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The Learning Doctor has Brain-based Learning Strategies
for Teachers and Parents |
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Listen here to this month's feature article with
Dr. MaryJo Wagner, The Learning Doctor.
The article's called
"It's
Not All in Their Head: Teaching Kids to Use
the Little Brain in Their Heart"
Help Your
Kids Make Better Decisions, Act Smarter.
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A Newsletter that
Helps You Help Your Children
Brain-based Learning Resources
for Teachers, Parents and Anyone who Works
with Kids
Vol. 2 No. 5, March 2007
published and edited by Dr. MaryJo Wagner
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Here's what you'll find in your March "Brain Boosters for
Your
Kids" Newsletter
Workshops and TeleChat
Schedule:
Next
Brain Gym® Basics TeleChat starts March
21, 2007
Teachers, click here to sign up.
Parents, click here for Brain Gym Basics.
Feature Article:
"It's Not All in Their Head: Teaching
Kids to Use the Little Brain in Their Heart"
Brain Quiz: When to Teach Reading?
Resources You can use:
HeartMath
And Remember: If you've taken Brain Gym Basics, a one-day
Introduction to Brain Gym, or the 3-day Brain Gym 101 from me or
anyone else, you can get a
FREE
Brain Gym balance over the phone with me, Dr. MaryJo Wagner, The
Learning Doctor.
Brain Gym Tidbit:
"What to Do When They're Afraid of the Giant Green Monster"
Please add
mjw@mjwagner.com to your white list or address book in your
e-mail program so you won't have trouble getting future issues
of Brain Boosters for Your Kids. I know it's hard to believe but
sometimes SPAM filters eat up your Brain Boosters Newsletter!
Read back
issues of the Brain Boosters for Your
Kids Newsletter
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Note from The Learning Doctor |
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Hi:
At your house you probably call this season
"Spring." We call it "mud season" at our
house. It's a toss up whether there's more
snow and ice or more mud in our driveway.
(Thought you'd rather see a picture of our
house versus a picture of mud in the
driveway!)
But despite sloppy
walking and slow driving, things are
beginning
to "green up." And we've had several
afternoons warm enough to
sit out on the deck. No complaints!
Just finished
doing a "grown-up" program for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It's
called "Think
Like Einstein." All about the
connection between the heart and the brain
and why that's important in everything from
lowering stress to making decisions.
Realized when I
got back to my office that, of course, this
heart/brain connection isn't important just
for adults but for kids too.
Now you guessed it. This month's feature
article is all about the links between heart
and brain. And includes a couple
simple things kids can do (and you too) to
access the "little brain in the heart."
So let's get on with this month's feature
article. Discover what the heart has
to do with increasing brain power.
MaryJo
P.S. I'll be doing a "Think Like
Einstein" TeleChat series later in the
spring. Plus a freebie one-hour introduction
with handouts. I'll let you know when.
Be sure to sign up for both as enrollment in
TeleChats is always limited.
P.P. S. It's not too late to sign up for the
Brain Gym Basics TeleChat which starts
tonight, Wednesday, March 21. It's the
easiest way to discover Brain Gym. Do
Brain Gym to stop the struggle with kids'
learning challenges and your frustration.
Get more information and register for the
Brain Gym Basics TeleChat
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Workshop and
TeleChat Schedule |
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Brain Boosters for Your Kids TeleChats in
March
We offer free TeleChats, single TeleChats, and
our popular 4-session,
90-minute series, Brain Gym Basics. The 4-session series
are available for graduate professional development
credit for teacher recertification and
salary upgrade from the University of
Colorado. Check out the
TeleChat
schedule.
Watch for two more
4-session series we've got in the works for
this Spring: "Smart Kids: Brain Boosters for
School Success." And "They're Driving Me
Crazy: How to Manage ADHD."
"Brain Gym
Basics," 4 evenings beginning
Wednesday, March 21 from 6 -7:30 Mountain time.
(Teachers, you can receive graduate professional
development credit for recertification and
salary upgrade from the University of
Colorado for "Brain Gym Basics.")
Teachers, sign up today and get
Information about the
Brain Gym Basics TeleChats
Parents, sign up today
and get information about the
Brain Gym Basics TeleChats.
All classes,
even
FREE
classes, include handouts and templates you can duplicate to
use in your classroom and at home. Plus a
Web audio recording you can listen to later.
Always sign up
for the TeleChats even if you're busy that
evening--you'll still get the handouts and
can listen to the audio at your convenience.
Of course, on the live call, you can ask
questions.
Brain Gym Classes
Westminster, Colorado: April 20, two 1-hour sessions,
Colorado PTA Convention
Boulder, Colorado: April 21, 2007, 1-day Introduction to
Brain Gym
Jackson, Mississippi:
June 1-3, Brain Gym 101
Start
making your summer plans today. Come to
beautiful
Colorado for your vacation and while you're here, take a three-day Brain
Gym 101 class.
Evergreen, Colorado: June 25-27,
2007 (Near Denver)
Basalt, Colorado: July 16-18 (Near Aspen)
Estes Park, Colorado: July 24-26, 2007 (Near Boulder)
Castle Rock, Colorado: August 7-9, 2007 (Near Colorado Springs)
To register for these and other Brain Gym classes and
to get
more
information, go to
www.BrainGymClasses.com.
Or take a Brain Gym class
FREE.
For more
information, go to
http://www.braingymclasses.com/FreeBrainGym.htm
Set up a class in North Dakota,
Arkansas
or any one of the lower 48 and we'll come to
you. You don't have to come
to Colorado.
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"It's Not All in Their Head:
Teaching Kids to Use the "Little Brain in
Their Heart"
Dr. MaryJo Wagner
Summary: Scientists have proven that we
have a small brain in our heart.
When kids use this little brain, they act smarter
and make better
decisions.
In 1991, Dr. J. Andrew Armour, a
neurocardiologist at the University ofMontreal, discovered that your heart has a brain
with its own central
nervous system.
O.K. so it's not a very big brain. The brain
in your head has 100 billion
neurons and 100 million billion (give or take a
couple million) neuronal
connections.
Your heart brain has a mere 40 thousand neurons.
Hardly
enough to
learn a second language or master
calculus.
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However, this little brain in your heart has a
couple of very important jobs.
First, your heart brain perceives the world first. Tells
your head brain if something is safe, fun, in your
best interest, or even dangerous. Then your
head brain figures out what to do with this information.
Join in the fun or run away?
Second, your heart brain also makes better decisions than
your head brain. You already know about this
process. We call it intuition, gut feelings,
or hunches. And it's also called emotional
intelligence.
Einstein often reminded us that "the only valuable
thing is intuition." It's intuition that led him to
E=MC2
So how
do we help children use this little brain in their
hearts?*
It's easy. Just three steps you can do in three or
four minutes.
1. Sit quietly and take several deep breaths,
imagine you're breathing through your heart. If
children know Brain Gym®,
they can sit in Hook Ups or hold their Positive
Points.
2.
Think of something (or several things) that they
appreciate--even something as "inconsequential" as
their favorite food on the lunch menu today. You
might want to help them think of things ahead of
time: Sitting next to a best friend, going ice
skating, playing with their dog, wearing a favorite
shirt. Teach them that the list of things they can
be thankful for is truly endless. Have them play a
game, seeing who can make the longest list of things
to be thankful for.
Note:
Scientists have shown that the quickest way to
access the heart brain and develop emotional
intelligence is with gratitude.
3. Now
ask your heart a question? For example, should
I go to soccer practice or Mandy's birthday party?
Should I take AP English? Ask any question at
all.
By
teaching children to use their heart brain, we help
them to make better decisions, to treat themselves
and others with respect, to choose what's right for
them.
*The
three steps outlined are adapted from
HeartMath.
© MaryJo Wagner, 2007
MaryJo
Wagner, Ph.D.
The Learning Doctor
"Helping You Help Kids Learn"
mjw@mjwagner.com
www.BrainGymClasses.com
www.brain-based-learning.com
Sign up today for the
Brain Boosters for
Your Kids newsletter
to
help your children learn easily and without
struggle. At home and in the classroom.
* * *
You're always welcome to duplicate this article,
distribute it to
parents and pass it around to teachers.
Got a school or PTA newsletter or e-zine? Your own
parent, teacher, or learning Web site? A community
publication? You can reprint this article.
Just print the whole article with my name under the
title and my contact information at the bottom. When
the report is published, please send me a copy or
the url to find it on the Web.
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 Based
on brain (and eye) development, what's the
best age to teach children to read and why?
E-mail your
answer to me at
mjw@mjwagner.com First person to
get the correct answer wins a free TeleChat
series of their choice
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Readers Tips
and Questions |
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Can you do too many exercises that cross the
midline? Are there any restrictions on this?
Shelly Richards, 2nd grade teacher,
San Diego, CA
For the average child or adult, usually not.
However, you don't want to do exercises that
cross the midline with anyone who has
epilepsy or a seizure disorder.
When you do midline exercises with kids,
always watch that they don't become dizzy.
If they look
uncomfortable or want to stop, have them sit
down with feet flat on the floor, ankles,
uncrossed and hands and arms uncrossed.
This situation is not common but you still
want to watch out
for it.
And never do eye-tracking for more than a
minute or two with anyone.
Don't be
shy. Send us your tips and questions.
E-mail them to me at
mjw@mjwagner.com I'd love to
put your
question or tip in the April issue of "Brain Boosters for Your Kids."
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More about the "Little Brain in the Heart"
Most of the recent
research and on-going work with the "heart-brain" is being done by the
Institute of HeartMath®
in Mountain View, California.
Find out about their
programs and read some of the fascinating research
at
HeartMath.
You
can also purchase books about HeartMath from their
Web site
store. My favorite is the HeartMath Solution by
Doc Childre and Howard Martin. HeartMath books for developing
emotional intelligence in children include Teaching Children to Love:
80 Games and Fun Activities and HeartMath: Teen Self Discovery,
both by Doc Childre.
Let
me know if you're interested in HeartMath programs for educators and
parents. Just e-mail me at mjw@mjwagner.com
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Get a
FREE Brain
Gym balance over the phone with me.
Offer extended
to April 15.
If you've taken Brain
Gym from me or anyone else, you can get a
FREE
Brain Gym balance over the phone with me.
It's my gift to you. (I
normally charge $75 for a balance.)
I wanted
to do something
special to make up for being gone from Brain
Boosters in December when my computer blew
up--not once but twice! This limited offer
ends April 15. To schedule, e-mail me at
mjw@mjwagner.com
You
must have
knowledge of Brain Gym to take advantage of
this gift.
If you've never
taken a Brain Gym class, sign up for Brain
Gym Basics and you'll also get a Brain Gym
Balance FREE
as one of
the bonuses. Check out
www.brain-based-learning.com/BrainGymTeleChatforTeachers.htm
or
www.brain-based-learning.com/BrainGymTeleChatforParents.htm
P.S.
I'm not trying to be manipulative here
and talk you into taking the TeleChat.
It's just that you can't do a Balance, even
if I'm facilitating it for you, unless you
know the Brain Gym movements.
What to do When They're Afraid of the Giant
Green Monster
Although this tip isn't about using a
Brain Gym movement, it does show you a way
to "trick" the brain to get rid of the giant
green monster. (Next month we'll take a look
at how this same part of the brain can help
older kids do better on tests--even high
school kids taking their SATs.)
Let's look at
the limbic part of the brain, the mid-brain.
It's more developed in little kids than the
front part of the brain. And the limbic part
of the brain, the emotional center, doesn't
know the difference between what's real and
what isn't.
This is the
part of the brain that convinces pre-schoolers
their imaginary playmate is real.
It's also the
part of the brain that convinces them the
Giant Green Monster is real and will gobble
them up even when you reassure them that
there's no giant green monster under the
bed. And no giant green monster who will eat
them up.
Best of all,
it's the part of the brain that convinces
them they can be a dog, superman, or a magic
fairy.
So encourage
them to imagine that they are the Green
Monster Destroyer. Let them dress up in
simple costumes. Now give them something to
"destroy" the Green Monster with: a spray
bottle, a magic wand, something they think
up.
Right before
bedtime, in their costume, the children move
around the house, their bedroom, under their
bed, in the closet with their Green Monster
Destroyer or Green Monster Evaporater and
get rid of the Green Monster.
Works, as
long as you get into the game with them, and
don't let an older child ruin the
pretending. For little folks, pretending is
real. Thanks to their over-developed Limbic
brain and their under-developed neocortex,
you can take advantage of pretending to help
them go off to bed calmly and without fears!
Are you
wondering if Brain
Gym can solve learning challenges at your
house or in your classroom?" I don't blame you for
being skeptical. Brain Gym often sounds too
good to be true. But the answer's "yes,
Brain Gym works."
Check out the results
from some
Brain
Gym research.
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© 2007 MaryJo Wagner, Ph.D.
the mjwagner company * 970-963-4077
334 Meadow Lane * Marble, Colorado 81623
Brain Gym® is a registered trademark of
the Educational Kinesiology Foundation, Ventura, CA
www.BrainGym.org
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