Weekly Wellness in Adaptive Art: Week #3 10/23/2025

As a high school art teacher, I have the good fortune of teaching two full-year Adaptive Art classes in addition to my regular education classes. This year, I’m embarking on a journey to explore how mindfulness practices—like yoga, qigong, and meditation—can positively impact my students' experiences in the art room. I’ve decided to blog about the experience as a means of tracking our journey throughout this school year. 

The Driving Question

How can integrating mindfulness practices into art class help my students?

1. This Week’s Focus

This week, we introduced Qigong and practiced “Lifting the Sky” along with one movement from the famous Eight Pieces of Brocade set (八段錦, Bā duàn jǐn). We also continued our FUNtervals routine with a playful “Making Pizza” activity contributed by our Occupational Therapist. To wrap up class, students added chalk pastel backgrounds to their Mallard Duck oil pastel paintings, bringing extra depth and color to their artwork.

2. Two-Word Check-In

This week, the Two-Word Check-In revealed a diverse range of emotions among participants. The most common feeling was “happy,” mentioned by eight participants, suggesting a generally positive atmosphere. Five participants expressed feeling “tired,” indicating a need for rest or perhaps the impact of a busy week. “Good” and “energized” were each chosen by two participants, and single mentions of “great,” “surprised,” “calm,” “anxious,” “responsible,” “moody”, “proud,” and “nice”. This mix of responses highlights the value of the check-in as a tool for emotional expression and community building, offering insight into how students and staff members are arriving in the space and creating opportunities for connection and support. I think the most valuable aspect of the Two-Word Check-In is that everyone is invited to speak into the space, this invitation to speak at the start of the activity emphasizes a community environment in which all members are valued and included.

The Two Word Check-In is a simple, yet powerful mindfulness practice designed to foster emotional awareness, authenticity, and community in a classroom or group setting. Participants are guided to tune into their present emotional state, as an invitation to feel without judgment. After a few moments of reflection, each person selects two words that best describe how they’re feeling. Once everyone is ready, they share their words with the group or choose to pass if they prefer. This practice can be used daily to gauge the emotional pulse of the community and create a space of mutual respect and connection. In the classroom, teachers are encouraged to allow flexibility in how participants express themselves and to ensure adequate time for centering. When working with special education students and younger students, it's a good idea to refrain from overcorrecting.

3. Mindfulness Activity Summary

We jumped into this week’s wellness class with the Making Pizza FUNterval. Students ran in place to “knead the dough,” lunged as they “spread the sauce,” tossed imaginary toppings over their shoulders, and twisted like flames cooking the pizza. FUNtervals are high-energy, interval-style activities built around a playful storyline. Each session includes 8 intervals of 20 seconds of enthusiastic, full-body movement, followed by 10 seconds of rest—perfect for getting kids moving while sparking creativity.

After this high energy activity, we incorporated a gentle qigong activity to support grounding and energy flow.  Students were invited to participate either standing or seated, honoring the diverse physical needs within our community—including those who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility.  We started with “Lifting the Sky” and then progressed to a movement from the famous Eight Pieces of Brocade set (八段錦, Bā duàn jǐn).  First, we practiced the pattern of the exercise for a few repetitions and then we introduced the breath pattern for each exercise. Qigong is an excellent mindfulness practice for school because it is accessible to all and you do not need a lot of space, special clothing or equipment.  Although Qigong can be more "external", often Qigong movements are slow, intentional and focused on breath and body awareness, allowing everyone to engage in a way that feels accessible and empowering. This inclusive approach fosters a classroom environment where all bodies are welcomed and supported.

4. Student Highlights

A highlight from this week was during our Qigong practice, two students (S2 and S7) volunteered as assistants to model the Qigong exercises at the front of the room. They were so happy to lead the activity and did an amazing job following me as they lifted their arms and flowed with their breath.  Both students said that they loved Qigong and it was fun to be helpers.

Another highlight happened earlier in the week. On Mondy, students requested another FUNterval for our upcoming Wellness Thursday. Students were looking forward to Wellness Thursday and making requests in the same way that they usually request activities for Fun Friday. It is evident that many students in class view Wellness Thursdays as a fun reward that they look forward to each week, and they particularly enjoy FUNtervals.

5. Reflections & Observations

After the FUNtervals, I noticed some students and staff didn’t join the Qigong exercises, even though I invited them to participate either standing or seated. To boost engagement, I asked for student volunteers to help lead the exercises. Two students eagerly raised their hands and helped guide the group through the movements. Reflecting on student and staff engagement, it is possible the activity order could be optimized to encourage participation. FUNtervals can feel intense and possibly intimidating. Starting with Qigong—a calmer, grounding practice—before moving into a FUNterval might help ease students and adults into the session.

Thumbs Tracker

At the end of the wellness practice, I invited participants to tune into how they feel after the mindfulness practice and share their response using a simple thumbs system:

• Thumbs up = "I feel great" or "I feel better"

• Thumbs to the side = "I feel the same" or "Just ok"

• Thumbs down = "I feel worse" or "I still feel bad"

The results: 13 thumbs up, 1 thumb down, and 2 thumbs to the side.

6. Looking Ahead

Next week we will start with our mindbody practice and end with a FUNterval activity.  I would like to spend more time on Qigong practice.  We will continue with Lifting the Sky and introduce Swimming Dragon. I will also continue to collect data on the Two-Word Check In and the Thumbs Tracker. So far, the mindfulness practices take approximately 65% of class time, allowing for students to continue working on their art assignment from the previous day. When we begin going to the small gym or the school's Wellness Room, we will not work on an art project during that class. I will bring coloring pages and supplies for students who want to color.