9th February 2024
Our school has been marking Children’s Mental Health Week in a variety of ways!
A special worship on Monday gave Miss Bishop the chance to tell us how we all have a right to be heard and that using your voice is really important. We can share ideas, put forward our opinions and ask for help when we need it.
The start of the week also saw a whole-school Indian Dance Workshop, with each class enjoying a lesson in how dance is a great way of telling stories or putting across a message.
Year 2 are huge yoga fans so they started the week with a trip to Miss B’s Yoga Studio (aka their classroom!). They also used speech bubbles to make their voices heard about a range of ideas, including ways they were proud of themselves, how they would make the world a better place and things they are grateful for.
The Colour Monster (a fantastic book by Anna Llenas!) came to Year 3, so the class decided to create their own versions, using watercolours to reflect emotions they might feel. Recognising emotions can be very hard, but seeing them as colours can help you explain them to others.
“As a whole school, we always work hard to make sure that we listen to and look out for each other, especially when we might be experiencing some tricky emotions,” said Hanbury Mental Health Lead, Vicky Bishop.
“However, its great to use Children’s Mental Health Week as a focus for everyone at school. I hope that making mental health a topic that can be talked about alongside physical health means that future generations feel confident about asking for help should tricky times arise.”
Reception have been thinking about ways they can look after their own mental health. They already have a wonderful outdoor classroom, but wanted to prove that being outside with your friends is a great way to feel fantastic! They used their voices to discuss what game to play then came to an agreement together… parachute games were the clear winner!
Year 1 have been thinking of times when they are really proud of themselves. We are all brilliant at complimenting others, but sometimes its harder to give yourself a pat on the back, so they all had a go.
To make sure the message of Children’s Mental Health Week is firmly in our heads, Year 4 designed “My Voice Matters”posters to remind everyone of who and how they can be heard.
The week ended with two winners of the Wellbeing Crew’s Healthy Snack Challenge being crowned! Some very demanding taste testing of a host of wonderful creations resulted in worthy winners who – along with their fellow competitors – designed a snack that not only looked, but tasted terrific too!
