CLASSROOM Grades 4 - 6 | Week Four | The Monkey
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Week One - The Owl Week Two - The Guard Dog Week Three - The Hippo Week Five - The Elephant Week Six - The Dolphin Week Seven - The Panda Bear Week Eight - The Pig
Week Four - The Monkey
Classroom Grades 4 - 6
OPTIONAL Week Four Lesson Plan PDF
Subject: Our Busy Thinking Minds - The Monkey
Requirements: You will need internet access and a laptop, tablet or smartphone for accessing this content. You will need a wired or Bluetooth connection to a speaker to amplify the audio into the classroom. You DO NOT need a screen or projector as each lesson is audio only from your device and requires students to close their eyes and/or focus on their Belly Buddy.
Step One: The DIY Belly Buddy Crafting Project - The Monkey
As with last week, it is recommend that the children start this week’s lesson with the activity of making their own “Monkey” Belly Buddy. For the Classroom version of this program it is recommended that students draw their belly buddy animal on a sheet of paper. The finished drawing can be placed on the student’s desk and used as a focal point during the meditation. Teachers may choose to tie this drawing activity to Art Education Curriculum Expectations. Drawings can be placed in a duo tang and stored in students’ desks. A favourite tool to assist students with their artwork is Art For Kids Hub
Art for Kids Hub - Art Lessons - How to Draw for Kids
As an alternative to drawing a picture, teachers may choose to have students create the toilet paper roll animal that is used during the bedtime version of the program. Click here for toilet paper animal template.
Step Two: Soundcheck - 30 seconds
Before beginning The Monkey Lesson and Meditation, play the Sound Check file below to ensure your speakers are working correctly and that all students can hear the audio effectively. This also serves as a way to get the students to settle down, be still, and prepare to listen.
Step Three: Discuss Last Week’s Mindful Challenge
Discuss with students their success and challenges with last week’s Mindful Challenge
Last Week’s Mindful Challenge: Practice Mindful Breathing in the morning.
The following questions may help you prompt the discussion:
Put up your hand if you remembered to practice Mindful Breathing in the morning?
Put up your hand if sometimes in the morning you feel stressed/or overwhelmed when you wake up and think about going to school (notice that your stomach feels off before school)?
If yes, you are not alone. Does anyone know why some people feel this way when they first wake up?
When we first wake up, our brain’s Guard Dog barks at us to help to get us up and out of bed and moving for the day. The brain’s Guard Dog/Amygdala actually triggers the release of some chemicals into our blood (Cortisol Awakening Response - CAR) to help wake us up and get us moving; however, sometimes these chemicals make our minds and bodies feel overwhelmed/stressed.
If you do notice this, did Mindful Breathing help? Other things that help are eating, exercise, getting your day started rather than just thinking about getting the day started).
Step Four: Play The Monkey Lesson & Meditation - 6 minutes
Now that the Sound Check is complete, you will play the Lesson below. Listen and learn with your students!
Step Five: Meditation Reflection - 5+ minutes
Here are some questions to drive follow up discussion. There are no wrong answers!
Today when you practiced mindful breathing did you notice your thinking mind? (Congratulate students for noticing their thinking.)
What thoughts did you notice?
After you noticed that you were thinking, were you able to come back to the breath in your body, or were you carried completely away from the present moment? (If you were carried completely away, that’s okay, just do your best next time to bring your attention back to the breath)
Step Six: Mindful Challenge
Remind students of this week’s Mindful Challenge: Mindful Breathing and paying attention to the thinking mind - noticing the monkey in your mind jumping from thought to thought. When you notice your monkey mind is jumping around practice bringing your attention to your breath and see if this can help you to come back to right here and right now, the present moment.
Step Seven: Daily Meditation - 6 minutes - Various Times During the Week
With the audio lesson complete, you are encouraged to take time during the balance of the week to practice with students the guided meditation/s below (the Monkey Belly Buddy craft is not required for these practices). The ‘Daily Meditations’ are in support of each week’s lesson, but you can come back to them as often as you like. Typically they are 3 - 6 minutes each. These meditations are also included as a part of the Bedtime Program (accessed through the Bedtime Program students sign up for with their FREE Promo Code) and students are encouraged to practice one per night at bedtime. It is recommended that Parents/Guardians practice along with their child and then build onto this practice by participating in the Parent program.
This meditation is a useful tool to help settle students after a recess, lunch break, or physical activity.
Step Eight - Additional Activities (Optional)
JOURNAL
Write about the following:
Sometimes when students do their homework they will also watch a video or chat with friends at the same time. Why do you think they do this? (Perhaps it is an attempt to distract themselves from an undesirable task, or an attempt to lessen the negative feelings associated with the task?)
Knowing what you know now about the brain, what advice would you give to these students? (The consequence of doing more than one thing at a time is that it will take longer and decrease the quality of the end product.)
Brain scientist Dr. Sandra Chapman says that “we can be both the driver and the mechanic of the most powerful engine in the world”. What do you think she means when she says this? Hint, Dr. Chapman is equating the human brain to the most powerful engine in the world.
DEEP DIVE LEARNING QUESTIONS ( BASED ON YOUR STUDENTS’ READINESS, PLEASE SELECT FROM THE QUESTIONS BELOW TO PROMPT A MORE IN-DEPTH BRAIN SCIENCE CLASS DISCUSSION)
Q: Before practicing mindfulness, did you know that you could watch your thinking mind, that you could watch the monkey in your mind carry you away to the past or future? Ask for a show of hands.
A: Students Share.
Q: Did you know before learning about Mindfulness that you could bring your attention to your thinking mind and guide the thinking mind back to the present moment, even help it to go in a more positive direction?
A: Students Share. Yes it is true. We can notice when our thinking is carrying our attention away and we have the power to bring it back to the present moment. Using feelings in our body, such as breathing, sound, tingling in our feet,....can help us to do this. These things act as anchors for our attention, just like an anchor helps to bring a boat back when it starts to drift away, these body sensations can help you to bring your attention back to your body and the present moment, and away from the on-going chatter of the mind.
Q: Is the thinking mind (monkey mind/little voice inside your head) always kind and helpful to you?
A: For many of us the thinking mind is not always kind or helpful. Sometimes it compares us to others, and this is not helpful. Sometimes it can change our mood or emotions to an unhappy or negative one.
Q: Brain scientist Sandra Bond Chapman says the following about our thinking mind: “When you are hunting elephants, don’t waste your time chasing rabbits”. Can anyone guess what she means when she says this?
A: Imagine that you have a big problem to solve. When we learn to focus our attention on one thing at a time, this is called single-tasking, or doing one thing at a time. When we single-task, we super charge our brain. We help our brain to do it’s best work. If we try to do two or more things at once we cause the Guard Dog of our brain’s to start barking which means what? …..We lose some of the access to our brain’s wise leader, the Prefrontal Cortex. If we want to do our best, most logical, creative and kind thinking we need the power of our PFC.