with Amira Valle, Martha Ríos-López, and Daniela Chávez-Valle
“El Regalo del Elefante, Mindfulness para Niños” is a mindfulness curriculum developed in Spanish, presented in the form of a bedtime story. This book introduces various developmentally appropriate mindful awareness practices, compassion exercises and social-emotional skills using a narrative about two children and a young elephant that embark on a journey of self-discovery and mindfulness-based skill building. Through language and art, we follow Rumi, Maya, and Dani on their journey and check in with our own body, mind, and spirit along the way. Each chapter provides embodied lessons key to a child’s self-development with the objective to learn how to get back home; to get back to a friendlier, more aware and more compassionate home.
During this workshop, participants will learn how to use this book in order to present the mindfulness and compassion practices addressed in each chapter and the theoretical principles that support them.
Through a hands on experience, participants will practice different activities and games, inspired on Montessori materials, which can be used to teach each of the themes addressed in the book; the way to adapt the presentation of these themes to different ages from K through 5th grades and will also familiarize with the different resources and props which support each practice.
Participants will be informed about the research that is currently being held on this curriculum in Mexico and the progress and results that have been obtained thus far, and about the Graduate Program which has been developed in order to train facilitators to successfully present this curriculum in a thorough and comprehensive way.
http://sanfordbiggers.com/bio click here Daniela Chávez-Valle is a Senior at the International Baccalaureate program at the American School Foundation in Mexico City. Graduated as Classical Ballet dancer, certified by Mindfulness Without Borders as a Mindfulness Ambassador Counsel (MAC) Facilitator, has helped to bring this program to the youth in Mexico City. Daniela is also certified by Elephant Wise as a facilitator of “El Regalo del Elefante” curriculum. Daniela has worked with children from a very young age, teaching them art, movement, dance and mindfulness practices at schools and community centers in Miami and Mexico City.
click here Martha Ríos-López, Mphil. MSC, is a psychotherapist in private practice and Director of Research and Training in Alia, A.C. Trained in the MBSR and MBCT and Mindfulness for Health, has led many of such courses in England and Mexico. Collaborated with the Manuel Velasco Suárez National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery’s Neuropsychology Department from 2011 to 2015, implementing Mindfulness protocols with careers, Parkinson Disease’s patients, social workers and researchers. Presently, collaborates with the DIF (Family Integral Development), to investigate the effects in young children of the programme “El Regalo del Elefante,” developed by Amira Valle.