Surviving Distance Learning!

Many children who do well naturally in school do NOT thrive under the current Distance Learning conditions! Moreover, not only are they isolated from their friends, but they are expected to pay attention for hours via internet. Add to this a child with learning disabilities, or who struggles with academics, and it can be a perfect storm for disaster!

There is not a lot of stimulation from a flat screen concerning school work! How can you help keep them engaged, and save your sanity? Basically, if what you are currently doing isn’t working, or is not working well, consider changing tactics. In other words, a new approach may be just what you both need!

The writer Earnest Hemingway said, “Before you act, listen. Before you react, think. Before you criticize, wait.

Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try.”

 

Most importantly, keep calm during the Covid-19 Pandemic Moms and Dads.

Here are 5 actual steps to help you out!

1. Essential Oils

You can use essential oils to help calm, soothe, quiet and ground your kiddo. This can help with the anxiety that on-line learning evokes for many children. Certainly make sure they aren’t allergic to anything first, and if in doubt, always ask your Pediatrician.¹

Here are the most common oils for stress and anxiety, which may help symptoms of ADHD as well.²

Carley Millhone gives the following list on her Blog Greatist. ³

12 Essential Oils to Know  (if You Have ADHD, or not )

1. Rosemary. Studies have shown rosemary essential oil can help concentration.
2. Frankincense. Frankincense is more than a biblical reference. This holy grail of oils is believed to help boost attention and combat anxiety.
3. Vetiver. Known as the “oil of tranquility,” vetiver is a calming oil with a deep earthy scent that can also help you get to work. In addition, studies show the oil can help people stay focused.
4. Cedarwood. Cedarwood helps promote relaxation and focus.
5. Patchouli. Another essential oil credited for calming effects.
6. Melissa. Also known as Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis essential oil has a lemony scent that, because like citrus, has an awakening effect that helps with concentration. Some people also find it useful to help relieve headaches.
7. Lavender. Lavender is the most known calming essential oil. The scent has been shown to soothe anxiety and calm the nervous system.
8. Peppermint. The smell of peppermint can be very stimulating, and some people swear it helps them focus.
9. Sandalwood. Sandalwood is credited as a calming oil.
10. Chamomile. It’s not just for teatime. Chamomile essential oil also shares the same soothing benefits you love from a cup of tea.
11. Ylang Ylang. With its beautiful floral scent, this is also an oil known for its calming benefits.
12. Sweet Orange. (also, use Mandarin Oil) The citrus aroma of orange helps boost concentration. Hot tip: Citrus oils make your skin sensitive to the sun and can cause burns, so avoid sunlight after applying topically!

 Essential Oils Can Be Powerful Allies! 

*Aromatherapist organizations such as the Alliance of International Aromatherapists don’t endorse using essential oils internally, because they can be toxic. Remember to use essential oils either topically on the skin (though never without diluting first, see note at bottom) or aromatically — a fancy way of saying sniffed or inhaled.

 Furthermore, studies show that using oils aromatically is the most successful way to use essential oils for ADHD. Research suggests inhaling/sniffing the oils impacts the endocrine and central nervous symptoms. Through the mucus in your nasal passages and lungs, small molecules in the oil compounds can cross the blood-brain barrier when inhaled and get a one-way ticket to the brain where they’ll deliver their healing effects.

2. Breakfast

Another thing to consider is what they eat for breakfast! For example, my kids do so much better after a full and high protein breakfast than they do on sugary cereal. Perhaps, save the cereal for a treat on the weekends. Make up some eggs, scrambled or otherwise. Fry up some bacon or sausage. Importantly, cheese contains 7 grams of protein per slice. If your child is aged between one and three years, they require 13 grams of protein a day. If your child is between the ages of four and nine, they need 19 grams a day.

Or try a fun protein shake with frozen fruit, and Greek yogurt, or half a scoop of protein powder. For instance, you could add some seeds or nuts. It’ll feel like a treat and still give them what they need. Just call it a shake or a smoothie, and no weird greens here Moms! We don’t want to scare them away! Kids are very visual, and green shakes look scary to most kids. Plus, protein rich shakes will help to keep their blood sugar balanced.

With the exception of water, protein is found in the body in the most abundance. ⁴ Notably, protein is needed for brain development, and growth, and since kids are always growing, they need protein! So, pack in some extra protein at snack-break with some Hummus and vegetables or crackers.

3. Fish Oil

What?!? Yes, Fish Oil, aka Omega-3, has shown to help brain function. It helps short-term memory, and mood swings. The tablets can be pretty big, so you may want to find one that takes 2 capsules per dose, or 1 to 2 grams per day for children. Fish Oil is full of healthy fat and brain boosting compounds. Everyone needs Omega-3’s but especially students!

“In short, just about every aspect of neurotransmission — the movement of information from brain cell to brain cell that supports every thought, emotion, and action — is affected by omega-3s. Omega-3s also protect the brain by decreasing low-grade inflammation, the chronic cellular fire that can singe brain cells.” ⁵ *I’m not a doctor. Certainly, do your own homework, and read more about it.⁶ The link to this, and other data is found at the end of the article.

4. Hydration

Don’t get dry brains! Make sure that you child is drinking plenty of water. Dehydration leads to fatigue, drowsiness, brain fog, and mental stress as well as physical headaches and lethargy. We can also be irritable and listless at just 6% dehydration.⁷ It can take up to 8 hours to fully hydrate again, so try to keep it up every day. There is enough craziness with the Pandemic without adding dehydration to the mix. Many times, the child does not feel thirsty until she is already dehydrated, and “feeling hungry” can really be thirst.  Offer water before offering snacks. For instance, it’s easy to forget to drink when we get busy. Another sign of dehydration is if they aren’t urinating regularly.⁸

Water is Essential for Life

Putting fluid back into our bodies makes our organs function properly, and that includes the brain. Take your child’s weight. Divide by two. This is the minimum in OUNCES that they should be drinking. If they weigh 60 lbs, then they should be drinking a minimum of 30 ounces. That’s roughly 4, 8-ounce cups of water. Do not count soda. ⁹ Just water, milk, juice or herbal teas.   So, if your 60 pound 8-year-old is drinking 2 glasses of soda a day and 2 glasses of water daily, they aren’t getting enough hydration with water.

5. Music

When you think of studying and focus, your first instinct might be to have a quiet space. However, studies have proven ¹⁰ that music strengthens the motor cortices of the brain. These include the areas tied to speech, language skills, reading comprehension, math, problem-solving, brain organization, focus, and attention. In addition, music also strengthens the auditory, visual-spatial and motor skills. Which boils down to: music may help your child focus.

Having music playing may seem like an added distraction, but the right type of music is needed to avoid this. Music can be a secret weapon in your war against distraction, because listening to music has also been shown to increase levels of dopamine in the brain. You know, the happy chemical? This chemical acts like a motivation molecule to help kids to be productive.

Music can be powerful

Try to avoid familiar music, or your child may be tempted to sing along, or even think of the words in their head. They could also envision what is happening in the movie during certain songs if it is a soundtrack. So, avoid music with words and avoid music where they have to listen to commercials. Certainly, there are many good choices. You can experiment with your child. For one child, it may be traditional classics like Mozart, or for another, instrumental piano.

Every brain is wired a bit differently. For instance, even brains without ADHD can react differently to different music. Maybe acoustic guitar is what they need. It can be rock-n-roll, it just needs to be without words to be effective. Once you discover the perfect music for your child you can make playlists for their device so that their music is always ready to go when they need to study. (I enjoy soft, Classical Piano myself).

So, there you have it!

5 Steps to Surviving Distance Learning

You can thrive and survive!

Five very simple steps to turning your Distance Learning Debacle Time in to very Productive Learning Time! Do one method that sounds right or do-able for you. Maybe try two or three methods and see what helps. Whatever you do, don’t let this feel complicated, because it isn’t! This will help! (It will probably even help those grown-ups who have to work from home right now, to stay focused!) I addition to this, watch bedtimes and schedules. Sleep deprivation is another entire topic!

In conclusion, no matter which method you try, please include your child by asking and then actively listening to what they have to say. They will feel empowered if they are included in the process, and it may help you both to strengthen the bond between you in a positive way. Try to be kind, but assertive. “Understanding is the beginning of change. Recognizing the existence of a problem leads to the desire to seek new options. This realization, in turn, motivates family members to find ways of altering the present system, the present mode of operation.”¹¹

You’ve got this!

~Cynthia

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

To make a roller-ball: Buy a 1/3 ounce roller ball, (on-line or at a health-food store. It looks like a Lip-Gloss bottle.) or tiny bottle and mix some calming oils for your child. For example, one good essential oil for this is Lavender Oil. Add about 15 drops to the vial, then fill the remaining with carrier oil. Personally, I like fractionated coconut oil for this, but almond oil would work well too. Secondly, MCT may also be used, because it is the same thing as fractionated coconut oil, however, it has a fancy name for less money. (Strange, but true!) If you have a diffuser, that is probably the best way to distribute the oils. Follow the directions that come with the diffuser.

^1.https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/add-adhd/essential-oils-for-adhd By The Understood Team.

².http://files.meetup.com/1481956/ADHD%20Research%20by%20Dr.%20Terry%20Friedmann.pdf

Vetiver essential oil and ADHD. 2001 Study.

³ Written by Carley Millhone on November 17, 2019. https://greatist.com/adhd/essential-oils-for-adhd Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, Ph.D., CRNP

https://www.alliance-aromatherapists.org/aromatherapy-safety

⁴ https://theactivefamily.org/why-is-protein-important/ Why is Protein Important for Every Child’s Growth? by Sarah Benchley | Feb 10, 2019 | Kids Talk, Vitamin

⁵ https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-omega-3-benefits/ NATURAL REMEDIES FOR ADHD, BY JAMES M. GREENBLATT, M.D., BILL GOTTLIEB, CHC. Omega-3 Benefits to ADHD Brains: Fish Oil for Focus – ADDitudewww.additudemag.com › adhd-omega-3-benefits Oct 9, 2020 Omega 3s: The Ultimate (ADHD) Brain Food. ADHD Medication & Treatment

⁶ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5559876/  Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Related to Abnormal Emotion Processing in Adolescent Boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Related to Abnormal Emotion … – NCBIwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › pmc › articles › PMC5559876. May 6, 2013

⁷ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086 Patient Care & Health Information. Diseases & Conditions. Dehydration.

⁸ https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-what-to-drink-to-stay-hydrated/ July 14, 2020, 02:35 p.m. CDT. By Cynthia Weiss. Mayo Clinic Q and A: What to drink to stay hydrated.

⁹ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK436022/ Pediatric Dehydration. Roy M. Vega; Usha Avva. August 8, 2020.

¹⁰ https://study.com/blog/can-music-help-children-with-adhd-focus-while-studying.html Can Music Help Children with ADHD Focus While Studying? Rachel Tustin. January 2020. Study.com

¹¹ Berko, Roy, et al. ICOMM: Interpersonal Concepts and Competencies, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central.