Vasilia Graboski
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Psyched Writer

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This blog is a resource for fellow therapists, parents and teachers. I will provide suggestions and reviews of books that I have found especially therapeutic and useful for various social-emotional issues.  And...my favorite part...I will provide accompanying activities related to the book to help with teaching social-emotional skills.

​I would love for you to check it out and give me your feedback. 

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Cloud of Calm

11/2/2022

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A Book Review of The Big Worry Day

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This month I teamed up with A Novel Mind website and created a guest post for their blog! It features the amazing book, The Big Worry Day, written by K.A. Reynolds and illustrated by Chloe Dominique. This book presents an insightful and authentic representation of childhood anxiety and is chockfull of coping strategies! As always, I have included an activity to go along with the book. Check it out HERE!
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The Case of the "What Ifs?"

7/21/2020

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A Book Review of Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree

Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree
Written by: Gail Silver
Illustrated by: Franziska Hollbacher
Published by: Magination Press

I chose Mindful bea and the Worry Tree to review this month as I think all of us have been feeling some level of anxiety about the pandemic and are worried about what the future will bring. The most pressing worry as we are approaching August for children, parents and teachers is whether or not they will return to school in person this Fall. If so, what will that look like? Will it be safe? What happens if I get sick? What if I don't return to school? What will online learning be like with a new teacher? So many important questions and so few answers. Anxiety and worry are a normal reaction to these current circumstances. 
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Pandemic panic aside, anxiety disorders are the most common psychological issue among children. Anxiety has been on the rise in our society for many years.  Anxiety and worry are a normal part of childhood, but it can become more severe in some children. This book, Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree, is excellent for children within the whole spectrum of anxiety, from everyday worries to severe disturbances. This book will help children name and understand their feelings of anxiety as well as learn to cope with it. 

The author, Gail Silver, utilizes a tree as an analogy for anxiety, with beautiful writing as follows: 
"like a seed from underground, it sprouts alive, unleashed, unbound. With knarled roots, this kind of tree feeds on thoughts ..."  The story begins as Bea, in anticipation of her birthday party, is bombarded with thoughts of "What if ..." "What if nobody comes? What if we didn't bake enough cake?" These "what if ..." questions are very common in all of our thoughts when anxiety starts to take hold. 

Through Bea, Ms. Silver does a thorough job in describing the physical sensations in our bodies when we are feeling anxious. This is an important step in helping children recognize and name their feelings, which is crucial to coping. She then takes children through a meditation process, including deep breathing and slowing down thoughts in order to choose what to think about. Repetition of words is used in the text to show Bea slowly calming herself down and quieting her irrational thoughts as she is employing her coping skills. 

Franziska Hollbacher, the illustrator, follows the mood of the story beautifully through her illustrations. Initially the vines of the tree are taking over. Slowly these vines recede and the illustrations become more and more calm and then full of fun energy as the birthday party begins. 

This book includes a Note to Parents, written by a psychologist, which includes helpful information on how to use this book, information on understanding anxiety in children, how parents can help, and when to seek professional help. 

I strongly recommend this book for all children ages 4-8, whether struggling with temporary, everyday worries or with an ongoing anxiety disorder. Check out other books on emotions by Gail Silver at https://gailsilver.com/books-and-more/.

I have included additional resources below and an activity to further help your child with their worries and anxieties. 

Activity and Resources for Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree

Belly breathing is the most important skill to acquire and not easy to teach young children - here are a couple of links to videos to help teach belly breathing to kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOnDA6_MAWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Relaxation/Meditation/Mindfulness - an abundance of apps are available on Iphone or Ipad with meditation/mindfulness exercises for kids. A few of the higher rated apps are:
Stop, Breathe and Think Kids
Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame Street (for the younger crowd)
Calm (has a specialized kid's section)

Activity
Materials needed: 


pinwheel template https://www.firstpalette.com/printable/pinwheel.html

Paper (cardstock works best)can use colored paper or white
unused pencil with eraser
push pin or tack
scissors
crayons or markers
black marker
glue -strong glue is helpful
bead or small button
Directions: I suggest that you make two-one for child and one for adult helper
1. Talk to child about their worries,
write them down and set aside for now

2. Share a couple of your minor worries 
as an adult without overwhelming
the child

3. Print out 2 templates(one plain and one with desired design) for each pinwheel
on cardstock or paper



​4. Cut out squares






5. Color designs on one square as desired





6. Glue un-decorated sides of the squares together





7. Cut inside of squares along dotted lines





8. Bring every other tip of each of the sides
to the center without folding paper; 
Glue in place; Hold in place until dry;
Trickiest part-need strong glue









9. Pull out the list of child's worries
and write on the solid parts of the
pinwheel with a black marker




10. Insert push pin through center
where tips come together; wiggle it around 
to make the hole a little bigger

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10. Add bead or button to pin on
the back side of pinwheel









11. Insert push pin into the eraser 
of the pencil; make sure it's not poking
​out the other side of the eraser. 





12. Blow on it to make sure it twirls freely; 
if not, loosen the pin and wiggle it around more; works best if you blow toward the front of the pinwheel and not the sides

13. Blow those worries away and make the pinwheel spin!
Adult should breathe with them with their pinwheel. 


14. Pull the pinwheel out when child is having worries.
Have fun! 



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What if...

6/14/2019

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A Book Review of Being Bree
​ Bree and the Nametag Worries

Being Bree
​Bree and the Nametag Worries

Written by Christine Sromek Laforet
Illustrations by Lisa Rush
Publisher: Clear Fork Publishing

This month I'm moving into a slightly older age-group and reviewing a Chapter Book/Early Reader appropriate for ages 6-10. Through this book, Christine Laforet covers a lot of ground. Besides simply being an enjoyable read for a youngster, this book addresses a host of childhood issues, especially related to the school experience. I highly recommend this book for all children within this age range. 
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Although the main focus of this book is anxiety, it addresses the ancillary problems associated with academic giftedness. Additionally, Ms. Laforet touches on issues of making friends, social skills, experiencing intense feelings, impulsive behaviors and issues with self-control. Therefore, it is appropriate for a wide range of children. ​It is also a helpful read to increase empathy for children who do not experience these particular problems. Incorporated within the story, Ms. Laforet presents many age-appropriate coping strategies that are useful for all children, as well as adults. This book is up-to-the-minute regarding experiences of kids in today's world, i.e. cell phones and video chats. She uses humor throughout the book that makes it fun to read. 

Bree is a  bright, academically gifted girl with a propensity for anxiety. Her thoughts tend to run wild when she is faced with situations that are difficult for her. The plot of the book revolves around a school project for the first day of school, in which Bree is required to create a nametag showing her interests. This activity raises her anxiety about making friends as she begins to think about the upcoming school year. Bree tends to have poor boundaries with peers and can be annoying to others as she tries too hard to fit in. Based on these issues, Bree remembers how she has had difficulty fitting in with peers and the "What if..." questions start to take over her thinking. 

Throughout the story, Bree experiences many failures related to making friends which further heightens her anxiety. She loses her nametag and is forced to make friends without it, a feat Bree thinks is impossible. She models for the reader strategies for calming herself down and controlling her emotions. Ms Laforet weaves these strategies into the story well so that they do not appear preachy. By the end of the book, Bree has learned some social lessons and does make friends.
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Ms. Laforet does an excellent job opening the door to Bree's thoughts and feelings, allowing the reader to empathize with her. Through the illustrations, Lisa Rush creatively brings Bree's spunky and intense personality to life. 
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At the end of the book, Ms. Laforet lists the coping strategies modeled throughout the book. These include:
1. How to Take a Belly Breath 
2. Steps to Calming Down

In the calming down steps, many strategies are mentioned including doing an action to distract from the thoughts, naming your feeling(s), counting, belly breathing, using positive self-talk.


Anxiety among children has become more prevalent over time and affects approximately 1 in 8 children ages 3-17. It is fairly common for children with anxiety to also experience behavioral problems and/or depression. For more severe forms of anxiety, therapy is recommended. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be especially helpful. Sometimes medication is necessary. For milder forms of anxiety, there are many strategies that can be used at home, in therapy, or in the classroom that can be especially helpful. Below is a list of activity ideas. 

Being Bree: Bree and the Nametag Worries is the first book in the Being Bree series. Book 2 is currently available and Book 3 will be released soon. For more information, check out the author's website at www.christinesromeklaforet.com.

Activities Ideas for Being Bree
Bree and the Nametag Worries

All kids, like adults, feel worried and anxious from time to time. Sometimes, kids suffer from more chronic, severe anxiety that requires treatment. In addition to the strategies modeled in Being Bree, these activities can be helpful for all children to minimize anxiety and worries. 

1. Belly breathing is the most important skill to acquire - here are a couple of links to videos to help teach belly breathing to kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOnDA6_MAWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mZbzDOpylA
2. Yoga - several DVDs are available for kid's yoga and many more kid's yoga classes are being offered in the community. A few of the higher rated DVDs are: 
Storyland Yoga: Yoga for Kids and Families (ages 3-8)
Once Upon a Mat  (ages 2.5+)
Yoga Motion (ages 2.5+) 

3. Relaxation/Meditation/Mindfulness - an abundance of apps are available on Iphone or Ipad with meditation/mindfulness exercises for kids. A few of the higher rated apps are:
Stop, Breathe and Think Kids
Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame Street (for the younger crowd)
Calm (has a specialized kid's section)
Headspace (Has a specialized kid's section)

4. Exercise - rigorous exercise when the child is feeling anxious is very helpful
5. Journaling - if the child is old enough, writing out feelings and worries can be very therapeutic. "Get it out of your head and onto the paper" is one of my favorite lines for kids with many worries/anxieties. 
- A very helpful journaling activity that I strongly recommend is to keep a small notepad and pen next to the child's bed. Before bed or anytime, the child can write their worries, feelings, or concerns that they want to share. The child gives the notepad to a parent in the morning and the parent, in turn, writes back to the child with reassuring statements or acknowledgement of feelings, etc. The parent then places the notepad next to the child's bed again before bedtime and the process is repeated daily or as often as possible. This not only helps the child 'get it out of their head and onto the paper', it helps the parent stay in touch with the feelings of their child. The writing practice doesn't hurt either!

Thanks for reading my blog. Feel free to leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. 






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