March Madness and Mindfulness

Today I'm thinking about March Madness,

and about how it's more than just a basketball thing.

I remember students starting to squabble like siblings

right before spring break every year, rendering 

that coveted time away even more sacred.

So when spring has sprung and March Madness hits, 

what are your go-to mindfulness strategies

to keep you grounded and in the moment?

Consider making these homemade scentsies.

Find your favorite focus fragrance,

put that essential oil on a cotton ball, 

then drop that cotton ball into a salt shaker.

Now my Pepper shaker smells like Peppermint

and the Salt shaker holds a Citrus scent.

Encourage deep breathing while slowing smelling

the one that brings the most emotional connection or calm.

Add a mantra like Inhale March, exhale madness.

Click {here} to read more about how smells affect the brain.

I'm also thinking about March Madness in regard to

prioritizing the things on my ever-growing to-do list.

What if, I pondered on my morning walk, I were to 

draw up a bracket with all of life's pressing things,

to help me choose which thing I need to do first.

Winner bracket for the urgent things,

losers bracket for things due later.

It might even be a way to help me weed out things

that I don't really even need to do at all.

Just a thought, for when busy-ness equals madness.

Finally, how do your budding authors keep writer's block at bay? 

Have we got the perfect tool for you.

This incredible illustrated Dictionary is filled with

words and pictures to help storytellers ages 7-13

find just the right words for their essays and posts.

I can only hope that this sample page conveys its epicness.

Wait, is that even a word?

There are hopeful words, 

delicious words,

disgusting words, 

setting words,

smell words,

cloudy words, 

character words,

weather words,

emotion words,

useful words,

relevant words,

storytelling words.

So many words.

You name it, it's probably in there,

along with lots of brilliant illustrations.

Check out this world-class book; it'll be a beautiful addition

to the resource shelves in your classroom or at home.