Hi friends,
School is done for today and now we're in the car heading home.
Sometimes it's tricky to switch from school time to home time.
Our bodies might still feel busy or our minds might feel a little wiggly.
That's okay.
This time in the car can help us get calm and ready.
I'd like to tell you about a friend named Brooklyn.
Brooklyn loves nature and she loves to dance ballet.
She knows what it feels like when the day has been busy and her body needs a little help calming down.
She has some great ideas to share with us.
First let's get some wiggles out.
Shake out your hands,
Wiggle your toes,
Bounce your shoulders up and down.
Now take a big whoosh breath in and blow it out like you're blowing bubbles.
Let's do that one more time together.
Take a big breath in and blow it out like you're blowing bubbles.
Brooklyn imagines the car driving through a beautiful forest.
Can you picture the tall green trees out the window?
She sees sunlight peeking through the leaves,
Making sparkles and shadows on the ground.
She imagines a soft deer walking carefully between the trees.
Can you picture it too?
Birds are flying high above,
Singing little songs just for us.
Take a deep breath in and imagine smelling the fresh forest air.
Breathe out and imagine you're blowing leaves gently across the ground.
Let's do that two more times.
Take a deep breath in and let it out gently.
One more deep breath in and let it out gently.
Now the car turns a corner and Brooklyn imagines a wide field of flowers,
So many colors.
She notices pink ones,
Purple ones,
And bright yellow ones.
She picks her favorite color flower in her imagination and waves to it as the car drives by.
What color flower would you choose?
Wave to it.
The road stretches into a meadow filled with butterflies.
Their wings flap gently,
Floating up and down,
Side to side.
Brooklyn takes a breath with the butterflies.
Inhale as their wings float up.
Exhale as their wings float down and down and down.
So calm,
So steady.
Since Brooklyn loves ballet,
She sometimes imagines doing tiny dance moves right in her seat.
She lifts her toes up like they're pointing up to the sky and presses them down like she's standing on her tiptoes.
She stretches her arms up,
Up,
Up,
Reaching for the sun and then lets them float down like butterfly wings.
Let's try it with her.
Arms up,
Up,
Up,
Stretch high.
Now float gently down like feathers.
One more time.
Up,
Up,
Up,
And float down.
Beautiful.
You are a car seat dancer just like Brooklyn.
After moving a little,
Brooklyn likes to rest her body.
She puts her hands on her lap like two sleeping puppies.
She lets her shoulders relax.
She softens her face.
If you want to,
You can close your eyes or just look quietly out the window.
She takes a deep breath in and blows out slowly like she's blowing out birthday candles.
Let's do that with her three times.
Breathe in,
Blow out.
Breathe in,
Breathe in.
Brooklyn knows what it feels like to move from school to home.
She imagines her body feeling calmer,
Her mind steadier,
And her heart ready for cozy,
Happy home time.
She smiles and says,
I did it.
I made it home.
And you can say that too.
Remember,
Just like the trees and flowers,
You could be strong and steady.
And just like the butterflies and dancers,
You could be gentle and graceful.
Take one last big breath in and let it go.
When you get home,
Give yourself a little smile and say,
I did it.
