We have Space, we have lift off!
What a busy fortnight! The weather has been against us too but we got there in the end!
Last week the School Council and I spent Tuesday setting up the Indoor Reflective Space. They helped in two groups and we all worked hard. The children involved worked incredibly hard and advised me as to how they wanted every element. They even took turns in taking all the photographs you can see in the gallery. The one idea that they came up with, that I didn't think of, was how to use the lights. They were very proud with what they achieved and I was very proud of them.
We were going to set up the Outdoor Reflective Space last Thursday but the heavens opened! So we spent the day in a Year 5 classroom, they were out on a trip to Chester, and we got creative. We planned and made things for the Reflective Area. And after a few sore fingers, thanks to the warm glue gun, we were ready and raring to go!
So when Tuesday came this week, after the Easter weekend, we stepped out into the sunshine and very quickly got the space set up, it only took us the morning.
Then we come to today. Each class signed up for a training session. Originally I wanted the school councillors to be involved in the session delivery but that didn't quite happen, so I took the lead.
It was a truly wonderful day for me. The space was perfect, sometimes bathed in sunlight with the mirrors causing the light to dance around. The wind chimes and the incense created a real atmosphere. It became a very special space and I think the children felt it.
I personally felt very chilled after delivering the training to 8 classes throughout the day.
Many children, teachers and teaching assistants left the spaces saying how much they had enjoyed their time in the spaces. Many of them looked forward to returning - once I get the required permissions I will be updating the gallery. I'm also going to get some feedback too. One teacher said, "I wish I had a place like this when i was a child. I used to find the playground a very noisy place and really would have loved a quiet place to go to." I encouraged her to use the space at the beginning of her yard duty, she left beaming.
One of the TA's noticed that many of the children, in a Year 2 class, really engaged with the work we did with labyrinths. She said, "I really pleased because I saw some of the children leave behind something in the centre of the labyrinth and leave much happier. It's a brilliant idea."
It also caused a stir with parents. Several of them came up to me at the end of the day as they arrived to collect their children and grandchildren. "I think it's really important for children to learn this. My eldest is doing mindfulness sessions at secondary school and she is finding it really helpful. It's a very important and valuable life skill. Thank you for setting it up, " said one parent.
More training tomorrow and then the spaces will formally open for use after the Spring Break. The children are excited and I'm thrilled.
Have a look in the Links section for the training documents I used.
