Research shows that everyone battles some form of anxiety in their lifetime. With this in mind, it's important to arm children from a young age with psycho-education and useful coping skills.

1. What causes anxiety?
-Introduction to the fight-or-flight structure of the brain - the "Antsy Amygdala" (a stuffed character) is introduced in a fun and educational way
-Understanding and recognizing the physical signs of panic and anxiety - discussion and powerpoint

2. What is anxiety good for?
-Psychoeducation on how anxiety works to keep us aware and safe
-Learning to distinguish between circumstances when anxiety feels useful and when it feels harmful - video, discussion, and powerpoint

3. What can I do about it?
-Learning what situations and thoughts cause us anxiety 
-Coping skills to work through anxiety and reduce stress - includes breathing exercises, and other fun interactive activities to leave students feeling empowered

CLASS ACTIVITY:
As the information is presented in class, your student will cut out, fold, color, and construct a paper cube. The teacher will provide and repeat these instructions many times, as well as directing students to watch the class recording back. Feel free to cut out the cube ahead of time or sit with your student to help them if this may feel overwhelming. This craft may be challenging for younger students - please consider this before enrolling!

A 4-page printable handout will be provided for students to refer to and color on during class. Your student will absolutely need the page that includes the cube template. Please also bring scissors, glue or tape, and coloring/writing tools. The printable file is located as the first post on the classroom page, as well as in the welcome email you will receive after enrolling. 

**Please read before enrolling: I work hard to include as many students as possible when creating classes. However, it's impossible for every class to be a good fit for each student's unique set of strengths, and it's important to me that you get the most out of your Outschool experience. Some students find that the material in this class moves quickly. If your student is on the younger side of this age range or finds other classes in this age range to move too quickly, please consider that this class will probably feel fast. If your student becomes stressed when multitasking or finds zoom classes challenging to follow at times, please consider either cutting out their craft ahead of time, sitting with them to help, or holding off on enrolling. For some students, this may not be a good fit. For students who are sometimes bored because classes move too slowly for them, this class will be a great fit! If your student loves crafts and can work independently, this class will be a great fit!