Mindfulness and the Human Body in Kindergarten

During our shared moments of silence each morning, we have been discussing what it feels like to share silence with each other.  Some say it feels boring while others say it feels peaceful.  Now that we are studying the human body we are thinking about what is really going on in our bodies as we sit in silence.  We are becoming amazed at how much is happening as we "do nothing".  Since the beginning of kindergarten we have informed the children that taking moments to sit in silence will make them healthier, happier, and smarter.  We are setting out to prove that these assertions are true.  When we calm down and focus on our breathing we take deeper breaths and provide our systems with more oxygen which nourishes our bodies.  When we sit up straight and relax our muscles we align ourselves with gravity so that we minimize strain on our musculoskeletal system. We have been talking about how we strengthen our core muscles when we sit up straight and make a "curvy tower" by stacking our 26 vertebrae.  This results in improved posture.

We can also look around our circle and see the kind faces of the members of our community.  We can see colors and shapes all around us.  We can begin to hear sounds that we didn't notice because we were talking with each other.  So as we sit in silence doing nothing, we are getting stronger using our muscles to sit up, we are breathing deeply to be healthier, we are processing sights and sounds, we are aware of our loving community, and we are calming ourselves to be happier.  Who knew that doing nothing could be so beneficial.

We will be finishing our study of the musculoskeletal system early this week, and moving on to study the nervous system.  Neil's Mom, Miriam, will be coming in on Thursday as an expert visitor to speak with us and answer our questions about the nervous system.  After that we will embark on a journey to learn about the circulatory system and the digestive system.  If you would like to assist us in this endeavor let us know.  We welcome more expert visitors and fun body-related activities.