Mindful Froggies

This week in Peace Class with the younger grades, we've been practicing mindfulness by pretending to be frogs. Using the book Sitting Still Like a Frog by Eline Snel and the accompanying CD, we've learned how frogs can be both very active, noisy and busy AND very still, alert, and mindful. Of course, most of the time kids' natural inclination is to be the noisy, jumpy frog. With practice, however, children can easily learn how to control those impulses for short amounts of time. Learning this skill is essential in school and in life. Being able to pause, reflect on what's happening, and then respond has all kinds of proven scientific benefits, as explained in this scholarly review of recent research on mindfulness. We will continue to practice being mindful froggies here at school, and encourage you to help your child practice this at home sometimes too. With time and practice, your energetic, hoppy frogs can also learn to be mindful and reflective...who wouldn't like that?

-Jillian