Incorporating Mindfulness Into Our Lives

As we embrace the cooler weather and prepare for the season, this article, "Gratitude Wheel" Art Project by Betsy Hanger published in Mindful Schools, resonated with us.  SFSS is eager to weave in mindfulness in our daily school life for both the staff and students, and we thought this would be a perfect November activity.
Betsy Hanger guides with the following instructions of putting in a center circle filled with the words "I am grateful for...".  Next, divide the wheel with spokes making pie sections.  Record what you are grateful for.  Finally, Betsy Hanger encourages reflection of self by taking notice of our feelings by the following: "After a few minutes of work, encourage your students to slow down and notice if they feel their gratitude growing as they make the wheel."   
So our challenge and hope is to provide opportunities of mindfulness for our students but also their families.  As we will be doing, we ask you to make your gratitude wheel.  Reflect.  Make one for yourself and then make one with the whole family.   I know I will be incorporating this into my Thanksgiving festivities for myself and my family.  However, no holiday is needed; just a few moments in a day, any day.
In the end, Betsy Hanger concludes, "to end, send three kind wishes to someone on your wheel."   

So in closing, SFSS wishes you and your family:

• An abundance of love and support.
• The ability to be in the present moment allowing the worries of yesterday to fade and the fears of tomorrow to be at bay.
• To relish the connection with your child and soak in the glory of their "gleam in their eye". 

SFSS would like to express our gratitude for the support, ideas and materials provided by Mindful Schools.  Thank you for being our reference in this article and for the inspiration.  We would also like to thank our students and families who enrich our lives daily and allow us to be part of their special journey.

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Warmest regards,
Student & Family Support Services, Celebrate the Children 

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Reference: 
Hanger, Betsy (2017, October 28) Retrieved from:http://www.mindfulschools.org/inspiration/gratitude-wheel/)
Photo credit: Mindful Schools

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