Chill Spot / Hurricane Relief

Last week, the northeast got slammed by Hurricane Sandy.  Our area was very fortunate and I was able to spend our two days out of school making soup and brownies.  My apartment building had no damage but my classroom wasn't quite as lucky.  When I got back to school on Wednesday, I discovered that my carpet and a corner of my classroom had been flooded.  I helped the lovely custodian move the carpet out so it could dry out and be cleaned, but I had to toss the small rug and pillow that I kept in the corner.  The corner of our room is where we have our "Chill Spot" so I figured now would be a good time to post about this invaluable part of my classroom.  The "Chill Spot" is basically "Time Out" but it's not a punitive area. 

Early in the year, my students and I talked a lot about feelings.  We read some of my favorite books, including Wemberly Worried and When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry.  We talked about different ways we can deal with our feelings in safe and appropriate ways.  Then we decided to create a place in our classroom where we could go and deal with our feelings.  This year, our Chill Spot has a very soft teddy bear, a box of tissues to dry away tears, a book about feelings (The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!), and a sand timer to help distract students and give them a sense of time when they are in the Chill Spot.  I do have guidelines for the Chill Spot: students can go here to calm down when they feel sad, angry, or nervous; it is not a place to play or be noisy.  Students are still responsible for all of their work when they are in the Chill Spot and they are not allowed to go during mini-lessons.  I have had a similar spot in my classrooms as long as I've been teaching, and I'm always surprised and impressed by how well students utilize the area.  Some student will ask to go the Chill Spot and sometimes I will encourage a student to go here if I notice him getting angry or upset.  If a student has been in the Chill Spot for awhile, I'll tell her to turn the sand-timer over two more times and then re-join the class.  Sometimes I talk to the student in the Chill Spot, other times I'll ask another student to check-in on a friend.

I've gotten most of the ideas for my Chill Spot from Positive Discipline, by Jane Nelson.  (I'll post more on how I use Positive Discipline another time.)  Jane stresses the importance of making your "Time Out" a comfortable place.  Hopefully our Chill Spot will be back to full comfort level soon!

In the meantime, we're getting by with tape marked on the floor to remind the kiddos where they would normally sit on the carpet. One of my very good friends and I hit up BJ's to get some items to donate to the Hurricane Relief efforts so others can get back to full comfort as soon as possible as well.  And in the future I will remember to fold up the carpet and put the pillows on top of the desks when a big rain is predicted!