Mindfulness
"Being in control of your mind, rather than letting your mind be in control of you." Jill Rathus &Alec Miller
This month students will being revisiting the topic Mindfulness and what it means to be in the moment. We will be reviewing and discussing what it means to be mindful. We will also be talking about how Mindfulness relates to our previous discussions on Growth Mindset and Size of the Problem.
Students will have the opportunity to practice being mindful using the following guided meditation videos.
Grades 1-2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUAEDWwUL6g
Grades 3-5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mX4JBBIcBk
Next, students will practice clearing their thoughts and focusing on one thing at a time. They will do this by picking an object in the room to study for 1 minute. They will be advised not to judge the object but only to study it and notice details. Students will break off into partners and describe their object to their partner.
Lastly, we will play two mindfulness games. This will help give the students a better understanding of what it is like to only focus on the present.
Games
Sound Ball: Students will throw sounds to each other. To receive a sound you need to repeat it. While playing the game, students will need to be aware so that they are always ready to receive a sound. They will also need to have a new sound prepped and ready to throw.
Zoom: Students will stand in a circle and we will pass the sound "zoom" around the circle. If a students says "eek" the sound will reverse and travel around the circle the opposite way. Each student will be able to use one "eek" during the game. The students will have to stay engaged to be ready to say "zoom" at the right time and also to know which way "zoom" is traveling.
