With Easter just around the corner, I am getting ready to paint my eggs. Being a Bulgarian who lives in England, I've got the chance to mix and enjoy the traditions of my Eastern European culture and my husband's, who's English.
As I am not quite good enough YET at baking the traditional Bulgarian sweet bread, called "kozunak", I've mastered making scrumptious hot-cross buns. They always come with lots of melted butter and strawberry jam. Yum..
On the other hand, my husband and I tend to avoid the popular shop-brought chocolate eggs and opt for painting real ones. Not only is it a healthier option, but it is also fun, mindful and engages all the senses.
And if you haven’t painted any eggs with your students yet, here’s a helpful video which features some great ideas.
Did you know that scientists have proved that when we express our creativity regularly, our mental and physical health is boosted, and we feel happier? It is in those creative moments when dopamine is released in our body and we feel joyful. What is more, it is claimed that we become more focused and our brain’s cognitive function is improved.
So if you want happy and focused students, bring in more creative tasks. By the way, my new book “101 activities to teach English mindfully” features fifteen activities, which will provoke your students’ imagination and bring lots of fun and novelty in your lessons. Embrace the opportunity to slip out of the default mode and allow yourself and your students to see things differently and make new associations.
And after you’ve painted the eggs with your students, here’s a fun mindful follow-up game. We usually ask our students to compete and see who will be the fastest. But how about if we challenge them to be the slowest.
Here’s how:
*Collect the painted eggs and place them at the front/back of the classroom.
*Ask the students to arrange themselves in a line at an equal distance from the eggs. Then explain they have to get to their egg as slowly as possible. Encourage them while walking to shift their attention to their feet. Remind them to breathe in when they lift their foot off the floor and breathe out, when it touches the floor again. How does it feel when their foot touches the ground? Invite them to be aware of every movement the body makes. What sensations do these movements bring?
*At the end of the game, debrief with your students how they felt during this activity.
Here are some questions you may want to ask:
*How did you feel before the game?
*Did you notice any change of your feelings during and after the game?
*Was it easy or difficult for you to walk slowly?
NB. If your class is too big, please, do this activity in groups. Also, the weather is getting warmer here in the northern hemisphere, so you could play the game outdoors.
If you are looking for other traditional Easter activities, check out my post “Time for some EASTER fun”.
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Until we meet again, be blessed
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