During Children's Mental Health Week, we encouraged all our Prep and Pre-Prep pupils (and staff) across the school to look at different ways they can keep their minds healthy and happy as they grow emotionally.
From being brave and saying what’s on your mind, to being outside, connecting and chatting with friends; from yoga to sharing a common goal – we had a lot of fun whilst learning to protect our mental good health.
5 Ways to Wellbeing
1: Keep Learning
Mrs Pollock, Head of Pastoral Care, says, “It is so important to have something else in your life: something you choose, something to do that takes you away from daily stresses, something that is yours.”
Pupils were encouraged to try something new with a series of workshops: gardening, sewing, mindfulness colouring and dog walking. The calm radiating from the sewing and mindfulness sessions was in stark contrast to the wonderful energy at both of the outdoor activities. By taking part in these activities, we hope pupils will have learnt a little bit more about what helps them to relax.
2. Be Active
Over 250 pupils took part in an extraordinary and powerful yoga session outside in front of the main school pillars with local yogi and Westbourne parent Niki Perry.
First thing in the morning, before lessons started, it was amazing to see everyone moving in unison and discovering energising, stretching and relaxing poses. Niki said, “I’ve taught lessons in schools before, and the children at Westbourne were brilliant.”
Afterwards, children in Prep-Prep had their turn and learnt how to breathe, relax and visualise.
Head of Pastoral Care, Mrs Pollock, said: “It was so good for the children to see the positive effects of breathing properly and how nature and being in the moment can really help you relax. Everyone concentrated really hard on their poses. It was a very powerful way to start the day and brought the whole school together as a community.
“I really hope the children will be able to use these simple, relaxation techniques in the future to release anxious feelings or worries.”
Years 3 and 4 had kicked this off their morning with a 1k run around the grounds, which they enthusiastically did twice!
3. Give
As research shows, regular acts of kindness are good for our emotional health and wellbeing. Our Kindness Committee members were out and about at breaktime giving homemade packets of sunflower seeds to pupils in all year groups. Earlier in the week they had also given “pick-me-up” mugs to teachers and staff with a selection of chocolate goodies and flowers to give them a boost!
Millie from Year 6 was delighted with her seeds. “It’s such a nice thing to do because sunflowers are like giving friendship. We are hoping to grow them right up to the clouds and among our friends we will see which sunflower grows the tallest.”
Mr Barker said: “What a lovely idea - I shall look forward to seeing how they grow in our garden.”
4. Take Notice
Our lake is a source of joy for so many and we are so lucky it is on our doorstep for every year group to make the most of.
Our Pre-Prep pupils, and later our Prep School pupils, turned their attention to the sounds of the water and the view of the South Downs as they headed off for a mindful walk. They followed a mindful map and at each stopping point, they focused on what they could see, feel, hear and smell.
In the Early Years garden, the Nursery and Reception pupils did a relaxation exercise about ‘being free’. Head of Art, Mrs Jeram, said: “Using art therapy techniques, I asked the children to imagine what it is like for a fish swimming in the ocean and being free to do what they please. They were encouraged to imagine feeling the seaweed brush by their legs, the feelings of blowing out bubbles, seeing the sunlight at the top of the ocean and imagining what colours they were.
“We then created a ‘Be Free’ fish, where the children drew around their hands and added their own colours to represent the fish they had been imagining.”
5. Connect
On our final day, we focused on the wellbeing superpower: Connect. As explained by Nic Marks, who developed The Five Ways to Wellbeing, “Social relationships are the most important thing for our happiness and wellbeing.”
At morning patrol meetings, the children worked on their connections with each other. The Otters, Owls and Tigers found ways to connect by writing down their favourite things and then spending time discovering who shares their loves. It was fantastic to see everyone chatting across the year groups. The Patrol Leader of Panthers created her own game to connect: a game of stuck in the mud with a twist. Elizabeth explained, “Someone who isn’t up, comes along to release you. They say their name and you say your name and then you are free. You need to memorise the names and faces and at the end, we’ll see how many names we know.” Well done Panthers for inventing a great connection game.
Let's Dance! Our Juniors (Year 3 & 4) and Pre-Prep (Nursery - Year 2) got together for a boogie in the sunshine at breaktime. The reading on the wellbeing thermometer was definitely heading skywards!
Up at the Prep School, a brave trio of Mr Pitman, Mr Tyrrell (or was that Mr Squirrel) and custard-cream coloured Mrs Sleep, took on the challenge of performing as comedians to a full Millennium Hall. It was a great opportunity for pupils to sit and laugh together.
All this whilst dressed ‘to express’; wearing bright colours to lift spirits, clothes that make you feel comfy in your own skin and yourself. What a colourful and happy way to end Children’s Mental Health Week.
Learning4Life
In Learning4Life lessons, the junior classrooms were glowing with brightly-coloured, hot air balloons drawn by our pupils in Years 3 and 4 during. The children drew lines across their balloons and coloured them in, and at the end of each line they named a person in their life who supports them and helps them grow and prosper. Then they added a basket and drew themselves inside it. The exercise, coupled with lively discussions beforehand, helped the children to understand that there are lots of people (and pets!) who are always in their camp and there to support them at all times.
