Cloud Catchers Facilitator Guide Session 1 Facilitator Guide
Catching Clouds ⛅
Primary Focus: Understanding Sadness & Identifying Triggers (Pacing: 20 Minutes)
The Sky Inside Small Group Series
Session Goal
Introduce the emotional weather metaphor, help kids identify what sadness feels like physically, and map emotional triggers.
Materials Needed
• Weather Report Sheet
• Blue & yellow colored pencils
• Whiteboard & markers
Core Concept
Our feelings are like weather patterns: they shift and change. No weather lasts forever, and even clouds have a purpose.
Session Breakdown & Facilitation Script
1. Weather Welcome & Grounding
4 Min
Gather the group in a circle. Introduce the "Emotional Weather" theme. Explain that we all have "weather inside" that changes.
Script Cue "Welcome to the Blue Sky Club! Have you ever noticed how the weather outside is constantly shifting? Some days are sunny, and some are cloudy. Our feelings are just like that weather. Today we are exploring the cloudiest weather: feeling sad."
2. Physical Map of Sadness
6 Min
Help students map where they feel sadness physically. Draw a blank figure on the whiteboard and map physical signs.
Key Questioning "Before rain falls, we see dark clouds. Before sadness shows up, our bodies send signals. When you feel down or blue, where do you feel it first? Is it in your shoulders, your head, or your stomach? Let's label our physical weather maps."
3. Exploring Triggers: Catching My Clouds
7 Min
Distribute the Weather Report Worksheet. Have students use blue pencil to color their current feeling scale and fill out the "My Sadness Triggers" clouds.
Activity Guide "A trigger is like a cold front that blows a cloud into our sky. On your worksheet, you'll see empty clouds. Think about things that blow a cloud into your sky—like missing a friend or getting bad news. Write or draw those inside."
4. Sun-Break Outro
3 Min
Close with a hopeful, grounding check-out. Remind them that clouds always pass, and we are going to learn how to guide them gently through our sky.
Closing Script "Great job catching your clouds! The sky doesn't apologize for having clouds, and you don't need to apologize for feeling sad. Next week, we'll learn about shifting the winds when those thought-clouds get stuck."
Facilitator Tips & Safe Space Notes
Validate: If a student shares a trigger, validate: "That would make my sky cloudy too." Resistance: If a student doesn't want to write, let them select an emoji or draw physical weather symbols instead.
Next Session Shifting Winds: Thoughts
Weather Report Worksheet The Sky Inside • Session 1
My Weather Report
Name
Date
Our feelings are like weather in the sky: they change, move, and sometimes bring rain. Today, let's explore your emotional weather.
🌤️ 1. What is your inside weather right now? (Color or circle one)
☀️ Sunny Happy & Energized
🌤️ Partly Cloudy Doing Okay / Calm
☁️ Overcast Down / Quiet
🌧️ Rainy Sad / Tearful
⛈️ Stormy Angry / Overwhelmed
2. Body Weather Map
When sadness rolls in, we feel it in our physical body. Circle or check where you feel "cloudy" sensations:
💭
❤️
Heavy forehead / eyes
Lump in throat
Tight, heavy chest
Tummy ache / hollow
Heavy hands / legs
Low energy / slow
3. My Sadness Triggers
What are things that blow a "cloud" into your sky? Write or draw them inside these empty clouds:
Cloud 1
Cloud 2
Cloud 3
Cloud 4
4. Weather Reflection
What is one sign that tells you a cloud is moving away and sunny sky is returning?
⛅ Remember: Clouds always pass. No weather lasts forever!
Shifting Winds Facilitator Guide Session 2 Facilitator Guide
Shifting Winds 💨
Primary Focus: Noticing & Reframing Gloomy Mindsets (Pacing: 20 Minutes)
The Sky Inside Small Group Series
Session Goal
Help students identify gloomy thinking traps (thought clouds) and practice reframing them with optimistic, flexible self-talk.
Materials Needed
• Thought Shifter Cards
• Shifting Winds Worksheet
• Scissors (for cards) & pens
Core Concept
Some clouds stick around because our thoughts act like a heavy, cold wind. We can generate a warm breeze to shift those thoughts.
Session Breakdown & Facilitation Script
1. Weather Report Check-In
3 Min
Welcome students back. Quickly go around and have each student share their "weather report" from today using weather words.
Script Cue "Welcome back to our group! Let's do a quick lightning round weather report. How is your inside sky feeling today? Sunny, overcast, or somewhere in-between? It's okay if it's rainy today."
2. Thought Clouds (Cognitive Distortion Prep)
5 Min
Explain how thoughts create emotional weather. Introduce two major gloomy "thought clouds": "The Always Storm" (thinking things will always be bad) and "The Magnet" (only looking at the bad).
Key Concept "Sometimes a cloud stays in our sky because of how we are thinking. If we tell ourselves 'I will never get this right' (The Always Storm) or 'Everyone hates me' (The Magnet), we lock that rainy weather in. These are gloomy thoughts that are not entirely true."
3. Interactive Activity: Thought Shifter Cards
8 Min
Draw card prompts from the Thought Shifter Cards stack. Read the "Gloomy Thought" card, and ask the group how they would shift it to a "Fresh Breeze" thought.
Facilitation "Let's play a game called Thought Shifter! I'm going to read a gloomy thought that's stuck. As a team, let's help this kid blow that cloud away by turning it into a realistic, helpful thought. Who can help me reframe this one?"
4. Shifting Winds Worksheet & Check-out
4 Min
Hand out the Thought Reframing Worksheet. Ask students to practice rewriting one of their own gloomy thought clouds. Wrap up with a deep breath.
Closing Script "Today we learned that we can blow away dark clouds by shifting our thoughts. When you have a sad thought, ask yourself: 'Is there a different way to look at this?' Next week, we'll design a customized shelter plan to keep us safe during stormy weather!"
Thought Shifter Cards The Sky Inside • Session 2 Activity
Thought Shifter Cards
Cut along the dashed lines. Use these cards during small group discussion to practice shifting "Gloomy Thoughts" into "Fresh Breeze Thoughts."
✂️ Print & Cut 6 Cards Per Sheet
Card 1 💔
Gloomy Thought Cloud
"My best friend played with someone else at recess today. They must hate me and don't want to be my friend anymore."
Fresh Breeze Reframing:
How can you shift this? What is a more realistic way to view recess?
Card 2 📝
Gloomy Thought Cloud
"I made a silly mistake on my spelling quiz. I'm so terrible at school, I will probably fail everything this year."
Fresh Breeze Reframing:
Is making one mistake the same as failing everything? How can we reframe this?
Card 3 🎨
Gloomy Thought Cloud
"I wasn't selected for the school art team. I am horrible at drawing and I shouldn't bother making art ever again."
Fresh Breeze Reframing:
Does missing one group mean you should give up what you love? What's the shift?
Card 4 🌧️
Gloomy Thought Cloud
"It is raining today so our outdoor field trip got cancelled. This is the worst day ever and my whole weekend is ruined."
Fresh Breeze Reframing:
Does one cancelled activity destroy the whole weekend? What else is possible?
Card 5 🏠
Gloomy Thought Cloud
"My parents were arguing at home last night. They must be angry at me. It's my fault that everyone is unhappy."
Fresh Breeze Reframing:
Are parents' arguments always caused by kids? How do we reframe this blame?
Card 6 ⚽
Gloomy Thought Cloud
"I missed the final kick during the soccer game and our team lost. I am the worst player ever and they all hate me."
Fresh Breeze Reframing:
Is a team loss ever just one person's fault? What's a supportive teammate's thought?
🌀 Tip: Pass these cards around. Have students take turns reading a Gloomy Thought and generating a Fresh Breeze!
Thought Reframing Worksheet The Sky Inside • Session 2
Shifting My Winds
Name
Date
A Gloomy Thought Cloud is a sticky, unhelpful thought that makes us feel down. A Fresh Breeze Thought is a flexible, realistic thought that helps blow the clouds away.
🌀
How to create a Fresh Breeze:
Ask yourself: "Is this thought 100% true?" , "What would I tell a friend who was thinking this?" , or "Is there another way to look at this?"
Practice Shifting Gloomy Clouds
Gloomy Cloud
☁️
"I'm terrible at math. I will never pass my test on Friday and I'm just bad at school."
Trap: The Always Storm
Your Fresh Breeze Shift
Gloomy Cloud
☁️
"Nobody picked me to sit with them at lunch. Everybody in this school hates me."
Trap: The Magnet
Your Fresh Breeze Shift
Your Own Gloomy Cloud
Write down a sad or gloomy thought you've had recently:
Your Fresh Breeze Shift
Practice reframing your personal gloomy thought here:
Reflection Prompt
How does your body weather (your energy, muscles, and breathing) feel different when you shift a Gloomy Thought Cloud into a Fresh Breeze ?
🌪️ Remember: You are the meteorologist of your own mind. You can always shift the wind!
Building Shelter Facilitator Guide Session 3 Facilitator Guide
Building Shelter ⛱️
Primary Focus: Creating a Personal Self-Soothing & Coping Plan (Pacing: 20 Minutes)
The Sky Inside Small Group Series
Session Goal
Guide students to construct a concrete self-soothing and coping "umbrella" to protect them when heavy emotional weather rolls in.
Materials Needed
• Blue Sky Coping Chart
• My Umbrella Plan Sheet
• Yellow highlighters & pens
Core Concept
We can't stop the rain from falling in our lives, but we can build a strong umbrella to keep us warm, dry, and safe.
Session Breakdown & Facilitation Script
1. Windy Mind Check-In
3 Min
Review Session 2. Ask if any student noticed themselves using a "Fresh Breeze" thought this week. Do a quick breathing exercise.
Script Cue "Welcome to our final session! Last week we learned how to blow away heavy thought clouds. Did anyone shift their thinking winds this week? Let's take a deep breath in through our nose, and blow out a warm breeze through our mouth..."
2. Exploring Coping Strategies (Anchor Chart Review)
5 Min
Show the Blue Sky Coping Chart. Guide students through trying 2 quick strategies: the "4-4-4 Breathing" and the "5-4-3-2-1 Grounding" .
Modeling "When sad weather gets heavy, we need physical shelters. Look at our Blue Sky Coping Chart. Let's practice 'Trace-the-Cloud Breathing.' Put your finger on the page, trace up as we breathe in, hold at the top, and trace down as we exhale. Beautiful!"
3. Drafting My Umbrella Plan
8 Min
Hand out My Umbrella Plan worksheets. Instruct students to identify: 3 calming strategies, 2 safety people (their supports), and 1 hopeful focus thought.
Activity Guide "This umbrella represents your safety. It is made of three panels: What I can do on my own (coping skills), who can protect me from the storm (helpers), and what hopeful thoughts keep me warm. Write or draw your personal plan inside the panels."
4. Celebration & Certificate Check-out
4 Min
Allow students to share one element of their Umbrella Plan. Present them with their "Certified Weather Investigator" graduation from the group.
Graduation Cue "You've completed all three sessions! You are now Certified Weather Investigators. You know how to spot a cloud, shift a windy thought, and open your coping umbrella. Wear your weather badge proudly!"
Facilitator Tips & Safe Space Notes
Blue Sky Coping Chart The Sky Inside • Visual Anchor Chart
Blue Sky Coping Tools
Practice these quick strategies to help warm and clear your emotional sky when clouds roll in.
1. Cloud-Trace Breathing
Trace your finger along the cloud outline. Slowly breathe in, pause at the peaks, and exhale as you descend!
Inhale (Hold) Exhale (Softly)
Breathe In... Hold... Exhale
Follow the curves with your index finger
⭐ Start Here
Slow breathing signals your body that it is safe to rest.
2. The Shoulder Release
Release the physical tension that builds up in your chest and back:
1️⃣
Squeeze: Pull your shoulders up to your ears. Squeeze hard for 5 seconds!
2️⃣
Release: Drop your shoulders all at once. Let them go heavy and soft.
3. My Sunny Place
Close your eyes and paint a peaceful mental postcard. Think of:
👀
What do you see?
Warm sunshine, grass, waves?
👂
What do you hear?
Birds, rustling leaves, music?
Your brain believes your pictures! Imagining safety relaxes your heart.
4. Support Circle
You do not have to weather storms alone. Reach out to helpers:
🏫
School Helpers
Counselor, Teacher, Nurse, Coach
🏠
Home Helpers
Parents, Grandparents, Older Siblings
Sharing sadness halves the weight of the clouds.
☀️ Weather Warning Checklist: Notice your clouds. Use your tools. Ask for help when you need it!
My Umbrella Plan The Sky Inside • Session 3
My Umbrella Plan ⛱️
Name
Date
An umbrella doesn't stop the rain, but it keeps us dry and protected. Today, let's construct your personal Coping Umbrella Plan to help you stay safe and warm during emotional storms.
🛠️
Panel 1: My Tools
Calming skills I can try on my own
🤝
Panel 2: Helpers
Safe people I can talk to anytime
💭
Panel 3: Thoughts
Hopeful self-talk to focus on
My Emergency Calm Phrase
When sadness is heavy and you need a quick mental shelter, what is one short phrase you can repeat to yourself?
Certified Weather Investigator
You've completed all three sessions of The Sky Inside ! You can now notice feelings, shift unhelpful thoughts, and use your Coping Umbrella.
The Sky Inside 🌤️ GRADUATE
⛱️ Keep this Umbrella Plan in your binder, desk, or room so you're always prepared!
