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www.FredericksburgParent.NET 17 Join us for the live conversation on Stay tuned to the Fredericksburg Parent Facebook page and YouTube channel for a video interview with RACSB about building resilience. Facebook: @fredericksburgparent • Twitter: @FredParent • Instagram: @fredparentmagazine a sk t h e e x p e rt facts and is not open to new information. It's the fight, flight or freeze part of our brain. "Children have to feel safe and connected before their brains are ready to learn," says Wagaman. "With the cur- rent environment of uncertainty, we can unwittingly pass that stress to our children. There are things we can do to focus on relationships and feeling safe and secure now at home that will also be beneficial later in the year in the classroom when traditional school resumes." IT TAKES A VILLAGE The more people there are in our community who under- stand the impact that trauma has on the brain and how to mitigate it, the more we can all help each other as we begin to resume our routines after the pandemic. So while you're perusing workbooks, mobile apps and other tools to help keep your child academically pre- pared, take some time to explore the resources we offer in these pages to build awareness of childhood trauma, its risk factors and the protective factors that can turn lives around. This kind of learning will help our entire community build resilience. Resilience will help us not just to bounce back when life returns to normal, but to bounce forward into a better future where our community is better equipped to help those who are suffering. RACSB is celebrating 50 years of serving the community We have to teach and model resilience. Here are some skills you can practice daily: SELF-CALMING. Managing emotions is hard. Start using five deep breaths or counting to 10 to help your child calm down. EXPRESSING FEELINGS. When we are able to recognize our different emotions and give names to them, we can work to tame those feelings. OFFERING CHOICES. This helps build decision-making skills and teaches that every choice has a consequence (some good and some not). MASTERING A SKILL. It takes time to learn and master new skills. In doing so, children learn competence, perseverance and commitment. SHOWING EMPATHY. Children often have feelings of being small and powerless. They learn from adults. Modeling empathy and sensitivity will serve your family well during these tough times, and beyond. DEVELOPING SELF-ESTEEM. Our self-esteem begins with the messages we receive from our parents and caregivers. Celebrate successes, even small ones. Let children know that you love them for who they are and not what you want them to be. TIPS LEARN Register for a future training offered by RACSB. Options include: • ACE Interface "Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences and Building Self-Healing Communities" • Community Resilience Initiative Course 1: Trauma-Informed • Community Resilience Initiative Couse 2: Trauma-Supportive • Mental Health First Aid For more information on building resilience, visit rappahannockareacsb.org/resilience/ Visit www.FredericksburgParent.net for a complete list of suggested book resources. READ FOR ADULTS: "The Deepest Well" by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris "The Body Keeps Score" by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk Dr. Melissa Sadin and Nathan Levy's "Teachers' Guide to Trauma: 20 things kids with trauma wish their teachers knew" "The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog and Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook" by Dr. Bruce Perry FOR CHILDREN: "The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes "Sticks" by Diane Alber "I Am Enough" by Grace Byers "Ricky The Rock That Couldn't Roll " by Jay Miletsky "The Invisible Boy" by Trudy Ludwig "The Magic Hat Shop" by Sonja Wimmer WATCH The following movies and documentaries can help you understand the effects of childhood trauma, and how they can be overcome. FOR ADULTS: • "Paper Tigers: One High School's Unlikely Success Story" • "Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope" FOR CHILDREN: • "Inside Out" Sponsored Material