|
Article from The Consortium Newsletter
The Endangered Feelings Characters Launa Ellison is the editor of the newsletter for the Consortium for Whole Brain Learning. She is also the author of two books: SEEING THROUGH MAGIC GLASSES THE PERSONAL INTELLIGENCES Consortium for Whole Brain Learning |
My fifth and sixth graders recently had a
wonderful, wonderful experience. A Consortium subscriber shared her
expertise and creativity with us. Barbara Kobe brought her friends--Angerilla,
Trifearatops, Crynoceros and Happypotomus. These uniquely designed hand
puppets each have a distinct personality (anger, fear, sad, happy) and a
story. Barbara's interaction style with my students was immediately captivating. Her "feelings curriculum" was naturally drawn from the children, touching development themes. The time flew and students shared eagerly. Next she introduced smaller puppet/dolls, "Numbfull and The Fulls--Numbfull, Ragefull, Fearfull, Tearfull, and Joyfull" Again we were guided to express and understand important ideas, in an unthreatening honest way. It was obvious that Barbara had both a deep understanding of children's emotions and significant experience in drawing out and interacting with children's feelings. These hand made puppet/dolls work with a wide range of ages, Pre-K through middle school. The support materials stress the brain-compatible importance of dealing with feelings in our classrooms. The Endangered Feelings Characters and The Fulls address significant points of "whole brain" education. The puppets are stimulating visually, kinesthetically and auditorily. They build trust from the Reptilian Brain and focus on the issues of the emotional Limbic System. The ensuing discussion is drawn from the children's experiences. The set and materials would make a wonderful addition to any school's social skills curriculum. |
