All you really want is for your students to manage their big feelings with care and kindness, notice others’ needs with empathy, get along with others and stay connected and kind during conflict, make choices that are responsible, respectful, safe, and kind, and persevere when there are challenging academic and social moments.
But helping your students develop these tools is no easy task, when you haven't YET been fully trained in a powerful SEL curriculum and you’re filled with your own set of big feelings that come with the educator territory.
Now I know you’re the kind of educator who cares deeply for your students. You work so hard to give your kiddos the best possible educational experiences. You create systems that support high-quality instruction and positive behavior… and you’re surprised by how much challenging behavior and big feelings continue to affect your school day.
You understand that learning strategies to help students listen, speak, and act in ways that keep a strong communication connection with each other, even in challenging social and academic situations, can transform behavior in your classroom and school.
You know that teaching powerful social and emotional learning (SEL) tools are needed as part of this transformation and to foster the well-being and emotional intelligence of your students so they thrive in school and beyond.
And you’re here, because you’re intrigued by all that the Kimochis® SEL program has to offer.
I feel you! I knew that having and getting trained in a powerful SEL curriculum would transform my students’ behavior and create more confident, compassionate, connected kids. And Kimochis® (which means "feelings" in Japanese and helps children communicate their feelings with character) proved to be just the program for me and my students and the classrooms I support.
The Kimochis® magic I've seen in action and in the data is just plain special. And I want the same for you and your students.
With Kimochis®, here is what your work can look like…
- You connect deeply with each of your students, so every day they feel supported in becoming their best selves.
- You promote academic achievement by supporting resiliency and focus during instructional moments.
- You teach and coach Kimochis positive communication tools to replace challenging behaviors such as grabbing, yelling, interrupting, cutting in line, unkind words, and unkind actions.
- You engage students in your class meeting and integrate SEL throughout the entire school day with the Kimochis feeling pillows and characters.
- You collaborate with parents to create a caring school community where ALL feel welcome and ALL belong.
Of course, there are some potential barriers we need to think through.
First, there’s the issue of FUNDING. I get it. This can be a huge barrier. I’ve had people successfully get around this one by using Title 1 funds, accessing district funds focused on school climate or intervention, involving their PTA or PFC, and applying to local grants or using Donors Choose. I personally got my first Kimochis® Tool Kit and training through a grant. You're an educator, meaning you're smart, creative, and resilient, so I'm sure you can come up with some ideas to work around this one.
And then there’s the issue of FINDING THE TIME TO GET TRAINED. I get it – this has always been a potential barrier to my own professional growth. I hear educators telling me all the time that they want to get trained in Kimochis®, and they just can’t find the time to get away from work, or they can but their schedule just doesn’t line up with the in-person workshop schedule in San Rafael, CA.
To top it off, there’s the issue of TRAVELING. Most of the world is just too far from San Rafael, CA, to readily attend one of our in-person trainings. Travel takes more time and of course more money. Even people who live in the San Francisco Bay Area can find it challenging to make it to my in-person workshops in San Rafael.
So I’ve been dreaming about how to get this invaluable training to far more people, even if funding, timing, and traveling are issues.
That, my friend, is why I’m now offering the first ever full ONLINE KIMOCHIS® COURSE that can be done...
whenever you want, wherever you want, and however you want!
And because this is the beta launch (meaning I'll be asking for some feedback along the way), you're going to get a bargain and 2 WHOLE YEARS to access the course (in the future, the cousre will include just 1 year of access)!
How's that for knocking down those barriers?!
Feeling CURIOUS about how this might work?
You might be thinking, “This all sounds wonderful, but how can I possibly learn these tools through an online course?!”
I’ve been thinking long and hard about the same question.
If you’ve done the Free 10-Day SEL E-training Series, then you’ve already gotten a small taste of how it might work. And you can purchase 2 Years of Access to the 10-day SEL Training Series for yourself or your whole school.
If you want to learn even more about Kimochis®, the Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff beta online course is the one for you! This course will have so many features to make sure it gives you the support you need to fully kickoff Kimochis®, and use it to fully transform your classroom. AND on top of getting the Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff course, you'll also get the 10-Day SEL Training Series for 2 Years for Free and even more perks. More on that below...
Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff: Beta Online Course
Transform Challenging Behavior and Create Confident, Connected, Compassionate Kids
In about 6 weeks, you will gain all of the information and tools that are typically learned in our six-hour in-person Kimochis® Elementary Workshop. This means that at the end of the course, you will feel prepared to introduce the Kimochis® program as a prevention and intervention tool that will help to build a strong, mutually respectful, safe and inclusive classroom and school community!
Throughout the online training sessions, lessons and activities from the Kimochis® educator’s guide that utilize strategies from a restorative practices model, such as discussion, conferencing and circles, will be outlined. You will be introduced to the Kimochis® “emotional vocabulary” that gives educators, parents and children a common language to guide positive behavior in social and academic settings. You'll see how to use the unique and compelling Kimochis® characters and feeling pillows that engage children, and keep the learning fun and interesting.
Please note that to fully benefit from this course, the Kimochis® Elementary Tool Kit (Grades 1-5) must be purchased separately through the Kimochis® Website.
So how exactly will this online course work?
The Core Training
Between Sept. 10 and Oct. 14, you will be given access to 9 pre-recorded training sessions:
- Introduction to the Course (access released on Sept. 10)
- The Power of Kimochis® (access released on Sept. 10)
- Home Run Activities with the Kimochis® Feeling Pillows (access released on Sept. 16)
- Kimochis® Characters Build Character (access released on Sept. 23)
- Kimochis® Keys to Communication: The KEY to Well-being (access released on Sept. 30)
- Kotowazas: Wise Wisdoms for Self-Regulation (access released on Oct. 7)
- Kimochis® Quick Start Planning (access released on Oct. 7)
- Expanding Your Impact with Kimochis® (access released on Oct. 14)
- Practice Makes Better (access released on Oct. 14)
Each of the 9 sessions will have several lesson modules that include reflection questions, training videos, and practice activities to support you in learning how to successfully use all of the Kimochis® tools, materials, and curriculum.
To further support your success with the training, you will also get 10 Handouts!
As you move through the course, you will have a progress tracker that will help you know which sessions and modules you've completed, and how many more you have to go.
Create Positive Feelings Your Way...
You can knock out the training session(s) each week in one larger sitting (about 1-2 hours), or you can pace yourself through the bite-sized lesson modules within the sessions (about 2-12 minute videos and readings). It’s your schedule, and you get to do it whatever way brings you the most positive feelings.
Join the Beta Course by Oct. 10...
You can join the Beta online course any time by Oct. 10. You'll get access to any sessions that have been released prior to signing up. And you get to access them any time for 2 YEARS!
If you can't make it work to join by Oct. 10, it's all good! II'll be coming out with the final version of the course after that. The final course will be offered at full pricing at that time and will only include 1 year of access, AND I'm still hopeful that the online course features eliminate the timing and travel barriers for you. You can always get updated info on course offerings here.
What do YOU have to do since it's a Beta Course?
After each session, you'll be asked to fill out a short survey (5 minutes or less) to give feedback on the session components, so I can refine the course for future users.
Otherwise, you can just enjoy all the material and a bunch of other perks, which you'll find below.
By the end of the course, you will:
- Understand and articulate how to set up the Kimochis® Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Program in the classroom, and how to integrate SEL throughout the school day, to promote emotional intelligence and well-being.
- Have strategies to adjust the facilitation of the Kimochis® (SEL) program to meet the varied development needs of students across all grades within your school.
- Express the connection between feelings and behavior and demonstrate how to use Kimochis® as part of your school’s positive behavior intervention support (PBIS).
- Demonstrate how to respond with positive discipline to the top five challenging behaviors in elementary school, using the Kimochis® Keys to Communication, Feeling Pillows, and the Kimochis® Characters.
- Create a simple plan for how to collaborate with parents so school and home use a common language to promote SEL well-being.
Since you'll be in the beta launch of this online course, I want you to feel LOVED!
So that's why...
You will have 2 WHOLE YEARS OF ACCESS to the online sessions.
This means you can complete each week of training as the sessions are released OR you can do each lesson or session on any day for the next 2 years. Seriously!
Even if you have me take you under my wing this Sept. 10 - Oct. 14, you can get a refresher any time you want until Sept. 9, 2021!! Just head on back to the course, log in, and you're good to go!
And you'll get access to the updated version once I make any needed improvements based on your feedback from the beta course.
As if 2 Years of Access wasn't enough, there are even more perks!
You'll also get:
- A Virtual Group Coaching Call through Zoom. I'll answers any questions people have for me, and provide extra coaching on any of the tools people are finding tricky. This should be about 1 hour, though I'll go a little longer if needed to address people's questions. If you yourself join the course and can't make the virtual coaching call (which will be on Oct. 10 from 3-4 pm PDT [GMT-7]), no worries! Everything will be recorded and you'll get full access to the recording. If you know you can't be there, you can send your questions to me in advance, and I'll be sure to answer those too! If you purchase the course for your whole school (meaning up to 25 members of your staff will get unique log-in information to do the course personally, though does NOT include permission to use the course in group professional development or assemblies), you'll get to schedule the group coaching call for your staff at a time that works for your whole team (and me!).
- A Virtual Professional Learning Community. This will be hosted through a private Facebook group. It will be accessible through invitation and is for course participants only. Although I have no idea how many people will join the course, you will be able to support each other through this Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff course. You can ask each other questions, share ideas, and just celebrate being with like-minded colleagues. I'll also be checking the group to chime in once a week for the 6 weeks. You can stay connected with one another in the group forever (though I won't be checking in regularly after the 6 weeks).
- Accountability Buddies, if desired. If you'd like to have someone keep you on track with whatever training goals you have (maybe you'd like to do a mini module a day, or maybe you want to knock a whole session out every Monday), then I'll match you up with another person who's interested in having someone encouraging them to stick to their plan too.
Even More Perks
You'll also get 2 YEARS of FREE ACCESS to the 10-Day Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Training Series
(in about 10 minutes a day for 10 days, this mini-training series provides an introduction to SEL and Kimochis®, why feelings matter, the connection between feelings and behavior, and the 7 Kimochis® Keys to Communication):
- For your Whole School (up to 25 people will get unique log-in information; this does NOT give you permission to share the training series with the world or use it to deliver group professional development or at assemblies) if by Sept. 20, you purchase the Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff Beta Online Course for Yourself
- For your Whole School (up to 25 people will get unique log-in information; this does NOT give you permission to share the training series with the world or use it to deliver group professional development or at assemblies) if by Oct. 10, you purchase the Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff Beta Online Course for your Whole School (also to give up to 25 users unique log-in information, but not for use in group professional development or assemblies)
- For Just YOU if by Oct. 10, you purchase the Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff Beta Online Course for Yourself
And when you buy the course for your whole school, you'll get a 1-Hour 1-on-1 Virtual Coaching Call through Zoom...
So I can meet with any school leaders and help you figure out the best possible way to transform your whole school with Kimochis® (if by Oct. 10, you purchase the Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff Beta Online Course for your Whole School, and just in case you missed the last few times I mentioned it, this purchase gives up to 25 users unique log-in information, but is not for use in group professional development or assemblies). You'll have up to 1 year to use this call.
Stories with Positive Feelings
You might feel curious about what people think about Kimochis courses.
Since this is the first time I'm offering an online Kimochis® course, I don’t YET have testimonial proof for what it’s like.
So here is some feedback I've gotten from my in-person workshops...
A must see and go! I loved learning how to use tools with all students and how to adapt. And I loved how Katie tied it in with academic gains. I want to invite my own daughter’s principal and counselor to the next training!
Super helpful! Katie is fantastic and very knowledgeable. Although I’ve done this training two times before, it all seemed new, exciting, effective, and useful!
The training was relevant, useful, meaningful, and easy to follow. I almost always have a suggestion for every trainer I’ve ever had throughout my whole career. Today my only suggestion for you Katie...Keep on being YOU!
So awesome! I learned a ton and gained tools not only for teaching and class but for me and my own family and how to deal with issues better.
This training was very beneficial at any grade level!
I love how Katie talked about how to integrate PBIS, SEL, and all the tools we learned in the training.
$250
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2 Years of Access to 9 Online Sessions, starting Sept. 10 (covering all the same content as in our $300 in-person Elementary Kimochis® Workshop and more through pre-recorded videos and reflection and practice prompts; all sessions listed above)
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10 Handouts
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2 Years of Access to the 10-day SEL Training Series for you and up to 24 more staff members at your school ($250 Value; does not include use of course for group professional development or assemblies), if you purchase the course by Sept. 20
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2 Years of Access to the 10-day SEL Training Series for just you ($25 Value), if you purchase the course by Oct. 10
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A 1-Hour Virtual Group Coaching Call through Zoom ($175 Value)
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Virtual Professional Learning Community (through a private Facebook group)
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Paired with an Accountability Buddy (if desired)
$2800
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2 Years of Access to 9 Online Sessions, starting Sept. 10 (covering all the same content as in our $3400 in-person Group Kimochis® Workshop for up to 25 users; individual access will be granted to up to 25 emails on your staff roster, but does not include use of the course for group professional development or assemblies; all sessions listed above)
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10 Handouts
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2 Years of Access to the 10-day SEL Training Series for you and up to 24 more staff members at your school ($250 Value; does not include use of course for group professional development or assemblies), if you purchase the course by Oct. 10
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A 1-Hour Virtual Group Coaching Call through Zoom for your school staff ($175 Value)
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A 1-Hour Virtual 1-on-1 Coaching Call for the school administrator or lead for implementation ($175 Value)
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Virtual Professional Learning Community (through a private Facebook group)
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Pairing of Accountability Buddies (if desired)
100% money back guarantee within 30 days of program purchase if you are not satisfied with this course.
Katie, how do I know if this is the right training for me?!
This is a major investment, so of course you want to make sure you're signing up for the right thing. Let's schedule a free 15-minute call to figure out what you need and if this is going to help you reach your goals with your students!
And, who am I?
Not surprisingly, you'd like to know who you're working with, so here's a little bit about me...
I'll be your Kimochis® Certified Trainer for this online course!
Thanks to Kimochis® and my mentor and the Kimochis Education Director, Ellen Dodge, I get to teach you all these wonderful tools that will help us increase the connection and compassion in our schools.
I've been working in schools for nearly 20 years in various roles, from teacher to researcher to teacher educator to unicorn School Psychologist (I've been super lucky to do prevention-oriented parts of the School Psych gig, parts that all School Psychs are trained for, but unfortunately very few schools utilize). I've spent most of my career supporting teachers with their gen ed classroom practices and occasionally doing more intensive interventions (which rarely happens since using the right kind of universal interventions and supports can be pretty amazing).
During this work, I've tried out all sorts of different SEL strategies and curricula with the classrooms and teachers I support. Then, in 2012, I found Kimochis®, which is the most fun, interactive, tangible SEL program I've ever found and has a unique and critical focus on the nonverbal parts of communicating our feelings.
I've basically been obsessed ever since.
I had the honor of becoming a Kimochis® Certified Trainer in 2016, and I've had the good fortune of sharing all my favorite Kimochis® SEL tools with people like you since then. I just love seeing how the tools transform classrooms and create confident, connected, compassionate kiddos!
I'm also the Founder of Constant Love and Learning, which is focused not only on well-being and learning for children, but also well-being and growth for educators!
My hope is that you can feel less of the frustrated feelings and more of the fulfilled ones in your work, and even in life.
Elementary KimochisĀ® Kickoff Online Course Pricing Reverts to Regular in.......
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It would be an incredible honor to have you join my first ever online Kimochis® course and to be part of the transformation in your class and/or school. If you’re ready to move forward and create more connected, confident, compassionate kiddos:
- Click the button below to sign up yourself or up to 25 professionals from your school.
- Fill out the web form with your information and submit your payment.
- Check your inbox for an email with all the information you'll need to benefit from the course (remember, the Kimochis® Elementary Tool Kit is not included, and having or purchasing it will be super important to get the maximum benefit!).
- Spend Sept. 10 - Oct. 14 (and actually up until Sept. 9, 2021!) becoming more and more confident in using Kimochis® to connect with your students, and nurture well-being and emotionally strong and resilient children.
Still not ready to buy the
Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff: Beta Online Course?
And still wanting to have access to the 10-Day SEL Training Series?
2 Years of Access to the 10-Day SEL Training Series can still be purchased by itself.
You'll get access to the training series that includes about 10 minutes of training a day for 10 days. It can also be done in one sitting if preferred. You'll get an introduction to SEL, why feelings matter, the relationship between feelings and behavior, and the 7 Kimochis® Keys to Communication.
Pricing will double after Sept. 15, though you can still get the series for free until Oct. 10 if you decide to join the Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff: Beta Online Course.
Frequently Asked Questions
"Beta" basically means first draft. The in-person Kimochis® Workshops are consistently loved, so I've built this course with the in-person workshop as the foundation. That said, this is the first time this workshop will be taught in an online format, so it might not be as great as it will after some refining, AND I'll ask be asking for your feedback along the way. To thank you for joining the course in this beta form, and for your feedback, I'm giving you all the extra perks, a discount on the in-person Kimochis® workshop prices, and access for 2 years. After Oct. 10, the pricing will go back to normal and access will only be granted for 1 year.
I feel you! I couldn't afford Kimochis® at first either. And plenty of people and schools tell me the same. Somehow I found a way, and so do others - and everyone feels so happy that they did. Although there aren't any discounts on the Kimochis® materials (you just can't discount feelings!), this course is currently a total bargain. You're getting so many perks and so much value at a discounted rate because it's in beta form. Not only that - you know how much your students need support with their feelings and behaviors, so you really can't afford not to learn some powerful social and emotional learning tools! I hope you find some way to make it work. If it takes a little longer to find or get funding, the course will still be here down the road. It will just be back to full price and only 1 year of access - even so, the support you'll get to learn how to transform your class will still be worth it!
You and up to 24 other colleagues from your school staff (or district-level team, such as School Psychologists or Counselors) will get individual access. Once you complete your purchase, you'll be asked to send me your staff roster, and I will give you a link and a coupon code for however many people are on your roster. Each person will then use the link and their unique coupon code to get access to the course for free (since you already paid the group fee). Each person will then set up their own unique log-in information and have access to the course, just like you do.
Yes! The main options for payment are credit card and PayPal, but I can accept a purchase order. Please contact me at [email protected] so that we can arrange payment.
I feel you! I've thought long and hard about this question. I think that between the reflection questions, video training lessons, and practice prompts, you'll get a good sense of how to support your students with these tools. While the interactive nature of our in-person Kimochis® Workshops are great, the number one comment we get for how to improve the course is to have more time to digest and practice the material. With the online course, you'll get that time! I'm feeling confident that even with the course being online, you'll feel prepared to teach these interactive tools and foster more connection with your students!
Ideally, yes! I'll be walking you through the curriculum guide, showing you different tools, and asking you to practice using the Kimochis® materials, including the characters and Mixed Bag of Feelings. So I urge you to purchase your very own Elementary Tool Kit (for Grades 1-5) or find one to borrow for the training, in order to fully benefit from the course.
If you need to purchase a Tool Kit, you can head over to Kimochis. Once you get your kit, or borrow one from a colleague, come on back and enroll in the course. And if this isn't in the cards just YET, I'm optimistic you'll be joining me soon enough! And if it helps you get a Tool Kit, check out this information about how to navigate the Donors Choose application process to get your kit funded! Others I've worked with have found success asking their parent group for funding, using LCAP funds (if you're in California), or using Title 1 funds. And if you need some info on the evidence and theoretical background behind Kimochis to support any of your requests, email [email protected] for a handout you can include.
Now, even though I urge you to get a Kimochis® Tool Kit to really benefit from the Elementary Kimochis® Kickoff Beta Online Course, some people have attended my in-person workshops to see what they think before investing in a Tool Kit, and I suppose you could do the same. Please know, though, that it will not be guaranteed that you will reach all the learner objectives.
This course will cover the core components of the Kimochis® program that are included in both the Elementary and Early Childhood curricula. However, in this course, I will have several lessons that are directly tied to using the Elementary curriculum, and all suggestions will be tailored to help you meet the needs of elementary-aged children. If you only have the Early Childhood Curriculum and choose to enroll in this course, please be aware that you won't be able to get the full benefits. There are in-person and virtual (live, but not in-person) training options for the Early Childhood Curriculum. Please check out the in-person training options or reach out to Ellen Dodge at [email protected] for virtual options.
If you work with elementary-aged kids, this can totally help you in your work. About half of everyone I train at my in-person Elementary workshops are in a support position, such as School Counselor, School Psychologist, and more. In the course, I'll definitely be talking about how you can adapt your approach to implementation if you are in one of these roles.
You are more than welcome to learn everything on your own. AND I guarantee you that you will feel so much more confident and capable of supporting your students' transformation by taking the course. If the online course isn't your thing, I encourage you to check out the Kimochis® in-person workshop options. Either way, having training will be such an important part of your success in using these tools.
Since private groups are quite easy to run on Facebook and provide a great way for passionate educators far and wide to connect with one another, I am currently using that platform to run our Professional Learning Community for this course. For some, staying off Facebook is an excellent form of self-care, and I understand that you might feel disappointed about my choice here. I feel super sorry if this part of the course won't work out for you, and I am hopeful that you'll still get tons of benefit out of the rest of the course package. You can still request an Accountability Buddy, and therefore still have a chance to connect with a like-minded colleague during this learning journey.
No, not at this time. However, a Certificate of Completion will be granted to you once you complete all of the sessions.
