Project BREATHE stands for Breathe, Relax, Exhale And Think Happy Everyday.
Going to school can be stressful, especially for young children who are just starting their long journey toward graduation. New faces, new routines, new expectations — these are the building blocks of that early childhood rite of passage.
Now, some fifth- and sixth-graders at Rymfire Elementary School are trying to make that rite a bit easier.
They call their project BREATHE, which stands for Breathe, Relax, Exhale And Think Happy Everyday. Their mission is to reduce the stress experienced by students in kindergarten through grade three.
“The main goal of our project is to help children calm down and give them calming-down strategies so that they don’t get overly excited, angry or upset,” explained fifth-grader Jacob Wade Moss.
To accomplish this goal, the students created a slideshow explaining the human brain and how it works, calming kits to distribute to each of the classrooms and surveys to gauge their effectiveness.
The idea for BREATHE was first suggested by sixth-grader Jasail Kamiel Lisa Jackson. Jacob and four others soon joined the project: fifth-graders Rya’sir Matthew Jefferson and Samantha Rose Newell, and sixth graders Skylar Carroll and Diego Costa.
The students met with Principal Barbara Sauvelpahkick, who suggested they concentrate on helping children in the earliest grades. First-graders actually have the most disciplinary actions at the school.
Next, the group needed to educate itself on the subject.
“For research, we talked to our behavior specialist, our principal and some of the administrators that were at our school, and we put all of that together,” said Samantha.
They also conducted research using the MindUP program, offered by The Hawn Foundation. The program is designed to help students develop social and emotional skills and reduces stress at home.
Involvement in the project has benefitted members of the BREATHE group as well as the younger students.
“I was very shy before I started this, and I gained confidence,” said Skylar. “I can now talk in front of other people.”
The calming kits made by the group are especially popular. Children can shake the calming jar to watch as glitter suspended in water slowly settles or squeeze the stress ball to work out their frustration.
There are calming cards with tips on staying stress-free and posters bearing words of encouragement.
Rubber BREATHE bracelets are handed out to each child to remind them to breathe, and each kits contains a rock with the word BREATHE painted on it.
“They’re another reminder,” said Jasail, “and they’re also fancy.”
The basket also contains a weighted belt to place upon a person’s lap.
“The pressure releases a pheromone throughout your body,” explained Jasail. “What it does is it brings out your happy feelings and stuff. We had our teachers try it, and they say it really works.”
One of the most popular items in the kit is lavender-scented “therapy putty.”
“The therapy putty is like slime,” said Rya’sir, “and kids like slime. It’s lavender-scented, so it will calm them down while they’re having fun.”
The kits are so popular that the group plans to make more to distribute throughout the school.
“My students loved the basket to the point where I have had to buy more stress balls to put in there myself,” said third-grade teacher Judith White. “And I’m going to have them help me make more of the lap belts.”
“We have sent out surveys and asked the teachers and students to give us quotes on how they’re feeling and if it has helped them,” said Diego. He added that responses have been positive.
Samantha said she enjoyed helping younger children.
“When their faces light up with excitement, it always makes me happy, because I know they’re going to enjoy all of it,” she said.
“I’m so proud of this group BREATHE,” said their teacher, Katherine Sturman. “They took an idea and made it into such a wonderful project that is really helping the students become less stressed during the school day.”
Funding for the project came from The Flagler County Education Foundation.
BREATHE is a Community Problem Solving project. Community Problem Solving is a component of the Future Problem Solving program. Participating students identify needs in their schools or communities and then seek out and implement solutions.
The group hopes to continue the project beyond the current year.