List of possible ACTIVITY IDEAS

• Role models of success…… study  and do projects about famous people  past present and future who have succeeded in their chosen fields despite potential  set-backs such as mental health issues, disabilities, diagnosois…celebrating their Differences and their accomplishments . …such as Richard Dadd, Van Gogh….. This can tie in with The ARTs Award scheme  in arts heroes section or the audience section describing a performance or exhibition …concentrating on how it makes  you feel.
•  All subjects depending on who is being studied….eg ..Stephen Fry …….English/media etc
• Study art, music, songs, poems, novels , film which deal with issues and ideas (sometimes difficult and sensitive) relevant to our project …perhaps then with pupils comments, observations about how this helps them
• Watch Inside Out film
• Advocacy, lobbying government, social changes in mental health. …. A pupil could lookinto this as a project qualification (does CCHS still offer these?)In citizenship/PHSE, project qualification
• History of advances in understanding , empathising with, treating, living with mental health and promotion of mental health and well being in…History
• Career promotion –  looking at diverse role models
• A ‘happy thoughts’ box, Happy thoughts leaves on tree
• Random acts of kindness…..
• Grayson Perry style tapestry or ceramics  ( maybe using technology or mixed media ) to represent  aspects of mental health –

•  Design and make soft toys, dolls   to represent emotions, similar to ‘Inside Out ‘film characters..Art and D/T
• Music composititons to represent different feelings and emotions
• Drama …freeze frames ….of emotions or enacting scenes  do with perhaps bullying or other issues and events which can cause people to feel different emotions.
• Pokemon Go type game  D/T
• Mental health in other countries (especially with reference to refugees and young people who have experienced war/ hardship   post traumatic stress disorder ….
• Music project: people who have had mental health problems and achieved in life (also celebrities and artists)
• Collaboration with visits to and from  for instance Wellcome Trust , Young Minds, The Lookout in Hyde Park, Ecology centre, Holland Park, RHS Gardening, London Wildlife trust,
• Write poems….perhaps   acrostics..using  emotion or Feeling words like Happy , Calm or Abstract Noun poems ….choose an emotion like …Contentment or Anger and imagine its colour, smell, sound,texture and think of a simile and metaphor to describe the word.

RECENT IDEAS for Sparks activities

.  Get pupils of any age to write a simple list of “  MY FAVOURITE THINGS “ or ‘THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY “…..in own handwriting or on computer. Teachers can put a limit on it ..say a list of 5 or 10 or state categories like ..:Colour, animal, shop, food, tree, dog, book  etc etc Perhaps play the song favourite things as example OR make an acrostic poem out of it OR an alphabet of favourite things or HAPPY, SMILEY things. Draw or paint or photograph the things or find images to match on the computer.

• Posters for NHS mental health conference
• Designs for mental health-related creatures (see attached)
• Self-help books (things that help me when I’m down…Things that make me get through difficult times things that make me  feel happy)…. 
• An advice booklet about going back to school
• Decorating stones with positive messages to leave around town
• Leaving positive messages in a library book
• Posters for World Mental Health Day (October 10^th 2019 …Thursday)
• Friendship bracelets
•  Make variations on green ribbons worn for World mental Health Day….crochet or knitted
• Make message cookies (bit like love hearts )
• Gardening – planting a sensory area and/or  grow some plants in the classroom
• Organise a workshop by a company like LUSH to do a workshop

• make stress balls
• make worry dolls (linked to ‘Silly Billy’ by Anthony Browne)
• play table tennis / bowling 
• deep breathing / meditation
• virtual reality headsets 
• Attempt to learn one or two key words/phrases  in partner language …
• Maybe write down or record and send to co ordinator /partner school.
• Write short “greeting” or “feel good “ postcards to pupils at partner schools  partners …(via the co ordinator ) either physical or could be sent via email etc . Write a few questions to partner school pupils …perhaps model by writing bit about themselves …like mini “This is Me”…what we like, what makes us happy etc . CCHS staff  will be attending POLAND meeting on 4^th and 5^th November  2019 coming up …so maybe try to have some ready for them to take to give out to our partners
• Compile an illustrated fact file about either one of the Countries, towns or the capital city of one of the partner countries….(see fact sheet)…flags, currency, traditions, food, famous people etc etc. Perhaps send to the co ordinator and ask them to write back …comments or thoughts.
• Prepare an ERASMUS …Sparks …A Well Being Project area or  notice /display board in the classroom( A shelf or box if no wall space!) …initially this can have any of above activities or clippings of any news items about children’s /young people’s mental health/well being , any logo ideas done  etc etc .

On completion of any activity , task, lesson even vaguely related to the project  even your planning meetings etc ….if possible put up on the SPARKS website or ask Martin to but if for any reason you cant do this  please send Kim very brief DETAILS OF ACTIVITY to put it all up on a British Council portal for their records

• If you require any special resources or materials for what you are doing or want to book a workshop/trip please let Kim know costs and then order in usual way via Paulina..or  etc .as there is money in ERASMUS budget area for “Implementation,Delivering and Planning for ERASMUS”