In our writing lessons at the moment, we are learning about how to be more positive and resilient. We have read the story, ‘My Strong Mind’ by Niels Van Hove, which is a book about mental health. The main character, Kate, uses her voice to communicate how she is feeling in a calm and respectful way, even though she sometimes feels like screaming! She also talks to her mind in a kind way when she is feeling tired, annoyed, upset or angry. 

In the story, Kate’s dad helps her calm down by creating an origami boat together and focusing on their breathing. We have talked about the key parts of instructions and we had a go at following a set of them ourselves! Making our own origami boats was really tricky and some of us were frustrated, annoyed or felt like giving up. The story helped us because it taught us important lessons like to keep trying our best. 

You can listen to our story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIMrPeXmxFM 

Callie: I felt really calm after the lesson and it made me happy seeing everyone making their boats. It was kind when we helped each other. 

Adriana: I liked the final step when we pulled it apart to create the boat but that was the tricky part! 

Bobby: I was really happy that I made my boat because I can use it at home and I will see if it can float! 

Gasser: I would like to do some more origami at home because I enjoyed challenging myself. 

Ricky: When I get home, I will try to do more origami. I liked making my boat because I had to focus and make my folds really straight.