School Mental Health Ontario

Virtual Field Trips

School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO), in partnership with Ophea, is offering a series of virtual field trips to support their lessons on the development of stress management and healthy coping skills for students. The activities in these lessons provide an opportunity for skill development and modelling for both students and educators. See below for some of the virtual field trips from School Mental Health Ontario.

Breathing Strategies

This virtual field trip focuses on Breathing strategies to help with stress management. These activities are simple and easy to do, no matter where you are.

Strategies include:

  1. Hand tracing breathing exercise (0-4 min in video)

  2. Deep belly breathing (4-6 min in video)

  3. Breathing and noticing (6-7 min in video)

Muscle Relaxation Strategies

This virtual field trip focuses on Muscle relaxation strategies to help with stress management. These strategies can be done seated or one the floor, depending on your preference.

Strategies include:

  1. Floor stretches (1:45 - 6:24)

  2. Chair exercises (6:24 - 10:07)

  3. Tense and relax (10:07 - 15:00)

Visualization Strategies

This virtual field trip focuses on Visualization strategies to help with stress management.

Strategies include:

  1. Body scan activity (1:25 - 13:30)

  2. Guided visualization activity (13:27 - 17:30)

Distraction Strategies

This virtual field trip focuses on Distraction strategies to help with stress management.

Field Trip includes:

  1. Students' descriptions of distraction strategies that work well for them. (0:00 - 5:25)

  2. Suggestions for distraction strategies you can use inside or outside. (5:25-7:20)

Thought-changing Strategies

This virtual field trip focuses on Thought-changing strategies to help with stress management.

Field Trip includes:

  1. Introduction to thought-changing strateges. (0:00 - 5:04)

  2. SOS thought-changing strategy activity (5:05 - 6:07)

  3. Four square breathing activity (6:08 - 9:28)

Gratitude Strategies

This virtual field trip focuses on Gratitude Strategies to help with stress management.

Field Trip includes:

  1. Introduction and benefits of practising gratitude. (0:00 - 4:08)

  2. Steps to practising gratitude. (4:09 - 5:40)

  3. Ways to practise gratitude. (5:41 - 8:30)