Concentration Cream

The Benefits of Lotion in the Classroom!
So as I've been getting geared up for a new year to start and thinking about all the things to do, one of the million (I wish that was an exaggeration!) things that I'm getting ready is Concentration Cream. Well in Pre-K, it's Cranky Cream, but with my 3rd graders last year it was Concentration Cream.

I have been so blessed to work in districts that use Conscious Discipline - an amazing social/emotional curriculum that I think truly works to teach students social skills. If you haven't heard about it - look it up!!! Sorry, tangent, I'm back. Anyways, one of the things that is encouraged in a Conscious Discipline (CD) classroom is Concentration Cream. AND I LOVE IT!!! But more importantly, my students love it.

Here's what it is: a bottle of lotion (cheap is great!) from the grocery store with a piece of paper taped onto it that says "Concentration Cream" or "Cranky Cream" or any variation. It can be as cute or as simple as you'd like! Make sure it is lightly scented so that students want to breathe in deep to smell it. *IMPORTANT TIP* make sure it is a smell you like! Because they will use it, and your room will smell like it. And I made the mistake once of picking a lotion who's smell was not my favorite. Bad choice! Tossed it out within a few hours. So all that to say, make sure it's a smell that you enjoy :-)

In Pre-K, I use it with students who are cranky. We get our cranky cream and rub it into their hands. I'm building a connection with them, they get physical touch, and then when they breathe in the lotion, they are unknowingly taking deep breaths which disengages their stress response. It's amazing what helps a 4 year old snap out of a bad mood!

But I really want to talk about using it in the older grades (because sometimes people argue that this stuff is just for "little kids"). I introduced Concentration Cream to my 3rd grade class at the beginning of the year as special lotion that helps them to concentrate on their work. And after you rub it in, you have to breathe it in deeply for it to work (again "tricking" them into deep breathing). Did they all want to use it right away? Did they all try to play with it? Did they want to use it 20 times a day? Of course! But like anything in the classroom, you teach them how to use it and when the appropriate time is.
And of course in 3rd grade they are a little too cool to use it to concentrate. "Uhhh, Mrs. McCord - that's just lotion." So they just used it because they "didn't want to be ashy" obviously. Interesting then how everyone of them would stop to breathe the lotion in deep after they were done ;-)

I want to share two specific examples of why I think it is beneficial in the classroom.
Example 1: A student that I had was an extremely challenging student and would get frustrated very easily. When something got hard he would often throw his pencil or paper, or both, on the ground. So when I was working with him and I noticed his frustration levels rising, I would suggest that now is a great time to get some concentration cream. So he would stand up (increasing oxygen to his brain, awesome!), get a chance to walk away from the problem, and take breathe in that smell of the lotion (disengaging the stress response). And after awhile, he started doing it on his own when he would get frustrated during independent work. Concentration cream vs. pencils and papers thrown on the ground? Yes please!

Example 2: Another student was frequently teased about being ashy (dry skin on African-American people looks a little grey, hence the term ashy). His family didn't have lotion at home and he also had to get ready for school in the mornings by himself. So every day, he would come in first thing in the morning and ask to get some lotion. Yes, he was using it so he wouldn't be ashy, but did that help him concentrate? Absolutely! And as a teacher, it is my job to keep students safe. Safe physically and emotionally. And if a $2 bottle of lotion means that a kid is no longer being teased - I will absolutely keep that in my classroom!