julie jansen + mind move make : Remembering Our Adventures (K-2nd Grades)

T.N. 2nd Grade: Wonderful blending of colors in a sunset sky!

During each Mind Move Make class we take time to focus on calming our bodies and our minds. This week we practiced slowing down our breath by counting. The students worked on breathing in as I counted "One, two, three" and breathing out as I counted "One, two, three, four". All students found an anchor spot by placing a hand on either their chest or their stomach. Finding an anchor spot helps them feel the breath move through the body. I played the singing bowl for them as they breathed in time to the counting. Focus and calm are both cultivated because the children are engaged in listening to my voice counting, matching their breath to the count, and feeling either their chest or stomach move with the breath.

We've gone on three adventures through the rainforest! I asked the students if they ever spend time remembering a vacation they've taken by looking through photographs of the trip. Many said they did this, and I told them that today we would remember our adventures in a similar way. I held up pictures of each animal we've "seen" in the rainforest, and then we moved into the yoga pose that went with each animal. It was a fun way to review the poses and recall our imaginary travels through the rainforest!

After that, the students began working to finish their rainforest creations! I explained that I wanted them to have at least three animals and five plants somewhere in their artwork. We reviewed foreground, middle ground, and background. Today we focused on FOREGROUND as the students drew and cut out animals and plants to add into the very front of their pictures. Here are the (almost!) finished works! I've labeled the artworks with the students' initials so that parents know which work belongs to their child!