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
• Star Wars Theme
• Chariots of Fire
• Centerfield (Put Me In Coach) by John Fogerty
• I’ve Had the Time of my Life from the Dirty Dancin’ soundtrack (also redone by Glee!)
• Theme from Rocky (Gonna Fly Now) by Bill Conti

Olympic Guided Visualization

While in savasana, connect with your breath. Bring to mind something that you worked hard to accomplish (playing a song on the piano, scoring a goal, getting all your spelling words right, etc.) and how it felt to achieve your goal. Recognize their dedication and determination. Now, think of something you are working on currently (knowing the multiplication tables, baking a delicious cupcake, hitting a home run, etc.) See yourself successfully completing this goal. Imagine how it will feel, your sense of achievement and triumph, the knowledge that your resolve, persistence and practice paid off. [FOR TEENS: Envison the future, 5-10 years from now, and imagine some of the possible challenges you will face (paying the bills, getting an education, finding a satisfying job, developing rewarding relationships, etc.) See yourself successfully meeting these life tests and tasks, being happy, content and healthy in every aspect of your life.] Hold this picture of yourself and that wondrous sense of achievement and satisfaction of a job well done in your heart. Take it with you and remember that you deserve to feel that wonderful always, that you are strong, dedicated and successful at accomplishing all you set out to do.

This is a guest post by Bernardette Kalyan-Salgado and is part of our My Favourite Props series.

Scarves are a typical prop for dance classes however I have found them to be very useful in yoga as well.

Body Awareness

Use the scarves during warm up. Waking up the body placing the scarf over the toes, knees, etc. Younger children and those with special needs in particular love the idea of “waking up” the body parts.

Asana

Use the scarves as a prop to hold with several asanas/poses, it is a challenge for older students. Poses such as Warrior (arms up holding the scarf open looking up, focusing on the scarf), Dancer and for balancing poses such as Crow it can be used as a focal point.

Games

Common games such as freeze dance become fun and different with a scarf in hand. It also gives a difference sense of spatial awareness for the child.  Playing games such as “Yogi Says” is also fun, ex. “Yogi Says, place your scarf on your head.”

Scarf Breathing

Laying down placing the scarf on the belly creating awareness for deep belly breaths. Placing them over the face and blowing them upward attempting for lift off.

I find scarves to be such a handy prop. It is easy to be creative with them they can become water, clouds etc. in a story or movement experience. Most importantly they are light in weight if you have to carry them around. Having a set in two different types of material is also very interesting to see the children explore the texture and how it moves differently.

Bernardette is a RYT 200 instructor based in Florida. She combines her background in dance with yoga to create fun Movement Yoga for Children classes.

If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out all the ideas on the our My Favourite Prop page. Learn how to use feathers, hula hoops, stones and stuffed animals to name a few.

Teaching Shapes with Yoga

Using yoga as a tool to learn shapes is fun, kinaesthetic learning at its best.

Children are able to become the shapes in various forms and sizes, using their hands, their bodies and their friends. This is an ideal way for children to experience and explore the world and move from non-verbal, physical understanding to abstract, mental comprehension. Performing shape yoga helps children grasp, internalize, and retain concepts in a creative and informative manner. In addition, using yoga to teach shapes improves communication, cooperation, problem-solving, creative thinking, analysis, observation and other skills key to success in school and life.

Learn Shapes Easily with Kids Yoga

The booklet, Shapes: A Kids Yoga Class, is ideal for pre-school, kindergarten and elementary school classes. I have taught this class with children aged 2-12 in schools, day cares, kids and family yoga classes, and at yoga summer camps. There are lots of ideas for various ages so use what works best for your group.

Have fun and play shape yoga today!

Shapes: A Kids Yoga Class

Shape yoga makes learning playful, novel and enjoyable: exactly what young children love. The 15 page booklet is packed with ideas on how to create shapes using yoga including mudrās (hand gestures), individual, partner and group poses, breathing exercises, mindfulness techniques, and a guided visualization. There are also numerous additional resources (games, music, crafts, books, flashcards) to support your shape yoga experience. Have fun and play shape yoga today!

Price: $7.93

Shapes: A Kids Yoga Class includes mudrās and poses for:

• circle
• diamond
• triangle
• star
• crescent
• rectangle
• zig-zag
• heart

Additional resources:

• Yoga Games including – What Shape am I?, Lost My Shape, Shape Tumbling, Shape Patterns, Star/Black Hole
• Music suggestions
• Numerous links to crafts, printables, worksheets, mandalas
• 10 Children’s literature recommendations
• Guided Visualization (perfect for savasana)
• Shape Flashcards

Kids Yoga Paradise of Pets

Yogainmyschool.com is thrilled to announce the release of The Pet Store, an interactive Kids Yoga Flipbook.

This flipbook is a wonderful way to share the joys and benefits of yoga with kids. Enjoy imitating animals found at a Pet Store – kittens, puppies, parrots and more – using yoga poses. With engaging full color photos and detailed pose instructions little yogis will be captivated and eager to participate in this child friendly yoga practice. Visiting the Pet Store will never be the same.

Enjoy this audio version of My Favourite Colour Guided Visualization - text accompanies corpse pose.

If you’re looking for a hardcopy, a PDF version is also available HERE for only US$1.97.

Discover how to teach yoga using children’s picture books during our upcoming teacher training webinar: Yoga for Literacy Pt 3: Ohmazing Children’s Literature, Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012, 9:00pm EST/6:00 pm PST.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the Instructor’s Guide for The Pet Store filled with additional information on the what, why and how of using thematic yoga adventure stories when teaching yoga to kids. You’ll also get monthly tips and updates on all the fabulous Yogainmyschool.com resources.

Guest post by Jennifer Cohen Harper

This activity, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s pebble meditation, connects students to aspects of nature and the different kinds of strength that make up the whole.

In this Little Flower Yoga version of a pebble meditation practice, we incorporate movement, drawing and journaling, along with the a mindfulness practice, to create a complete experience for our students. You can do this activity all at once, or you can break it up into smaller parts and practice it with your children over several sessions. Using small stones to represent each of element is something that supports the students and provides a grounding energy to the activity. Four different colored stones will represent the following: mountain, tree, flower, still water.

To introduce this activity you want to give the students a chance to explore the feeling of each element. A wonderful way to do this is to allow the students time to draw each element as part of their practice.

1. Give each child 4 stones (one of each color – and tell them that these stones represent a mountain, a tree, a flower and still water) and 4 index cards, and ask them to put them on their mat in front of them.

On the first card, ask the students to draw a picture of a mountain. Now pick up your first pebble, which will represent a mountain (you can let the students choose which color best represents a mountain to them). Tell the students that a mountain represents strength and stability, and that inside each one of them is a mountain that is strong and steady, no matter what is happening around them. Have them hold the stone they have chosen, come into mountain pose, and then practice saying the following together: “Breathing in I see myself as a mountain, Breathing out I feel strong.” Repeat this 3 or 4 times, and then take one or two breaths silently together. Have them write along the bottom of their drawing Breathing in I see myself as a mountain, Breathing out I feel strong. Optionally, on the other side of the card, they can draw a picture of themselves in mountain pose.

2. The next element to explore is a tree. Invite the students to draw a tree on the next index card. Then pick up the pebble that represents a tree, and come to stand in tree pose. Tell the students that a tree represents balance as it reaches its roots down into the earth, and it’s branches up to the sky. Let them know that they have the balance of a tree inside each of them, and that this balance will help them live a healthy life. Practice saying together: “Breathing in I see myself as a tree, Breathing out I feel balanced.” Repeat 3 or 4 times, and then take one or two breaths silently together. Have them write along the bottom of their drawing Breathing in I see myself as a tree, Breathing out I feel balance. Optionally, on the other side of the card, they can draw a picture of themselves in tree pose.

3. The next element is a flower. Have the students draw a flower on their third index card, and have them choose a stone to represent flowers. Then come into flower pose. Tell them that a flower represents joy and beauty. Inside each of us is a flower that is always growing, keeping us joyful even during hard times. Practice saying together: “Breathing in I see myself as a flower, Breathing out I feel joyful.” Repeat 3 or 4 times, and then take one or two breaths silently together. Have them write along the bottom of their drawing Breathing in I see myself as a flower, Breathing out I feel joyful. Optionally, on the other side of the card, they can draw a picture of themselves in flower pose.

4. The final element that we will explore is still water. Have the students draw still water on their fourth index card. They might need more support with this drawing, and you can discuss still water being a lake or pond. Tell the students that still water represents calm and peacefulness. Inside all of us is a vast lake of calm still water that helps us keep our life peaceful. Have them hold their last stone, and come into savasana. Practice saying together: “Breathing in I see myself as still water, Breathing out I feel peaceful.” Repeat 3 or 4 times, and then take one or two breaths silently together. You can extend this element by allowing the children to rest in savasana either in silence or with some gentle music playing. Once they have come out of savasana, have them write along the bottom of their drawing Breathing in I see myself as still water, Breathing out I feel peaceful. Optionally, on the other side of the card, they can draw a picture of themselves in savasana.

5. After children have explored the feeling of these elements through postures and visualization, a journaling activity helps make the experience even more concrete and meaningful, and gives them time to reflect. You can use pages that you have created and photocopied for the students, or you can just have them write and complete the following thoughts in a journal:

Mountain: I feel strong when_________________________________

Tree: I feel balanced when___________________________________

Flower: I feel joyful when____________________________________

Still Water: I feel peaceful when________________________________

Jennifer Cohen Harper is a leading voice in the children’s yoga community and dedicated to making yoga and mindfulness practices accessible to all children regardless of circumstance. She is the founder and director of Little Flower Yoga. Based in NY, Little Flower directly serves over 700 children per week in NYC schools, and reaches many more through staff development, school consultations, and a world wide network of trained teachers. Jennifer leads the well respected Little Flower Yoga Teacher Training for Children program and frequently collaborates with other organizations to bring yoga for children to places as diverse as tent cities in Port-au-Prince and FAO Schwarz in Manhattan. Jenn is a  founding member of the Yoga Service Council, and an active member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and the Association for School Yoga and Mindfulness. Children love Jenn’s willingness to engage in mutual silliness, while also appreciating the genuine respect that she has for her students of all ages.

Guest post by Janet Williams

I teach yoga to children ages 4-8, on a weekly basis, at a local yoga studio and I have used many of the activities from Donna Freeman’s fabulous book “Once Upon a Pose”.  I also teach parents and teachers how to do yoga with children and I wanted to share how effective and fun the game “Sea Shells” has been with my students.

One of the children’s favourite activities is the “Sea Shells” game, which my students request on a weekly basis.  I always encourage creativity in my yoga classes and I enjoy empowering children and fostering self-confidence within them by letting them ‘direct’, ‘lead’ and ‘teach’ the class through a yoga pose or share an idea that we all can try.

I have also been blessed to teach highly intelligent, fun and inventive children, so when we started playing “Sea Shells”, I started with having them run to the Sea and to the Shore and then calling out “Sea Shells” and having them do a Yoga Pose.  They loved it and we played it so often that I started adding distinctions like Deep Sea vs Shallow Water, and Shoreline vs Shore.  This all happened gradually and each week, the children and I would add something new until a story started to emerge.

Each part of the story has a different area of the room that the movement or activity has to be performed in.  We ended up with so many movements and activities, that I created a map.  We also used some of the poses that are from my book “What I See, I Can Be:  A Guided Yoga Flow for Children”.  This is a wonderful activity because children like to run, which gets their heart rate up, they find it fun wondering what will come next that they will have to dash off to, and they get to incorporate yoga poses into a story.

When I call out “Sea Shells” they choose which yoga pose they are going to do.  I encourage them to choose a different yoga pose every time that I call out “Sea Shells”.  I also leave the “What I See, I Can Be” Full Size Poster in a place that they can easily reference, in case they need an idea for a yoga pose.  This helps alleviate any potential stress for young children who may not be able to remember all of the poses or think of a new yoga pose to do in the excitement of running from place to place, and allows them to focus on the fun aspect of the game.  This is also an excellent activity because other than the poster, no equipment is required and every one is a winner.

The story goes like this:

“All the children get into the car – mom and dad are taking us to the beach”. – The children then do an excellent abdominal yoga pose by sitting on their bottoms, bend their knees, put their feet in the air and press on the imaginary gas pedals, and their hands are on the steering wheel straight out in front of them.  They drive the car to the beach and I call out – “Faster, Slower, Turn to the right, Turn to the left, Stop at the light, Go again, See the Beach Entrance, Find a Parking Spot”.  This encourages them to hold the pose longer, as they pretend to drive their cars.

“Everyone we have arrived.  Time to get out of the car”. – The children stand up.

“Run to the Shoreline and put your Toes in the water.  Check the temperature of the water”. – They go to the shoreline.

“Swim to the Deep Sea” – Using their arms they swim as they run to touch anywhere on the back wall.

“You see Dolphins swimming and playing. Go in and join them” – They do the Dolphin Yoga Pose, by placing their hands and forearms on the ground and with their feet behind them, they push their bums into the air as they would in Dog Pose.  Then they make their heads move in a circle by coming forward with their body as far as they can go (usually just passed the fingers) and then they swoop back as far as they can go (usually around the elbows).

“Sharks are Circling” – They run in a circle.

“Children in the playground”. – They go to the back corner and pretend to be in a playground.

“There is a Large Boat in the Deep Sea” – They do the Boat Pose from the book “What I See, I Can Be”.

“There are large butterflies on the beach.  Join the Butterflies” – They do the Butterfly Pose from the Yoga Match Game.

“There is a Row Boat in the Shallow Water” – They get up and go to the Shallow Water and they sit on their bottoms, raise their legs in the air and balance in a V pose and move their arms as if rowing the boat.

“Time to Fly a Kite” – They do the Triangular Kite Pose from the book “What I See, I Can Be”.

“Time for a healthy lunch.  Join Mom and Dad on the Picnic Table and have a Picnic.” – front wall in the middle – sitting down pretending to eat.

“Have to wait after eating before going swimming – Put on sunscreen and Sun tan on the Beach to catch some sun rays”.  – They do the Meadow Pose from the book “What I See, I Can Be” on the beach.

“I see Oysters on the Beach” – They do the Oyster Pose from “What I See, I Can Be”.

“Trees in the Forest” – they do Tree Pose along the front wall.  (Chairs in a Circle in the Forest – If there are enough children, they make a tight circle with their left shoulder facing into the middle of the circle and their right shoulder on the outside of the circle, and slowly and carefully, they can squat down, until everyone is sitting on someone else’s knees and then they raise their hands in the air.  This is known as the Yoga Chair Pose, but in this case, with some support from each other.  Again, everyone is a winner.)

“Making Sand Castles on the Beach” – they use their imaginations and build sand castles.

“You found a 5 pointed Star Fish on the Beach.  Be a Star Fish” – the children lay down and make 5 points with their 2 arms and 2 legs and 1 head.

“It’s finally time to go swimming.  Splash in the shallow water”. – the children pretend to splash around.

“Lily Pads in the shallow water” – the children do Full Lotus Pose or Half Lotus Pose, with legs crossed.

“Frog squatting on the Lily Pad” – the children do the Yoga Squat Pose, with knees bent, feet apart and pointing at 45 degrees outward, bum close to the ground, back straight and head pointing to the ceiling.

“Frog jumping off the Lily Pad and eating flies” – the children jump up out of the squat pose and stick their tongue out to catch flies.

“It was a great day and it is time for a photo.  Take a picture” – Children pretend to take a picture.

“Smile and Do Your Favourite Yoga Pose for a Group photo” – children smile and freeze in a Yoga Pose as I pretend to take a group photo.

“Catch the last rays of the sun before leaving” – children do the Meadow Pose from “What I See, I Can Be”.

During these 24 steps, I will call out Sea Shells randomly 6-7 times as we are going through the story and the children then choose a yoga pose to do.  We hope you have as much fun playing “Going to the Beach” as we have!

Click here for a pdf version of “Going to the Beach” along with the map.

Teacher and yoga instructor Janet Williams is the author of the children’s picture book “What I Can See, I Can Be: A Guided Yoga Flow for Children.” She promotes healthy, active living and the protection of the environment. She can be found at Children’s Yoga Books.

Yogainmyschool.com is thrilled to offer three downloadable kids yoga classes. Family Time, Man on the Moon and Tour of India are fun, engaging and a great way to teach yoga to children. Expert in yoga for children and teens, Donna Freeman leads these 30 minute classes and is joined by young yogis who demonstrate real kids practicing yoga, making the videos easy use at home or in the classroom.

Based on stories found in Once Upon a Pose, these classes reinforce themes taught in school, involve children physically, mentally and emotionally in the learning process, reduce stress through movement, breathing and relaxation, and improve mental and physical health and well-being.

Available for download in both PC and MAC formats, these videos are now available for the introductory price of only US$9.99 each.

Visit the Yogainmyschool.com Store for details/to purchase.

Practicing yoga with kids has never been easier!