Community: 5-9 Years Old
Session #4: Grounding
Instructor: Kathy Flaminio
Plan Creation Date: 3/10/09
Lesson Plan:
Duration: 45 minutes
Materials:
- Mats
- Name Cards
- Mindful Snack
- Fresh Flowers
- Hoberman sphere
- CD
Activities:
- Welcome: Grounding – What does it mean to be grounded? Centered? Each child picks out a rock. Sometimes when we feel disconnected, scattered, we need to slow our breath and “connect to the earth.” We will use this rock as a reminder to stay connected. Rubbing a rock can help us stay calm and remind us that we can find center at any time if we pause and connect.
- Breathing: With Sphere – Have students find a comfortable seated position and place hands on their knees. Have them round their spines so they can feel their sitting bones rooted in the earth; keeping that connection lengthen the spine. Place the rock under one hand and feel connected.
- Pulse Rate for a minute
- Volcano Breath: Think of someone or something that keeps you safe/grounded. Send out thoughts. Share.
- Mat Flow: Feeling the feet rooted in the earth. Starting in the middle of Mat 20 with mountain. Have them place their rock on their mat as a reminder to stay connected. Each time they bow down to the rock and will use it as a focal point for balancing. Spread the toes apart and root into the earth. Keeping that connection, lift the belly and heart and come into upward mountain.
- Roots and Mountain: Tree-Bending tree, using the rock as focal point
- Tree Circle: Sometimes being grounded means surrounding ourselves with people that support us. Staying connected to our friends and family is important.
- Mindful moment card on grounding: Remember a time when you worked very hard – maybe you ran a race, played in a game or helped carry some heavy objects for a friend. Remember how tired your body was. Now think about how good it felt to lie on the ground and rest. Your body was so tired from the work that it melted into the ground. Feel it melt like that now. Let your muscles relax into the earth and let your self rest; 3 minutes. Slowly begin to wiggle your toes, brush your thumb against your fingers, and slowly move your head side to side. Now slowly roll to the right side and let your body rest again like a little baby. Slowly lift yourself up into a seated position and take the rock and place it in your pocket use it as a reminder to stay connected/grounded when you feel uncentered, anxious, etc.
- Mindful snack
- Compliment to student who led
- Snack assignment