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Saskatchewan Prevention Institute
  • Topics
      • Alcohol/FASD
      • Child Development
      • Domestic Violence
      • Infants
      • Mental Health
      • Oral Health
      • Parenting
      • Passenger Safety
      • Pregnancy
      • Safety
      • Sexual Health
      • Tobacco
  • Resource Catalogue
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    • Scheduled This Month

      • Rural HIV Prevention and Care

        January 7, 2021 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

      • Introductory Motivational Interviewing – Session 1

        January 11, 2021 @ 1:30 pm – 3:45 pm

      • Young Children with FASD: Strengths and Challenges

        January 12, 2021 @ 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

      • Introductory Motivational Interviewing – Session 2

        January 18, 2021 @ 1:30 pm – 3:45 pm

      • FASD and Dental Health in Young Children

        January 19, 2021 @ 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

      • Introductory Motivational Interviewing – Session 3

        January 25, 2021 @ 1:30 pm – 3:45 pm

      • Teaching Sex-Ed: Digital Literacy Skills

        January 26, 2021 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am

    • Scheduled Next Month

      • Introductory Motivational Interviewing – Session 4

        February 1, 2021 @ 1:30 pm – 3:45 pm

      • Trans and Non-Binary Sexual Health and Pregnancy

        February 4, 2021 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

      • Introductory Motivational Interviewing Training – Session 1

        February 5, 2021 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am

      • Introductory Motivational Interviewing – Session 5

        February 8, 2021 @ 1:30 pm – 3:45 pm

      • Teaching Sex-Ed: Human Sexuality 101

        February 9, 2021 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am

      • Changing the Story: Community-led Alcohol Planning

        February 10, 2021 @ 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

      • Introductory Motivational Interviewing Training – Session 2

        February 12, 2021 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am

      • Protected: What Evidence-Based Research Tells Us About “Safe Infant Sleep”: The Science of Mother-Infant Bedsharing

      View All Scheduled
    • Recorded Webinars

      • Helping Young People Develop Porn Literacy

        January 9, 2020 @ 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

      • Let’s Talk About Alcohol

        March 2, 2020 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

      • Let’s Talk Syphilis: Mom and Baby

        March 12, 2020 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

      • Kids and Concussions: What do we know in 2019?

        April 4, 2020 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am

      • Child Development and Injury Prevention

        September 15, 2020 @ 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

      • Understanding Pregnancy and Alcohol

        September 17, 2020 @ 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

      • COVID,Stress Awareness,and Returning to School

        September 18, 2020 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 pm

      • My Saskatchewan Pregnancy App: All You Need to Know

        September 24, 2020 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

      View All Archived
    • We Provide

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      • The Science of Toxicology

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      • Child Injury Prevention Information
      • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
      • Maternal and Infant Health
      • Motivational Interviewing
      • Sexual and Reproductive Health
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My Curious Brain sparks children’s curiosity about how the brain works. This book provides parents, teachers, and caregivers with tools to support brain health for children.

The different parts of the brain are represented by the instinctual dinosaur, the emotional monkey, and the wise owl. The story offers children and adults a fun and interesting way to gain a greater understanding of how the brain develops, how it processes emotions, and how to deal with those emotions.

When people experience big emotions, it can be difficult for the brain to work as well as it does when it is calm, happy, and relaxed. My Curious Brain illustrates how to practice calming the instinctual dinosaur and the emotional monkey, in order to help access the wise owl.

The instinctual dinosaur represents the brainstem. It is the first part of the brain to develop and is often referred to as the “survival brain.” It sends messages from our brain to our body. Early experiences directly shape how the dinosaur views the world.

The emotional monkey represents the limbic system. This is the second part of the brain to develop and is where our emotions are experienced. Infants and children need the support of adults in their lives to help them manage their emotions until the neocortex (wise owl) is developed.

The wise owl represents the neocortex, which is the final part of the brain to develop and does not reach full development until early adulthood. It is the “thinking and feeling brain” and is responsible for judgement, planning, and decision-making. The neocortex also helps us to regulate our emotions.

You can purchase a copy of the book here. Presentations may be available upon request. Contact [email protected].

The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute would like to acknowledge and thank all individuals and groups who have had important roles in the development of My Curious Brain and its corresponding resources. The book was written by Brent McKee and Britton Houdek and illustrations were created by Jackie Madarash. Additional activities were developed by the KidsFirst Team and Sunrise Health Region. The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute is grateful for the opportunity to adapt My Curious Brain and add it to our resources. The purpose of this book is to help children, and the adults in their lives, better understand how the brain develops and works, as well as the important role it plays in managing our emotions and stress.

My Curious Brain sparks children’s curiosity about how the brain works. This book provides parents, teachers, and caregivers with tools to support brain health for children.

The different parts of the brain are represented by the instinctual dinosaur, the emotional monkey, and the wise owl. The story offers children and adults a fun and interesting way to gain a greater understanding of how the brain develops, how it processes emotions, and how to deal with those emotions.

When people experience big emotions, it can be difficult for the brain to work as well as it does when it is calm, happy, and relaxed. My Curious Brain illustrates how to practice calming the instinctual dinosaur and the emotional monkey, in order to help access the wise owl.

The instinctual dinosaur represents the brainstem. It is the first part of the brain to develop and is often referred to as the “survival brain.” It sends messages from our brain to our body. Early experiences directly shape how the dinosaur views the world.

The emotional monkey represents the limbic system. This is the second part of the brain to develop and is where our emotions are experienced. Infants and children need the support of adults in their lives to help them manage their emotions until the neocortex (wise owl) is developed.

The wise owl represents the neocortex, which is the final part of the brain to develop and does not reach full development until early adulthood. It is the “thinking and feeling brain” and is responsible for judgement, planning, and decision-making. The neocortex also helps us to regulate our emotions.

You can purchase a copy of the book here. Presentations may be available upon request. Contact [email protected].

The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute would like to acknowledge and thank all individuals and groups who have had important roles in the development of My Curious Brain and its corresponding resources. The book was written by Brent McKee and Britton Houdek and illustrations were created by Jackie Madarash. Additional activities were developed by the KidsFirst Team and Sunrise Health Region. The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute is grateful for the opportunity to adapt My Curious Brain and add it to our resources. The purpose of this book is to help children, and the adults in their lives, better understand how the brain develops and works, as well as the important role it plays in managing our emotions and stress.

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Information Resources Related to COVID-19

The following list of information resources related to COVID-19 is organized by topic area. Please note that this list is not comprehensive, but many of the listed organizations provide links to additional resources.

For general information about COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, including the self-assessment tool, latest updates, information for healthcare providers, the Safe School Plan, and more, please visit the Government of Saskatchewan’s website at: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus.

Children/Early Childhood Development and COVID-19
Caring for Kids, Canadian Paediatric Society – https://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/health-conditions-and-treatments/the-2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University – https://developingchild.harvard.edu/guide/a-guide-to-covid-19-and-early-childhood-development/

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention and COVID-19
Saskatchewan Prevention Institute – https://skprevention.ca/alcohol/#covid-19

Canadian FASD Research Network (CanFASD) – https://canfasd.ca/covid-19/

Injury Prevention and COVID-19
Canadian Paediatric Society Injury Prevention Committee – https://www.cps.ca/blog-blogue/preventing-home-injuries-in-the-time-of-covid-19

COVID-19 and Parenting
Dr. Jean Clinton and Ann Douglas, We Got This: Parenting Support During COVID-19 – https://schools.wrdsb.ca/athome/mental-health-resources/mental-health-resources-for-parents-and-caregivers/we-got-this-supporting-child-well-being-video-series/

COVID-19 and Pregnancy
Government of Canada – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/pregnancy-advise-mothers.html

Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) – https://www.sogc.org/en/-COVID-19/en/content/COVID-19/COVID-19.aspx?hkey=4e808c0d-555f-4714-8a4a-348b547dc268

COVID-19 and Sexual Health
CATIE – https://www.catie.ca/en/covid-19-resources#sex

World Health Organization (WHO) – https://www.who.int/teams/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research/key-areas-of-work/sexual-reproductive-health-and-rights-in-health-emergencies/covid-19

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