Last week, we shared some ways that both your child and you can clear up your "monkey minds," and cultivate calm. Here are a few more resources to help in the battle for a calmer mind.

For more information on practicing mindfulness with children, check out Mindful Kids and Inner Kids (FYI - Inner Kids requires registration).


The following books are also good resources.
The Mindful Child by Susan Kaiser Greenland
Teaching Mediation to Children by David Fontana and Ingrid Slack
Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness: A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything by Deborah Schoeberlein with Suki Sheth, PhD
Take the Time: Mindfulness for Kids by Maude Roegiers

And, of course, please check out Monkey Mind Pirates!

Springtime -- when the world wakes up from her winter slumber and becomes fresh and new again!  Spring is also a great time to set new family goals.  You might want to focus on:

Healthy Food

• Eat your homegrown veggies this summer!  Now's the time to plant vegetables -- depending on the weather, either seeds in small containers in the house, or small plants outside in containers or in the yard.  It's a fun learning adventure to nurture seeds and watch them grow! 
• Cook up a storm!  Plan the menu, shop for the ingredients (or pick them from your garden), cook the meal and eat together as a family.  Children often eat better when they help create the meal and then share it with their family. 

• Go for frequent family walks.  Count the number of flowers poking their heads out of the dirt.  How many different colors do you see? 
• Turn off the TV, go outside, and kick around a soccer ball.  Studies show that obesity in children increases the more hours they watch TV (Crespo, 2001). 
• Spring winds help warm the Earth and make great kite-flying adventures.  Pack a picnic lunch, grab your kite and head to the park for an afternoon of family fun!

Bedtime/Story Time

• The best way to wind down after a fun day (or even a not-so-fun day) is to climb into bed and read books before falling asleep.  This routine calms everyone down and creates a positive, loving way to end each day.

• Recommended Books
• Spring Has Sprung -- Bear in the Big Blue House by Kiki Thorpe
• Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble by Cynthia Rylant
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Last week, we wrote about ways to help encourage children to explore their world. Bring the following list to your local library to open the door through books, and prepare for a trip through the newest exhibit at the Museum, The Children of Hangzhou: Connecting with China:

• Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes by Leslie Swartz and Nina Simonds
• Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year (Reading Rainbow Books) by Kate Waters and Martha Cooper
• Chinese Children's Favorite Stories by Minamei Yip

Today in Minnesota is the kind of cold made for cuddling up by a fireplace with a good book. Here are four cuddle-worthy winter-weather stories perfect for bedtime:

Snow Dance by Lezlie Evans
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folk Tale by Jan Brett
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

There's no escaping holiday music and carols these days. Whether standing in line at the coffee shop, passing a display at the store, or choirs gathered at the street corner: seasonal music is everywhere!

Here's a book list full of musical fun for your little ones:

The Happy Hedgehog Band, Jill Barton
To Be A Drum, Evelyn Coleman
The Drums of Noto Hanto, J. Alison James
Max Found Two Sticks, Brian Pinkney
The Leopard’s Drum, Jessica Souhami
What’s That Sound, Woolly Bear, Philemon Sturges

It's now December 4, and around the time that Minnesotans start wanting snow. All of those snowpeople, snow forts, and snow angels to be made! Not to mention all that snow shoeing, skiing and snowboarding -- Minnesotans know how to make the most out of winter!

Here's a list of cold-day books to get you in a good mood for the winter:

Snow Dance by Lezlie Evans
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folk Tale by Jan Brett
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

These are some of our favorites. Does your family have others that we missed?

As the weather takes a colder turn, Minnesotans might like to hunker down for a long hibernation. Resist the temptation! Keep your family active, no matter the weather, by making a family fitness promise.

Make a list of physical activities your family likes to do together. All family members who agree to participate can sign the promise together and be a member of your Fitness Team. Come up with a team name!

• Go for a family walk around the block. Make the walk into a game where each team member takes turns deciding what kinds of steps, hops, or skips you’ll take.


• Do active household chores together that require steps like raking leaves.


• Draw a crazy path on the sidewalk with chalk where you need to jump, hop, skip and walk at different points, or have a hopscotch marathon.


• Step like a hurrying ant, a lumbering elephant, a prowling tiger or a scared rabbit. Can you think of more fun animal movements?


• March to your favorite music.

The long weekend ahead brings daydreams of sitting on the dock with a good book in hand and your feet in the water. Stop by your local library first to pick up a few books to enjoy together. And don't forget your sunscreen!

This week’s booklist is about the joys of playing together as a family.

Mama Zooms by Jane Cowen-Flectcher
Rain Song by Lezlie Evans
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
We’ll Paint the Octopus Red by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen

It’s important to learn numbers and letter sounds to get ready for school, but there are other skills that benefit children in preparing for school success. These skills (curiosity, risk-taking, imagination, persistence and reflection) are defined by the Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress as Approaches to Learning.

Here are some books that address each indicator:

Curiosity
Curious George Flies a Kite by H.A. rey and Margret Ray

Risk-Taking
Harriet’s Recital by Nancy Carlson

Imagination and Invention
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Persistence
The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

Reflection and Interpretation
The Hat by Jan Brett

May is National Family Month and what better way to celebrate being related than a family-themed story time? Check out these children's books that the whole family will enjoy. Also, check out the National Family Month website for ideas on how to share your love and appreciation for your children.

Mama Zooms by Jane Cowen- Flectcher
Rain Song by Lezlie Evans
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
We’ll Paint the Octopus Red by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen