Chaplain's Chat

This year, thanks to generous funding from School Focused Youth Service (Knox), we have had Canine Comprehension (CC) come in and work with some of our Grade 5 students during Term 1 and now our Grade 6 students during Term 2. Canine Comprehension works with groups of students in schools, or individually, and teaches emotional literacy, how to lower anxiety around learning with a focus on mindfulness and how to have increased positive interactions through Dog Assisted Learning. Sarah, the CC tutor and her Kelpie, Reef, have been warmly welcomed each week by our students and they have had a lot of fun engaging with Reef and teaching him new tricks!

https://www.caninecomprehension.com.au/about-canine-comprehension

As Winter sets in, and the days become colder, greyer and the rain falls more regularly, it is hard not to go stir crazy at home with everyone inside, especially on weekends! What does one do? It sometimes helps to break the day up into smaller parts, to avoid becoming overwhelmed by how long the day is!

First thing in the morning kids are often at their most energetic, so getting them outside and burning some energy up can be good. This may require rugging them up, and jumping on their bikes or going for a brisk walk (with the dog!) to the playground, where you can arrange to catch up with some of your kids’ friends. Sometimes an hour outdoors is enough, with a walk past the shops on the way home for a sweet treat. Kicking a ball in the backyard, or shooting hoops, or jumping on the trampoline can also be ways to get active. Helping do the shopping, or making lunch or dinner or doing some baking, can be a good way to help kids learn that they too are part of the family team and need to chip in with helping out with all that needs doing around the house. Movie afternoons, with homemade popcorn, can be a hit, and a good opportunity to snuggle up on the couch and watch your favourite flic together, or sitting outside around a firepit and toasting marshmallows. Card and board games are also a good way to spend quality time with one another. Mealtimes can be made a special event, with maybe a theme for the meal, or setting the table specially. Turn off the TV, or other devices, and spend time talking about one another’s days and maybe planning what you can do tomorrow.

Screens are not all bad, and it is fine to let kids connect with their friends online and chat or play games together. Just monitor how long your kids are online for, and ensure they are taking breaks and doing some exercise. It is also OK for our kids to say, ‘I’m bored!’, and for us to not always come up ideas of what they can be doing. Let them ponder and consider what they might like to do, even if it means they whinge about it for a while! Doing nothing is also OK, time for just relaxing and dreaming, or getting lost in a book.

Ask your friends what they get up to with their kids, and share some of your ideas with them!

Sarah McIntosh

Chaplain

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