The Big Book of Calmers-Review

We all have had those days when the kids are hyped up and it is very hard to get them back down again, step in Jenny Mosley!
I love Jenny Mosley and everything that she does. This “Big book of Calmers” does not disappoint. It contains over 120 individual activities for the teacher to use when seeking a calming classroom! I would recommend this book to any teacher( newly qualified or more experienced) as essential must have! Her other book “ The Big Book of Energisers” ties in perfectly with this one and I will be reviewing this too.

Relevance to the curriculum aims: 5/5
Absolutely, though not a stand alone lesson, this book can be used in many ways. As an SPHE starter, circle time or in general anytime during the day you feel stressed or you sense the class or a students are becoming overexcited. It would also be excellent for the other Arts subjects like Drama or Visual Arts.
You can use “Calmers” to start the day, end the day or to calm children down after a loud, wet play.
This toolkit of “Calmers” is suitable for young and old, special needs and for teaching the children the independent skills they need to help them calm down!
Calmers links in brilliantly with the whole Jenny Mosley package of circle time, golden rules and golden time. They help the class to turn negative thinking around and build up self esteem. Everyone( including the teacher!) can benefit from this! Many of the activities focus on anger management, emotional self awareness and teach the children how to interact positively with each other. What amazing life skills! If the children in our care could learn how to curb their anger, deal with negative thoughts and become more aware of their emotions, we as teachers would be doing a fantastic job!
Teacher usability:5/5
Really easy! The teacher can just pick up this book and begin the calming! The activities include stretches, relaxation techniques, controlled breathing, visualisation, stories, songs, role play and much much more!
The activities are marked with one of three symbols. the first one tells you that this activity can be played quickly and easily. The second one tells you that it will take a bit of organising from the teacher. The third symbol explains that you will need a large space. Great idea, this adds to the ease of use for the teacher.
Value for money 5/5
It works out at 18.95, converted using www.xe.com as €21.95. This represents excellent value for money as you will have this book for years to come. It would be a must for any SPHE/Drama/Visual Arts school resource as well.
Extras-0/5
No extras-it would be great to see how Jenny Mosley implements these herself, maybe she would consider showing some teachers in real classrooms how these activities can work and do work. These could be placed on her website or DVD.
Total score: 15/20
Well recommended-click on the link below to buy this from Amazon.