Lately with LiiNK®

• It’s a new year! Set a goal for you personally; set a goal for your family; set a goal for you professionally. Write them down. Make sure you can measure each one. Make sure it is realistic but challenging. Track your success with each goal. Reward yourself and your family when a goal is reached. Keep your goals manageable. If you strive for too many, none will be accomplished. Good luck with achieving your 2018 goals!
• I wear a fitbit so I can track how many steps I achieve daily. A healthy goal for all children and adults is to achieve 10,000 steps daily. If you have a step tracker of some kind, commit to tracking your steps and achieving the 10,000 daily. It is a new year after all with new possibilities. I think you will find you feel better if you can move more throughout the day.
• We have become an indoor society over the past 20 years and not even realized it. As a result, we tend to think the outdoors is only enjoyable for certain occasions. Break that mold! You will feel better if you take a break outside every 45 – 60 minutes for at least 10 minutes.
  
• Children love to be outside – even in the cold! We have a section highlighted on the benefits of the outdoors later in the newsletter. Please take a look.

-Dr. Rhea

WFAA Channel 8 featured the LiiNK Project & Little Elm ISD. Much like the district featured in this news story, Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD is steadily moving toward implementing LiiNK on all of their elementary campuses. Dr. Rhea describes how the project is creating healthier kids and how it is "creating a culture change [to] shift that culture so the kids are more relaxed and focused so learning can take place." Click on the link below to watch!

http://www.wfaa.com/news/education/recess-4-times-a-day-little-elm-isd-says-it-helps-in-the-classroom/497319924

Remember, LiiNK campuses go outside for all four 15-minute recesses daily as long as it is safe to do so. According to the National Weather Service and CDC, it is safe to be outside for 20 minute or less in temperatures/wind chill as low as 13 degrees F. Check out the flier below for more details!

In addition to providing an outlet for energy and creativity, being in nature has many other positive health effects. For one, it allows for Vitamin D intake, improving the immune system. It also initiates a parasympathetic response of the nervous system, which leads to the body being more relaxed and less stressed. Furthermore, as people come into contact with nature, allergies may actually improve as individuals are exposed to the outdoors more. Finally, being in nature has been shown to improve cognitive function and emotional well-being. Remember, with the cold weather around, dress your children and yourself warm for winter temperatures. LiiNK recesses are all 15-minutes long, and therefore safe for children to attend down to temperatures or windchills of 13 degrees F (National Weather Service; CDC). If you would like to learn more about the benefits of being in nature, be sure to check out Richard Louv's book, "Nature-Deficit Disorder."

Week 16: Thoughts-Ideas that result from thinking

Week 17: Actions-What you do or cause to happen

Week 18: Feelings-Emotions such as anger, fear, love, and worry

Week 19: Friendship-Caring between people who choose to be together

Week 20: Love-To show unconditional caring

Week 21: Empathy-To think how others feel

1. Getting Along with Others Using Emotional Positive Actions

Treat others how you want to be treated.

2. Positive ways of dealing with others

These include respect, empathy, friendliness, kindness, cooperation, and positiveness.

-Positive Action

Kindergarten: How did Jareef feel when he first met Cindy Squirrel and Abbott Rabbit and how did he feel at the end of the story? How did Pix-it and Nix-it help the animals? What did you see with the magic mirror? What did you learn about Helen Keller and Glen Cunningham?

First Grade: Who was your Secret Pal? How did it make you feel having a Secret Pal? What did you use the spy glass for? What did you notice?

Second Grade: What did you use the magnifying glass for? What did you notice about your classmates? What is your personal code of conduct? What is your favorite fruit from the tree? What does that fruit stand for?

Third Grade: What is empathy? How can you show empathy to others? What did you learn from having a Secret Pal? How did your Secret Pal make you feel?

Last month kindergarten students learned about using money responsibly. They visited the Positive Action store where they budgeted their money to buy goods.

The LiiNK Challenge this month is to take three unplugged (no technology) 15-minute walks outside with your kids. What do you notice? What do you see? What do you smell? How do you feel when you come back inside? We'd love to hear from you!

"Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond—and many are right in our own backyard." (RichardLouv.com)

We would love to hear from you! Please tell us how LiiNK has impacted the lives of your children and family!

Email: cwilliams-martin@ems-isd.net
Website: emsisd.com/Domain/5807
Location: 1200 Old Decatur Road, Fort Worth, TX, United States
Phone: (817)232-0880-6655
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emsisdliink/
Twitter: @EMSISDLiiNK

Thank you to Laura Clark for gathering several sections of this month's newsletter!