January 2025:
Workshops:
Change: How to embrace and adapt to it
Online: January 21st, 12:00-13:00pm (GMT+8)
Offline: January 16th, 18:30-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Explaining change to children
Online: January 16th, 12:00-13:00pm (GMT+8)
Offline: January 21st, 18:30-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Art and Craft Groups (making bookmarks):
Adult Group: January 07th, 18:00-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Children's Group: January 14th, 18:00-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Meditation Classes:
Teens Meditation Class: January 05th, 09:30-11:00am (GMT+8)
Children's Meditation Class: January 12th, 09:30-11:00am (GMT+8)
February 2025:
Workshops:
Attachment Styles and what they mean to your relationships
Online: February 25th, 12:00-13:00pm (GMT+8)
Offline: February 13th, 18:30-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Attachment styles and their influence on childhood development
Online: February 13th, 12:00-13:00pm (GMT+8)
Offline: February 25th, 18:30-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Art and Craft Groups (woven bamboo):
Adult Group: February 11th, 18:00-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Children's Group: February 18th, 18:00-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Meditation Classes:
Teens Meditation Class: February 02nd, 09:30-11:00am (GMT+8)
Children's Meditation Class: February 09th, 09:30-11:00am (GMT+8)
March 2025:
Workshops:
Self-harm in society
Online: March 25th, 12:00-13:00pm (GMT+8)
Offline: March 13th, 18:30-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Teen mental wellness: What does it mean and how can we help?
Online: March 13th, 12:00-13:00pm (GMT+8)
Offline: March 25th, 18:30-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Art and Craft Groups (content TBD):
Adult Group: March 11th, 18:00-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Children's Group: March 18th, 18:00-19:30pm (GMT+8)
Meditation Classes:
Teens Meditation Class: March 02nd, 09:30-11:00am (GMT+8)
Children's Meditation Class: March 09th, 09:30-11:00am (GMT+8)
December 2024:
Plants Meditation Class
Did you know that gardening can improve your mental health? It's true! And this month we promoted our mental health by decorating our own plant pots and choosing the seeds we wanted to plant. Not only did we use our hands in the soil, but we also focused on the differences between plants and seeds, what different plants and seeds need, and also what we need. Plants and seeds need water, sunlight, food, sure. But they also need warmth, and kind words can help them grow better too. Just like us, we need food, water, sunlight, warmth, and love from others in order to thrive. The children expressed what it is they need, considered how they're similar and different to the plants, and began a Plant Journal to help them develop healthy psychological habits.
November 2024:
Talk about Children's Emotional Development
It can be hard to know what's going on in the emotional development of babies, pre-K, and kindergarten age children. The local international kindergarten invited Gathering Thoughts in to talk to parents about how to help their babies develop healthy emotions. We looked at how children have trouble regulating their emotions and behavior, and how their actions are often influenced by the actions of those around them. We often focus on the child's outwardly expressed behavior and we overlook the intentions behind the behaviors, and then child's internal world. We looked at how we can encourage our children to communicate and express their emotions and attitudes, and how to communicate with them in ways that they can understand.
October 2024:
Children's Meditation in Jing An Park 晋安公园.
Building habits for a mentally healthy life can never begin too early. One Saturday, we took to the park to practice some meditation skills. The children learned to focus their attention by differentiating nature by it's colour and shape. When you're feeling overwhelmed, seeing 5 green things, four blue things, three yellow things, two brown things, and one red thing can help you come back to the present moment instead of remaining lost in your overwhelming thoughts. We then went back and found our favourite things to make some beautiful, tactile, expressive artwork. Not only did we connect with nature through being in the park and breathing fresh air; we also felt the cushiony grass under our feet, held crackly leaves in our hands, and felt soft petals as we glued them to the page.
June 2024:
Talk about Creativity and Mental Health.
The local middle school invited Gathering Thoughts to talk to the students about how to use creativity to promote positive mental health habits. This interactive workshop gave the students a look into the background of psychology and mental health, encouraged them to get involved with interactive quizzes and polls, and allowed them to collaborate on a painting together (which they painted with their eyes closed and found meaning in individually at the end). It inspired the students to keep their creativity alive through introducing ways that they could integrate it into their school life, opened the discourse around mental health in the school and encouraged the children to ask for help if they need it.
