New Product :: Dealing with Anger Activity Pack

My students often have difficulty dealing with anger in safe, appropriate ways. These are some of my go-to activities in my counseling groups. They help students to discover what anger feels like, what triggers their anger, and what they can do to cope with being angry. It includes the following:

- DeBug Poster
- Coping Strategy Visual Aid
- List of Coping Skills (editable)
- “Things that Bug Me” Worksheet
- “Angry Body” Worksheet
- Conflict Pathway Graphic Organizer
- Trigger Checklist (editable)
- Anger Thermometer Poster
- Anger Scenario Cards (editable - also found in "Social Skills Land Game")

Forms are presented in PDF format, except for the editable items, which you can adjust in Microsoft Word to meet your students' needs. Have fun!

New Product :: Social Skills Land

Sometimes we have to disguise learning into games! Students love Candyland®, but don't always like talking about bullying, anger control, or problem-solving. This was one of the very first games I started playing with my students after getting my first job as a school social worker. I kept wanting to find something I could grab quickly if I didn't have time to plan for a group (yeah...because that never happens, right!?)

This contains 144 EDITABLE cards (with decorative card backs) of the following types to increase pragmatic social skills and problem-solving skills in students ages 5-13:

- Anger Control
- Positive Thinking
- Debugging (Ignore, Walk Away, Speak Friendly, Speak Firmly, Get an Adult)
- Bullying
- Feelings
- Friendship

Students of all ability levels love moving their piece along the same Candyland® board they've come to know and love, and hardly even realize they're learning at the same time!

Example Questions:

1) Talk about a time when you saw someone else being a good friend.
2) MAKE IT POSITIVE! I’ll probably fail this test just like the other ones.
3) Draw a scared person.
4) TRUE or FALSE? Teachers don’t want to hear about problems at home.
5) Sasha said that only popular girls can play with the jump ropes at recess. What should you do or say?
6) Act out what an angry person would look like.

Review :: Erin Condren Life Planner

I honestly can't remember where I heard about the Erin Condren Life Planner, but it's something I tell other people about constantly now!

Ever since graduating college and getting my first social work job, I have looked forward to shopping for my school planner each year. I think it goes back to always looking forward to school supply shopping. Since I don't have the use for new scissors, gym shoes, and rulers every year, getting a planner fills that void!

My only difficulty comes with my desire for color-coding, prettyness, and customization, which unfortunately isn't found in most "adult" planners :(





Uh...yeah gee, these types of things make me look forward to my full day of meetings ahead! There's been some sites in the past where you can personalize the size, format, and some colors on the planner, but it's generally pretty limited and most of them have gone out of business after a year or too.

Which is why I actually started screaming when I found this (seriously, ask my husband...he thought I was crazy!) Erin Condren has finally done what I've been begging planner companies for: created a planner that is customizable, very cute, and makes me excited about the day ahead each time I look at it. It also comes with customizable stickers if you'd like. I mean, what other planner can you get that comes with stickers of your family members' faces!?

I will say they are a bit pricier than ordinary planners you'd get at Office Max or Staples, but honestly, you're going to spend at least 10 minutes each day looking at it so you may as well like it! The price tag sting disappears the moment I got my planner and has never resurfaced again. SO worth it!

Here are a few pictures of my planner!







P.S. Make sure you order early. They take a couple weeks to make and ship (they're making yours completely individually, after all!) I ordered mine toward the end of July and got it in time for the start of school about 3 weeks later.