In Māhutonga/Matariki we learn about emotions and relationships. We use drama and games to reflect on how we feel about situations and how we can handle social situations in a positive way. We aim to help our seniors to become empathetic, resilient individuals.
Wake Up the Brain
Every morning students choose how they can wake their brain up for the day. Exercise affects the brain in many ways. It increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It aids the release of hormones which provide an excellent environment for the growth of brain cells. Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain. Research from UCLA even demonstrated that exercise increased growth factors in the brain which makes it easier for the brain to grow new neuronal connections. They can choose from to do singing, dancing or sketching too. This helps them to settle into their day and get ready for their day of learning.
Brain breaks
It's exactly as it sounds! We need to give our brains a break because learning is HARD! These are a quick few minutes of fun to break up the day. We also use these for our own learning as a staff.
5 Finger Breaths
After exercise, Just Dance or any time we need to take 5 we take the students through '5 finger breaths'. In which we trace our fingers with our other hand's index finger, breathing in and out as we go up and down. This helps students to visualise their breath, giving them a moment of mindfulness.
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