May 2025 Grab & Go Kits

Make your own breathing buddy!

When we feel tough emotions, taking deep breaths and doing breathing exercises can help. This breathing buddy is a great way for kids to practice! 

Once it’s done, your child can breathe in for 5 seconds and then breathe out for 5 seconds. Can they make the tissue paper dance the whole 5 seconds they breathe out?

Each kit includes:

• Tissue paper
• A half sheet of paper

Supplies you’ll need:

• Glue or tape
• Scissors
• Other art supplies, depending on how you want to decorate

Instructions:

1. First, decide what you want to make! Do you want your breathing buddy to be a dragon who breathes fire? Or how about a jellyfish with tentacles that will dance? You can come up with your own idea, too! No matter what, you’ll want to decorate your half sheet of paper first.
2. Next, cut the tissue paper into strips. I made my orange strips longer than my yellow strips.
   
   
3. Tape or glue the tissue paper stripes to the inside of your piece of paper.
   
4. Roll your paper into a tube and glue or tape it together. If using glue, you may need to hold it together while the glue dries.
   
5. You’re ready to do breathing activities with your breathing buddy!

Some books to share with young kids that include breathing activities and mindfulness practices:

• My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing by Nick Ortner
• Bunny Breaths by Kira Willey
• Feel Calm: an invisible things book by Andy J. Pizza
• Meditate with Me by Mariam Gates
• Calm Monsters, Kind Monsters: a Sesame Street Guide to Mindfulness

Make a Mindfulness Matters Mini-book!

Use the supplies and instructions in each bag to make a mini Mindfulness Matters book!  You’ll also need:

• Crayons or markers 
• Pen or pencil
• Scissors (ask a grown-up for help if you need it)

Once you’ve created your mini-book, use crayons or markers to illustrate the pages of your books and a pen or pencil to write your book. 

Tuck the book in your backpack or your back pocket and use it throughout the day to take a mindfulness break!

Lucky Stars in a Jar

May is Mental Health Awareness month and to tie into that, the kit for Grades 5 & up this month is supplies to make origami lucky stars, and a little jar to put them in.

The stars have 3 ways in helping alleviate stress and anxiety:

1. The act of folding the stars is a great way to ground yourself and have something simple to focus on, helping clear your mind. 
2. The stars are a pretty decor item that can bring a little whimsy to your space!
3. You can write wishes, dreams or even worries on the strips of paper before folding them up as a way to express those thoughts. 

Supplies Provided:

• A variety of colorful and patterned paper strips
• An empty jar

Supplies Needed:

• A pen, pencil or marker (optional)

Instructions for folding stars:

• Written: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/make-origami-lucky-stars-4107161
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RntZNBrfrQo