Are “winter blues” really a thing? According to the NIH, it is a general term and not a medical diagnosis, however, winter blues may be connected to something specific such as the stress of the holidays or missing loved one. It has similar symptoms as those with season affective disorder, which is related to the shortening of daylight hours. [...]
When planning for the school year, classroom set up is key for student movement. The way we arrange our space can either create room or decrease it, so below are three suggestions to make your class user-friendly for activity breaks. Arrange Desks to Create an Activity Area Consider arranging the desks/tables in your space to maximize the amount [...]
For most of us, the school year will be in full swing within the next month. Let’s start off strong by pushing our students to move if they can and when they can, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their learning or our teaching. Remember that physical activity (even little spurts) helps students with [...]
Social emotional learning concepts have become even more prominent in schools and classrooms, not only providing students the skills to cope with their emotions, but also: Develop healthy identities Achieve personal and collective goals Feel and show empathy for others Establish and maintain supportive relationships Make responsible and caring decisions Improve grades and attendance Use [...]
More than ever kids are sitting during instruction due to remote learning. Keeping kids moving is critical during this time to help with learning recovery. Use these tips to keep your students engaged and moving. During Remote Lessons SmartSeat Stools Start and/or end class with a quick brain energizer Have students stand during instruction Encourage your students to move during the class while watching the computer Teach [...]
Most of you are pretty adept at teaching virtually by now. In fact, many are rocking this and have the organization and delivery of teaching online down to a science. What are some of the things you are noticing about your students as you teach in this way? Are they attending regularly? Are they focused? [...]
Moving Minds was founded in 2015 to bridge the gap in the niche of active classrooms, flexible seating, kinesthetic learning—whatever you’d like to call it. And, as we kick off 2020, we are excited to still be the brand that thrives in the niche of active classrooms. Each day, our team comes to work to [...]
Tis the season, advocates for active learning! We are in the time when things seemingly start to force us to make decisions about what to cut out because we have simply run out of time. There is never enough time to get it all in before holiday travels (or holiday mentalities), just consumer households and [...]
You may be too young to remember the “This is your brain on drugs” movement in the 80s. It was an anti-narcotics campaign to try to prevent people from using drugs. The commercials featured an egg as “your brain” and a hot skillet as “drugs” and the commercial ended with the advertiser saying, “Any questions?” [...]
I had breakfast the other day with Jon Elmaleh, the creator of the Kore Wobble Chair. We were at an event dedicated to educational spaces and furniture where we spent four days talking to manufacturers, dealers, and most importantly… educators. On the second to last day, we sat down over eggs and hash browns to [...]
