Finally, Session 6 has started! After a successful (and crazy!) session and exhibition in Session 5, it was clear that the learners needed some time to relax and refresh. Luckily, we had spring break! Now it’s a new session, and the rejuvenated heroes came back ready to tackle the next six weeks.
In Session 6, Discovery Studio is doing an entomology quest – collecting, analyzing and caring for various types of insects. Knowing the general reputation of insects, it seemed appropriate that this quest should correlate with the character trait of open mindedness. While this group of learners is probably more open minded than the average group of 7-10 year olds, getting hands-on with bugs is still something that some of us (myself included!) will need to summon a lot of courage to do!
Outside of just the entomology quest, we explored being open-minded in the studio, too. The heroes came back to a totally redone studio, complete with lap desks and yoga mats. The learners needed no encouragement to be open minded about where they did their work- they immediately began working under desks, on the floor, and standing up with their computers on the bookshelves!
We started testing out some new tactics during Core Skills as well. On Wednesday, we tried out the Pomodoro method together – working together and taking breaks throughout the 2 hours of morning work time. Some learners really loved the method and continued to use it – and some didn’t! That’s okay. Being open minded is about trying things. Whether or not they end up working, you learn more about yourself the more you try.
Over spring break, the guides at TVS did mindfulness professional development. Since the training, I’ve been enamoured by the benefits of mindfulness for elementary learners- it can change how young brains are developed, giving young people the lifelong gift of emotional regulation and self awareness! Discovery is using this to literally open and grow our minds- trying out a new type of mindfulness for 10 minutes everyday and writing down what works for us. Almost every learner has taken advantage of the different types of mindfulness and fully immersed themselves in the journey.
We finished the week with a picnic lunch outside in the grass field. Surprisingly, this was our first time eating out there- on nice days, we typically eat lunch in the school’s courtyard. However, all the learners brought blankets and laid out on the grass, and we tried something new. “Can we do this everyday?” one of the learners remarked.
In the world of COVID and isolation, open mindedness has become less of a skill that we naturally obtain through interactions with others outside of our groups. We’re confined to our own bubbles, stuck in our own little areas of the world. Open mindedness is now a skill that we need to consciously and intentionally develop, and the Discovery Studio learners are doing just that.
villageschoolnova.blog 