Sensory Awareness

Activities in this unit will teach us how to train our brain to pay more attention to the things that matter.

Mindful Movement part II

What is Mindful Movement?

Mindful movement is being aware of the sensations of the body, whether we are active or at rest.

The body gives us signals we can recognize to help us be aware of physical and mental states.

It is important to understand the brain-body relationship so we can better manage our emotions and behaviors.

We have control over our physical responses and overall health by being in tune with our bodies.

Day 1 - Linking to Brain Research

Emotional Balance: Key to Efficient Executive Function

Executive Function - Thinking BEFORE acting skills such as:

organizing focusing attention prioritizing

planning problem solving

• controlled by the prefrontal cortex (PFC)

• affected by how we feel

• those who are aware of and can control how they feel become confident and successful

Day 2 - Warm-Up

Building Balance Practice - 5 or 6 building / stacking blocks per student

bal·ance (baləns) / noun 1. an even distribution of weight that allows someone or something to remain upright and steady.

• Try to stack your blocks on top of each other on a level building surface.

• Each block MUST touch at least one other block.

• NO blocks may lie flat on the building surface.

• Only ONE block may touch the building surface.

• You may team up with others to try and build a bigger structure.

• Look at what others are trying - if you see a good idea try it out for yourself.

Discuss:

• Use the words, balance, steady and stable to describe what you tried doing.

• When were the blocks most likely to fall?

• What was the most stable design you used?

• What does this tell us about balancing weight?

Day 3 - Engage, Explore, Reflect

(material: something to balance on the head: rolled up sock, bean bag, small / light book or ruler)

Engage:

• You know how to tune into (pay attention to) your body's signals

• You can help control your body - breathing / relaxing

• NOW you're ready for some physical challenges where you will need to focus and balance your weight.

• Remember how you were able to balance the blocks?

• Are there times when you feel balanced and steady?

• Have there been times when you felt shaky and unbalanced?

Explore:

1st challenge

• Stand still in an open space in the room.

• Take a few deep breaths and FEEL your feet on the floor.

• Slowly, lift one foot off the ground and keep it in the air.

• Keep breathing deeply paying close attention to how your feet are feeling in the air and on the floor.

• It's OK to touch your floating foot to the ground for a second if you begin feeling unsteady.

• Keep track of the number of times you need to bring your floating leg back to the floor.

• When you hear the direction (after 30 - 60 seconds), switch legs and try again.

Discuss:

• What have you noticed about keeping yourself steady?

• Is it more challenging on one side than the other?

2nd challenge

• Carefully place an object to balance on your head.

• Repeat the 1st challenge.

Reflect:

• Why was the 2nd challenge more difficult?

• What did your brain do when the balancing got more difficult?

• When could creating a balance challenge be a helpful focusing tool for you?

KEY POINTS to remember

• When our bodies and brains work together, we can focus and think clearly.

• When we pay attention to the signals our body sends, our brain's ability to focus improves.

• Like all the mindful activities, mindful movement and balancing help our prefrontal cortex practice focusing.

Day 4 - Career Connection: High Rise Ironworker

Imagine walking on narrow beams of steal - more than 1,000 feet in the air! High rise iron workers must have a great sense of balance to do their jobs and not die. Ironworkers must work safely so they use ropes, harnesses and safety nets. Still, they must still be VERY mindful of their movements while paying attention to what is going on around them.

ironworker overview - YouTube 2:30

Discuss:

• What are other jobs that need you to pay attention to how your body is moving?

Try this:

• When waiting in line, see if you can stand on one foot until the line begins to move.

Day 5 - Journal Writing

• Balancing at the Circus

Pretend you are in the circus. In your job balance is very important. Use this Journal Sheet to describe what your job is. How would the ringmaster introduce you? Draw a circus poster that shows you at work. Draw the ringmaster with a word bubble talking about you.

Day 6 - Predator and Prey Moves

Think of how difficult it would be for a wild cat, such as a leopard, to hunt if one of its legs were injured. Animals must be able to balance and control their bodies in order to find food or escape predators. Look at the following animals and discuss how they need to move in order to survive.