Volunteer Hour #5

My last session was on 4/13/13 and was on Stress Busters! With all the standardized testing that our kids have to deal with, stress has a sneaky way of compounding on a person until they feel overwhelmed. I see it with students at my university and I see it with the kids at the middle school. So I decided to give them some things they can remember, to handle situations that cause stress, and some tips to help them reduce it as well. My presentation started out with highlighting hobbies as a way to break from stress and improve mood. We went around the room hearing about different hobbies and most people felt that while they didn't have a "hobby" they definitely considered hanging with friends as a way to break stress. We covered nutrition facts, and exercise suggestions and ended with a reading assignment for the next meeting. The reading assignment is called "Brain Breaths" and it highlights how your brain needs oxygen, exercise and proper nutrition to function at its peak. We explored a 3d iPod app and looked at the different regions of the brains and how stress affects the different areas. They seem to really like that and I've decided to incorporate more interactive components to my lessons. Currently I am using PowerPoint slides, but I am working on using Prezi for a more visually enticing session.

Homework for this weekend was to read the article i provided and write in their journal three ways they are going to "feed their brains". I wish it was Halloween and I could bring them "brain" shaped candies next week :)


Latisha