RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
Mental health can be a difficult topic to bring up and discuss in the class. This page offers you some resources and ideas ranging from our Units of Study program for students age 7-12 to learning and instructional aids that can bridge the tween-to-teen gap.
Our curriculum-aligned program, for regular classroom delivery, deconstructs bullying, develops healthy minds and teaches students how to self advocate.
Mental health ideas for the classroom
MENTAL HEALTH CALENDAR
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Bell Let's Talk
January 31
Psychology Month
February
Brain Awareness Week
March 12 to 18
National Child & Youth Mental Health Day
May 7
Canadian Mental Health Week
May 7 to 13
Mental Illness Awareness Week
September 30 to October 6
Autism Awareness Month
October
World Mental Health Day
October 10
BOOKSTORE
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Catch A Falling Star
Storybook about a variety of symptoms that could be considered 'red flags' in a child's emotional and social development.
Lucky Horseshoes
Storybook about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Hole In One
Storybook about anxiety disorder—specifically school and performance anxiety.
I Can Fix It!
Storybook about classmate bullying and Asperger Syndrome.
He Shoots! He Scores!
Storybook about Bipolar Disorder, self stigma and family stigma.
Project: Kids, Let's Talk
Storybook about loneliness, worry, anger, change and stress—scenario centers on a military family
UNITS OF STUDY
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He Shoots! He Scores! Units of Study
He Shoots! He Scores! Units of Study make up a unique comprehensive program that promotes awareness and understanding of topics related to mental wellness through existing curricular expectations. It reflects Canadian/U.S.A. standards in education and it uses evidence-based material (the Iris the Dragon book series) as the main classroom tool in the units of study.
The 99MB download deconstructs bullying, develop healthy minds and learn to self advocate and contains contains lesson plans, Blackline Masters for student activities, SMARTBoard™ Notebook class engagement activities, plus the PDF version of "He Shoots! He Scores!".
Iris the Dragon classroom activities
MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION
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Iris the Dragon K12 Mental Health Programs
Iris the Dragon has developed age-appropriate activities to promote mental health wellness
• Classroom activities meeting Ontario, Canada’s K12 curriculum
• Art & language lesson plan for grades 2-4
• Language lesson plan for grades 2-6
Let Us Know!
Did your class do something about kids mental health? If yes, ask your teacher to tweet us @iristhedragon with a link or to send us a message using the form below. Keep up the great work!
Have Your Say Posters
Use the Iris the Dragon book series as a basis to start on conversation about mental health. Ask your students to create posters of Iris the Dragon and to write one thing they learned that they would like to share with others.
• When done, the posters can be mounted on a wall and grouped by key message or theme to reveal what students took away most from the discussion.
• Alternative: Download this ready-made poster, just add a message!
• Validation: Download the Walk the Talk badge (print and cut out).
Mental Health Crossword Puzzle
12-word crossword puzzle based on Iris the Dragon's "I Can Fix It!" eBook. Each question gives the page's reference to help the kids out. Click on the image to access the high-resolution version for printing.
Don't forget to download the Answer Key for the "I Can Fix It!" crossword puzzle!
Pin the Ribbon on the Dragon (6-7 year olds)
A little spin on the "pin the tail on the donkey" game—only this is pin the green ribbon on Iris the Dragon's fishing hat! Click on the image to access the high-resolution version for printing.
Pin the Ribbon on the Dragon (5-6 year old)
This "pin the tail on the donkey" game is designed for accessibility. Cut out the neck with ribbon part, and use a pin, tape, or Velcro to match it up with the rest of the neck. Click on the image to access the high-resolution version for printing.
Just click on the images to open up the high-resolution graphic and then right-click and "Save Image As" to download it.
The Green Ribbon Campaign
May is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day
Did you know that... people in England started wearing a green ribbon on their clothes, as early as the 17th century, to show support and raise awareness for those with health issues?
Click on the picture above to launch the bigger version of it. How many green ribbons can you count?
The Green Ribbon Campaign Answer
How many green ribbons are in the 17th century picture below? 22 of them!
Green Ribbon Jigsaw Puzzle: Supporting Others
Click on the puzzle below to launch it in a new window. Can you guess what Iris the Dragon book this picture is from?
Answer: You can find the picture on page 11 of I Can Fix It!
Is Iris Green? You Decide!
Click on an image to launch the picture. Then right-click, choose "print picture" and start coloring — and Iris can be any color you like!
Use this one for younger kids that are developing their colouring skills
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Socks + Box + Kids = Puppet Show
Yup, this is where your old socks can become celebrities with your talent!
Iris the Dragon has easy instructions, music, and even a script to help you along. Start building and entertain the crowd and share your message about mental health!
Of course, you can just use your own puppets and sound effects to recreate one of the Iris the Dragon books. Here are the resources:
Instructions on how to make an Iris the Dragon sock puppet
Puppet show MP3 audio with talking parts & music already done (right-click to "save link as...")
Links below on how to build a cardboard puppet show theatre:
Make a Puppet Theater from a Box
Make Your Own Puppet Theater
How to Make a Cardboard Hand Puppet Stage
Make a Cardboard Puppet Theater (YouTube video)
Iris the Dragon's Soccer Scrambler
Click on the pic to unscramble an image at All Star Puzzles. How many homes are in the picture? What is Iris wearing on her head? What do you think the boy is feeling?
Iris the Dragon's Spot-the-Difference
Click on the picture. Then, press your browser's Ctrl and + keys to zoom in and Ctrl - to zoom out. Seven things are different. Answers are at the bottom - but upside down! Have fun!
Author Gayle Grass reads He Shoots! He Scores!
Click on the video play button to start the show — enjoy!
RESOURCES FOR TWEENS-TEENS
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Mental Health Resources, Ideas, and Discussion Points
Here are some in-class, discussion points that will resonate more with young teens:
YouTube Videos on Positive Messaging and Mental Health
Dealing with Mental Health challenges can be difficult. Get involved in the right conversation about mental health. Listen to some positive messages surrounding the conversation.
Here are some in-class, discussion points that will resonate more with young teens:
- Why is mental health a difficult topic to talk about?
- What do you think has been the most effective mental health campaign - and why?
- Do you think rallies and marches are effective for spreading the word about mental health to reduce stigma? If not, what would you do?
- What are effective ways to reduce a bully's ability to act out?
- Many charities do the same things to raise money: door-to-door fundraising, car washes, table-top auctions, etc. What activity or event would you create, that's really different and makes it easy for people to donate money, for a mental health charity?
YouTube Videos on Positive Messaging and Mental Health
Dealing with Mental Health challenges can be difficult. Get involved in the right conversation about mental health. Listen to some positive messages surrounding the conversation.
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