Harry Potter A mindfulness and relaxation lesson based on the magical film. Copyright Kate Beddow 2018
Harry Potter The Harry Potter books are some of the most incredibly magical stories for children and adults alike. What could be more magical than using them to inspire some real life magic in the lives of our children. Relaxation and mindfulness techniques can create lasting changes and give our students the tools they need to cope with the stresses of assessment and testing in education. Have fun! KATEBEDDOW CALMER CLASSROOM CREATOR 2018 1
Introduction Many children will be familiar with the story but for those who aren t you could either watch the film for a treat or give them a brief summary. Brief Summary Whether all your class have read the Harry Potter series or not most children have watched the films and very few are completely unaware of the characters and themes running through the stories. To ensure that everyone has an understanding of the session tell the children briefly the story of Harry Potter, the boy wizard who goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Remind the children that Harry comes across many magical creatures and has lots of adventures. Go through the following exercises with your class before reading the script: Hogwarts Express - Train Breathing Sitting with your legs crossed and hands gently on your knees take a deep breath in, seal your lips and as you breathe out release their air in bursts to sound like a steam train. Puh! Puh! Puh! Slytherin - Snake Breathing Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out slowly, put your tongue to your front teeth and make a Sssssssss sound. KATEBEDDOW CALMER CLASSROOM CREATOR 2018 2
Gryffindor - Dragon Breathing Breathe in to the count of 7 and then as you slowly breathe out you make a Hhhhhaaaa sound as if you were trying to fog up a mirror. To add to the drama you can ask the children to roll their chins down to their chest as they breathe in and roll their heads up and back so they are pointing their noses to the sky as they breathe out with a hhhaaaa. Hufflepuff - 7/11 Breathing Inhale through the nose to the count of 7 and exhale through the mouth to the count of 11. Belly Breathing Lying on the floor ask the children to place their hands on their stomach and feel their tummy rise as they breathe in and fall as they breathe out. Once you have practised these exercises it is time to read the story in a more mindful way. Ravenclaw/Birds - Bird Pose Stand with your feet slightly apart. Lean forward a little and straighten your arms in front of you as you breathe in. As you breathe out bring your arms back as if flapping your wings until they are behind you with your palms facing each other. KATEBEDDOW CALMER CLASSROOM CREATOR 2018 3
Mrs Norris - Cat Pose Kneeling with your knees slightly apart, place your palms shoulder width apart on the floor in front of you, curve your back and curl your chin down to your chest as you breathe in. As you breathe out bring your chin up to the sky and drop your spine down, curving the base of your back. Wands - Warrior yoga pose Standing with both feet on the ground, shoulder width apart slowly bring one leg up so you are placing the sole of your foot against the opposite knee (as though you were going the tree pose). Once your foot is in position slowly raise the opposite hand up as if pointing a magic wand at the sky. KATEBEDDOW CALMER CLASSROOM CREATOR 2018 4
The Script Read the following script as though you are reading a bedtime story rather than a class story. Leave the children doing each relaxation pose/exercise for as long as you feel is appropriate, there is no right and wrong. Ensure the children are sitting with their legs crossed on the floor ready for the first position (Train breathing) Harry stood on the platform watching the Hogwarts Express pulling up to platform 9¾. The train puffed into the station (Ok, we re going to do some Train breathing Puh!, and continue until Harry leaves the train) and Harry and his friends boarded the carriage and the train left the station for Hogwarts. (Give the children a minute to continue the Train breathing) As the passengers left the train at Hogwarts a bird flew over their head towards the spectacular castle (slowly move from your seated position to your standing Bird Pose). It was getting dark as the friends walked into Hogwarts Great Hall, the magical candles floated in the ceiling space, and the students sat in their house groups. As the ceremony started the houses greeted each other with their magical house: Gryffindor created their best Dragon Pose (remind the children how to do the dragon pose). Slytherin attempted to intimidate Gryffindor with their Snake Breathing Ravenclaw created a beautifully elegant Bird Pose (slowly move from your seated position to your standing Bird Pose). and Hufflepuff did their trademark gentle and calm breathing (7/11 Breathing). KATEBEDDOW CALMER CLASSROOM CREATOR 2018 5
The houses were so different, their animal mascots were perfect for them. Just as the houses were settling down in ran Filch s cat, Mrs Norris. The children all turned and laughed at the cat running through the ceremony and immediately copied the cat and made Cat Pose. (Ok, we re going to do 5 cycles of the Cat pose, arch your back, 1, 2, 3, curl your head to your chin, 4, 5 and raise your head slowly so your nose is pointing to the ceiling 1, 2, and drop the base of your back down 3, 4, 5 repeat x4). Order! shouted Dumbledore, raising his wand to the enchanted ceiling, (remind the children how to create the Wand Pose) Enough of this nonsense! (1, 2, 3 and lower your arm and slowly lower your leg back to the floor). The students instantly fell to the floor and placing their hands on their stomachs they began to belly breathe (ask your class to lie down with their hands on their stomachs and do the belly breathing). They soon fell into a deep sleep and all woke the next morning in their own rooms. Leave the children lying with their hands on their tummies feeling relaxed and calm for a few moments then ask them to slowly sit up. KATEBEDDOW CALMER CLASSROOM CREATOR 2018 6
Conclusion What have you learned today? Ask the children questions about how different they feel after the session. Do they feel more relaxed? Do they feel sleepy? Taking time to notice what is happening around you is very, very good for you. Sometimes we are so busy that we forget to enjoy tasting our food, or listening to some music. It is a really good idea to stop sometimes and really think about what you are doing and why. Especially if they are: feeling worried? struggling to sleep at bedtime? feeling cross or angry? These are wonderful skills for them to learn and for you as a teacher too. We all need tools to help us stay calm and focused, mindfulness is a wonderful way to do that and the younger we learn these vital life skills the more natural it is to use them when we feel the need in life outside the classroom. KATEBEDDOW CALMER CLASSROOM CREATOR 2018 7
Who is Kate Beddow? Kate Beddow is a holistic therapist and teacher who specializes in working with teachers and schools. After being diagnosed with a pituitary tumour in 2007 Kate made the decision not to return to teaching and to learn how to keep herself healthy using energy healing, mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Combining her teaching and holistic skills Kate has created classes and training to help teachers to help their students, and themselves, stay happy, healthy and calm. Find out more about her work and discover her other resources and services at: www.calmerclassrooms.co.uk To keep up to date with Kate s news and get great tips about mindfulness and relaxation in schools why not follow her on Social Media? Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katebeddowconsultant Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/katebeddow/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katebeddow KATEBEDDOW CALMER CLASSROOM CREATOR 2018 8