Spring Wellness Week

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MPS Wellness Week



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This spring we are centering wellness week on creating a community of caring. As nature re-awakens and we begin to look forward to warmer weather, let us focus on strengthening our communities through acts of care towards ourselves, our loved ones, and our environment. Join in the Spring Wellness fun with us! Take a photo, make a poster, or create a video, and use #mpsspringwellness on social media. Each day you will be presented with opportunities to engage in creating a community of caring -- select one or complete all four activities to support your health during this spring season. Check your meal box for materials and instructions to create your own wellness activity cube! Meaningful Monday Rest + Restore Find a comfortable seated position, close your eyes and sit in silence for 10 minutes. When thoughts come, say silently ‘no thank you - not right now’ and focus on your breath. In reflection: What happens to your body when your breath becomes slower and more full? What happens to the mind? How do you feel after you open your eyes? Go Green Take a moment and reflect on what the environment provides for you: the air we breathe, the food we eat, time spent in nature. What are you most grateful for? Walk, Bike, & Roll Everyday Do the A-B-C Quick Check on your bike and then take it for a spin. Food + Meal Connections Practice mindful eating by using all your senses to experience, connect with, and reflect on your food. Encourage yourself to do this by trying a new or less familiar food, like kohlrabi. Terrific Tuesday Rest + Restore The emotional body is where we house our lived experiences and the feelings attached to them. Allow yourself space to process your emotions. Surround yourself with people who give you a safe space to express your emotions. Your emotions deserve a soft landing place. Go Green Did you know that our organic waste, like food scraps, can be composted and added back to soil to help new plants grow? Imagine what this cycle looks like. Draw a picture of it. Walk, Bike, & Roll Everyday Try out a route from the City of Minneapolis All Ages and Abilities network. Food + Meal Connections Try cooking a new recipe! Squash is one of our favorite vegetables to cook with because of how versatile it is - you can make so many different recipes using squash. Here are a few of our favorite squash recipes: Honey Roasted Delicata Squash, Harvest Hummus, Three Sisters Soup. Wonder-filled Wednesday Rest + Restore Today seek wonder in the small, simple moments. Go Green Environmental wellness is the practice of understanding our connection to nature through our actions, like how we dispose of our waste or how our food is grown. What does your environmental wellness look like? Write it down. Walk, Bike, & Roll Everyday Celebrate National Bike to School Day by walking, biking, or rolling to school today or anywhere you want to go. . Food + Meal Connections The Fab Five are full of nutrients that nourish your body, but kale is a superstar vegetable with vitamins A, K, B6 and C, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese. Cruciferous vegetables, like kale and kohlrabi, may protect your body from cancer and heart disease. If you’re unsure about trying kale, listen to Andy’s experience in The Tale of Kale Thankful Thursday Rest + Restore Open the door and step outside. Stand directly on the earth and feel the ground with your feet. If that isn’t an option touch a nearby tree with your fingertips or open a window and feel the fresh air and sun on your skin. In reflection, what does nature do to you? What makes you feel connected to the earth? Go Green Go on a walk and observe how plants and trees are changing as the weather gets warmer. What do you notice? Walk, Bike, Roll Everyday Encourage a friend to bike, walk, or roll with you. Food + Meal Connections Legumes are plants that bear fruit that grows in pods like beans, lentils, peas, and peanuts. Learn more about how these foods are used around the world in every culture and cuisine. How does your family cook or enjoy legumes? Could you make it a ½ cup habit? Fun Friday Rest + Restore Take some time away from the technology and create space for healing and restoration. Go Green Connect with a loved one by talking to them about the environment. Do they have a favorite outdoor activity? Walk, Bike, & Roll Every Day Check out a Minneapolis Bike Park. Food + Meal Connections Start your garden by planting seeds. Radishes like cooler weather, so they are a perfect vegetable to plant in early May. And thanks to their short growing season, you’ll have radishes ready to harvest and eat in a month or so!		#mpsspringwellness USE #mpsspringwellness on social media to show your participation in all the wellness FUN! Spring Wellness Week Activity Cube Check out our make-your-own spring wellness week activity cube! Rest + Restore Rest is a way to find healing, create moments of gratitude and to celebrate life in the midst of all the daily to-dos by restoring our mind and body. Go Green Going green means taking the time to experience nature - whether its in a park, while walking down the street, or even in your home. It also means appreciating everything that the environment provides for us - like clean air, nutritious food, and green space - and doing what we can to take care of it in return. Walk & Bike Everyday Our bodies were made to move, and if we can move outside, all the better. Try getting outside everyday this week and walk, bike, roll, play--whatever moves you. Food + Meal Connections Food is how we fuel and nourish our bodies. It can also be a way to express ourselves, share traditions, celebrate culture and history, and build relationships with those around us. This Wellness Week, our Food + Meal Connection activities feature our Farm to School Fabulous Five: kale, kohlrabi, squash, radishes, and legumes. The “Fab Five” grow well in our Minnesota climate, are regularly served in MPS cafeterias, and offer endless learning opportunities about nutrition, history, cooking, science, and more. We hope you give them a try! Contacts Rest + Restore: Sophie Olson, sophie.olson@mpls.k12.mn.us Green Space: Eliza Pessereau, eliza.pessereau@mpls.k12.mn.us Walk & Bike Everyday: Jenny Bordon, jennifer.bordon@mpls.k12.mn.us Food + Meal Connection: Kate Seybold, kate.seybold@mpls.k12.mn.us & Ashley Nitzkorski, ashley.nitzkorski@mpls.k12.mn.us Staff Wellness: Lindsay Biller, mps.wellness@mpls.k12.mn.us