MindUP Curriculum K-6

Focus is on Mindful Awareness and our 5 senses: Seeing, Listening, Smelling, Tasting, and Touching. All lessons are in the google guidance classrooms, if you need the class code please email me.

MindUP Breathing Script

In my teaching experiences I have been teaching the MindUP Curriculum, which is a brain-focused strategy for learning and living for awhile now. It was developed in 2011 by Goldie Hawn, who is the founder of The Hawn Foundation.

The MindUP curriculum promotes and develops mindful attention to oneself and others, tolerances of differences, and the capacity of each member of our community to grow as a human being and a learner.

MindUP includes the repetition of the Core Practice-deep belly breathing and attentive listening. The Core Practice makes mindful attention the foundation for learning and interacting: which ideally, it is repeated for a few minutes of each school day throughout the year, some of my students have used Core Practice at school and home when they need to quiet their minds and get ready to learn. I myself have used MindUP Core Practice ever since the workshop I attended in 2012. I have devoted my learning to linking brain research to our well being ever since.

CONTROLLING OUR BREATHING

Focusing on breathing helps calm the body by slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and sharpening focus. Paying attention to breathing also supports strong functioning in the higher brain. Controlled breathing lessens anxiety by overriding the "fight, flight, or freeze'' response set off by the amygdala and gives control to conscious thought, which takes place in the prefrontal cortex. When breathing is deliberately regulated, the brain is primed to think first and then plan a response, enabling mindful behaviour.

Let's try focussing on breathing...I begin with a sound (chimes) and end with a sound (chimes). You can use any soft sound you wish, try to focus on that sound until it fades away. Practice this everyday: maybe to start your day or to finish a day. Do as many as you need to calm your brain.

Sit down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes or look down at your hands.When you hear the chime, listen to the sound as long as you can.

Pay attention to your breathing.

Take calm, slow breaths. Gently breathe in through your nose, then let go each breath.

Keep your shoulders relaxed. Picture the air coming into your body and going out again.

If your mind tries to think of other things, bring your attention back to your breath.

Feel your stomach rising and falling. Keep your belly soft and relaxed.

When you hear the chime again, listen as long as you can. When you can't hear the sound any longer, slowly open your eyes and take another slow, deep breath with your eyes open.

Thank you for being Mindful today.

When you are finished you can discuss, or write in your journal, or start your day, or finish your day. It's all up to you when to do Core Practice.

How did you feel as you breathed in and out? What did you notice about your breathing? How did you keep your mind focused on your breathing?

If you have any questions email me at mfisher@rrvsd.ca

I will be posting MindUP lessons weekly on the grade appropriate guidance google classrooms. If you want your child to be part of this google classroom please email me.