MINDFULNESS @ SCHOOL
Mindfulness @ School is a Mindfulness based intervention Program designed to bring mindfulness to children and adolescents in a school environment.
This can be done through the full 16-week Mindfulness for Children/Students Course, through teaching Mindfulness to Teachers and Staff or through individualised Workshops tailored to your need and budget.
The program teaches simple mindfulness tools to primary and/or secondary school children, offers mindfulness to reduce stress, depletion in Teachers and Staff and gives a pathway for the school to become self-sufficient in maintaining Mindfulness based interventions long after the initial programs have finished, leading to a "Mindful School".
The 16-week course focuses on improving Attention and Self-regulation to provide an environment for effective learning for all children and can be especially beneficial for vulnerable children.
It teaches the children simple, concrete tools that give them the ability to pay attention intentionally and to regulate emotions by regulating brain function.
Practicing mindfulness creates new neural pathways in the Brain, improving function and access to the pre-frontal cortex, responsible for learning, social functions, emotional balance and regulation and the Hippocampus, which is responsible for storing and recalling memory.
For more information please contact me.
This can be done through the full 16-week Mindfulness for Children/Students Course, through teaching Mindfulness to Teachers and Staff or through individualised Workshops tailored to your need and budget.
The program teaches simple mindfulness tools to primary and/or secondary school children, offers mindfulness to reduce stress, depletion in Teachers and Staff and gives a pathway for the school to become self-sufficient in maintaining Mindfulness based interventions long after the initial programs have finished, leading to a "Mindful School".
The 16-week course focuses on improving Attention and Self-regulation to provide an environment for effective learning for all children and can be especially beneficial for vulnerable children.
It teaches the children simple, concrete tools that give them the ability to pay attention intentionally and to regulate emotions by regulating brain function.
Practicing mindfulness creates new neural pathways in the Brain, improving function and access to the pre-frontal cortex, responsible for learning, social functions, emotional balance and regulation and the Hippocampus, which is responsible for storing and recalling memory.
For more information please contact me.
What the Children say about Mindfulness:
'Mindfulness helps me to be calm. It makes me feel happy and relaxed. It helps me to concentrate.' - Year 5
'Mindfulness helps me to forget about all my problems, because I worry a lot.' - Year 6
'Mindfulness helps you, because when you are stressed, it brings the stressfulness out of you!' - Year 5
Mindfulness helps me to let all my worries and anger out. It also helps me focus more and I can relax.' - Josie Year 5
I normally feel very stressed but after mindfulness I feel like a new me.' - Year 6
'I like mindfulness because I can relax before we carry on lessons. It makes me feel refreshed and I feel like i can do more learning now.'
-Isabella Year 4
'Mindfulness helps me to be calm. It makes me feel happy and relaxed. It helps me to concentrate.' - Year 5
'Mindfulness helps me to forget about all my problems, because I worry a lot.' - Year 6
'Mindfulness helps you, because when you are stressed, it brings the stressfulness out of you!' - Year 5
Mindfulness helps me to let all my worries and anger out. It also helps me focus more and I can relax.' - Josie Year 5
I normally feel very stressed but after mindfulness I feel like a new me.' - Year 6
'I like mindfulness because I can relax before we carry on lessons. It makes me feel refreshed and I feel like i can do more learning now.'
-Isabella Year 4
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Introduction to Mindfulness For Teachers, Staff and/or Parents Min. Participants 10 Max. Participants 30 ________________________________________________________________ 6-week Mindfulness & Wellbeing Course For Teachers and Staff 4 MP3 Downloads E-mail and Phone Support Resource Pack, Progression Info Certificate Min. Participants 8 Max. Participants 15 ________________________________________________________________ |
16- week Mindfulness Course Primary/ Secondary School 16 x 15/20min. sessions taught in the classroom Introduction to Mindfulness for Teacher, Staff and/or Parents Pre- and Post Evaluation Journals 2 MP3 Downloads Resource Pack, Progression Info, Certificate Minimum booking 4 classes. __________________________________________________________________
Maintaining Mindfulness/ Continuation ½ termly or termly sessions for each Class and Teacher/Staff Workshops Intensives (pre-Exam/SAT’s) By arrangement _______________________________________________________________ |
The Guardian Newspaper feature:
Close your eyes and breathe: schools sign up to mindfulness
It’s Wednesday morning and the children from year 5 at St John the Baptist primary school in Brighton are chatting noisily at their desks. A bell chimes and the chatter stops. Thirty children close their eyes and place a hand across their chest, breathing in and out slowly. It’s as if they’ve been hypnotised.
“If your mind wanders away, let’s notice where it goes,” says Kerstin Andlaw, in a soothing voice. “Then bring your attention back to your breathing.”
The pupils are practising mindfulness, a way of making them stop, relax and “be”. Classes like this used to be the preserve of independent schools, but this year more state than private schools have signed up to mindfulness classes, both at secondary and primary level.
“Where did your mind go?” asks Andlaw. Angel was thinking about her mum going into hospital that day for an operation. Jose is looking forward to his sister’s birthday party at the weekend. Daniel’s mind is on lunch.
“Were you able to let those thoughts go and come back to your breath?” asks the teacher. They all nod confidently.
A class involves breathing exercises, discussions about meditation and simple stretching movements. “It’s a practice to help the children self-regulate, to calm down or to help them lift themselves up if they’re feeling low,” Andlaw says.
Carmel Hughes, headteacher at St John the Baptist, introduced mindfulness after hearing positive stories from other heads.
“The children look forward to it because it’s different. It’s a class where they’re encouraged to think for themselves,” she says.
At the end of their 15-minute class, the year 5 kids go back to chatting away at their desks while their teacher sets up the next lesson. I take the opportunity to ask Reece, aged nine, what he thinks about mindfulness. He considers for a moment, and then leans forward confidentially. “I like the mindful breathing,” he whispers. “It helps me go back to sleep if I have a bad dream.”
For the full article click here.
Close your eyes and breathe: schools sign up to mindfulness
It’s Wednesday morning and the children from year 5 at St John the Baptist primary school in Brighton are chatting noisily at their desks. A bell chimes and the chatter stops. Thirty children close their eyes and place a hand across their chest, breathing in and out slowly. It’s as if they’ve been hypnotised.
“If your mind wanders away, let’s notice where it goes,” says Kerstin Andlaw, in a soothing voice. “Then bring your attention back to your breathing.”
The pupils are practising mindfulness, a way of making them stop, relax and “be”. Classes like this used to be the preserve of independent schools, but this year more state than private schools have signed up to mindfulness classes, both at secondary and primary level.
“Where did your mind go?” asks Andlaw. Angel was thinking about her mum going into hospital that day for an operation. Jose is looking forward to his sister’s birthday party at the weekend. Daniel’s mind is on lunch.
“Were you able to let those thoughts go and come back to your breath?” asks the teacher. They all nod confidently.
A class involves breathing exercises, discussions about meditation and simple stretching movements. “It’s a practice to help the children self-regulate, to calm down or to help them lift themselves up if they’re feeling low,” Andlaw says.
Carmel Hughes, headteacher at St John the Baptist, introduced mindfulness after hearing positive stories from other heads.
“The children look forward to it because it’s different. It’s a class where they’re encouraged to think for themselves,” she says.
At the end of their 15-minute class, the year 5 kids go back to chatting away at their desks while their teacher sets up the next lesson. I take the opportunity to ask Reece, aged nine, what he thinks about mindfulness. He considers for a moment, and then leans forward confidentially. “I like the mindful breathing,” he whispers. “It helps me go back to sleep if I have a bad dream.”
For the full article click here.
Mindfulness in the Words of the Children at St. Bernadette's
'It makes me feel at home.'
'Mindfulness helps me to relax and feel calm. It makes me feel ready for the day ahead. The reason I like it, is because I get to listen to the sounds I don't normally hear and I can feels things in my body which I normally don't.' - Amelie Year 6
'Mindfulness makes me feel calm and no worries overcome me. If they do, I imagine floating them on a river.' -Year 6
'It helps me to be happy and loving.' _ Year2
'It helps me by getting all the stress away from me and then having a break from worrying.' -Year 4
'Mindfulness makes me feel relaxed and just makes me not think about the stressing things and I like it.' - Year 3
'Mindfulness makes me feel calm and it makes me feel happy and I don't really worry about what is going to happen. And all my and feelings float away and the good feelings stay with me.' - Year 6
'We put some toys on our tummy and watch them rise up and down. We made some pots with feelings on it, and we put a button in the one we felt like every morning. We made some glitter jars and whenever we felt angry we shock them. I'm loving this!' - Orla Year 1
'It makes me feel at home.'
'Mindfulness helps me to relax and feel calm. It makes me feel ready for the day ahead. The reason I like it, is because I get to listen to the sounds I don't normally hear and I can feels things in my body which I normally don't.' - Amelie Year 6
'Mindfulness makes me feel calm and no worries overcome me. If they do, I imagine floating them on a river.' -Year 6
'It helps me to be happy and loving.' _ Year2
'It helps me by getting all the stress away from me and then having a break from worrying.' -Year 4
'Mindfulness makes me feel relaxed and just makes me not think about the stressing things and I like it.' - Year 3
'Mindfulness makes me feel calm and it makes me feel happy and I don't really worry about what is going to happen. And all my and feelings float away and the good feelings stay with me.' - Year 6
'We put some toys on our tummy and watch them rise up and down. We made some pots with feelings on it, and we put a button in the one we felt like every morning. We made some glitter jars and whenever we felt angry we shock them. I'm loving this!' - Orla Year 1