The 2020 Pine Crest School Holiday Gift Guide

The 2020 Pine Crest School Holiday Gift Guide

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As the holidays quickly approach after an unconventional year, excitement is in the air and filling the hallways and virtual classrooms of Pine Crest School’s campuses. Having spent the better part of 2020 online, students and faculty look forward to time with their families and away from electronics. We have the next several weeks to reflect and re-energize!

Social-Emotional Education (SEE) at Pine Crest highlights the importance of play and recreation as ways of decreasing stress, increasing resilience, and developing the ability to collaborate and communicate with others. Additionally, we have included resources to encourage empathy and inclusivity. Here is a list curated by Pine Crest students and faculty of their favorite ways to stay mindful and engaged offline and unplugged while away from school during the Winter Break.

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LOWER SCHOOL (PRE-KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE FIVE) Mindful activities begin with our pre-kindergarten students. From mindful stretching and breathing activities to morning meetings where students connect, share their experiences, talk about their feelings and responses to the world around them, and preview the day to provide consistency and a sense of purpose.

Toys and Games with Intention:

A Gratitude Journal

Design and Drill Space Circuits (Ages 5-8)

Hoberman Sphere

Playfoam Shape and Learn (Ages 3-6)

Kanoodle 3D Puzzle Game or Kanoodle Head to Head Puzzle Game for two players (Ages 7+)

Memory Yoga (Ages 3-15) 3

Spindoodle – A Drawing & Guessing Game (Ages 8+)

Kinetic Sand (Ages 3-5)

Books for Empathy and Mindfulness:

Be the Difference: 40+ Ideas for Kids to Create Positive Change Using Empathy, Kindness, Equality and Environmental Awareness – Jayneen Sanders Be the Difference is packed with ways in which children may contribute to a more positive, kind, and empathetic world.

Be Kind – Pat Zietlow Miller Be Kind, a New York Times bestseller, uses gentle and engaging text to describe how a young girl considers thoughtful ways of responding after a friend spills grape juice on her.

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Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World – Selby B. Beeler and illustrated by G. Brian Karas Travel around the world and discover the surprising things children do when they lose a tooth. Selby B. Beeler spent years collecting traditions from every corner of the globe for this whimsical book, and G. Brian Karas adds to the fun, filling every page with humorous detail. He perfectly captures the excitement and pride that children experience when a tooth falls out.

The Sandwich Shop – Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah Lily and Salma are best friends. They like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together.

Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummus, but what’s that between friends? It turns out, a lot. Before they know it, a food fight breaks out. Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences? Or will a sandwich come between them?

The smallest things can pull us apart — until we learn that friendship is far more powerful than difference. In a glorious three-page gatefold at the end of the book, Salma, Lily, and all their classmates come together in the true spirit of tolerance and acceptance.

Puppy Mind – Andrew Jordan Nance In this picture book for children and adults, a young boy discovers his mind is like a puppy, always wandering away, into the past or the future. He sets about learning to train his puppy mind to heel to the present moment. Through remembering to breathe, the boy becomes a stronger and more caring master of his puppy mind, keeping it in the present, if only for a moment. The book includes a link to a discussion guide for parents and teachers.

Birdsong – Julie Flett When a young girl moves from the country to a small town, she feels lonely and out of place. But soon she meets an elderly woman next door, who shares her love of arts and crafts. Can the girl navigate the changing seasons and failing health of her new friend? Acclaimed author and artist Julie Flett’s textured images of birds, flowers, art, and landscapes bring vibrancy and warmth to this powerful story, which highlights the fulfillment of intergenerational relationships and shared passions.

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It’s Brave to Be Kind: A Kindness Story and Activity Book for Children – Natasha Daniels Drawing from her extensive background as a child therapist, Daniels has created a combined story and activity book about the value of kindness. With its inspiring story and terrific role model, the book shows children fun ways to practice kindness and also provides advice for parents on how to teach empathy and kindness to kids.

Not Norman: A Goldfish Story – Kelly Bennet Norman the goldfish isn’t what this little boy had in mind. He wanted a different kind of pet — one that could run and catch, or chase string and climb trees, a soft furry pet to sleep on his bed at night. Definitely not Norman. But when he tries to trade Norman for a “good pet,” things don’t go as he planned. Could it be that Norman is a better pet than he thought?

With wry humor and lighthearted affection, author Kelly Bennett and illustrator Noah Z. Jones tell an unexpected — and positively fishy — tale about finding the good in something you didn’t know you wanted.

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MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL (GRADES SIX THROUGH TWELVE) Pine Crest Middle School teachers and students have incorporated a variety of mindfulness activities into their days. From using a Tibetan Singing Bowl, to focusing on breathing techniques, to taking yoga breaks during the lunch period.

A soft eye pillow for stress relief has a variety of calming properties. The pillow may be filled with flax seeds and lavender and/or scented with essential oils.

Here is one that can be made at home.

Upper School students may not be shy about telling you what they would like, but you can still surprise them with these suggestions to help incorporate SEE at home.

Weighted blankets calm the nervous system. The primary benefit is it helps focus you on the weight of the blanket on your body. Heated versions are available for cold nights.

Expressing gratitude helps teens remain grounded in the day-to-day kindness and beauty surrounding them. When the business of adolescent development takes over our teens’ thinking and beliefs, it can become hard to see the good things happening too!

Starting a daily gratitude practice using a journal can serve as a daily check-in and reminder that challenges are temporary and there is goodness in each day.

An essential oil diffuser disperses essential oils into the surrounding air creating a calming aroma. Two popular oils to use are eucalyptus and peppermint.

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Yoga mat Adult coloring books Coloring books are great for stress reduction and are great tools for those who start to practice mindfulness, or for those who have a hard time being still and letting their thoughts flow. When you color and focus on staying in the lines, it helps your thoughts flow more freely. The recollection of childhood play and creativity is a great way to disconnect and focus on self.

Other gift ideas include: Dry erase calendar message board

Eureka Crate Eureka Crate inspires innovators to think about the design and engineering behind everyday objects.

Explore hands-on lessons in the creative application of the science principles behind real-world problems.

With Eureka Crate, join the ongoing story of invention — and build the creative confidence to write the next chapter.

Create Plus - 3Doodler pen Daily planner journal

Desk Duster Llama

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Books About Belonging:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky (Ages 16-18) The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood; first dates, family drama, and new friends.

This Book is Anti-Racist – Tiffany Jewell (Ages 1216) Who are you? What is racism? Where does it come from? Why does it exist? What can you do to disrupt it? Learn about social identities, the history of racism and resistance against it, and how you can use your anti-racist lens and voice to move the world toward equity and liberation.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid (Ages 14+) Changez is living an immigrant’s dream of America.

At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by an elite valuation firm. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore. But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his relationship with Erica shifting. And Changez’s own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.

New Kid – Jerry Craft (Ages 9-13) Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

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This is Your Time – Ruby Bridges (Ages 10+) At the age of six, Ruby Bridges unexpectedly became an icon of the civil rights movement as the first Black child to integrate into an all-white elementary school. Because of threats and protesters, Ruby had to be escorted to class by federal marshals.

She was screamed at by adults and ostracized by the other children, but her extraordinary story led to extraordinary change.

Born A Crime – Trevor Noah (Ages 16+) Trevor Noah chronicles his coming-of-age in South Africa under and after apartheid. Born to a white father and black mother (a union punishable by law), Noah was kept mostly hidden indoors during his early childhood. How the future Daily Show host maintained his wit and resilience amid a country enduring the aftershocks of colonialism — and survived typical teen perils of, say, dating in high school — are the subject of this celebrated bestseller.

Younger teens may prefer the adapted version, It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime (Ages 11-13).

Crying Laughing – Lance Rubin (Ages 12-15) A budding comedian, Winnie’s always been able to find the funny side to life. Her tenth-grade year, however, is going to require a lot more effort.

Between friend drama, boy drama, and the family secrets that surface after her beloved dad (a fellow comedian) is diagnosed with ALS, Winnie’s starting to realize just how unfair life can be sometimes. Good thing tears and laughter have always been a winning combo.

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World – Ashley Herring Blake (Ages 10-13) When a tornado rips through town, twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen’s house is destroyed and her family of five is displaced. Ivy feels invisible and ignored in the aftermath of the storm—and what’s worse, her notebook filled with secret drawings of girls holding hands has gone missing.

Mysteriously, Ivy’s drawings begin to reappear in her locker with notes from someone telling her to open up about her identity. Ivy thinks--and hopes--that this 10

someone might be her classmate, another girl for whom Ivy has begun to develop a crush. Will Ivy find the strength and courage to follow her true feelings?

Everyone:

For all ages of students, we recommend coming together as a family over board games and/or puzzles.

Playing board games encourages and assists in connecting with others. Here are a few that we love.

George – Alex Gino (Ages 10-13) When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl.

Guess in 10, a game of questions in a variety of themes including animals, countries, and sports

George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever.

Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part... because she’s a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte—but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

Uno Flip, a twist on the classic game of Uno

Suspend, a great game for younger players developing their fine motor skills 11

Puzzles

Sovling puzzles help alleviate stress. While solving puzzles, the brain increases the production of dopamine, one of the brain’s neurotransmitters that helps regulate mood, motivation, attention, memory, positive thinking, and feelings of optimism. If you are really looking for a challenge, try out any of these: Blokus, a game of strategy for players as young as six years old

1000 Piece Times Square

Double Ditto

3D Puzzle

Codenames, spies and secret messages

1000 Piece, Round Jigsaw Puzzle

Tumble Tower, an updated version of Jenga (take this game outside to the patio, or clear out the coffee table in the living room.)

The “Impossible Puzzle” 12

Pine Crest School faculty and staff, students, and administrators wish our entire community a happy holiday and new year filled with time spent with friends and family, great books, and enriching experiences!

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