WELCOME to Body-Brain Boogie WELLNESS Blog!

"HEALTHY LIVING" and "ACTIVE LEARNING" for INDIVIDUALS , FAMILIES, and "WELLNESS WORK SITES".

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Early Childhood Expert Lyelle Palmer

Watch Dr. Palmer’s Video on Early Childhood Stimulation

Lyelle Palmer is one of the most knowledgeable educators in the world centering on Early Childhood Development. He was instrumental in designing the SMART Stimulating Maturity through Accelerated Readiness Training, a body and brain enhancing program designed to mature children’s sensory and motor systems, preparing them to succeed in reading, writing, math, and other academic skills. (SMART will be featured in tomorrow's Boogie Blog.)

In this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NqUVvcuyc8, Dr. Palmer emphasizes the importance of fun, relaxed, and joyful feeling tones to help the child connect better with the environment. He points out how fear and punishment impedes growth, narrowing the child’s perception. Lyelle is a joy to be around... his neurostimulation programs exude this happiness.

Jeff Haebig

Friday, December 5, 2008

About Memory is Worth Remembering

About Memory is the ultimate Blog, with bountiful links, articles, podcasts, research reports, newsletters, and everything else you need to understand and optimize your brain. Major categories include... Improving Your Memory... Memory Problems... How the Mind Works... Information Center... Seniors... and Students. Captivating! Hats off to Fiona McPherson for her remarkable Blog

Jeff

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Upcoming BOOGIE Blogs

Boogie Posts you can look forward to during the upcoming week!


12/5 About Memory is Worth Remembering
12/6 Early Childhood Expert Lyelle Palmer
12/7 What makes S.M.A.R.T. So Smart
12/8 How Smart is Your Right Foot?
12/9 Balancing is the Learning Breakthrough
12/10 Natural Ways to H.A.N.D.L.E. ADHD
12/11 Are Big or Small Movements Best?


WellnessQuest.com offers free daily Health Care-toons, Wellness challenges, health benefits, jokes and inspirational quotes.

Moving Sensory Integration Across America!

Sensory Integration on Wheels!

Diana A. Henry, MS, OTR/L is one amazing force, traveling the country bringing Sensory Integration to schools, homes and businesses and the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) to clinics, homes and school communities. Along with her husband, Rick Ruess, they provide products and workshops across the USA traveling in their mobile home. Their mission is to promote understanding and awareness of issues related to sensory processing, sensory integration and the sensory systems. These may influence attention, motor coordination, social participation, behavior and even violence in schools.

Visit their website http://www.ateachabout.com/index.asp and access interesting articles.

http://www.ateachabout.com/pdf/SensoryIntegrationItsNotJustForChildren-rev.pdf establishes that ‘Sensory Integration: It’s Not Just for Children.’

Many wonderful products are offered on their website plus great links http://www.ateachabout.com/links.asp

Bravo Diana and Rick!

Jeff

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Kids Can Learn website is comprehensive

Toni Hager’s website http://www.kidscanlearn.net/kids.htm is tops!

This highly informative neurodevelopmental website tells it all. Notice how Toni builds learning success through movement and nutrition while working with social, emotional and behavior issues.

There are so many wonderful ideas shared here, including information on ADD/ADHD, Brain Injured, Developmentally Delayed, Downs, Dyslexic, FASD, and Learning Disabilities found on the Links page found on this amazing website.

Articles are shared regarding Education Problems, Behavior Issues, Sensory Integration Issues and much more. Thanks to people like Toni, we are moving more into natural, non-drug solutions to our living and learning challenges -- using our amazing body brain.

Jeff Haebig

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

No Child Left Behind -- Developmentally


Get Students Ready to Excel in School through Movement
Jeff Haebig

Here is a list of behaviors observed in school that pose problems for the teacher and learners. We often view these behaviors negatively, thinking the student is misbehaving... or not trying. We frequently label the student rather than getting to the root of the problem -- and solving it.

I have described various problems below as Learning Challenges, suggested immature Sensory-Motor Systems that might be the cause, and proposed Neuro Stimulation Activities that have been successfuly used to remediate the problem.

Our desire is to build student success in reading, writing, spelling and math through movement sequences. Acquire handy ways to inhibit primitive reflexes, build visual acuity, strengthen auditory processing, improve tactile and motor function, and mature the vestibular system. Build a solid neurological foundation that supports vibrant learning. Move beyond rhetoric and labels – leave no child behind developmentally with neurostimulation activities.

Learning Challenge: slumping in the desk, collapsing the head on the desk for support
Sensory-motor Systems: – retained TLR/STNR reflexes, weak vestibular system, poor muscle tone
Neuro Stimulation Activity: superman pose, saucer spin with head and hands up, tuck and pop

Learning Challenge: white knuckles bearing down while writing, torn papers, poor penmanship
Sensory-motor Systems: retained primitive ATNR, Grasp, STNR reflexes, tactile system
Neuro Stimulation Activity: lazy bubble blowing, one-armed wall push-up, creep track, overhead ladder

Learning Challenge: poor penmanship, difficulty switching from printing to writing
Sensory-motor Systems: lack of fine-motor finger/ wrist control – retained STNR and ATNR, proprioception
Neuro Stimulation Activity: whole-arm tracing, fine paint brushing, start-stop writing activities, play dough

Learning Challenge: residual movement of opposite arm, difficulty writing, drawing, throwing, catching
Sensory-motor Systems: – retained STNR primitive reflex, retained bi-laterality, deficient arm extension
Neuro Stimulation Activity: wrist weights, one arm tug of war, scooter board surfing, balloon tapping

Learning Challenge: trouble copying work from the chalkboard, or shifting focus from teacher to your paper
Sensory-motor Systems: – STNR, visual accommodation (near, far), convergence, hyper vestibular system
Neuro Stimulation Activity: thumb/wall focus, super straw, cotton-ball hockey, playing catch, beanbag toss

Learning Challenge: noodle in desk -- wrapping the foot around the desk leg for support, clumsy
Sensory-motor Systems: – weak tonic (static) muscle control, retained STNR, hypertactility Neuro Stimulation Activity: push, pull, carry, traction, and compression activities, pogo stick, stretching

Learning Challenge: bouncing, fidgeting, and squirming while seating at their desk
Sensory-motor Systems: hypo vestibular, weak proprioception and co-contraction of hips, knees and ankles
Neuro Stimulation Activity: standing, work up to ten15-second spins then15-second eyes closed recovery

Learning Challenge: attentional problems
Sensory-motor Systems: low dopamine production in the reticular and vestibular system, excess stress
Neuro Stimulation Activity: fun, novel sensory stimulation, gross-motor movements, vestibular activation

Learning Challenge: continual tapping a foot or pencil, clicking a pen
Sensory-motor Systems: – weak proprioception, low body awareness, lack of directionality
Neuro Stimulation Activity: obstacle course, reciprocal actions (mimicking activity),

Learning Challenge: falling out of the desk, holding on the desk for support
Sensory-motor Systems: – hypo vestibular, weak proprioception, weak muscle tone, active TLR
Neuro Stimulation Activity: rotation, stop and go, rolling, jumping, swinging, changing directions quickly

Learning Challenge: slowly rocking back and forth in the desk -- or frequently out of desk walking around
Sensory-motor Systems: hyper vestibular, visual and auditory overwhelm, allergies
Neuro Stimulation Activity: rocking, slow swinging and linear movement, direction change, balancing board

Learning Challenge: fixation problems, trouble reading with inability to sustain steady eye focus
Sensory-motor Systems: vestibular weakness, binocular focus, convergence, accommodation
Neuro Stimulation Activity: coloring books, puzzles, tracing, clay letters/words, aiming at a target

Learning Challenge: visual tracking is not smooth or sustained, lose your place reading, letter reversals
Sensory-motor Systems: – vestibular, ocular muscle control, neck stability, visual fixation, binocular focus
Neuro Stimulation Activity: lazy 8s, smooth hand-eye, rainbow tracing, puzzles, light therapy,

Learning Challenge: reading and writing challenges, eyes jerking and switching when crossing the mid-line
Sensory-motor Systems: interhemispheric, mid-line, ATNR, STNR, smooth pursuits, fixations
Neuro Stimulation Activity: smooth hand-eye cross-laterals, juggling, Bal-A-Vis-X crossover activities,

Learning Challenge: trouble reading and writing left to right, running to third base instead of first, not knowing the upper right corner of the page, letter reversals (m-w… p-q… wow-mom)
Sensory-motor Systems: laterality, directionality, directional discrimination, vestibular weakness, STNR
Neuro Stimulation Activity: obstacle courses, human knot, over-under-through, large letter tracing

Learning Challenge: touching and bumping into people, standing too close to people
Sensory-motor Systems: hypo vestibular, tactile, weak proprioception, visual coordination, depth perception
Neuro Stimulation Activity: stretching, adding weights, pushing, pulling, hanging, vision development

Learning Challenge: ambidextrous, shifting hands to write, cut, draw, throw, etc.
Sensory-motor Systems: laterality, mid-line problems
Neuro Stimulation Activity: repetitive movements of dominant hand, (check writing foot for dominant hand)

Learning Challenge: dizzy, nauseated, headachy from attending gym or sitting in a busy room
Sensory-motor Systems: hyper vestibular, hyperauditory, visual coordination and depth perception
Neuro Stimulation Activity: balancing, slow rolling, swinging, gradual spinning, vision development

Learning Challenge: aversion to being touched, handling materials, catching balls, sitting on rough carpet
Sensory-motor Systems: hypersensitive, immature tactile system
Neuro Stimulation Activity: deep pressure, massage, rubbing, rolling, stretching

Learning Challenge: aggressive, withdrawn, silly, helpless, frustrated behavior
Sensory-motor Systems: excess stress, sensory overload, lack of learning choices
Neuro Stimulation Activity: self-initiated activities, more frequency, intensity and duration, relaxation, fun

Learning Challenge: delayed reading/spelling with weak letter, word and sound recognition (next session)
Sensory-motor Systems: auditory processing, interhemispheric, visual memory, auditory blending
Neuro Stimulation Activity: SMART word ladders, sound blending, auditory closure and discrimination

Learning Challenge: math delays, finger counting, counting by ones (next session)
Sensory-motor Systems: motor planning, motor planning, visual memory, cerebellar
Neuro Stimulation Activity: SMART dominos, flash cards, skip counting, rhythmic/movement sequences

Monday, December 1, 2008

Healthy Fundraising from Wellness Quest

Profits go to your music program, church, school, art program, wellness program, child-care center, hospital, worksite, sports team, or other well-meaning group

Cartoonist Ed Fischer and I have produced an amazing perpetual, desktop Health Care-toons Calendar showing 365 Ways to Feel Great!

It took us 25 years and 4 revised calendars to get it right! Each page shows a life-enhancing Health Care-toon, and related Wellness Quest challenge, Health Benefit, Joke, and inspirational Quote.

People love Health Care-toons!

We are offering this fun, undated Health Care-toons Calendar at our production cost as a way of helping people generate money to support their life-enriching activities while inspiring people to seek their highest level well-being. See a description of the fun Health Care-toons Calendar on http://www.wellnessquest.com/fundraising.html.

Your music program, church, school, art program, wellness program, child-care center, worksite, or any other well-meaning group will have an opportunity to earn big money to help its cause.

E-mail me at WellnessQuest@charter.net or call me toll-free, 888-388-WELL if you are interested in taking advantage of this special offer. I will send you more information. Let’s fund your worthwhile cause in a fun and healthy way! You deserve it!

Jeff Haebig

Author

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Classical Music Expands My Mind

Boogie Along with the Music Movement Sequence

Madeline Frank http://www.madelinefrankviola.com/ offers a comprehensive monthly newsletter and radio broadcast citing current research showing how music enhances learning. I created an interactive movement sequence to the 1812 Overture demonstrating the music and brain connection. You can tap, tap, tap into this on http://www.madelinefrankviola.com/radio.php.

See if you can mimic the movements and echo the words... this will create a total brain activity involving the cerebellum, basal ganglia, pre-frontal and motor cortex. All of these brain areas and senses will be activated, boosting attention, focus, and motivation. Try it and see.

Jeff Haebig