Drama is a like a Brain Massage

I don’t about you, but I love going for a massage. Nothing beats that feeling of the stress melting away and you can just let go and forget about all the issues of your week. Even just the physical space that you are in, with gentle music playing and hushed voices, adds to that feeling of escaping the pressure of life. It’s definitely one of my guilty pleasures and frankly something I need to just get through the week sometimes. 

Well, Drama is kind of the same thing, but just for your brain. Now, hear me out. Just as the physical massage is a way to escape and relax, Drama, as a right brain activity, is a way to escape from left brain activities like logical, rational and analytical thinking. We all need to break away from too much thinking and just do something creative - no analysing or logic required. 

Our kids a have to deal with a large amount of pressure of academic achievement, which is mostly left brain centred, from a fairly young age, and by the time they reach high school and especially grade 10 and up, this can all become very overwhelming. And this is where Drama comes in: That one hour a week where they can step away from all that stress and expectations, and just relax and let their right brain take over and have some fun. 

Right brain activities can raise serotonin levels which reduces anxiety, stress, depression, and can even improve sleep. As part of the Helen O’Grady curriculum, we also teach breathing, stretching and relaxation techniques, which are often included in coping techniques for stressful situations like writing exams, and classroom and homework pressures. 

So, next time you have all those nasty knots expertly worked out of your tensed up back or shoulders by the nimble fingers of a masseuse, think about how, by letting your child do Drama, it helps to massage their brains and work out all the stress of life by the expert teachers who offer the fun, escape and the freedom their brains so desperately need.

In a world where you can be anything…

 

Sometimes, just when you think life cannot surprise you anymore, something seemingly quite insignificant can make you sit up and pay attention. This recently happened during one of our Drama activities and I can’t deny it put a huge smile on my face and gave me the warm-and-fuzzy’s all over. First, some background info to set the scene: we teach drama to children at an upmarket private school in Midrand, so it’s safe to say that these children come from a more privileged background than a lot of children in South Africa. A few weeks ago we did one of our quick-fire Intro activities, this one was about finding a tree in the jungle that has money growing on it instead of leaves. The children had to pick as much money as possible before I shouted “freeze”. As usual , I gave them a chance to comment on the activity and tell me what they would spend the money on. Of course, I got the expected Ferrari’s, Bugatti’s, Mansions, rockets to the moon, the latest Xbox and games, apple gadgets etc. But what really made me sit up, was the number of children who said they would give half, or all the money to charity. Some wanted to build houses for homeless people, or buy shoes, food, blankets and clothes. They wanted to give money to animal shelters, orphanages, cancer research and children’s hospitals. They wanted to build schools where children with no money can go to for free. I was honestly blown away! Somewhere, someone is doing something right. Between the parents, teachers, school, and other influences that might have an impact on these children, we are bringing up a new generation who might just get it right. To hear children be aware of their privilege, and say they don’t need more money or stuff, they would rather make life better for people whom they know have so much less than they do was a truly humbling experience. One of my favourite life mantras just kept playing over and over in my mind: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind”.