|Photo by Jocelyn King| Students at Woodsdale Elementary School receive a lesson about parts of the brain from Matthew Ryan, left, program assistant for the West Virginia University Brain Injury Services Project.
Wheel – Your brain processes 70,000 thoughts a day, so if you get hit in the back of the head, you are more likely to lose your vision.
Those are just two of the facts Woodsdale Elementary School students learned Friday at the school's 6th annual Mental Health Fair.
“This is a big issue for us, for the kids, and for their families, because we want them to understand that mental health is important,” said Allison Kanguisser, a counselor at Woodsdale Elementary School. It's because I want to.'' “We want to remove the stigma around this issue and make it part of the conversation in schools.”
Kangisser said the focus of the day with elementary school students was not on mental disorders, but this was inappropriate for that age group. Instead, students learned about how the brain functions, how to keep it safe, and coping mechanisms for emotions.
“Our great power is to make sure children know that adults are here to help you,” she continued. “When you're sad or having a bad day, there's an adult you can trust to help you…and identify an adult they can go to every day. We want kids to feel loved and safe. I want them to feel safe.”
Representatives from West Virginia University Traumatic Brain Injury Services brought a “big brain exhibit.” An inflatable brain replica large enough for students to tour and walk around was installed in the gym, giving students the opportunity to learn: Parts of the brain and their functions.
The words of the day were “occipital” and “cerebellum.”
In the media center, Kathleen Wack, associate professor of health and physical education at West Liberty University, guided students through yoga and exercise moves.
“This is about teaching children how exercise helps them relax and calm down and is good for their mental health,” Wack explained. “It also helps you learn breathing control to control your emotions. There are also lots of flexibility and stretching exercises.”
