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Danielle Curran
Deputy Head of Pre-prep
Danielle joined the King's School three years ago and is currently the Deputy Head of the Pre-Prep. Danielle is a qualified and experienced teacher who has worked in the UK and other international schools. She is a certified mindfulness teacher and teaches mindfulness to students both during the normal day and as part of KSS ASP programme. Her passion for mindfulness is directed towards helping children pay attention, developing awareness and improving their emotional development.
Mindfulness is becoming increasingly important in good schools today. It helps children to improve their focus and manage their emotions in a healthy way. By learning to pay attention to the present moment, they can become aware of their thoughts and emotions and improve their ability to choose what they focus on as well as how they respond to the challenges they face.With regular practice children can learn to quieten the mind, find space and stillness and bring joy to their everyday experiences.
During her mindfulness lessons, Danielle teaches students relaxation exercises in a way that's fun, engaging and interactive, aiming to help students navigate the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of their life. Being able to explore and manage emotions is very beneficial for every part of our student's education. Each lesson includes mindful sitting, lying and movement practices as well as compassionate enquiry. In so doing, Danielle is using mindfulness as a vehicle for students to understand their feelings and emotions.
She has sought to strengthen the mindfulness curriculum by focusing on developing the foundations of mindfulness across the school. Her aim is also to incorporate mindfulness into the daily routine of the school so that children can explore how it can help them be happier through being in the present moment, thereby also helping them to be more resilient, kind and compassionate.
example of a week's schedule for mindfulness
Below are some of the effective ways Danielle uses mindfulness to provide children with a sense of calm, a focused mind, and a happier outlook on life:
Danielle uses Art therapy to provide students with an easier way to express themselves while listening to soothing music; children are naturally artistic and creative. During the art therapy lesson students learn to express their emotions and feelings through talking about how they feel while focusing on the activity. They are encouraged to talk and write about their art in new ways.
The artistic creation in the music world
A mandala is a symbol used to represent the universe. The Sanskrit word literally translates to "circle". Crafting mandalas is an excellent way to help students explore artistic composition and mindfulness. These temporary art installations create beauty and allow students to practise mindfulness in a fun, creative way. Working with mandalas helps children to learn valuable coping skills.
During this activity the students get to enjoy feeding, watching, and listening to birds in nature. The aim of this activity is to help students become more relaxed, alert, and aware outside. Danielle teaches students that becoming silent themselves opens the way to hear the sounds of birds, the rustling of tree branches in the wind, and to accept all the natural activity that is going on around them.
Clay making as a mindfulness activity
The process of working with clay is an ancient practice and very good for developing mindfulness. Clay work as art-making can be a specular activity that can be practised by anyone. The ways in which force is applied to clay is through the process of wedging, pinching, and centering; it requires concentration, focus, a sense of being in the here-and-now with the clay, and a relationship between the potter and clay.
Games that develop concentration
Danielle provides simple mindfulness games such as memory chess, block building, spinning tops, memory stones, chopstick stacking, etc. In a playful way she uses these engaging activities to help teach children to calm themselves, focus more easily, and stay present, all using the principles of mindfulness. Each of these toys can also help promote an overall sense of calm.
Danielle uses balance boards as a way to build confidence and encourage mindfulness; balance boards require focus and concentration. For most children, simply standing on and trying to manoeuvre the balance board will require their full attention.
During this activity students learn the basics of mindfulness and discover how to follow their breath; by using a timeless toy such as an expandable ball called a Hoberman sphere, children can learn how to follow their breath as air goes in and out of their lungs, one of the key techniques of mindfulness practice.
This beautiful mindful listening game encourages students to enjoy the sound of frequency that the singing bowl creates while helping them to cultivate mental focus, practise present moment awareness, release stress and find inner calm.
Through yoga, Danielle teaches the students to live in the moment and focus on breathing and body posture. When they go outside to practise yoga, Danielle encourages students to see and feel so many wonderful things such as the beautiful parts of nature. In her yoga classes, Danielle also weaves in fun games and stories with positive themes like compassion, gratitude, and strength.
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