Positive Penguins

App/Tool Overview

Positive Penguins is a wonderful app that was created to enable children to participate in short, guided meditation. The app’s main function is to provide a five minute mediation for students that will help them to address their emotions, take a break to check in or cool down, and aid them in having time to think problems over uninterrupted. The app offers this meditation as well as a game mode that helps children to connect with themselves and figure out their emotions in a way that is more active. It is accessible for children of varying abilities because it has text as well as sound, and the ability to either record responses audibly or type them out. These features allow students with both vision and hearing disabilities to access the app. A note on this particular app-it is only available on the Apple App store for iOS devices.

School Library Applications

This app is extremely valuable for all school professionals: librarians, teachers, counselors, lunch and recess aides; the list goes on and on. While a school’s primary function is to be a place of learning, it is also the space where children spend most of their time during the week, so there should be a focus on mental and emotional health as well. This app allows educators to bring a focus to these areas without having to lose any significant instructional time.

In terms of the library in particular, I think school librarians are able to offer special assistance in terms of mental and emotional health because they do not always have the restricted time and schedule that classroom teachers have to adhere to. Libraries could have this app available on I-Pads in a space in the library that has comfortable seating and that is out of the way of the more trafficked areas. Librarians could simply keep this app open for students and allow them to take a mental break with the assistance of Positive Penguins when they are feeling overwhelmed or stressed. This would be beneficial to students because they would know that even at their most difficult moments, they have a safe space to come to and unwind in. They will be able to take a few moments for themselves, recenter with the guided meditation, and then continue on with their days a bit more at ease.

Classroom Teacher Implications

While I think using this app in order to aid in students’ mental and emotional health is equally as important for teachers as it is librarians, I think that teachers may be able to implement it in a slightly different way. While it is easier for librarians to have the app open for use at any time, when it comes to a teacher in her classroom, I think using the app for meditation as a group would be easier. Teachers could lead the class in a guided group meditation at many points throughout the day; it could be the start to the day right after students have come into the classroom, it could be at the end of the day for students to reflect, it could be any point in the middle of the day when the class feels as if it needs to refocus. Lastly, similarly to the set up in the library, teachers could also have the app open during times such as recess or independent reading time so that students are able to have access to the app whenever they individually feel the need.

Lastly, I think that both teachers and librarians could educate their students on the app and its accessibility outside of the school day as well. Because this app is accessible on any Apple device, many students have the ability to use it at home or at the public library as well. Educators should inform their students about how to access and use the app on their own time. This is because students (and people in general!) can always benefit from a few minutes of quiet reflection, especially when in a stressful situation. Educators should strive to aid students in their well being in all places in their lives, so helping them to use this tool of meditation outside of school is just as important as it is within the school day. The healthier a student’s mental and emotional states, the more success they will find both in their education and their personal lives.

Further Information

To access Positive Penguins and find more information about it, please use the following link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/positive-penguins/id570371342

The cost of the app is $.99.