Students’ Success Stories – Kids Focus in Gallup, NM

Jackie Ramirez, a 5th grade teacher at Wingate Elementary School in the Gallup McKinley County School District, NM is using movement lots more frequently in her classroom now.

When Jackie first started using Kids Focus movements in her classroom, she got good results, but she wanted more than that for her students. My first question was: how many times a day do you ask the children to move? Her answer: a few. My answer: NOT ENOUGH!!

So Jackie increased movement in her classroom and got GREAT RESULTS. Here’s how Jackie and her 5^th graders poured on the juice.

Movement in the Classroom
Jackie says, “I’ve tried to incorporate more time to do the exercises more frequently. I allow about 10-15 minutes, 4-5 times per day. First thing in the morning, during reading block, during math block, after lunch, and in the afternoon are the usual times. I’ve also allowed for meditation and affirmations.”

Achieving Great Results
Jackie says, “My students are doing well. We’re always hearing good comments about how they can focus and complete projects. They’re better behaved in library, at recess, and in line. They’ve completed science projects and are in the process of completing a social studies project that we’re entering in the art fair. I’m so proud of them! Again, thank you for everything!”

Jackie’s students’ favorite Kids Focus movements are cross-crawls, lazy eights, “focused” breathing, meditating, and affirmations. And Jackie has dozens more Kids Focus movements to choose from, to keep her students on their toes. The photo shows one of Jackie’s students’ many projects.

Kids Focus Can Help Your Students Succeed! Thanks for the inspiration, Jackie. You and your students are proof positive that simple controlled movements used in the classroom throughout the day before any learning activity can help improve students’ focus, concentration, positive attitude, and overall success.

Contact Marcia Lee at solutions4kids@yahoo.com to find out how to bring a Kids Focus Teachers’ Workshop to your school. Let movement inspire your students to achieve and succeed!</p>

Celebrating our New Name – KIDS FOCUS ~ Brain-Body-Balancing for Young Learners

We have a new name! Children’s Brain/Body/Balancing is now KIDS FOCUS – Brain-Body-Balancing for Young Learners.

We’re celebrating the new year with fresh ideas, new movements, and more in-depth information on how to help children focus, feel calmer, concentrate, and self-regulate through simple movements. Check our website kidsfocus.co for information on upcoming workshops and lectures.

Can Movement Help Your Baby or Child? YES!

The NASPE (National Association for Sport and Physical Education) Guidelines for movement for children are designed to support the health and well-being of children throughout the United States. The guidelines state that “All children from birth to age 5 should engage in daily physical activity that promotes movement skillfulness and foundations of health-related fitness.” Here’s what that really means.

Infants – “Caregivers should place infants in settings that encourage and stimulate movement experiences and active play for short periods of time several times each day.” “You can encourage your infant to be active from the time he or she is born.” For example, offer your infant small challenges like placing a toy just outside their reach, so that the infant crosses the midline of the body to reach and grasp.

Toddlers – “Toddlers should engage in a total of at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity each day.” PLUS at least 60 minutes – and up to several hours – per day of unstructured physical activity and “should NOT be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time, except when sleeping.” Encourage moving by modeling and example. Try out simple, safe movements together from baby yoga programs.

Preschoolers – “Preschoolers should accumulate at least 60 minutes of structured physical activity each day.” PLUS at least 60 minutes – and up to several hours – of unstructured activity each day and “should NOT be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time, except when sleeping.” Preschoolers love to move. Doing simple, cross-lateral movements like cross crawls before any learning activity helps switch on the brain, encourage focus, and just makes kids feel happy!

When you encourage movement, along with great nutrition and lots of love, you give your baby an important opportunity to avoid ADHD-like behaviors and other challenges later on. We can’t control the ups and downs of life, but movement promotes brain cell development and enhancement, and has been shown to even help children better handle life’s difficulties.

Sadly, most of our schools and day care centers are not meeting the NASPE movement guidelines. And our children’s brains, intelligence, and well-being suffer.

I started the Children’s Brain Body Balancing program to bring simple movements right into the classroom and day care center and give parents tools to help their children focus, feel calm and learn to self-regulate. For more information, check my website – solutionswithoutdrugs.com.

Celebrating Fantasic Children’s Brain/Body Balancing Workshops

Children’s Brain/Body Balancing – “Students have demonstrated growth!” Comment on using CBBB movements at Helen Cordero School – Pre-K – 2 grade

Thank you so much to all the parents, teachers and professionals who joined us on Saturday, September 8th in Albuquerque at the beautiful African American Performing Arts Center for the last day-long workshop in 2012 on how to use simple, controlled movements to help children focus, feel calm, concentrate and self-regulate – in under a minute. Thank you for sharing the excitement and joy that simple movement can create so quickly and easily inside you.

Children’s Brain/Body Balancing also recently inspired the dedicated EAs at East San Jose Elementary School in Albuquerque, NM, the devoted professionals at Hogares Inc. in Albuquerque, NM and the hard-working teachers at La Promesa Early Learning Center in Albuquerque, NM. Thank you all for your dedication and commitment to helping children learn and succeed using movement every day.

In spring/summer 2013 I will offer more workshops. So you too can come and learn dozens of unique and fun movements you can use with children in the classroom, at home, or on the go. You’ll also learn the Childhood Brain Science that supports movement for improving behavior and learning and hear tips on nutrition, temperament, intelligence, ADHD, and more. I look forward to meeting you next year!

Helen Cordero Primary School Hits a Home Run! Movement in the Classroom Improves Everything!

Helen Cordero Primary School in Albuquerque, NM participated in a recent Children’s Brain/Body Balancing study. The preliminary results of offering Children’s Brain/Body Balancing in half the classrooms are now in. And everyone is celebrating!

 Ellen Griffiths, the principal, and 20 teachers took the Children’s Brain/Body Balancing training in March, 2012. In less than two months, the following amazing improvements were observed in eighteen classrooms, from pre-k through 2^nd grade. Imagine what the improvements could be when Children’s Brain/Body Balancing is practiced in the classrooms year round!

Improvements in the classrooms include:

Focus/Concentration – improved in 83% of the classrooms

Calmness – improved in 100% of the classrooms

Self-regulation – improved in 83% of the classrooms 

Follow directions – improved in 95% of the classrooms

Attention – improved in  95% of the classrooms

Attitude – improved in 88% of the classrooms

Effect on Learning – improved in 83% of the classrooms

Effect on Testing – improved in 100% of the classrooms           

I want to express my deepest appreciation to the principal, teachers and staff for your dedication and hard work with the children at Helen Cordero Primary School. The results of the study and the success stories are about your efforts. You make Children’s Brain/Body Balancing come alive and I am deeply grateful. Working with all of you is an honor and an inspiration!

Q and A from Parents/Grandparents Lecture on Children’s Brain/Body Balancing on April 28

What an exciting morning sharing Children’s Brain/Body Balancing with all of you beautiful, bright parents, grandparents and children! Thank you so much for your participation. You all did such a great job learning and teaching each other the movements.

Now you know firsthand that these simple, easy-to-do controlled movements help “switch on” the brain, break up old behavior patterns, and support brain/body balance and self-regulation. I hope you will join me for an in-depth study of Children’s Brain/Body Balancing on June 16 at the all-day workshop at the African American Performing Arts Center, 310 San Pedro NE, Albuquerque. Reserve your spot! Call 949-468-9841 or email solutions4kids@yahoo.com.

Here’s a great question I received from a parent who attended the Children’s Brain/Body Balancing Workshop on Saturday:
Q. – When the movements feel so good to the children that they don’t want to stop as soon as the adult-in-charge asks them to, do you have suggestions on how to ease them back to their learning tasks?

A. – I truly believe that children know instinctively what they need for their own growth and balance. As long as the movement is safe, I let them continue. SAFETY FIRST!

I don’t know how much of a particular movement their bodies and brains need; they do. If I pushed them on to the next activity too soon, chances are they would not be ready to focus anyway.

Obviously I ask children to stop any unsafe movement immediately. I also spend a lot of time setting out the safety and cooperation rules of movement before we ever start. I discuss these rules and techniques thoroughly in the longer workshop.

In the case of spinning, for example, my approach is to let them spin themselves out. I ask them to stand in a nearby area for spinners. I take the rest of the class onward to the next movement and also keep an eye on the spinners. The spinners join back in when they’re done and/or when they don’t want to miss out on the fun the rest of us are having with the next movement. I do not demand control or perfection. My goal is balance – self-generated balance.

Recognizing children’s need to balance themselves through movement is also a demonstration of respect for children as individuals. Not making them bad or wrong for who they are and what they want or need. It demonstrates my support in their development of self-awareness which then leads to voluntary self-regulation. I have never had a child abuse the freedom when I honored theirs.

Movers and Shakers in Oakland, CA Love Children’s Brain/Body Balancing

TEACHERS – PARENTS – PROFESSIONALS

CHILDREN’S BRAIN/BODY BALANCING CAN CHANGE CHILDREN’S LIVES OVERNIGHT!

Thank you so much to all the teachers, parents and professionals who participated in the first Children’s Brain/Body Balancing Workshop in Oakland, CA. What an honor and a gift to share the day with so many adults who are dedicated to supporting children’s healthy growth and development through movement. I’m deeply grateful for the wonderfully positive response from the Early Childhood Department at Oakland Unified School District.

I was so impressed by the movement techniques parents and teachers are already using to give children an opportunity to switch on their brains and learn to self-regulate through a variety of fun movements you’ve created yourselves. I hope you came away with even more tools and a new vision of childhood growth and development.

I loved seeing each one of you explore how movement felt inside your own bodies, and how much it improved your own focus and concentration, and brightened your attitude toward everything. Now you know why teachers, principals, counselors, social workers, parents, and mental health professionals use Children’s Brain/Body Balancing movements with young children EVERY DAY in schools, at home, and on the go. 

I look forward to the next opportunity to share Children’s Brain/Body Balancing with the amazing parents, teachers, and professionals in Oakland, CA.
Love Kids!
Marcia Lee, Solutions Without Drugs Reading Specialist, NM Certified Educational Trainer, ADD/ADHD Consultant

Kony 2012 and the Engine of Change

I believe that Kony 2012 has shown the world how change that begins in our hearts can move mountains. I believe the same energy and devotion can work to change our children’s lives and the schools they attend in America – right now! What would you do if you knew that simple changes could revolutionize schools and wipe out the behavior labeled ADHD without drugging our kids with medication? What would you be willing to try, if it was healthy, easy, and natural?

Children’s Brain/Body Balancing in schools and at home does just that. But you won’t know until you experience it.

So I’m launching a new activist group that supports teachers, parents and children in America to rebuild our education system because it just doesn’t work right now. It is discouraging our children, drowning their spirits, and holding back their potential. Every teacher and parent I know wants the opportunity to change this situation – to improve their schools and help children learn and grow and succeed. But we are failing. The money we need, the innovations we want to implement, just aren’t happening.

How do we change that? We do something right now. We talk. We send out the message. And we act. I’m launching a new organization with one goal in mind – creative schools nurturing creative children right now in America. The group is called TPS:CS which stands for Teachers & Parents Supporting Children & Schools, which stands for teachers and parents standing up for children in America NOW. Watch the website and blog for the first scheduled meeting in Albuquerque, NM. Join me and become the engine of change that supports our children and our schools.

Part 3 – Anderson Cooper Show on ADHD – Safe Help for ADHD Behavior

Dear Mr. Cooper,
Parents have the right to be told about safe and effective NON-MEDICATION options that really work for behavior labeled ADHD. The success rate of these options is backed by scientific studies which Dr. Jensen chose to ignore on your show on ADHD.

The options listed below are benevolent and effectively address deeper childhood issues such as temperament, environment, deprivation of movement, social and personal stress, and other contributing factors that ADHD medication never address:
– Movement and exercise
– Parental training
– Innovative teaching strategies
– Behavioral modification programs
– Improved classroom environments
– Biofeedback
– Yoga, martial arts, dance
– Meditation
– Acupuncture
– Nutrition and Vitamins
Sincerely,
Marcia Lee, Solutions Without Drugs, Children’s Brain/Body Balancing

Part 2 – Anderson Cooper Show on ADHD – ADHD Medications’ Adverse Effects

Dear Mr. Cooper,
Parents need to know the following crucial scientific facts on ADHD and ADHD medications that were not addressed on your recent show.
ADHD medications have:
– Wide range of serious adverse effects such as suicide, aggression, sudden death, as well as lifelong reactions such as tardive dyskinesia
– Brain disabling effects, including brain shrinkage and reduced blood flow to the brain
– Negative impact on hormones that affect all organs in the body and weaken the immune system
– Long-term research on the effects of ADHD medication on children does NOT exist. We do not know what potential damage will occur as our children age after taking ADHD medication.
– ADHD is NOT like diabetes. There is no chemical test or blood test for ADHD. There is no scientific proof that ADHD exists. All assessments of ADHD are subjective, not scientific.
– ADHD medications create OCD in children, forcing the brain to focus whether it is biologically safe to do so or not.
– ADHD medications are gateway drugs, with the potential for even more serious drug addiction.
– Scientific studies show that medication-free options with no side effects are three times MORE effective than ADHD medications in helping children change their behavior and self-regulate.
– Brain scans show normal developmental differences in children with behavior labeled ADHD. The normal wiring of a child’s brain that produces self-regulation requires time to develop.
– Majority of research on ADHD medications is performed directly by the pharmaceutical companies, even when it is contracted by the FDA.
– ADHD drugs were part of the medication cocktails used by high school shooters in the U.S.
– ADHD medications can delay the normal maturational cycle of behavior.
– ADHD medications may convince a child that he or she is incapable of self-control without a pill, turning them into lifelong patients.

Sincerely,
Marcia Lee, Solutions Without Drugs, Children’s Brain/Body Balancing