Mothers and Maracas

This week at PRISM we geared up for mothers day. Robin read the book "Love Matters Most" by Gerry Turley and Mij Kelly. The book was about a mother polar bear who goes searching for her baby cub in the cold night. After story time, we did a fill-in-the-blank page about our moms. 

Then we went outside and played with maracas and egg shakers. I played ukulele and sang a maraca song:

Shake shake shake, take a break 

shake shake shake, take a break 

shake up high, shake down low

shake above your head, shake above your toes

shake shake shake, take a break, shake shake shake, take a break

shake to your left, shake to your right

shake loosey goose, shake real tight

shake shake shake, take a break

shake shake shake, take a break

turn to your neighbor, give them a shake

spin in a circle and shake shake shake.

The kids loved shaking the maracas and dancing. I also gave them each the chance to play the ukulele as the rest of us sang the song and danced, considering the song was only two chords: C and G. 

After music we did "mommy and me" yoga with stuffed animals. The boys were not too interested in "mommy and me" yoga until they found out we were throwing the animals in the air and balancing them on our heads in tree pose. 

Here is the yoga sequence we did:

-mountain pose/ utthita hastasana (lift your animal above your head)

-forward fold/ uttanasana (bring your animal to the ground)

-repeat twice (two half sun salutations)

-hold your animal in front of you

-rotate your animal to the left, then to the right

-mountain pose/ utthita hastasana (lift your animal above your head)

-forward fold/ uttanasana (bring your animal to the ground)

-high plank/ dandasana (touch your nose to your animal)

-put your animal on your back for cobra pose/ bhujangasana

-hold your animal in front of you as you do child's pose/ balasana

-tree pose/ vrksasana (with your animal balanced on your head)

-repeat on the other leg

-shake it out

-yogi squat/malasana

-stand up and throw your animal up, try to catch it

-repeat twice

-lay on your back

-savasana with your animal on your belly

The kids also gave their animals names. after yoga we went back inside and made art inspired by Pablo Picasso's "Bouquet of Peace," 1958. We used construction paper, tissue paper, and glue. When everyone finished their bouquets, we put glued the fill-in-the-blank we made onto the back of the construction paper. The kids put their mothers day bouquet art into a large envelope and wrote "to: mom, from: (child's name), do not open until May 13th. 

At the end of the day we sat in a circle and practiced giving compliments by each giving one compliment to someone in the room. The kids took home a compliment practice sheet, with the rules of giving one person a compliment each day through out the week and to log their compliment on the take-home sheet. 

All in one day, the kids practiced appreciation for their caregivers, music and dance, yoga, art, and the importance of compliments. 

Happy Mothers Day!

PRISM and.. ice cream!

This week I began an internship at PRISM, a holistic program based in mindfulness, creativity, and community for young people, ages 6-12. Prism is a place where children can unplug from daily stresses and tune into wellbeing mindfulness, creative arts and crafts, yoga, movement, music, drama, and community projects. I talked with Robin, the owner of the business over coffee a few months back and we decided that we could be a great team. It seems like Baltimore has few to no places intended for cultivating mindfulness. Robin's business, PRISM does exactly that, allows children a safe space, to explore their mind, body, and spirit. Their parents also gain peace of mind for 2 hours, knowing that their child is being taught to tune in with their feelings, express themselves, and respect others in a diverse and accepting environment. 

After Robin introduced me, we did a light stretch as we sang along:

I place my hands upon my head
Upon my shoulders, on my face,
At my waist, and by my side,
And then behind me they will hide.
Then I will raise them way up high
And let my fingers fly, fly, fly.
Then clap, clap, clap, and one, two, three—
Just see how quiet they can be.

then we sat down in a circle and she passed out pieces of paper with reminders on them. Each child read a reminder. For example, one child said "respect the environment" then Robin asked him, what does that mean, and can you give us an example?" He replied, "to be careful with the things and the people around me, and to give them personal space." These reminders allow the kids to grasp concepts of gratitude, respect, and empathy.  

The theme for the day was "what makes me smile" so we all shared what makes us smile. I told them that the sun makes me smile. Then, I played "you are my sunshine" on ukulele and they sang along with me. Afterwards, seeing that the kids had bouncing energy and were easily distracted, I decided to lead them through a guided meditation. I played waterfall sounds from speakers as I said,

Close your eyes and begin to slow down your breath.

Fill our belly up with air like a balloon then slowly deflate it.

Let all of your muscles soften.

Feel as if you are melting into the ground.

Now imagine you are laying in a stream within a forest. 

You feel the cold water trickle over your shoulders.

You feel a warm breeze.

In the distance you can hear animals moving and playing.

Suddenly, a fish swims by your foot, you wiggle your toes.

You wiggle your fingertips and feel moss on the rocks below you.

The sun begins to set.

You are at peace knowing that you are part of this world and you are important.

I played one last song as the kids did "slow motion moving." Afterwards, Robin asked the kids how they felt moving in slow motion. We talked about how it felt like we were under water or in jello. One child said it was frustrating because she was trying to jump in slow motion but gravity was against her. 

We went outside for a little while and the kids were allowed to be barefoot in the grass. 

Our final activity was an ice cream art project. Robin passed out ice cream cone templates and scoop templates. She showed the kids how to trace the templates. Although we used templates, everyone's ice cream looked very different. We added "sprinkles," "whipped cream," or "cherries" to personalize them. Everyone ended up with an ice cream that made them smile. 

Clay is therapeutic

I handed out paper and asked the kids to draw a figure, symbol, animal, person, or thing that would remind them to stay calm and remain peaceful. For example, one student drew a "peace pony." Then, the next week I passed out clay and had them get used to modeling it. On the third week, we started sculpting the peace symbol we chose. 

Clay is a forgiving medium when it comes to sculpting, meaning you can quite easily fix small mistakes. However, it can be very easy to make mistakes. Therefore, by using clay, you learn that although mistakes are easy to make, they can sometimes be fixed. Also, it is important to accept that you will have to make mistakes in order to learn and perfect the craft. Sculpting with clay is a nurturing process. Especially once the sculpture is finished and ready to be bisque fired, it is extremely fragile. 

By creating sculptures like "peace pony," the kids learned that mistakes are actually a good thing because it means you're learning. They also learned that you can fix your mistakes but that they must be careful going forward. Finally, by attaching meaning to the object they created and nurtured, they are reminded to remain calm. 

Making Malas

Malas, which traditionally have 108 beads, are typically made with 18, 27, 54 or 108 beads  and are used as a tool to help the mind focus on meditation. The mala should be held in the right hand. In one method, the mala hangs between your thumb and ring finger, while your second finger rotates the mala by one bead toward oneself with each repetition of breath or mantra. using another method, your mala hangs on your middle finger, as your thumb rotates the mala the same way as the first method; one bead at a time. 

I mentioned the word "mantra."  Broken down into two parts: “man,” which means mind, and “tra,” which means transport or vehicle. In other words, a mantra is a tool for the mind—powerful words or sounds that you can use to enter a deep state of meditation. I prefer to use and teach mantras like, "I am strong," "I will be ok," or "I can do this" which remind ourselves about the state of mind we wish to cultivate. 

Not only are malas helpful tools for meditation using either of the two methods, they are also meditative to create. Making malas is especially mindful for children, who must concentrate on sliding a string into a small bead hole. I encouraged the kids to use at least 18 beads. Many of them made mala bracelets. 

The malas were also expressive because the kids chose which colored beads they wanted. One girl chose green because it was school olympics day and her class color was green. By using green, she was showing pride and respect for her self, her school, her classmates, and the athletes of the olympics. She created a tool to give her faith that she would do well in the "olympic" games that day. 

I was most impressed by the enthusiasm of both the girls and boys while making malas. I had assumed that the boys would not be as interested in making what they would initially perceive as "jewelry," however I explained the concept of malas to them and both genders enjoyed the mala activity. 

Mandala of leaves

In the fall, during one of my Mindful Kids club meetings, I sent the kiddos outside to collect leaves that had fallen from the trees. Running around outside is something kids don't do as often anymore because of technology. They weren't sure why they were asked to collect leaves, all they knew was that they were thrilled to get some fresh air. Some of the children were distracted and quickly handed me old, brown, crumpled leaves. We flattened all of the leaves in books and when they returned to club two weeks later, I had laminated all of their leaves. I handed them out and asked them to draw with sharpie markers on the laminated leaves. They drew happy, sad, or angry faces on them, assigning emotions to the leaves. Then, I asked them to make a mandala using the leaves on our chalk board. They were giggling as they grabbed as many leaves as possible to decorate.

Once I had laminated the leaves, the kids were paying more attention to the color and shape of the leaves. I explained to them how although they were the same old leaves that they found outside, they were now polished and purposeful looking.

The important lesson is to embrace all of our phases. We called our decoration "mandala of leaves." Mandalas are circular designs symbolizing cycles of life. As our emotions fluctuate, we may find ourselves feeling dull like the old crumply leaves. Or, we may be distracted and overstimulated like the bright yellow leaves. Sometimes we are fragile, and at other times we are polished and feeling purposeful. Regardless of your current state, it is important to cultivate awareness of your emotions. Cultivating awareness allows your emotions to come full circle and bring you back to peace. What have you learned from your changing emotions? How can change your perspective? These are concepts that I attempt to address using leaves and mandalas as symbolism.