Before all the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, I shared a little about a program we were utilizing called How Does Your Engine Run? The month of December is busy, busy, busy around Hedges. Keeping this in mind, Kelly and I decided to try something new...movie viewing! I specifically chose the movie to fit with our small group discussions about How Does Your Engine Run? During these discussions, our groups focused a lot on how Anger makes an engine rev and run a little high. We talked about what happens to our body- mind, heart, and breath- when we become angry. Most of the kids were able to identify having physical reactions to anger.
During this time, I introduced, or reintroduced, the groups to someone who struggles with physical aggression. Some of you might know him as...Wreck-It Ralph! Throughout the movie, the groups were able to identify when Ralph's engine was running high, low, and just right.
By using an external example, the kids were able to engage in discussions about how to help Ralph use his coping skills. The best part? One of our Kindergarten teachers donated an actual Wreck-It Ralph doll...and yes, he can wreck-it! During groups, the kids taught Ralph how to take deep breaths, use his words, and take some space.
I created a few other activities to go along with the movie and posted them in Google docs. We utilized the "wreck-it" worksheet to draw a picture of time we wrecked something when upset, then we talked about what we wanted to do instead. Using the "fix-it" worksheet, we shared how we might fix the thing we wrecked- whether it was an actual thing (my brother's game) or a relationship (saying "I'm sorry" to my brother).
I'm not sure if the cookie monster kids or their cookie monster counselor enjoyed the movie more. But I do know it was a fun, effective tool to utilize when everyone's attention was stretched a little thin.
Thanks Disney Pixar for another great film!
Kristina
