This year we created a comprehensive health team and together with strategists decided to have a comprehensive health day. Messy planning stages left many scrapped ideas lying on the floor with recognition the four pillars of comprehensive health already had a natural presence within our classroom.
Our established mentorship buddy program enabled the school to easily pair up for the day. My grade sixes spent the morning with our kindergarten buddies. To begin, a glorious garden containing budding strawberry plants outside the kindergarten door provided opportunity for the younger students to impart their wisdom about the local berries.
Next, we took a buddy walk through our plant park in search of pebbles. These pebbles were essential for our final activity of pebble meditation. Each pebble was deeply symbolic, one was flower, representing being new, one was mountain symbolizing strength, next was the space pebble called upon for freedom and expansion and and finally, a water pebble for reflection. Pairings of students then ‘sat’ passing each pebble from right hand to left meditating between breaths and giggles.
We learned engagement in healthy relationships, eating, activity and mental health does not require you to break out a sweat or the dreaded question box.