Boulder Journey School classroom teachers, mentors, and interns compose blog posts for the families in each classroom 3 – 5 times weekly. These blog posts offer reflections on daily experiences, question possibilities for future research, and form connections between home-life and school-life.
In a previous blog post, we shared educators’ experiences in a workshop on mandalas. Here we explore classroom work inspired by that workshop.
The following reflections are from a classroom blog post shared with families, composed by Kirsten Zimbelman, Boulder Journey School mentor teacher.
Last night I had the opportunity to co-present a workshop on mandalas and their role in mindfulness practice in early learning. We worked with educators from several schools to discuss ways in which we could incorporate this kind of intentional work into our days with young children. Today, we decided to bring our research into our classroom.
Mandalas are best known for their use in the eastern religions of Buddhism and Hinduism. The word mandala is a Sanskrit word, and the literal translation means circle. However, if you break the word into parts its translation can change. Man is the Sanskrit word for mind, while the word da in Sanskrit can be translated as maintenance. So mandala can also mean maintaining the mind.
What does this have to do with preschool? Well, according to research, mindfulness has been linked to children being more positive, having better moods, and increasing their ability to focus. It has also been shown to help children build empathy and connections with peers by helping them process their own feelings. These are both crucial pieces of toddlers’ development, as they, like all of us, are developing their understanding of how their actions affect one another.
We began by looking at images of mandalas composed of natural materials and found various items. We also looked at a mandala built by teachers in our studio.
We discussed the shape of the mandalas as well as the materials used to make the ones in the images.
We offered the children materials such as leaves of varying colors, shapes, and sizes and a collection of man-made loose parts.
We intentionally selected circular boards to offer as a base or frame for the children’s work.
We observed forty uninterrupted minutes of children busily working on their own or collective mandalas.
Tuck, age 2, selected a frame and grape leaves for his work.
Linnea, age 3, added leaves to her composition.
Yana, age 2, and Tuck worked together to build a mixed media mandala.
Throughout the morning, several mandalas were built. Then, in the true spirit of the art, they were wiped clean to begin again.
During their work the children were always in motion; however, the motion was one of focus and intentionality. While we have not yet introduced the word ‘mindfulness’, or the language that accompanies conversations about mindfulness among adults, the children remained focused and engaged throughout the time spent in this endeavor.
“The Mandala is an archetypal image whose occurrence is attested throughout the ages. It signifies the wholeness of the self” ( C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, 1957, pp. 401 – 402).
In what ways do you observe your children being mindful?
Boulder Journey School Teacher Education Program 