Taking Time to Pause

Our Umbrella Project this year centers around the concept of time, so we teachers worked to come up with some questions that will guide us as we work with the children.  One question the Forest Room teachers came up with is, "How can we create ways to pause, become centered and slow down?"

"Pause"

                                    We began by teaching the children the sign for "pause."

             We first began pausing on our way to and from the playground to look for the moon.

Sometimes we see it; other times it has disappeared.  Where did it go?

Occasionally during the day we ask the children to pause and take a deep breath.  (You can hear deep, noisy inhalations when we do that.)

Pausing and taking a breath certainly helps me feel calmer and more grounded. What do the children feel?

                We ask them, "What do hear when you pause?"
                                                   "What do you notice?"
                                                           "What do you feel?"


"I hear the wind!"
           "I see the moon!"
                      "I see the playground!"
We wonder what else we could ask; how we could make pausing more meaningful.

We see clouds but no moon.

"How do you feel when you pause?"
            "When you pause, do you notice anything about your body?"


If we can learn to pause, to become aware of where we are and to appreciate what is around us, where will it lead?  Can pausing help curb impulsivity and knee jerk reactions (for teachers and children alike!) and lead the way to more positive social interactions and self awareness?

   

"Sometimes you need to press pause to let everything sink in."  -Sebastian Vettel