mindful fun

This week the lessons took on a slightly more relaxed tone and we had some mindful fun! With so much left-brain activity happening during the school morning, it’s great to give the right-brain a chance. 😊

It has been pretty cold in Cape Town recently so we started the lessons with some sun salutations. In the 5 – 6 year old class, we followed the wonderful dance version “Dance for the Sun” by Kira Wiley. The kids simply love it!

We then had great fun doing some mindful movement while reading the book “Bark George” by Jules Feiffer. Each child was a different animal from the book and when they heard their animal’s sound, they needed to do the yoga pose for that animal. This was great practice in focused concentration since each child needed to listen out for their animal’s sound. And of course, it’s a delightful story. One can’t help but smile at the end!

We then moved onto some mindful artwork. Mindful artwork is about the process, not the end result. This week we did an exercise inspired by an aunt of one of the Mindful Minis (thanks to Alex’s aunt!). Each child got a board and could choose from a variety of arts and craft materials to create whatever they wanted. But the difference with this exercise, is that there is no glue. There is no fixed final result. Nothing to take home. It is just about having fun. Being in the moment!

It also takes the pressure off “getting it right”. If a child adds something and then decides they don’t like it, they simply remove it. There is no need for erasers – yay! The child can simply let go, have fun and create. I asked the 7 – 8 year olds to title their creations – wow! Totally amazing what came up. It reminded me of a quote from Georgia O’Keeffe: “I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”

The 9 – 11 year olds have been engrossed in the mosaic pictures that they have been working on since the start of the term. So, they focused on those this week. Each child is using torn up pieces of magazine to mosaic an animal of their choice. Lots of attention to detail and concentration needed, but therapeutic at the same time. Next week they are going to draw or paint their backgrounds so watch this space for some great works of art.

I wish you all a good week as we look forward to the first day of spring!