Mood Meteorologists Slides SEL Inner Weather Station
Mood Meteorologists
Learning to read, understand, and navigate your emotional inner weather.
Session 1: Introduction to Inner Weather
Let's start the forecast
What's Your Weather Today?
Identify Your Feeling
Sunny
Happy, excited, focused, proud, or ready to learn!
Energy: High & Positive
Stormy
Angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, or ready to burst!
Energy: High & Intense
Windy
Nervous, anxious, restless, or spinning with thoughts!
Energy: Fast & Swirling
Foggy
Sad, tired, lonely, slow-moving, or unmotivated.
Energy: Low & Heavy
⭐ Remember: All weather is okay! Clouds always pass, and skies always clear.
Storm Spotters: Triggers
Understand Triggers
What is a Trigger?
A trigger is like a sudden cold front or wind shift. It is an event, word, or situation that changes your inner weather from sunny to stormy, windy, or foggy in an instant!
Knowing your triggers helps you put up your "umbrella" before the rain starts!
Class Discussion:
Q1: What is something that instantly turns your inner weather Stormy ? (e.g., losing a game, a loud noise)
Q2: What triggers a sudden Windy feeling (worries or nervousness)? (e.g., speaking in front of class, a test)
Turn and talk with your shoulder partner for 2 minutes!
Session 1: Identifying Emotional Shifts
Calm-Down Weather Gear
Coping Strategies
The Wind Breaker
For Stormy or Windy weather. Use deep breathing or slow, controlled muscle releases to calm the physical storm in your body.
👉 Strategy: Balloon Breath
The Temperature Reset
For intense emotional heat (anger, frustration). Splash cool water on your face, hold an ice cube, or take a cool drink of water.
👉 Strategy: Physical Reset
The Fog Lifter
For Foggy (sad, lonely, tired) weather. Talk to a trusted teacher or peer, do a gentle stretch, or write in a journal.
👉 Strategy: Connection
🛠️ Just like real weather gear: Choose the tool that matches the weather outside or inside!
Let's Practice: Balloon Breath
Interactive Practice
1
Inhale (4 Seconds)
Breathe in slowly through your nose. Picture a balloon inflating in your tummy.
2
Hold (7 Seconds)
Hold your breath. Keep the balloon steady and floating perfectly in place.
3
Exhale (8 Seconds)
Slowly blow all the air out of your mouth. Let the balloon slowly drift away.
Deep Breaths Clear the Sky
Try 3 rounds with the class right now!
✨ Close your eyes if you feel comfortable, or watch the balloon.
Your Daily Weather Report
Reflection & Review
How to report your weather:
1. Pause and Scan
Check your forehead, shoulders, chest, and tummy. Are they tight or relaxed?
2. Name the Weather
Is it Sunny, Stormy, Windy, or Foggy? What emotions match that weather?
3. Pick Your Calming Gear
Do you need a breathing break? A water break? Or are you good to go?
The Meteorologist Creed
"I cannot control the weather outside. I cannot always stop the storms inside. But I can recognize them, prepare for them, and handle them with calm-down gear!"
Up next in your classroom:
Fill out your Inner Weather Log!
Mood Meteorologists Program Keep tracking, keep shining! ☀️
Mood Meteorologists Lesson Plan Teacher Instruction Manual
Mood Meteorologists Guide
Pacing: 60 Mins
Focus Competency
Self-Awareness & Emotion Regulation
Key Objectives
Identify inner weather zones, recognize personal triggers, practice calming breathing.
Materials Needed
Slide Deck, Student Activity Log, Coping Cards, Crayons/Pencils.
The Meteorological Metaphor
The "Inner Weather" metaphor takes away the shame or fear of big emotions. Emotions, like weather, are dynamic, unpredictable, and natural. By framing ourselves as "Meteorologists," we learn to observe our emotions with curiosity rather than judgment, preparing ourselves with "weather gear" instead of trying to stop the storm.
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1
The Morning Warm-Up (5 Mins)
Action: Draw or choose a Daily Warm-Up Card. Ask students to sit in a circle and prompt them to share one word about how they woke up feeling.
"Class, today we're starting as weather reporters. Just like we check the temperature outside, we're going to read the weather inside."
2
Introducing the 4 Weather Zones (15 Mins)
Action: Project Slides 1-2. Walk through the four zones. Emphasize that no weather is "bad" or "wrong" .
Sunny: Happy, high energy, connected, ready to participate.Stormy: High-energy frustration, explosive anger, feeling out of control.Windy: Fast thoughts, physical restlessness, worry, anxiety.Foggy: Slow, low energy, sad, tired, uncommunicative.
3
Storm Spotters: Triggers (15 Mins)
Action: Use Slide 3. Guide students to understand that triggers cause weather shifts. Set a 2-minute timer for them to talk with a partner.
"What makes your wind blow? What clouds your sun? Write these down because when we know our triggers, we are never caught off guard!"
Unit: Emotional Regulation Page 1 of 2
Facilitation Guide (Continued)
Section 2: Practice & Reflection
4
Calm-Down Weather Gear (10 Mins)
Action: Use Slide 4 & 5 to demonstrate emotional tools. Practice the Balloon Breath collectively. Have students physically practice puffing out their cheeks and slowly exhaling.
"We cannot control physical weather, but we carry umbrellas. Today, our breathing is our umbrella. Let's practice balloon breathing together."
Mood Meteorologists Anchor Chart Our Inner Weather Station
How is your weather forecasting today?
"We cannot stop the weather, but we can prepare!"
Zone 1
SUNNY
Happy • Excited • Focused • Proud • Ready to Learn
⚡ Action: Share your bright rays with others!
Zone 2
STORMY
Angry • Frustrated • Overwhelmed • Mad • Ready to Burst
☂️ Action: Use an umbrella! (Breathing & Cooling)
Zone 3
WINDY
Nervous • Anxious • Swirling Thoughts • Restless
🧥 Action: Button up! (Slow down & stretch)
Zone 4
FOGGY
Sad • Tired • Lonely • Sluggish • Unmotivated
🔦 Action: Turn on headlights! (Talk & connect)
Your Emergency Weather Gear Checklist
1. Balloon Breath
Breathe in 4s, hold 7s, exhale 8s to blow storms away.
2. Splash Reset
Splash cold water on face or hold ice for instant cooling.
3. Co-Regulation
Tell a teacher: "My inner weather is feeling stormy/foggy today."
I AM A MOOD METEOROLOGIST! Check your forecast every single morning.
Mood Meteorologists Student Activity Student Mission Sheet
My Inner Weather Log
Name:
Date:
Meteorologist! It's time to check your instruments. Look inside your body, listen to your heart and mind, and complete today's weather forecast. Remember, all weather is natural and okay!
1. Today's Inner Weather Forecast
Sunny Happy / Ready
Stormy Angry / Hot
Windy Worried / Nervous
Foggy Sad / Tired
My Body Clues Checklist (Check all that you feel)
Tight shoulders Fast heartbeat Heavy eyelids / Tired Big smile / Giggles Butterflies in tummy Clenched teeth / Jaw
2. My Weather Triggers
Triggers are things that push clouds over your sunny sky. What events make your inner weather shift? Write or draw them on the lines below.
1. A trigger for my STORMY/WINDY weather is:
Because it makes me feel:
2. A trigger for my FOGGY (sad/tired) weather is:
Because it makes me feel:
Student Packet • Unit 1 Page 1 of 2
My Weather Gear Plan
Section 2: Regulating Our Skies
Activity: Match the Gear to the Weather!
Draw a line to connect each emotional weather pattern to the calm-down strategy that helps it clear up!
Stormy (Angry / Bursting)
Windy (Anxious / Restless)
Foggy (Sad / Sluggish)
Tell a teacher, write, stretch
Splash cold water, use ice
Do slow 4-7-8 Balloon Breaths
3. Sketch Your Favorite Calming Tool
What is your absolute favorite calm-down tool? Draw yourself using it inside the gear box below (e.g., breathing deeply, stretching, holding a cold ice cube, reading).
Draw yourself using your chosen weather tool here!
My Meteorologist Pledge
I promise to check my inner weather daily, use my calm-down weather gear when storms blow in, and remember that clear skies will always return!
My Signature:
Student Packet • Unit 1 Page 2 of 2
Mood Meteorologists Daily Cards Printable Morning Prompts
Daily Warm-Up Cards
✂️ Cut along the dotted lines. Keep these cards at your desk or circle-time rug for quick, 5-minute morning check-ins!
MON: WEATHER CHECK
Monday Morning Forecast
Help your class start the week by tuning into their feelings. Have students stand up.
Prompt to Read:
"Welcome back, meteorologists! Let's scan our bodies. Is your weather Sunny, Stormy, Windy, or Foggy? Show me with a silent hand signal, then share one word about your morning sky with your neighbor."
Card 1: Self-Awareness
TUE: TRIGGERS
Tuesday Trigger Spotter
Help students identify shifts in emotion. Prompt a discussion about sudden changes.
Prompt to Read:
"Sometimes real storms happen instantly. Inside us, a trigger is something that changes our weather suddenly. Share one trigger that turns your calm sky into a stormy or windy zone. How does your body warn you?"
Card 2: Recognizing Triggers
WED: REGULATION
Wednesday Wind Breaker
An active breathing regulation break for when energy is frantic, loud, or anxious.
Prompt to Read:
"Let's blow the clouds away. Sit tall. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds to puff up a big imaginary belly balloon... Hold it for 7 seconds... Now slowly blow it away out your mouth for 8 seconds. Let's do this 3 times together."
Card 3: Self-Regulation
THU: OPTIMISM
Thursday Thankful Skies
Promoting gratitude and optimistic thinking to cultivate sunny, warm feelings.
Prompt to Read:
"What is one positive 'ray of sunshine' in your life right now? It could be a kind friend, a fun game, or a nice lunch. Let's go around the circle and name one ray of sunshine we feel thankful for today."
Card 4: Gratitude Check
Morning Routine Kit Page 1 of 2
Printable Morning Prompts (Continued)
Daily Warm-Up Cards
✂️ Cut along the dotted lines. Keep these cards at your desk or circle-time rug for quick, 5-minute morning check-ins!
FRI: RELATIONSHIPS
Friday Fog Lifter
Empathy focused. Encouraging connection and support for peers when they are feeling down.
Prompt to Read:
"Sometimes we spot foggy weather in our friends—they are quiet, tired, or look sad. What is one kind thing you can say or do to lift someone's fog? Let's commit to doing one small act of friendship today."
Card 5: Empathy & Support
WEEKEND: HOME LINK
Weekend Weather Kit
Mood Meteorologists Toolkit Printable Station Poster
The Breathing Station
Hang in a Calming Corner
When your emotional inner weather turns stormy, windy, or heavy with fog, sit quietly here. Use your finger to slowly trace the shapes below and coordinate your breathing. Let the clouds drift away.
1. The Belly Balloon Cycle
Put your hand on your tummy. Look at the balloon and trace its outline with your eyes.
Belly Balloon
4s INHALING: Grow the balloon as you fill your body with clean, fresh air.
7s HOLDING: Let the balloon hover peacefully in a beautiful, sunny sky.
8s EXHALING: Slowly release the air, shrinking the balloon to absolute rest.
2. Trace-a-Raindrop Grounding
Slowly trace your index finger down the side of each raindrop below. Inhale on the way up, exhale on the way down!
Drop 1: Mind Reset
Drop 2: Muscle Release
Drop 3: Heart Calm
Classroom Toolkit • Page 1 Post in Quiet Corner
Printable Coping Pocket Tools
My Pocket Coping Kit
✂️ Cut out these cards and laminate them. Keep them inside desks, pocket folders, or keyrings for quick emotional support!
STORMY STRATEGY
The Fire Extinguisher
For hot anger and big frustration.
The Cold Reset: Hold an ice cube, splash freezing water on your face, or take a cool gulp of water.
Wall Push-Ups: Put your hands on the wall. Push as hard as you can for 10 seconds to release tension.
Keep inside your pencil pouch
WINDY STRATEGY
The Anchor Drop
For worries, fast brain, and jitters.
5-4-3-2-1 Sensory Check: Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste.
The Paper Scribble: Take a scrap piece of paper. Scribble like crazy, then ball it up and toss it in the trash!
Keep inside your pencil pouch
FOGGY STRATEGY
The Fog Lifter
For sadness, feeling lonely, and low energy.
Headlight Signal: Tell your teacher: "My fog is thick today. Can I have a water break or a quiet drawing minute?"
Gentle Stretching: Roll your shoulders backward 5 times. Slowly stretch your arms to the sky to wake up your body.
Keep inside your pencil pouch
SUNNY STRATEGY
The Sun Charger
To protect and share happy, focused energy.
