Fabulous Find Friday: Balloons
Each week I will be selecting an item for Fabulous Find Friday. If you have a suggestion for a Fabulous Find, email me and I will try it out! Your Fabulous Find may be Featured on a Future Friday! ;)
I use balloons in a variety of ways with students in classroom guidance lessons, group sessions, and individual sessions.
I have used balloons to teach deep breathing techniques by demonstrating how you have to take a deep breath to make a balloon fill with air. This can be used to teach students who have difficulty calming down when they are angry or anxious.
I have also used balloons to teach about anger management. In a classroom setting, I have two students volunteer to be my “helpers.” One student receives a red balloon (symbolizing anger) and the other student receives a blue balloon (symbolizing cooling down or calmness). I read scenarios aloud that might cause someone to become upset, such as "someone took bumped into you in the hallway."
Each time I read a scenario, both students blow their balloon up a little bit. As a class, we discuss what the student with the blue balloon could do to calm down or cool down. The student with the blue balloon lets air out of the balloon after discussing coping strategies. The student with the red balloon however, holds their balloon tight and does not let out any of the air in after each scenario. As each scenario is read, more and more air continues to be added to the red balloon.
Each time I read a scenario, both students blow their balloon up a little bit. As a class, we discuss what the student with the blue balloon could do to calm down or cool down. The student with the blue balloon lets air out of the balloon after discussing coping strategies. The student with the red balloon however, holds their balloon tight and does not let out any of the air in after each scenario. As each scenario is read, more and more air continues to be added to the red balloon.
After the red balloon is full of air, we talk about what the balloon symbolizes. We talk about how the balloon is full of a lot of anger and frustration and holding it in. I ask students what would happen if we tried to add more air to the balloon. Students suggest that the balloon might pop. I then have the student holding the red balloon let it go. The balloon flies around. Students find this funny. I explain that when we hold our anger in we can explode. Using healthy coping strategies to relieve our angry feelings allows us to feel comfortable and in control.
Do you have a Fabulous Find that you Fancy? I would love to hear from you! Your Fabulous Find may be Featured on a Future Friday, Friends! ;)Comment below, email me, tweet, or share on the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page!Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources. Contact Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.
