A Mindful Akashian

Lauren Murphy Akashian (ah-KAY-shin), EdD, is an educator seeking to build a community of teachers who share their ideas for incorporating mindfulness into their classrooms.

Make any occasion a Mindful Akashian

Mindfulness Monday: Breathing Sticks

Today’s activity was a hit because the breathing sticks also served as fidget toys. My students made a point to tell me how much they like the arts and craft style activities. To make the breathing sticks, I instructed the students to tie a knot at the bottom of the pipe cleaner, add the five beads, and then tie a knot at the other end. Students are then instructed to breathe in for the length of time it takes to slide one bead down the sticks and then out for the next bead, and so on and so forth. I then encouraged students to make shapes with the pipe cleaner and add beads so they could also be used as fidget toys.