Fear of Missing Out

Today we talked about a common problem among girls of all ages, the fear of missing out.  This could be a friend innocently inviting another friend to spend time together without you, or a very deliberate move intended to hurt you and published on social media.  The trick is learning how to handle this concern in a way that doesn't ruin good friendships.  The best way to counteract this behavior is:

1. Not doing it ourself!  Be wise about what you publish on social media (not posting pictures with "All my besties!") or what you talk about in the company of those that weren't included.
2. Realizing that our friends are allowed to have other friends!  But also talking to them when our feelings are hurt by a specific situation.

We hope this discussion helped because we have ALL been there!

We also watched this video about the danger of cyber bullying:

And, finally, the quote of the day:

Love, Miss Sheets, Mrs. Gasson and Mrs. Krugh :)

Compliment Sandwhich

This week we learned how valuable the art of a "Compliment Sandwich" can be when communicating, especially about a tough topic.  See below for your own example!

We also practiced this with different scenarios that happen at school, lunch, or home.  Ask your daughter for a demo!

Post for Parents: Online Safety

Just as we have been talking about using our words appropriately with the girls in class, we acknowledge that there is a whole world where tone of voice is EASILY misconstrued.  So this post is for you, parents, and deals with the tricky world of internet communication. 

From "The Greater Good," we found tips in an article called, 'How to Keep Your Child Safe (and Happy) Online.  (Full text available here).

The article highlights five principles that help students not avoid yucky people online, but also make wise choices to promote their own safe, positive community.  Two of the best in my opinion are :

1. Establish regular periods of time for your whole family to be unplugged.  The tricky part is modelling this!  But experts believe that the constant need some feel to be 'plugged in' can cause anxiety and even depression.  The article suggests creating a zone in your house, like the dining room, that is 100% device free 24-hrs a day. 

2. Teach kids to always know their online community. They should know every single one of the people that they are “friends” with or that is “following” them, without exception.  And they should be aware of this audience and how all of their words/ actions could be conveyed to each follower.

Good luck, parents!  We appreciate all you do to support our sweet girls.

By the way, how great is this quote on raising girls from the lovely Diane Von Furstenberg?!

 

The Power of Words

Today we finished our role play activity with how to act appropriately and use our words effectively.

Mrs. Krugh also did an activity where she had a cutout of a girl that she crinkled up everytime someone did/ said something mean.  After all was said and done, she showed that even if you take back your mean words or apologize for hurtful actions, the doll could never really be unwrinkled or untorn.

It was a great way to illustrate the power of words.  Parents, ask your daughters how we demonstrated this same concept with toothpaste, too!!  ;)


Love, Miss Sheets, Mrs. Gasson, and Mrs. Krugh :)

Selfies

Mom and girls:  Check out this great video on "Selfies" as a way of redefining beauty.  Love it!

Friendship Fouls

After yesterday's discussion on using our voice effectively, we wanted to practice a little more.  Today we acted out typical social situations, some where we were using our voice effectively, and others where we weren't.

To illustrate, we each got in groups to act out a situation.  The group had to demonstrate how to handle the situation without hurting anyone's feelings.  These included how to handle a friend who can be a "Queen Bee" (always wanting her way) and a "Back Out Friend" (the one who always changes her mind after making a commitment to spend time with you.

We closed with this quote to remind us how to be a good, kind friend and classmate.

 

See you next week!  Love, Miss Sheets, Mrs. Gasson & Mrs. Krugh :)

Setting Boundaries and Body Language

Today we reviewed the importance of some of our AWARE skills- body language, personal space, sarcasm, tone of voice, and volume. It is our job as a girl to be in charge and use our body language and communication for good!

We also watched this video from Dove and talked about the way we perceive ourselves and how that can effect communication.

We wrapped up by playing a game to talk about some of the effects of making poor choices with the way we communicate through our personal space, posture, and more.  Be sure to ask your girls about their challenge for today!

Girls Can Do Anything!!

Check out this cool video with a reminder that girls can do ANYTHING they want to!

Happy Start-of-GBG-Day!

We're so excited to launch GBG today!

We had a great meeting and discussed the "ground rules" for our group.

1. Each of us has the right to talk- so we will respect the speaker without interruption or side conversations.

2. Each of us has the right to pass when it comes to sharing within the group.

3. We will all respect each others’ confidentiality. What we share in here stays in here, unless you said it.

We also talked about girls we admire and made a list of the qualities they have.  Then we made signs for our lockers with the qualities WE have that we admire!  They turned out B-E-A-utiful!  These positive affirmations will remind us to focus on all the good things about ourselves.

We're so looking forward to this group and growing into better, stronger girls together!

 

Love, Miss Sheets, Mrs. Gasson & Mrs. Krugh :)

Things Won't Change Until We Change Them

Love this video on what we see when we look in the mirror...and what we SHOULD focus on instead!

Pairs beautifully with this quote from pretty lady Audrey Hepburn:

100 Empowering Compliments for Girls

What a lovely blog I came across on ways to tell a girl a meaningful, non-superficial compliment.  Check it out!

My favorites:
I admire your imagination.
I'm proud of how respectful you are.
You're gifted with the ability to initiate.
You look confident.
You make me smile!
I'm lucky to know you.
I like you just the way you are.

Bullying strategists Jane Balvanz and Blair Wagner publish GAPRA’s bi-weekly articles. If you’re ready to guide children in grades K – 12 through painful friendships and emotional bullying: For help with emotional bullying: www.GAPRAconnect.com   For the When Girls Hurt Girls® program: www.AWayThrough.com

Lovely You

I love this Roald Dahl quote.  It reminds me of yesterday's post about what REAL beauty is!

30 Resolutions to be a Better Friend

I came across this great article called, "30 Resolutions for Girls with Friendship Problems," but really I think it's helpful for ANYONE!

Blair Wagner developed this list of affirmations/ resolutions to help us be better friends and better girls!

Resolution #1: I resolve to stand up for myself.
Resolution #2: I resolve to pay attention to which friends feel good to be around and which friends don’t.
Resolution #3: I resolve to walk away from situations I don’t want to be part of.
Resolution #4: I resolve to think about what I want in a friend.
Resolution #5: I resolve to smile at girls who don’t have friends.
Resolution #6: I resolve to be a Positive Active Bystander when I see bullying.
Resolution #7: I resolve to practice using a strong voice.
Resolution #8: I resolve to ask for friendship help from a trusted adult when I need it.
Resolution #9: I resolve to be honest with my friends.
Resolution #10: I resolve to trust my gut over what anyone else says.
Resolution #11: I resolve to stand tall.
Resolution #12: I resolve to avoid negative text messages.
Resolution #13: I resolve to do what feels right to me.
Resolution #14: I resolve to try out new friends.
Resolution #15: I resolve to say goodbye to friendships that aren’t healthy for me.
Resolution #16: I resolve to ask questions when I realize I’m making assumptions.
Resolution #17: I resolve to let go of sarcasm.
Resolution #18: I resolve to speak up instead of get revenge.
Resolution #19: I resolve to say how I feel.
Resolution #20: I resolve to respect myself as much as I respect my friends.
Resolution #21: I resolve to look for friends who treat others kindly.
Resolution #22: I resolve to ignore negative gestures.
Resolution #23: I resolve to stick with friends I can trust.
Resolution #24: I resolve to be open to making lots of friends.
Resolution #25: I resolve to avoid gossip and rumors.
Resolution #26: I resolve to stay away from friends who manipulate and use relational aggression.
Resolution #27: I resolve to keep others’ secrets private.
Resolution #28: I resolve to talk to girls who are being given the silent treatment.
Resolution #29: I resolve to never say, “Just kidding.”
Resolution #30: I resolve to be myself.

Which one is your favorite!?



Female friendship experts Jane Balvanz and Blair Wagner publish A Way Through, LLC’s Guiding Girls ezine. If you’re ready to guide girls in grades K – 8 through painful friendships, get your FREE mini audio workshop and ongoing tips now at www.AWayThrough.com

Dove Real Beauty

Have you seen this amazing video?  It's such a powerful way to realize that MANY of the images we see every day and strive to look like aren't even REAL!

So get out and celebrate REAL beauty!  By the way, how cute is this boy?

YOU look beautiful today!  :)

Why Girls Being Girls?

We're so excited to work with our awesome girls this year in Girls Being Girls!  This group will provide strategies to help us be the best girls we can be!

Some topics we'll cover include:

*        What society tells us we should be as a girl vs. what we really are as unique individual girls

*        What we each stand for as a girl

*        Having a voice and using it appropriately (body posture, being present in a conversation, eye contact, tone of voice, etc.)

*        Friendship fouls (things we do not do/say to others even when we are in disagreement with them)

*        The dangers of saying things you can’t take back

*        The power of communicating your thoughts and feelings with people you can trust

*        The types of girls we want to be

Looking forward to it!
Love, Miss Sheets, Mrs. Gasson & Mrs. Krugh :)