Open Mind & Happy Heart: Mindfulness.

This school year we are taking part in the project called "Open Mind & Happy Heart". Since it is an International project we will get to know other children from different countries. Most of them are Italian. We are glad to work together, and we hope that we will make friends with them. Our meeting place where we can share ideas, exchange practice examples, and plan other activities is on the twinspace. We found our parter schools on the eTwinning website. It is a community for schools in Europe that offers a secure platform for teachers and students to communicate and collaborate on projects. This school year we will be dealing with mindfulness, which has become very popular around the world. Mindfulness means simply focusing on the present, not on the past or future. It is a "stop button" that allows you to take a deep breath, and thus make right decisions. 

Today grade 3A have designed posters that will promote mindfulness as a daily practice. The children have been learning about the benefits of mindfulness, among many of them are self-control, objectivity, affect tolerance, improved concentration, emotional intelligence, mental clarity and the ability to relate to others and onself with kindness, acceptance and compassion. Once again third graders have proved that they are creative. When they finished their posters, they decided to make games about mindfulness. And many, fresh ideas have been put into action. Here are the results of their work. I think there is a reason to be proud of :-)

 

The Internationl Dot Day.

International Dot Day is named for the classic Peter H. Reynolds storybook entitled The Dot. The book is available in many languages. It is story of a girl who seems to be lost in thoughts, who has a rather low self-esteem. She does not believe in her abilities that are hidden and has not seen the light of the day yet, and only with the help of a caring teacher who challenges her to “make her mark”she becomes a confident, young artist. Thus International Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration. It all started on September 15, 2009 when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to The Dot.

The Dot should be read by every teacher and student. It is a beautiful story, a praise of goodwill, friendliness and other qualities, desirable traits. Almost each of us has ever doubted their own abilities. The author of the story claims the solution is simple - just be brave enough to “make your mark”. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage. The story has inspired countless children and adults around the world. And it continues every year.

Grade 3A has also proved how creative they are by making their own mark on a black piece of construction paper. Have a look!