Worry Stones

Another counselor in my district brought these great Worry Stones from worrystone.net to share at one of our district meetings. I loved them but Pinterest must be influencing me more than I realized because I immediately thought how easy it would be to make my own rather than fork out the $1 each plus shipping.

So I did.

Admittedly, they aren't as cute as the originals due to my decided lack of stampage. But I thought they turned out pretty well. :)

Here's what I needed...

Crayola Air Dry Clay (White)
Stamps (or Paper Clip)
Acrylic Paint
Paintbrush
ModPodge
Sponge brush

Here's what I did...

1. I rolled several 1-inch clay balls and gently pressed them into the position they would be as in if I "worried" them. (That was one of the things I liked about the originals--that they felt somewhat molded to my hand.)
2. I used a paper clip to poke or draw designs. You can use stamps if you have them.
3. I let them air dry over night, then painted them with a wash made with water and acrylic paint.
4. I let them dry over the weekend since they were still a little bit squishy.
5. I sealed just the tops (painted area) with ModPodge using the sponge applicator and let dry again.

The whole process took a total of about 1 hour over the course of a week. And since I can make many, many more, these are turning out to be very cost effective as well. I think it would be great to have the students make their own to keep too. Can't wait to give them to my little Worry Warts and see if they help.

Meet the Counselor

Last year, I found a great idea for introducing myself to my students. It worked so well that I decided to do it again this year! The original idea came from Wanda P., a school counselor on the ASCAScene web forum. (If you aren't a member of ASCA, I recommend it just for the discussion forum alone. It's been a lifesaver at times.)

I use Mrs. Potato Head to introduce the various parts of my job as Elementary School Counselor. I bring her in a bag to each class and have the kids help me put her back together again. As I take out each part, we talk about how that part helps me do my job. I created a handout that outlines what we go over in class and serves as a coloring page that students can give their parents to let them know who I am and what I do, too!

Click here to download a copy of the Mrs. Potato Head handout and lesson plan.


















NEW!!!

Click here to download a copy of Mr. Potato Head handout and lesson plan.

The kids love Mrs. Potato Head and I leave her up all year in my office

to remind the students what we talked about in class. It's a great way to start the new school year!