Week 8: New Tool- Virtual Calming Room

 


What is a Virtual Calming Room? 

This week I wanted to share a tool that I have been utilizing in my classroom. I typically have a "relaxation station" in my room during a normal year. Students can go to the relaxation station to take a 5 minute brain break when they begin to feel anxious, nervous, upset or frustrated. In school I typically fill up the desk with sensory toys and calming strategies. The virtual calming room can bring the advantages of a relaxation station to an online classroom. This tool is very user friendly and your students will love it!

How does it work?

When students click on the link to the calming room they are taken to the homepage. On the homepage they are able to click the type of break they are looking for. The website has options such as movement, sounds & music, coloring & creativity, animal cams and more. When students select the category that will best help them calm down they are taken to a page with a variety of options and videos. If a student wants to have a movement break or picked sounds & music they are shown student friendly Youtube videos that meet the criteria that they are looking for. If they click on options such as coloring & creativity and puzzles & games they are shown links to different websites where they can interact with those activities. There are many different options and the websites allows students to pick the strategy that works best for them. 



How I use it in my classroom?

I added the link to the calming room to my class Clever page. Clever is where all my students access the different apps that they use throughout the day. For one of my social emotional lesson we looked through the website as a class. For independent work students needed to try out one of the features on the page and reflect on if it worked for them. This link is always available to students and they are allowed to use it for 5 minutes during independent work and as much as they want during their free time. Giving students a brain break during a stressful time has been really beneficial to their success and attention as a learner. The other day one of my students started crying towards the end of our lesson. I asked her to stay on but she was too upset to talk. I had her go to the virtual calming room for 5 minutes and then come back and talk with me. She chose the animal cam (the best feature in my opinion) and then after she was able to collect herself she was able to tell me what was wrong. I have missed having a relaxation station and in-person learning but this has been a great alternative! 

Tips:

  • Have students set a timer in their room or work space. Some of the activities may take them more than 5 minutes. Set the expectation that they can visit the calming room for 5 minutes and then can come back to what they were working on later.
  • Introduce the link to your whole class and include some sort of activity that all students need to complete. This way you can dedicate time for all your students to learn about the tool. 

How could it work in your classroom:

  • Have it on a page all of your students can access.
  • Dedicate certain parts of the day for your students to use it and take a brain break.
  • When working with a student and you notice that they are becoming upset share the link with them. 
  • Make it a choice options for students to go to when they finish their work. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2021 at 3:07 AM

    Hi Karissa,
    This looks like a great virtual option for Trauma Informed classrooms! I even think high school students would be on board with this. Thank you for sharing, I am going to link this to my LMS and start giving this an option to my students.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barbara AndersenFebruary 24, 2021 at 3:14 PM

    Hi Karissa,
    This is so cool!!!! I am going to use this for my kids for sure!!!!
    Thanks for sharing,
    ~Barbara

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jessie HedgeFebruary 24, 2021 at 7:26 PM

    Karissa this is a fantastic idea! In my classroom I typically have a "safe place" with similar items. Last year I used the Calm app for breaks when students seemed to be getting too worked up, however this sounds like such a great resource to have on clever! Although my kiddos are only 4-5 I will definitely share this resource with other teachers in my school and even the families of my students. I cannot believe I haven't heard of this idea, very trauma-informed and student sensitive I love it thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownFebruary 28, 2021 at 6:51 PM

    Hi Karissa!
    This is a FANTASTIC resource! Providing students with the option to engage in social emotional learning and calm down strategies is so important, so giving access to this for virtual students is helping to meet their needs. I am teaching in person but think this would be a great alternative in my class for whole group calming strategies or brain breaks when needed. I can already imagine my 5 and 6 year olds loving the animal cams!
    - Regan Davis

    ReplyDelete
  5. Donna HaidleMarch 7, 2021 at 6:23 AM

    Hi Karissa,
    This is an amazing tool! I have heard of some teachers using virtual calming rooms but I didn't know about this pre-made choice board. I love the categories on this board and even thought my students are in person can use these with small or large groups. This is also a great tool to share with families. i think they may find some of these strategies helpful too.
    Donna

    ReplyDelete

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