November 2022

Our focus for this well-being day was Art. We looked at a variety of art forms ranging from graffiti art, portraits and 'taking a pencil for a walk'. Children realised that art can take many different forms and that it doesn't always need to look 'perfect'. Art can be used to express moods/feelings, used for therapeutic focus and to show representations.

The children also got the chance to learn about the cultures of others amongst their peers. Linking closely with our PBL topic 'Location, Location, Location!', the children learnt how to cook a traditional Indian dish (Aubergine Dhansak). This encouraged a chance to experience another culture and for those of that culture to feel proud of their heritage. 

October 2022

Our focus for October wellbeing day was 'diversity'. We explored the meaning of the word diversity and its linked value culture.

As a year group, we discussed the importance of a diverse environment and its multiple benefits for personal development. It also allows us to become more accepting and more aware of other cultures and how that will impact someone's lifestyle. The children each created their own presentations profiling themselves, their backgrounds and cultures. This allowed the classes to engage with their fellow peers in their classes and understand the diverse cultures they are around every day. We also studied Nelson Mandela, as October was Black History Month, and as a historic figure, he linked perfectly with our topic. We learnt all about Mandela and his importance to the black community and how he fought against the racist apartheid system in his homeland for equality and freedom for all people. 

Our school focus for wellbeing day was one of the schools core values: resilience. In Year 5, we were looking to test the children’s resilience through group based work activities. The children were given the 'Paper Tower Task' to put to test their resilience skills. In groups of 3, they used their abilities to craft towers made from using only paper, to complete the challenge. Some of the key skills needed were to be patient, apply positive thinking and ensure effective communication. The children quickly learnt that the key to resilience was creating a plan of action, being patient and adopting a positive mind-set no matter the amount of setbacks. Children were quick to realise some things aren't always straight forward and plans may need to adapt multiple times before being successful. It was reiterated throughout that it's normal to feel stressed, sad or angry when things aren’t going to plan but it’s the ‘bounce back’ that’s the most important thing! The end goal was for the most resilient group to build the strongest and tallest tower which was able to support the weight of our class book for the term 'The London Mystery'.  Children also read some everyday resilience scenarios that they could find themselves in and were able to provide suggestions and solutions.