Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

19th May 2020Ms C Smith

Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 18-24 May 2020. The theme for the week is kindness.

We know that the children at Harton are very kind. We want to celebrate their kindness by suggesting some activities that they could do during their time at home.

 

Being Kind to Myself:  

You might like to try…

Jigsaws
Try completing a jigsaw – dust off those old Christmas presents!
Or, you could do an online jigsaw puzzle instead.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/puzzles/kiri-and-lou-jigsaw?collection=cbeebies-jigsaw-puzzles
https://www.digipuzzle.net/main/kids/

 

Or

Colour by Numbers
Try using paint, coloured pencils or felt tips.

Disney Color by Number

 

Sowing seeds in the allotment

23rd April 2020S Robson

Pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 had a great time in the allotment today. They planted pea seeds, ready to go into polytunnel, and a pot to take home. The fruit trees in the orchard are starting to bloom, so hopefully the bees and insects will pollinate the flowers. We are looking forward to harvesting the fruit.

Five Minute Mindfulness

21st April 2020S Robson

Joe Wicks PE lessons have been so popular with our pupils, and with pupils all over the world. We know that keeping active is especially important at the moment, and maintaining physical health keeps our body healthy, as well as giving the ‘feel good factor’.

Mental wellbeing is as important to us as our physical health, particularly in recent times. So try taking 5 minutes out of a busy, or tiring day to practise 5 minutes of mindfulness – focusing on the present moment. Mindfulness can relax your body and mind, creating a feeling of calm.

Have a go with Tai chi – you can practise outdoors or indoors.

You’ll soon pick it up, and it could become as much a part of your daily routine as… brushing your teeth! Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed it when Ilona, a local Tai chi instructor, gave us lessons during Health and Wellbeing Week.

Follow the NHS Mindfulness link for further advice.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/

 

Nature up close – Springtime activities

21st April 2020S Robson

Spring is a great season to see growth happening in nature. Whether it’s spent in the garden, yard, planting in a window box, or watching from an open window. It’s all around!

It’s a fact that gardening, or being out in fresh air surrounded by bird song, flowers and trees, can make us feel uplifted and brighter, as well as providing other health benefits.

Checkout the video for some great activities you can do at home. You might learn a new skill like gardening – great exercise! Or grow some vegetables or flowers from seed. You may like to grow something to plant in our allotment, and observe it’s growth from time to time. Have fun!

There is more info on the growveg website:

https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/fun-garden-activities-for-kids-during-lockdown/

 

Art and Design in Years 4, 5 and 6

31st March 2020S Robson

French artist Henri Matisse inspired us to ‘paint with scissors’ in Year 4. Year 6 were also creating their own version of Matisse’s ‘Beasts of the Sea’. We also looked at a ‘real’ painting copied from one of his earlier works ‘ Woman Reading’ 1920. Year 5 used their knowledge of The Ancient Greeks from their English and History lessons, to design a Greek pot calendar, and then made a pot from clay. The Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani had a particular style, and we replicated his style in our self portraits in Year 6. We have lots of talented artists too!

Breaktimes Questionnaire

27th March 2020S Robson

The Playground Buddies helped to put together a questionnaire to find out what our pupils think about break times. Do they feel safe? What could they do if they feel lonely? Are there enough Playground Buddies? They went out into the yards to conduct a survey.

The results have been extremely positive so far! Our pupils think that the Playground Buddies are doing a great job in helping children in our three yards.

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