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Attempt your own personal free write for 5 minutes per research topic. Set a timer. Begin writing, even if nothing legible or everything nonsensical is what arises from the pen, in answer to these questions:
1. (5 min timer free write) Mindfulness can be an asset for either me or my student/school community with reference to these area(s) and applications:
2. (5 min timer free write) How do I wish to integrate my work with the tea garden/school garden in order that it is fulfilling to me and sustainable for the school community? Is there a topic I could research with reference to this?
Take or develop one or two sentences per topic from each free write and contribute these to the forum as such (see below):
1. Mindfulness Topic ____________________________
2. School Garden Research Topic:____________________________________
REPOST BY Lisa Gariboldi, K EMES: MARCH 12, 2023 AT 11:56 AM
Take or develop one or two sentences per topic from each free write and contribute these to the forum as such (see below):
1. Mindfulness Topic : I would like to incorporate drinking tea as a form of mindfulness in my kindergarten class. I want the students to learn how to use their sense of taste and smell to slow down, find tranquility within themselves and use this as a self regulating strategy for their otherwise busy bodies. I would like to start their day out with a cup of tea.
2. School Garden Research Topic: Growing tea plants in raised beds with kindergarten students. Learn how to tend to the gardens, engage the students, and harvest the plants to share with others.
REPOST by Heather Clark-Warner, PreK EMES
MARCH 12, 2023 AT 8:40 PMTake or develop one or two sentences per topic from each free write and contribute these to the forum as such (see below):
1. Mindfulness Topic : I would like to incorporate breathing techniques into my morning/afternoon meetings as part of exploring mindfulness and grounding with my pre-k crew. I started doing this in the late fall. I have a set of different breathing techniques to choose from and the kids like to choose the daily breath with me. It continues to be a wonderful moment in our day when we are connected, calm, grounded, and working as one. I would like to continue exploring these breathing techniques, having them last longer than 1 minute, and incorporating these mindfulness strategies into different parts of our day and experiences.
2. School Garden Research Topic: Mindfulness in the form of growing, harvesting, and incorporating tea into the daily school day. Doing a group project with the kindergarten class and growing tea plants from seeds in raised beds. Students will learn how to tend to the gardens, engage and work with each other, harvest the plants, dry the leaves, prepare tea to share with others and gather in community.
Repost by Amanda Bickford
MARCH 15, 2023 AT 1:26 PMMindfulness Topic: Mindfulness can be an asset for my school community and me in reducing stress and anxiety, improving focus and attention, and promoting emotional regulation and resilience.
School Garden Research Topic: I would like to research the benefits of incorporating permaculture principles into the design and maintenance of our school garden, with a focus on creating a sustainable and regenerative system that supports biodiversity, soil health, and community engagement.
Mindfulness: I plan to incorporate a 5 minute mindfulness practice and also include drinking tea mindfully and with the sound cloud recording (if possible). My students will benefit from hearing someone else’s voice and Angie’s recording for kids is perfect. I plan to do careful observations of my students during our mindfulness practice. Last week, I noticed that everyone tried to find some peace and quiet during our 5 minutes of mindfulness. We are practicing how to focus on our breath when a distracting thought pops into our minds (or distracting sound or action).
School Garden Research Topic: I plan to research the Abenaki names of the plants, or something specific to each of the plants if I can’t find the Abenaki word for a specific plant. We will focus on catnip, roses (will plant some established bushes), elecampane, lavender and
I also plan to research with my students the benefits of gardening in terms of cutting back on fossil fuels (cars and trucks that haul produce) and how learning to grow your food and herbs has a positive impact on their carbon footprint. That’s a lot to tackle, but my 4th graders are beginning to see the world outside of themselves and their families and their passion for making good (healthy) choices actually helps the world/earth as well and they want to do little things because they are raising their awareness of their own actions.Reposted by Hope
Hope Metcalf, K Twinfield
MARCH 14, 2023 AT 11:34 AM #8967
1. Mindfulness can reduce stress levels and associated ailments in the body and can create a greater sense of calm and emotional regulation in the classroom.2. A school garden can be used to enhance the science and social-emotional curriculums in the classroom while creating collaborations throughout the school and with the community.
In an effort to calm our stress, daily Mindfulness practices are essential. When principals/administrators are calm, teachers are calm; when teachers are calm, students are calm. Stress and calm can be like throwing a stone in a pond. It affects those around you; either in a positive or negative way. What a wonderful way to improve a school community!
A school herb garden can do so much for the community. Children are able to see the process from seed to cup, and it really brings people together. Students show stewardship by caring for the growing seedlings, and then planting them in the ground. They have built a connection with this process, and therefore a connection with the herbs. I’m interested in how an herb garden can bring the school community together; and how children and teachers can learn together collaboratively.
Mindfulness Topic: I’d like to create a “Mindfulness Toolbox” for my students to be able to use when they are on their own. By practicing multiple ways to be mindful, I’m hoping they can identify some that work well for them and use them in different situations outside of my space.
School Garden Research Topic: As the Physical Education Teacher, I like the idea of creating a Tea Garden for a way for students to be active outside, with the planting and maintaining, but also as a place to go outside to be active. Perhaps creating a sensory garden – with some walking or labyrinth paths might make it attractive for people to want to visit.
1. Mindfulness Topic- I am excited to add tea to the toolkit of mindfulness techniques that my students already use. Our school nurse often prepares tea for kiddos and will deliver them back to their classroom as a strategy to support their needs and get them back in the classroom for learning. I strive to keep them with me as much as possible and would love to be able to offer that comfort tool easily within the classroom.
2. School Garden Research Topic- For 30 years I have gardened with students. In Barre Town we had a vibrant garden and I worked growing indoors and also maintained all aspects of the garden in conjunction with the P.E. teacher for years. I am thrilled to bring that same love of gardening to Rumney school. The Tea Project is particularly inspiring as the herbs will continue on into the future and my kindergarten students will be able to take pride as they harvest tea in the future as they grow through the elementary school years. I also love to teach children that exercise comes in many forms and in this case, the hard physical work keeps you in shape and yields a sweet harvest to be enjoyed as a soothing activity.Veronica,
I love that the nurse in your school serves tea to the students! I look forward to hearing about the soothing blends your students will create as the develop their own mindful awareness of how the different teas support them. 30 years of gardening with children! What a beautiful life skill you have shared with so many people and such a gift to our planet too, thank you for your role modeling, I love it! I appreciate how you had also gardened with your PE teacher and how you showed exercise comes in many forms, a great message for students who may not enjoy athletics and PE yet they may feel a connection with being outside and growing things and supporting their overall health.
I had submitted a write up earlier yet Im not seeing it appear so I will submit again… forgive me if it slightly different as it is “This moments” response to my journaling.
Mindfulness: I will be exploring mindful play activities with Toddlers. I imagine an interdisciplinary exploration looking at yoga, OT Sensory integration, forrest school literature… I will also look to find additional mindful children’s stories to support our explorations.
Gardening: I want to learn more about making a sensory garden in our back yard. We have a contemplation/prayer/meditation and play space up on a little hill, surrounded by prayer ties in the trees, wind chimes, small statures and little “nature alter” spaces. The hill overlooks a small brook that runs through our yard with a very steep path down to it. Apposite the side of the brook on the other side of our payer hill, we have a large medicine wheel. We engage with this space in many different ways, our way of being is “Everything is sacred and nothing is precious”… our grandson loves to walk with me through the circle and our dogs our usually running around us playing. Depending on the day we might stop at each direction and call in an animal, express gratitude, sing a song… Jackson will stop and linger in spaces, sit on a rock, stack little rocks in places, laugh and run… its all good. We spend a lot of time outside “loving on” our spaces and each other. Many hugs and kisses to rocks, trees, plants. Many giggles. I would love to plant different herbs and flowers around the Medicine Circle as well as find ways to have outdoor instruments in the space. I also don’t know a lot of children’s songs and it is a serious gap for me. Jackson loves to sing so most of the time we are just singing about what we are doing and making songs up as we go. I would love to learn more songs that perhaps correspond with/resonate with different emotions… perhaps that connects with the mindful play??
Alright, finding two 5 minute quiet writing periods was harder than I thought it was going to be!
1. Mindfulness Topic: Mindfulness can be an asset for myself, the school, and the community for many reasons! I made a great little chart with benefits for each. There were a few overlapping commonalities though! Focused, grounding, peaceful, relaxing, calming, lowered behavior challenges, increased awareness for supporting being mindful, and so much more!
2. School Garden: Group project, sense of ownership and responsibility shared across the grades, giving the community a focal point or something to gather around. The Tea Garden can be incorporated into mindfulness (tea drinking), kitchen using herbs to cook, decreased nurse visits and sending students off with a cup of tea!
Kelly- I love the sensory portion of the outdoor garden as a way to add to your current space. Children are so motivated by all activities that engage their senses. I remember when my boys were little there was so much teaching about what they should and shouldn’t investigate with all their senses!
Tiffany- I have the exact dream for my herbs in our school garden. I am also excited to think that the kitchen can use some herbs. Maybe like a monthly taste test situation for students? Also, our school too is doing monthly all school meetings and our concentration this year is community circles, gathering around the group that is presenting and a communal nature of circling up. The garden is a magical place to gather and enjoy community whether that be working in the garden or using it as a space to connect.
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