Tournesol Kids

In honor of the magical Mother Energy in all of us, we’re launching From the Ground Up, a podcast for parents. Dr. Stephen Cowan and Carey Davidson offer holistic parenting guidance to address the thorniest challenges. Have a listen and let us know what you think!
open.spotify.com/show/0yyKcyIpyAaxMtIerLQM1a

How would you draw your future self? So many heroes you could be! ⁠
Take our free assessment to discover your powers 🌻 ⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/assessment/

How to Help Your Child Build Self-Awareness?⁠
Self-awareness is defined as conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires. It isn’t simply about how we notice ourselves but how we notice the world around us. For young people, developing self-awareness takes time and the idea needs to be embraced by students, parents and educators. Self-awareness is developed through practices, it isn’t learned from a book.⁠
Full article on our website 🌻⁠

https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

X-Ray Feeling is the secret power of fire!⁠
Everyone can use it to feel passion in their life.⁠
To grow X-Ray Feeling, you need to learn to identify others’ moods and be expressive about your own. Learn how to get better at expressing emotion through our course.⁠
https://courses.tournesolkids.org/

Under stress, the Wood Child may struggle to empathize with the diverse needs and contributions of others. He may wonder why people aren't seeing things his way. As parents and educators, we wonder how we can help. Wood Kids love to move! Encourage your Wood Child to walk in nature where he can naturally begin to see all the interconnectedness and beauty among the diverse ecosystems in our changing world. He will establish a foundation of understanding that will become more present in personal relationships as well. Do you have a Wood Child at home? Click the link and take the free assessment to find out!⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/assessment/

Head outside with your children and gather few natural and repurposed materials e.g. shells, stones, sticks, leaves. Allow your children to experiment and create things with these materials.⁠
Find more outdoor activities on our website⁠!⁠🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

Water children are daydreamers and deep thinkers, they may have trouble noticing their bodies’ hunger signals. To get the most out of meals, Water children need to reconnect with the present moment.⁠ Full post on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

Feed your own Earth needs as a parent so that you feel safe and secure and more resilient in the face of day-to-day stress. Parenting is tough and when you honor your own needs, you have an easier time responding to the ups and downs you face from a place of calm. Make sure you don’t skip meals, stay in touch with your networks for support, and find small ways you can give back. ⁠Full article on our website ⁠🌻⁠ ⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

It is important that as parents we encourage the curiosity of our children. It can be about learning more about planting or exploring the national park nearby or trying the big slide. As a parent, we should encourage our children to explore and take risks (at an acceptable level) so that it develops their self-confidence, their adventure and allows them to understand their environment.⁠
Find the full article on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

Movement promotes blood flow, which enables our immune cells to rally and circulate. This improves our resilience. Exercise should not be overly strenuous or excessive however, as it will deplete our reserves. Yoga, Taichi, dancing, and walking are the best ways to promote mobilization without fear.⁠
Full article on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

In a world where human beings keep moving faster, we all too often stop living in the moment. The pull of getting things done quickly and jumping to the next task has become a great societal problem. Fortunately, there are many solutions to bring our attention back to the present. Here’s the spoiler, one of the best ways to live in the here and now, is to eat!⠀

Find the full article on our website🌻⠀
https://tournesolkids.org/

What’s your strategy for keeping kids engaged in the world, in conversation, in face-to-face relationships?

Our Director of Health and Education, Dr. Stephen Cowan, has a prescription for balancing screen time with nature. For every minute you spend in front of a screen (phone, TV, computer, etc) spend a minute in nature. See if you and your kids can do it! Spending time in nature reduces stress and increases connectivity with the world. Every child benefits from time outdoors — even the ones who have grown into adult-sized kids!

The way we think changes outcomes. When we see our kids' lives as a journey rather than a destination we are embodying growth mind thinking which has been linked to long-lasting success. This is much more likely to support our kids' resilience in the face of stress rather than adding more pressure by being a top-down authority.⁠
Find the full article on our website🌻⠀⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

Water children are daydreamers and deep thinkers, they may have trouble noticing their bodies’ hunger signals. To get the most out of meals, Water children need to reconnect with the present moment.⁠ Full post on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

As they move out into their own peer group, your children may become less willing to share their thoughts and interests with you. Try not to take this too personally. Maintaining open communication during adolescence can be challenging for any parent and child. Forced exchanges end up sounding like FBI interrogations and never work. What is critically important here is to create mini-opportunities for your teen’s voice to be heard within the safety of small talk that has no strings attached. These exchanges are the keys to empathy. That’s how we both learn what we need in order to grow. ⠀⁠
Find the full article on our website🌻⠀⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

Details, details, details — sometimes the last thing a person with Fire Power wants to think about. After all, for folks with Fire Power, it’s about the excitement, the joy you get with the finished product, whether it’s a school project, or even planning a fun activity. People who have Gold Power are often about the details, the structure, even the beauty of things. The hero-helpers that feed Gold Power are Earth and Water Powers, allowing people who have Gold Power to be empathetic and patient. Their hero-challengers are Fire and Wood. Find the full article on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

Stretch! Your body, your imagination, your reach and your horizons! A growth mindset means there are no boundaries to what we can learn. Have a great weekend 💛

Does your child inspire others with its passionate optimism? They might be a Fire Hero! Take our free assessment to find out 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/assessment/

Eating, sleeping, moving, playing, and breathing are all basic functions that we need to be healthy. The Tournesol program encourages teachers and parents to practice body intelligence exercises with their children so that it can be incorporated to become a natural part of their daily lives.⠀⁠
There are various exercises for children based on their secret power. The exercises address the most essential needs for growth and help manage body rhythms that connect the child to their surroundings. Find those exercises on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

Principles of Mindfulness and Compassion are what make up the program. It helps kids thrive in the face of challenges.⁠
is ideal for students in the 1st through 6th grades 🌻⁠

https://courses.tournesolkids.org/

Connect present feelings to how they felt in the past. Remember to use shades of feelings (see Fire stage). By comparing present feelings to some other time, they gain a wider perspective that reduces the sense of being overwhelmed. After all, we recovered from feelings before, we can have the faith to recover again. ⠀⁠
Read the full article on our website🌻⠀⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

What would it look like if everyone in a community was able to play to their strengths and help each other with their blind spots? Would growth be exponential? Would the environment change? What kind of adults would those kids grow up to be? What kind of society would they make? ⁠
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This transformed world is the vision we’re striving for by bringing Tournesol Kids Program to schools. Learn more about it on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

With a growth mindset, there are no limits to what you can learn and how far your imagination can stretch. Dream on! ⁠
Have a great weekend everyone 💛

Teens become consumed with questions like, “Why is it that one minute I’m popular and the next I’m not?” The advertising media capitalizes on this existential crisis, creating unnatural, distorted ideals of self-image that can exaggerate the sense of your child’s imperfections. How can anyone live up to a photoshopped image? Some “early bloomers” hide their sexuality while others feel the urge to dress in more mature styles. This can create an inner conflict between appearance and emotional immaturity.⠀⁠
Find the full article on our website 🌻⠀⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

We believe living centered in your power is sharing your gifts with others. Give us a show of hands if you agree! Have a great week everyone 🌻

Tournesol Kids is a 501c-3 non-profit organization that empowers children through online education, workshops & community outreach. Our programs teach holistic healthy child development strategies to kids, parents, educators & caregivers that identify and meet the individual physical and emotional needs of children. There are four ways you can support us. the main one is through a direct, tax-deductible donation to our organization. ⁠
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Find the full article on our website to learn more about how you can help us 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/about/

How do you nurture a child? Prepare a foundation from which they can flourish and shine in life. Teach them about compassion and community and watch them grow 🌻⁠
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What will children gain from the tournesol kids program? ⁠
by learning simple coping techniques, students will learn how to identify and release stress on a daily basis. Learn more about the tournesol kids program and its benefits on our website 🌻⁠ ⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/

Developing cognitive intelligence will allow the children to reason, solve problems, comprehend complex ideas as well as the ability to cope with and recover from stress. These skills are critical for all higher learning. The TournesolKids Card Game will help your child develop his cognitive intelligence and much more 🌻 ⁠
Learn more about it on our website!⁠
https://courses.tournesolkids.org/

Develop a vocabulary of shades of feelings e.g. angry level 1-2-3. Fire power reflects our whole range of feelings and emotions. The more shades of emotions you and your child can notice, the less overwhelming they become. As I always tell children, feelings are just the weather happening inside you. Even the strongest storm of emotion is guaranteed to change. This practice will come in handy in the later stages of adolescence.⁠
Find the full article on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

The stages of our lives are a microcosm of the seasons. As each developmental stage transitions into the next, existential questions are raised, challenging your child to grow and widen their perspective, building a deeper sense of self and the world around them. Each of these deep questions reflects one of the five seasonal powers:⁠
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Winter energy (Water power): Who am I?⁠
Spring energy (Wood power): Where am I going?⁠
Summer energy (Fire power): When am I going to get there?⁠
Harvest energy (Earth power): How am I going to get there?⁠
Autumn energy (Gold power): Why am I going through all this?⁠

Tournesol Kids teaches children to expand their imagination, creativity, and compassion for others. How would you draw your future you? 🌻⁠

Stressed Fire-type kids are over-excited and over-sensitive. By doing Wood Power exercises, they can channel their excess of energy into movement.⁠
Find your stress type by taking our free online assessment. ⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/assessment/

Those stuck in Fixed-Mind thinking speak in generalizations, taking things out of context and dividing the world into black/white, right/wrong, good/bad, success/failure. This is a deep source of conflict in our world today.⁠
Click the link to learn more 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

Goodbye 2021, hello 2022! Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year. ⁠
What are your New Year’s Eve rituals? 🌻

We hope you had a wonderful time with your family this year!
Before charging into a new year, make sure to take some time for yourself and meet your own needs as a parent. Practice some Water exercises to find peace & quiet. Recharging yourself before taking on new challenges is essential 🌻

Happy holidays everyone 💛

Feed your own needs so that you feel resilient in the face of day-to-day stress. Parenting is tough. When you understand and honor your own needs, you more nimbly and calmly respond to challenges!

📷 Vika Strawberrika

It’s wintertime here in New York City, and regardless of what your primary Hero power is, it’s likely that you retreat a little this time of year. That inherent sense of quiet and peace makes winter the perfect time to explore Water Power. Water power brings a sense of peace and imagination to the world. Through the power of listening, we can learn how to stretch our minds to see hidden connections between things that bring deep meaning to our life.⁠ Full article on our website 🌻⁠
https://tournesolkids.org/blog/

One size does not fit all. Most school districts are organized around the principle: one curriculum for all children. It is challenging to shift this way of thinking. The downside is that it puts enormous pressure on children to fit in, minimizing the distinctive characteristics each child has.⁠
What are your thoughts on how curriculums are set up for our children?⁠

📷 Keren Fedida