Do-BeMindful Explorers Programme

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RESILIENCE

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Connecting with others

Mindful Relationships

EquanimityMindful Moments • Mindful Relationships

Acceptance

Mindful Thinking

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GratitudeHeartfulness

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Mindfulness Every Day

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www.do-bemindful.com

enquiries@do-bemindful.com

T: 0800 197 8804 Do-BeMindful Explorers

is the result of a collaborative effortfrom an amazing team of creative minds.

Do-Be would like to saya huge thank you to Louise Smith,

Dr Maureen Berry and One Giant Leap.

© 2018 Do-Be Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this resource may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Do-Be Ltd or with written authorizationunder licence from Do-Be Ltd. All requests should be sent to CopyrightPermission@Do-BeMindful.com. The Do-BeMindful licence allows only individuals or schools that have purchased this pack to make the most effective use of it and it is restricted to learners and teachers within the organisation

Thank you!

‘ Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much!’ Helen Keller

First of all, everyone at Do-Be would like to say a huge thank-you to you (and your school) for supporting our Do-BeMindful Initiative. We welcome you into our community and are excited about working with you to continue the on-going development of our programmes for teachers, parents and learners.

Also we’d like to say a massive congratulations for completing the Do-BeMindful Foundation programme. We truly hope that you are experiencing the benefits of practising Mindfulness and living more mindfully.

You’re now beginning the most important part of this journey with us (well we think it is anyway!) - now you get to inspire children to practise Mindfulness and develop healthy habits of mind and lasting life skills that can benefit their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

The Do-BeMindful Explorers programme has been developed for second level learners (P5-7 in Scotland and Year 4-6 in England and Wales).

Programme StructureThe Do-BeMindful Explorers programme is essentially a Mindfulness learning journey. It is comprised of 16 lessons, which should be delivered over 8 consecutive weeks as well as short daily Mindfulness practices. Research has shown that it typically takes 8 weeks of continued practice for individuals to experience the sustainable benefits of Mindfulness.

The lessons cover 8 themes:

• Mindful Attention• Mindful Awareness• Heartfulness - Ourselves and Others• Mindful Bodies• Mindful Thinking• Mindful Moments• Mindful Relationships• Mindful Every Day

The first two lessons focus on Mindful Attention and these lay the foundation of Mindfulness practice for children on which subsequent lessons build. Learners are encouraged to become aware of sounds and then their breathing as a first step in developing their 'attention muscle'. It is important that children understand that it's natural for their minds to wander and that when it does they can gently bring it back to sounds or their breathing. This is important as it helps them to develop the skill of attention, which is fundamental to their ability to learn effectively.

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SkillsEach lesson develops one or more skills, which are explained below:

Attention The skill of choosing to focus our attention onto something,

either external or internal and maintain that attention/ concentration.

Awareness The skill of knowing what we are thinking and feeling and

what is going on internally (physical sensations) and externally (surrounding environment).

Kindness The skill of being compassionate, generous and considerate.

Gratitude To show appreciation for the positive and good things in our

lives - big or small - things that went well, that we enjoyed, or that made us feel happy.

Self-compassion The skill of treating ourselves with kindness, gentle care and

understanding - like we would treat a good friend. Also, being open and accepting of the reality that we are all in

the same boat - we all make mistakes, get frustrated or feel inadequate (common humanity).

Managing emotions The skill of regulating our behaviour and managing impulsive responses (self-regulation). Also, the ability to

calm and soothe ourselves.

Acceptance The skill of paying attention to our thoughts and feelings

without judging them - without believing, for instance, that there's a "right" or "wrong" way to think or feel in a

given moment.

Equanimity The skill of being able to remain calm, emotionally stable

and composed especially in difficult or stressful situations.

Connecting with others The skill of being open, available, empathetic and compassionate to another person.

Resilience The skill of adapting to stressful situations and an ability to

cope with life’s ups and downs. The capacity to recover quickly from life’s difficulties and adversities.

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Do-BeMindful Explorers Workbook and DiaryAt the end of each lesson in either the 'Reconnect and Reflect' or 'Home Learning Activity' section learners are encouraged to complete a page of their Do-BeMindful Explorers workbook. At the back of the workbook is a diary. Encourage learners to complete this each week - it will remind them to practice Mindfulness every day.

We also recommend that learners are encouraged to keep a daily diary of their Mindfulness practice and this can be found at the back of the Do-BeMindful Explorers workbook. The process of writing about their Mindfulness experiences is a useful way of helping children to consolidate and reflect on their learning progress in living mindfully.

PowerPoints and Guided AudioEach lesson in the Do-BeMindful Explorers programme has a supporting PowerPoint. These also contain the main teaching points and key questions, which should help you to deliver an effective lesson that flows well. There are Guided Audio files embedded into some of the PowerPoints. For those of you who would rather take learners through the Mindfulness practices there are scripts provided in the lesson ideas. For those of you who would rather not…just press play when you see this icon!

Curriculum LinksThere is an Interdisciplinary Learning Links Table and a Do-BeMindful Health and Wellbeing poster available to download at the end of this Introduction. The Do-BeMindful Health and Wellbeing poster groups the Learning Intentions and Experiences and Outcomes covered in each lesson under the SHANARRI indicators of wellbeing.

EvalulationBefore beginning the Explorers programme it is very important that you ensure all your learners complete the Pre-Course Evaluation. It can be accessed here:

Explorers Pre-Course Evaluation

It is also essential that learners complete the Post-Course Evaluation as this will help you to assess impact and us to continue to develop the programme.

The Post-Course Evaluation contains significantly more questions than the Pre-Course Evaluation as It focuses on assessing learners knowledge and understanding of each lesson and the extent of application of the skills and techniques. However, it should not take longer than 5-10 minutes to complete.

Lesson DurationThe Do-BeMindful Explorers lessons can be delivered effectively in around fifteen minutes but if have more time, you may wish to try some of the 'To take you further' activities.

Singing bowl/Vibratone

We encourage you to start and end your Mindful practices with a tone so that children know when a practice is beginning and ending. If you can’t or don’t want to purchase a vibratone or singing bowl you might use a triangle or download a free app to your smartphone/iPad such as 'Resonant' or 'Zen Bowl'.

Developing a Regular Mindful Practice in ClassWe encourage you to bookend your school day with mindful breathing - you might start with 3 mindful breaths and gradually increase this as your learners get more able/confident. Do remember that it's not the length of a single session that’s important but rather regular practice and repetition of small amounts of mindful breathing each day. Just like going to the gym or doing a sport, we have to keep practising Mindfulness to keep performing well and experiencing the benefits.

Mindful AgreementsAs we mentioned in the Do-BeMindful Foundation Programme, it can be useful to create Mindful Agreements with learners that shape the culture in your classroom when these lessons are taking place. Encourage learners to contribute to these agreements so that they take ownership of them. You may simply want to write down what you agree on paper, or you may find a website like Lino really useful and engaging. Lino allows you to create a 'canvas' that learners can collaborate on by simply adding virtual sticky notes to it - from school or from home.

Please let us know how you get on with the Do-Be Mindful Explorers Programme. We love receiving photos or any feedback about your learners' mindful journeys.

Please contact us at enquiries@do-bemindful.com

Good luck and enjoy your Do-BeMindful Exploration!

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