Minding Yourself, Minding Nature
Minding Yourself, Minding Nature is a nature and wellbeing workbook designed for secondary schools. The workbook was developed with BirdWatch Ireland, Biodiversity in Schools and Leave No Trace Ireland to explore how and why the natural world is important for our health and wellbeing. It also looks what we can do to help the planet and take postive climate action, which, in turn, supports our mental health. The workbook is set across which four sections which focus on different nature-based activities for each season, and includes a nature wellbeing plan for young people to complete.
You can also watch our nature mindfulness meditation for secondary schools below.
Get the nature workbook
WIMS School Support
Our WIMS School Supports provides a set of presentations and lesson plans designed for teachers to use in the classroom to support students with transitioning back to school under the unusual and challenging circumstances of a global pandemic.
Teachers can now download and use the classroom presentation, which is accompanied by a handout for students, and includes activities and discussion points.
The set focuses on dealing with change, and empowers students to develop coping skills and prepare for times of transition and adjustment. By the end of the presentation, students will be better equipped to describe the impact that change can have and develop coping strategies for this. It takes roughly 30 minutes to complete, with the option to give extra time to explore the discussion point in more detail. Teachers may wish to consider their students’ personal circumstances when leading the related discussion points and activity.
Film resources
Managing mental health issues in the classroom can be challenging. Our Frame of Mind film resource features clips from entries to our Frame of Mind short film competition. These clips were especially selected because they explore some important mental health themes particularly relevant to young people. The film can be used as a classroom tool to start a discussion about these aspects of mental health and wellbeing. The companion guide provides further information on the topics explored in the film, and suggests questions and discussion points to help you get the conversation started with your class. We recommend allocating up to one hour for viewing this film and completing the exercises contained within the companion guide. We also produced an educational film specifically for school teachers and staff, together with the mental health team at St Patrick's Mental Health Services, that we hope will be of benefit to you and your colleagues.
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Transition Year Programme