Mindful Awareness Practiced at Kateri Day Camp

--by Sr. Debbie Drago, Executive Director

“When I breathe in, I breathe in peace. When I breathe out, I breathe out love.”

This is the song the 8- and 9-year-olds sang as they came to an end of their mindful awareness activity.
This year Kateri has introduced a very exciting practice into our summer programs, Mindful Awareness. Through the support of a grant, Kateri enlisted the expertise of Susan Kaiser Greenland, author of The Mindful Child and Cofounder and Executive Director of the Inner Kids Foundation. Susan was with the summer staff for orientation and has been working regularly, via telecommunication and conferencing, to guide Kateri’s wellness instructor and other key staff through an eight-week curriculum, teaching our young people the new “ABC’s of Mindfulness: Attention, Balance and Compassion.”

 Through playful, age-appropriate songs, games and activities, our children are learning that to be mindful involves paying attention with kindness and compassion to themselves, other people and the world around them; behavior which is affirming of Kateri Day Camp’s motto: “We respect the land, the plants, the animals, the people and ourselves. We use good behavior, good language and a positive attitude.”
I had the honor of observing our campers as they practiced one of the mindfulness activities. They formed a circle, sat down, became quiet and still, and each child took a turn at chiming the tone bar while breathing in and breathing out with the others in the group, while they listened together to the diminishing gentle sound of the tone bar. After this practice the group reflected on how it helps them. Some of their remarks were, “So we can relax. So when we’re stressed we can calm down. So everyone can get a turn and hear the tone bar.”  They also reflected on another practice they had learned that involved rolling a glitter ball to one another and sharing their thoughts on a question or story. They told me that the purpose of the glitter ball activity is, “So we can think. It reminds people to be good. It makes it fun for class.”

Several years ago, when I was a young Sister, I visited a camp program that was under the leadership of a Good Shepherd Sister, Sr. Mary Hart. Sr. Mary told me, “A well disciplined child is a happy child.” I’m not sure I totally understood what Sr. Mary’s statement really meant back then. The word discipline is a derivative of the word, “disciple” – to learn. A well-disciplined child is a child who learns and understands the rules and appropriate social behavior that are in place to keep them safe and to make learning and activities fun. What wonderful ABC’s Kateri campers are learning and practicing this summer: Attention, Balance and Compassion.  For more information on this Mindful Awareness program, please visit http://www.susankaisergreenland.com/inner-kids.html