Moose the Worry Mutt

These hard working kiddos are feeling pretty proud of themselves and rightfully so! This weekend, they kicked off the first “Cocoa For Calm” fundraiser to help raise awareness and resources for kids’ mental health. Can’t wait for when they get to deliver their Little Renegades’ mindfulness resources to Children's Health and experience the true joy that comes with giving. Thank you We Are The Missfits for hosting our cause and Ya-Hoo! Baking Co. for donating the delicious Coca-Cola cake! .

Friends! My daughters are partnering with Little Renegades and We Are The Missfits to raise money to purchase mindfulness products that they will then donate to the pediatric patients hospitalized at Children's Health. We will be selling hot chocolate outside Missfits (9660 Audelia Rd #105) today (Saturday, 11/13) from 3-5pm. Come help us give the gift of calm to some very deserving children by purchasing a cup of our hot cocoa or slice of Ya-Hoo! Baking Co.‘s delicious chocolate Coca-Cola cake ☕️ 🍫 ❤️. If you can’t make it out today but wish to donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/cocoa-for-calm

What’s your worry bully’s name? 👹 Here are some of my personal favs from last Friday’s anxiety management talk with Parish Episcopal School’s 2nd graders: “Bob”, “Jerry”, “Larry,”“Kevin”… and of course, can’t forget “Covid.” Sometimes giving a name to that anxious voice in our head helps us to take a step back from our anxiety, and begin to recognize and understand it, and then start to change it into more helpful, truthful, and calming self-talk. If you’re interested in teaching your students these types of anxiety management strategies, consider booking a Moose presentation for this school year or messaging us for a copy of our free anxiety lesson plan. .

MOOSE GOES VIRTUAL! There’s never been a more relevant time to talk to students (and teachers) about anxiety & coping skills. Message us if you’re interested in bringing Moose to your school for a virtual presentation or if you would like our free lesson plan and therapeutic worksheet.💻Also, check out Little Renegades for free digital mindfulness resources to use in the classroom. .

Prior to these last few weeks, my naive approach was to wait for my children (ages 2 and 4) to notice differences in skin color and then start having conversations with them about race, racism, and the importance of racial equality and inclusion. Now, I realize there was so much more I could have been doing beforehand to help them recognize and reduce racial bias and become anti-racist. So, we’ve been on a crash course ever since. Since becoming anti-racist is a lifelong process and self-educational pursuit, we hope to share resources with you that we personally find helpful to aid you in this process. This book, “A Kids Book about Racism” helped kick off my antiracism conversations with my own children. It’s honest, straightforward, and easy enough for my 4 year old to understand. It led us to a discussion about what we can do when we spot racism. It is important to note that conversations are just a starting point. Kids learn through modeling. So we must be mindful of our own behaviors, take accountability for our own biases and mistakes, and make a commitment to do better. Happy Juneteenth!!! .

To celebrate the library’s 125th anniversary, NYPL The New York Public Library’s expert librarians complied a list of “125 books for kids from the last 125 years that inspire those both young and young at heart to love reading.” While the library is currently closed due to COVID-19, you can read the books for free on the library’s e-reader app SimplyE. Visit nypl.org/125 to browse the list and let the reading begin! .

We’ve got toddlers at home, and I love this board book for introducing young kiddos to the idea of anxiety as an emotion, related body symptoms, as well as basic coping strategies for reducing worry. Available on Amazon! .

Now more than ever, it’s important to be talking with your kids about stress and emotional health. To help facilitate these conversation and healthy coping, Dr. Kristen Ohlenforst (psychologist and co-author of Moose the Worry Mutt) has compiled a list of helpful resources on her psychology practice’s website. https://therapydallas.com/covid-19/ The list includes links to Moose the Worry Mutt’s anxiety management lesson plan and therapeutic worksheet. We hope to continue to support you through these stressful times by sharing individual and collective resources. .