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Small groups and Summer Camp focused around laying the foundation to 21st century skills for young people to thrive!

Brain/Breath/Body Connection, Social/ Emotional skills

10/26/2026

It’s a simple, playful question that guides our day from the minute they walk in.

I ask the students every day if they had a million dollar breakfast in a casual non judgmental way. It means nothing to them but means everything at the same time.

We are discussing nutrition and healthy/not so healthy options in a playful/yet meaningful way building curiosity, and communication

The students are gaining awareness through language and drawing connections at the same time to different types of food and its effects.

We talk about how food fuels us… and what kinds of food do that.

We talk about what kind of food they ate or in a lot of cases didn’t eat in the morning and how that affects them or notice how they are acting/feeling.

❗️As a teacher - This DATA is important to understanding the whole child and their ability to access learning because food impacts everything.

I have healthy options available to them if they didn’t have a chance to eat.

I keep it fun and light because that’s how learning should be.

I have students come in and say, “I only had a $3 breakfast today and describe it as pancakes with syrup” and we giggle. Or others come in with a high five saying they had a million dollar breakfast made up of Whole Foods. Both are welcome because we are always learning.

❗️As a mom of 3 i know first hand how hard the mornings are and getting that million dollar breakfast in… so zero judgement coming from here. It doesn’t have to just be breakfast. It’s small moments throughout the day and gaining the awareness that food is fueling and how can we make that an important part of our learning day! You could have a million dollar lunch or dinner!

Guiding young people doesn’t always have to be strict and serious. Adding playful moments allow children to drop their guard and get curious!! This is what 21st century learning is all about at its foundation. 💪🏻🧠💜

10/12/2026

The longer I work with young people, it always comes back to one word.

Connection.

We can have all the strategies, tools, and lessons in place, but if we’re missing connection, we’re missing the foundation.

When young people feel seen, heard, and valued, we create space for trust, curiosity, confidence, and learning. The smiles are bigger, the laughter is louder and everyone just feels better.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s often found in the smallest moments of our day that aren’t highlighted.

At ME kids (Foundations for Learning), we focus on building the skills that support the whole child. And connection is woven into all of it.

Because before we can build skills, we have to build relationships.

Connection isn’t the extra. It’s the foundation.

Take the time and see how much more time and joy you will get back in your classroom and beyond.

10/10/2026

Mental health isn’t just something we talk about. It’s something we TRAIN.

And that training starts even at a young age.

We spend so much time teaching young people academics, sports, extracurricular activities (and all these adult responsibilities)

but are we giving them the tools to understand what’s happening inside their own bodies to handle all of these things.

Mental health +physical health = Whole Body Health

Connection, Movement, Sleep, Nutrition, Intentional breathing all play a role in how we feel, focus, learn, and respond to the world around us.

When we teach young people to notice their heartbeat, recognize changes in their energy, understand their emotions, connect with others and themselves, and use their breath-

we’re building awareness and skills they can carry into everyday life.

They will begin to notice the changes and feel better when they can do it themselves.

We can’t eliminate stress, frustration, or difficult emotions. But we can help young people build the capacity to navigate them.

It starts with small, consistent practices.

Mental health isn’t just a conversation for one day. It’s something we support and strengthen every day. 💚💚

10/08/2026

Last year I worked with a first grader whose school days were so hard. Not because he wasn’t capable, but because his body wasn’t ready to learn yet.

So we started with connection first (because young people won’t do anything if they don’t trust you) and then we introduced Breath and Movement specific to him (in collaboration with his OT).

We Noticed what his body needed before anyone asked him to sit still and focus.

This year, I built a room in our school where students could go to practice these skills specific to their individual needs.

Guess what, he goes on his own. Not when a teacher tells him he needs a break. When he knows he needs it. He has taken agency over his own body’s needs.

This is 21st century learning.

This is the goal. Not compliance. Self-awareness. A child who can read his own body and take care of it.

His days are better now. He’s looking forward to his work.

Children aren’t failing their environments. Environments are failing the children. When we change the environment and teach the body first, the learning follows.

Foundations to learning starts with the body first! 🧠💪🏻💜

10/05/2026

I knew that if I was dysregulated, there was no chance my class was going to be or stay regulated. I needed to get myself ready, first.

But… I also knew that I had no idea what state my students were coming in so they would also benefit from regulation first too!

So I took the few minutes before we got started and brought the students outside and turned our playground into an obstacle course. We got our heart beating, smiles going and we even did some strength work holding onto the bars.

We ended using our remote control breath (nasal breathing) to get ready for the day.

Within minutes (because moving and breathing changes our internal state quickly) I felt myself come back to base and watched the joy come alive with the students.

Teachers, we are always so concerned with finding the right supports for our students, don’t forget to get the right supports for you too. It sets the foundation for your environment and your day.

Foundations to learning starts with YOU! 🧠💪🏽💜

10/01/2026

Think about how much our students are taking in every single day.

Screens. Sounds. Directions. Transitions. Academics. Activities. Conversations. Constant stimulation. Mostly driven by someone else. I hear from students every day complain how tired they are and how much “stuff” they have to do.

At some point, their system hits capacity and I have seen this as early as trying to complete the first task in the morning.

Overload doesn’t always look like overwhelm.

Sometimes it looks like not listening.
Impulsivity.
Silliness.
Shutting down.
Frustration.
Difficulty focusing.
Crying.

So before we immediately correct the behavior, maybe we need to ask:

Is this student giving me a hard time… or is their system having a hard time?

Less input. - builds CURIOSITY
More connection. - builds COMMUNICATION
More opportunities to reset.-builds CREATIVITY
More open opportunities- builds CRITICAL THINKING

While adding movement to connect it all.

Because sometimes the body needs support before the brain can do what we’re asking of them.

Building the foundations to learning before anything else.

09/29/2026

Young people are meant to MOVE.

We have to remember what we’re asking of kids during the course of their day.

This morning, they came into school and went right into an assembly. A change in routine, a lot of sitting, a lot of listening, a lot of stimulation…

and then we expect them to head back to class and be ready to learn.

But their bodies might not be ready yet. We have little to no idea how their before school morning went or how regulated they are walking in.

We do know that we can change our internal state through movement and intentional breathing.

So that’s what we did (in the rain) because it’s important to us to have healthy bodies before anything else.

It didn’t take long and we were ready for our assembly. The best part, when we got there, I had the opportunity to lead our entire school in a breathing session to guide them to a regulated state before we started!!!

Let their bodies regulate so their brains can get ready for what comes next.

Building the foundations for learning, first! 💪🏻🧠💜

09/25/2026

I was at back to school night and a parent came up to me and asked me about our . She said her son has one at home and went home the other day and said, “Mom this is not a toy. This is how you get your brain and heart ready by breathing”.

I said your son is right. It could be a toy but we use it to teach young people about breathing and how it changes their heart beats.

It’s cute, right. But here’s the thing. One of the goals for her son is emotional regulation. It’s been 3 weeks of school and a practice every single day has now planted a mark on him.

The more we continue to practice, the more it will become part of his toolbox and he will begin to connect it to times when he feels dysregulated (internal changes, ie his heart beats)How powerful is that!!

Imagine if every student had access to these skills first so they are more equipped to manage the demands of their day.

09/24/2026

School has been in session for about 3 weeks. We introduced the physiology first approach with our heart beat check in and “remote control nose breath” on day 1.

Everyday we check in, whether we are feeling good, excited, sad, frustrated - all of it. We practice making it go fast, and practice slowing it down. We give our young people the power!

For young children this is a concrete way to “feel a change”. They don’t fully understand the “why” meaning yet, but they understand that when their heart beat is beating fast- their body is giving them a message.

And… 3 weeks in they are practicing “noticing” the change and in some cases using their “remote control nose breath” because we know it’s the fast way to get our bodies back to a sympathetic state.

They just know their heart beat is slowing down and they think it’s magical. Guess what it is!!!

Imagine if all students learned this BEFORE their little heart beats beat insensately out of their chests. How empowering is that!!

That’s what we do! 💪🏻😮‍💨🧠

04/28/2026

End of year energy is real. 😮‍💨

Everyone is tired and patience is running thin. This is when the lesson matters least and the connection matters most.

When the room feels heavy — that’s your sign. Put the plan down and connect with them. Build or even rebuild the relationship and ground the room.

Because when students feel safe and seen, something shifts. The resistance softens. Not because you had the perfect activity — but because you chose them over the curriculum for a moment.

That’s what they’ll remember. Not the work.

They’ll remember you showing up for them when everyone was running on empty. After teaching for over 20+ years, I get it, it’s hard… but it’s so worth it. Our young people are looking for guides to help the navigate a school day in a safe and engaging way.

The lesson can wait. Connection first! 💜

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Long Valley, NJ

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