你是猴子还是熊猫？ 猴子从一个活动跳到另一个活动，总是想着下一个任务，而熊猫则平静地专注于现在。 If you’re not sure which of these terms describes you—or even why the question is important—ask a 贝博体育app third grader. 这种探索只是低年级健康计划的一个组成部分，该计划帮助学生在安全和支持的氛围中建立弹性，练习同理心，并探索青春期的挑战。

 

低年级的健康是每周轮转课程的一部分，课程以发展为目标的主题为特色，包括正念、解决冲突、同伴压力和压力管理。 There is also flexibility to respond to the specific needs of the group, notes 健康 Department Chair Hope Rupley: “If we sense that a class will benefit from addressing a particular topic that day, we adjust.”

 

 

在一个痴迷于技术的文化中，一心多用被认为是最重要的技能，但越来越明显的是，学生们不再知道如何一心多用。 To counter this trend, 贝博体育app’s 健康 faculty have made mindfulness, the state of being focused on the present, the central focus of the third grade curriculum.

 

To understand the concept, third graders read Lauren Alderfer’s 正念猴子，快乐熊猫, which tells the tale of an unfocused monkey and his zen panda pal. When the monkey asks the panda for the secret to his calm happiness, the panda explains that he is always present in the moment: when he works, he works, and when he plays, he plays.

 

在三年级的时候，正念练习通常是从敲唱碗开始的，这是一个钟状的金属碗，可以发出悠长的旋律。 学生听编钟，注意声音。 在其他正念练习中，学生们想象他们手中拿着一杯热气腾腾的热巧克力。 他们深吸气以吸收浓郁的香气，深呼气以冷却饮料。 在没有意识到的情况下，他们正在练习深呼吸，这是一种可以用来调节情绪和保持注意力的工具。 Throughout the year, students strengthen their “mindful muscle,” challenging themselves to see how long they can stay in a mindful state.

 

 

在四年级，健康课为学生提供了一个框架来讨论友谊，性别角色和刻板印象的变化动态。 Using the prompts “boys are supposed to be…” and “girls are supposed to be…,” students examine stereotypes about the strengths and attributes of boys and girls.

 

四年级学生也关注同理心的问题。 In one activity, students discuss ways to turn statements like “Stop being a cry baby!” or “Don’t be dumb!” into expressions of empathy. 学生们还会参与角色扮演和短剧来练习移情行为。 “We want students to put themselves in someone else’s shoes,” says Hope.

 

在五年级，健康计划侧重于技能，以帮助学生应对日益具有挑战性的学术课程和校际体育的引入。 This year’s fifth graders focused on perseverance and positivity: they learned about Kayla Montgomery, a young woman diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who went on to become one of the fastest runners in her home state of North Carolina. 学生们给凯拉写信，反思她的故事是如何激励他们坚持下去的，他们还就坚持不懈的主题开了一个晨会。

 

In the spring, fifth graders divide into gender-specific groups for a month-long puberty seminar focused on how one’s body grows and changes throughout adolescence. 贝博体育青春期的讨论可能是家长和学生焦虑的一个来源，但到了五年级，贝博体彩app的学生已经在他们的健康小组中建立了一定程度的信任和安慰，这有助于提出真实的问题和有意义的反思。

 

 

在六年级，学生开始更多地依赖同伴群体作为信息和建议的来源，但也受到社会结构变化的挑战。 单性别课程提供了一个支持性的氛围来讨论同伴压力、关系攻击、社交媒体、压力管理和物理边界。 “Removing the boy/girl dynamic makes it easier for students to ask questions without fear of being judged,” says 健康 teacher Molly Murphy.

 

A highlight of the year is the visit from 不可思议的球员, a performance group that addresses substance abuse, addiction, and its impact on the family. 在这个年龄，许多家长认为他们的孩子还太小，不能接触到贝博体育毒品和酒精的讨论。 然而，早期和积极主动的方法是有目的的。 “We want students to be prepared when they are faced with difficult choices,” says Hope.

低年级健康计划的好处可以清楚地看到，学生进入高年级。 在这个年龄，孩子们开始封闭，分享更少，内化更多，参加过健康课程的贝博体育app学生仍然愿意讨论伴随青春期的棘手话题。 “When I meet with the seventh grade girls, it strikes me how courageous, vulnerable, and kind they are,” says Hope. “They feel so connected, and there is such a sense of belonging. That is the beauty of what they have created.”