Many of you will remember Luisa Henz as our previous Artist in Residence, and this week she returned to SJS to lead our Grade 5s through an imaginative mindfulness workshop. Combining neuroscience with engaging games, Ms. Henz created a playful exploration of mindfulness and provided some handy activities that you can also try at home.
Learning Through Play
The workshop began with a discussion about the human body, specifically on our understanding of the brain. The students compared the brain to a laptop, radio, camera and a book, acknowledging the similarities while considering the level of consciousness that only the brain possesses. They discussed how the invention of the MRI, only roughly 50 years ago, impacted how humans understand the functions of the brain and how that can help us with mindfulness in our everyday lives.
Ms. Henz guided the students through several games to activate different parts of the brain. They played a fast-paced reaction game to utilize the reptile brain, which controls our survival instincts, and took a selective attention test to challenge their awareness. Ms. Henz connected each game to the neuroscience behind it, always explaining the “why” of each activity to the students.
No workshop with Ms. Henz would be complete without some music. A series of focus-building activities included listening to the singing bowls until the music had completely stopped, and a melodic performance on the handpan that was both good for practicing focus and for creating a calming atmosphere.
Before the students left they had the chance to hold the equivalent weight and size of the human brain in the form of a potato, and feel the texture of the brain through a slime-like sample. With the interactive components throughout the workshop the students had the chance to really get hands-on in learning about the part of their body essential for learning
The Power of the Brain
One student had a particularly thoughtful question: “Can we really think through our emotions, or do they just happen?” The answer is, essentially, both.
As young children, our reptilian brain is developed before our thinking brain. This is why toddlers have tantrums; they haven’t fully developed their prefrontal cortex and so do not have the language to communicate their needs other than through their emotions.
As we grow up, so too does our thinking brain. We develop the ability to think through our emotions and communicate what we’re feeling. However, that doesn’t turn off the reptilian brain, which is always trying to keep us safe. This can result in a flight, fight or freeze response even when there isn’t a life-threatening situation to face. Sometimes a bad grade or a conflict with a friend can make our body feel like we’re facing down a bear, when in reality that is just our reptilian brain trying to keep us safe from modern “threats.”
This is why meditation is helpful, because it trains our brain to access our thinking brain even during stressful conditions. “Meditation just means taking a pause,” Ms. Henz explains. “When we breathe slowly, it signals to the brian that we are not in flight, fight or freeze mode. It sends signals to the brain that you are safe, and this helps us talk things through, rather than act first.”
Try This at Home
There are lots of simple exercises that both students and parents can practice every day to strengthen the prefrontal cortex. The 5-4-3-2-1 activity is a grounding mindfulness exercise to anchor ourselves in the present moment and calm ourselves out of a fight, flight or freeze state. With slow breathing, take your time to sit in stillness and use your senses to name:
- five things you can see
- four things you can feel or touch
- three things you can hear
- two things you can smell
- one thing you can taste
Practice this activity at home, and keep it in your mindfulness toolbox for the next time you need to ground yourself in a stressful situation.
It’s wonderful to have Ms. Henz back at SJS. We wish her all the best as she continues her work through SoundMind Arts, which she is the founder of, and pursues her Masters of Education at SFU.
If you’re interested in continuing your learning, our SJS counsellors regularly host Parent Education Sessions, providing parents and guardians with access to experts and thoughtful resources to support our children through an ever-changing world. Check out the Counsellor Corner of mySJS for more information.
