Chill Outz

App/Tool Overview

Chill Outz is an app that was designed to teach young children, approximately grades K-5, about mindfulness. It can be implemented with any child who is facing fears and anxieties, and is particularly useful for children with autism and anxiety disorders who need more support emotionally. The app has five different story lines and skill sets that the user can choose from when feeling overwhelmed or in need of a quiet minute alone. The five skills are body relaxation, diminishing panic through breathing, overcoming anxiety through shrugging, self-calming through humming, and getting ready for bed (or generally calming down) through deep breathing. Each of these skills is taught by a different friendly animal in an animated story so that children are more engaged and at ease when moving through the process. The goal is that through the use of these stories, the user is equipped with tools about mindfulness so that she is able to integrate these practices into her daily life as necessary. The users are anticipated to feel healthier in terms of both emotional and physical health, as removing anxiety, tension, and other issues can alleviate symptoms across the board.

School Library Applications

Chill Outz would be a very beneficial app to have downloaded onto a tablet or smartphone that students have access to throughout the school day. Today’s school library is truly more of a media center that can address a variety of student needs. One of these needs is the option to have a safe space to take a quiet, mindful moment when the stresses of the day are too much. Having access to this app in a comfy, cozy, and quiet corner of the library would help students who need to step away from the busy flow of the school day to recenter. The school library should be a safe space for students, so it would be an ideal space to use this app.

The above application of Chill Outz speaks more to an individual level, but it can also be used in a small or large group setting as well. Using this app could be helpful in aiding students when they need to refocus and settle in for a lesson or work in the library.

Classroom Teacher Implications

A classroom teacher could use Chill Outz in the same ways that a school library would. Teachers can also have this app available for either an individual setting or a group setting. Again, they could set up the app in a quiet corner of the classroom and allow students to use it when there is a bit of free or down time. They could also allow students to use it in times when instruction is not being held in the classroom, like during lunch or recess (as long as there are proper supervisory and ratio components happening!). The other option is to conduct class-wide sessions where all the students practice techniques such as breathing together in order to refocus after a more high energy activity like lunch, recess, or gym class.

Additionally, as was mentioned in the app discussion, this tool is especially useful for students with autism and anxiety issues. This app could be even more integrated throughout the day to help students maintain a calmer mindset that will aid them in feeling more comfortable, engaged, and productive. If there are aids who work with these students, they should have the app readily available so they can pull it up whenever the need arises to help the student regain mindfulness.

Further Information

For more information about Chill Outz, please visit their website at: http://www.chilloutz.com/

This website has a variety of features such as sneak previews, FAQs, ways in which to contact the creators, explanation videos, and more.

Chill Outz is available at the Apple App Store and the Chrome Web Store for $4.99.