With everything that we have all experienced in the last few years it is more important than ever that we all take to relax and reflect. Recent National Trust research found a link between feeling connected to nature and having improved wellbeing. In school, we have been adding more plants to the indoor environment to bring nature inside. We are lucky to have our wildlife areas and animals on both sites. The children get to use these areas as part of many lessons from Maths to Science.

On the website we have a dedicated section to mental health and well-being, where you will find different activities to do at home. Please click here for an activity booklet with 14 different activities suitable for primary aged children and families.

We know that supporting children’s mental wellbeing during the return to school is a key priority for many of you. We’ve collected together lots of useful resources in this toolkit, all focused on making sure the return to classrooms in the autumn is a mentally healthy one. Please check out the downloadable resources.

You might be worried about coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) and how it could affect your life. This may include being asked to stay at home or avoid other people.

This might feel difficult or stressful. But there are lots of things you can try that could help your wellbeing.

• Physical activity - try doing some simple exercises at home or dancing.
• Routines - still get up at the same time and have meals at the same time. We are putting a timetable on the year group pages that you can follow.
• Be Creative - we are sending books, crayons, pencils to enable the children to draw and be creative.
• Going outside - If you can get some fresh air away from any crowds.
• Connectivity - talk to family and friends and use skype/facetime to just check in and say hi.
• Relax - remember to try and stay calm and relax.

You can look at some of the attachments below of ideas for activities to do together with your children.

Parents, if you’re new to the ideas behind what is popularly known as Mindfulness, and would like to know more, you can read all about it here: https://www.mindfulschools.org/what-is-mindfulness/.

In simple terms it is about practising consciousness and awareness – so it's an exercise for the brain! Some of the activities include focusing on breathing, listening to your thoughts, and taking time to be still and notice what is around you. Lots of practice and research has been undertaken into the area, with results showing that young people can benefit from improved social-emotional skills, well-being, and cognitive outcomes after learning to practice the skills of mindfulness.

The organisation Mindful Schools offer training programmes to professionals, including educators, to teach Mindfulness sessions. They have made some classes available for free to help children and adults alike to expand their coping tools during the challenging times we are facing. It is something that we recommend doing together and I hope it is something that you might enjoy exploring at home.

https://www.mindfulschools.org/free-online-mindfulness-class-for-kids/#episodes