Here’s One Book You’ll Want on the Shelf​

A couple weeks ago I was browsing in a book shop and came across Sitting Still Like a Frog by Eline Snel. I am glad I did. Snel's book is a small volume packed with excellent mindfulness and mediation exercises for kids that adults will enjoy as well.

I did one of these exercises, “The Spaghetti Test,” with one of my second-grade students this week. It is a progressive relaxation meditation in which students imagine that they are stiff pieces of pasta transforming into supple noodles.

When we began, the student was wiggling and wriggling, unable to relax. By the end, her body was calm and she said, “I feel sleepy.” It was the first time I had seen her be completely still. The book comes with a CD of recorded meditations as well as 10 quick chapters about topics like mindful parenting, training one’s attention, and handling difficult feelings.

I highly recommend it.​