The Chill Zone

Of all the things I have made and added to my classroom this year, one of my favorites has to be my Chill Zone. This idea has been rolling around in my head for a while and I was glad to have it come to reality. As you know, many students have difficulty controlling thier bodies when they are upset. This seemed to be a difficulty in my classroom and after talking with my school adjustment counselor at lengh she suggested a safe place for them to go, to calm thier bodies and minds. Because of the needs of my students I needed this to be inside my classroom. I realized that this would be the perfect time to create the Chill Zone!



As you can see my Chill Zone is a large igloo the comes out of my desk. The location is purely based on space, not necessacarily proximity to my desk! To make I taped together white poster board, drew on "bricks" and an entrance with a sharpie and then I taped it to the sides of a desk. I also covered the top of the desk with white contact paper to get the full effect. On the back of the desk is another poster that names the space and quickly explains its use!



When speaking to my adjustment counselor she suggested two activites for the students to pick from while calming themselves in the Chill Zone. There are two books in the chill zone and the children can also choose the option to draw a picture.
When I notice a student getting upset I will ask them to move to the Chill Zone. This is helpful for a lot of reasons: it gets them away from the other students, it gives them a direct place to go to, it has become a comforting place for many of my students and it lets me observe their actions easily. Depending on the child's reaction I set a timer for 2-5 minutes. This usually gives them enough time to calm their minds and bodies. When the timer goes off I ask if they are ready to rejoin the group and they can rejoin or ask for additional time. I have found this to be VERY useful! I even have kids who are asking to go to the Chill Zone when they feel themselves getting upset!