Look at the symbol of the rainbow – what has it come to mean over the last year? Why did people putting them in their windows? This clip might help as a starter https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51953553 or https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-leeds-52008155/families-decorate-windows-with-rainbows-to-cheer-people You can also help your children to relieve anxiety and stress with this Homemade Stress Ball activity. Wherever Jenny goes, her worries follow her - in a big blue bag. They are with her all the time - at school, at home, when she is watching TV and even in the bathroom! Jenny decides they have to go, but who will help her get rid of them? Make a worry monster with a big mouth so that it can eat up worries – the children might want to use junk modelling or even paper mache (recipe - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-make-paper-mache) What will it look like? What is its name? Encourage the children, with an adult, to make their own bubbles. A recipe can be found here with good instructions on how to make a bubble wand - https://wredtedart.com/bubble-recipe/?cn-reloaded=1

The children can even decide to tear it up and use it alongside this Throw Your Worries Away activity. How can I help my child to talk about their emotions?

We are passionate about taking the curriculum outdoors. That’s why we have created the first ever whole school training, Taking the Curriculum Outdoors: A Whole School Approach. It tells the story of a little girl who carries around a huge bag filled with worries. (‘The metaphor is little monsters). Protective Behaviours uses 7 strategies. One of these is called One Step Removed. This is a strategy that allows people to explore their feelings and thoughts using the 3rd person so it is not personal to them. Using the Huge Bag of Worries we can use puppets or characters, in this case we used an elf and asked, ‘If the elf had a bag of worries what might be in it?’.

Look at some of the messages which came from children to other countries – this clip looks at the origins of the rainbows and some of the messages - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-52117854/coronavirus-always-think-positively-we-are-all-with-you Ask the children to think about who they would like to send a message of hope to now. It might be a friend, a grandparent, the people in their neighbourhood or even a stranger in another country. What would the content of their message be? Using the discussions about the colours of the rainbows – look at the artist Kandinsky and invite the children to create their own Kandinsky styled pictures – https://www.projeccom/kandinsky-art-for-kids-chalk-pastels/ or https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=kandinsky+for+kids&qpvt=kandinsky+for+kids&FORM=IGRE The Huge Bag of Worries is useful to help you understand that life doesn’t always stay positive and, while it sometimes seems that the weight of your worries may grow too great to manage, you cannot ignore or attempt to hide from your problems as a way to deal with them. Sharing worries with those who care about you, or with those older and wiser, can help you understand that many of us share the same concerns and, sometimes just discussing those concerns can make them seem more manageable. It can also help you understand that some worries are simply not yours at all and that while you may be concerned, you are not responsible.Article 13, which states that all children have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to speak, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice; The illustrations in the book are very bright and colourful and give lots of highlights to the important points in the story. The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside tells the story of Jenny, a happy girl with a lovely mum and dad, a great brother, a dog named Loftus, best friends and a wonderful teacher at school. But just lately, Jenny has started worrying. A hilarious picture book about dealing with unexplained feelings…and the danger in suppressing them!

Invite the children to think about who their trusted adults are and who they can talk to if they have a worry – they may want to make a card for their special person or send them a picture of them with their worry monster. The Huge Bag of Worries is one of my favourite books. It is amazing for helping your child with their fears and worries. Children’s Legal Centre Wales Response: Report by Children’s Commissioner for England on Strip Search of Children This Worry Poster is a great one to use for your classroom displays or at home. It gives practical advice for children if they’re unsure how to approach their concerns.Beyond the UNCRC, the Welsh Government has implemented “Together for Mental Health,” a Cross-Government Strategy setting out goals for improving mental health and mental health services in Wales. This Strategy covers all ages; children and young people, adults of working age and older people. Throughout The Huge Bag of Worries, Jenny experiences many issues that can affect mental health. Although everything in Jenny’s life appears positive at the start of the story, her bag of worries grows bigger and bigger until the weight, the burden of her worries becomes too much to bear and she breaks down. How to grow a rainbow – https://melscience.com/US-en/articles/how-grow-rainbow-home/ As well as being a fun activity, this allows the children to explore the science behind different materials and how water travels through them. Virginia Ironside is best known as one of Britain's leading agony aunts. She started on WOMAN magazine before moving to THE SUNDAY MIRROR and TODAY newspapers. She now writes a weekly column for THE INDEPENDENT. She also appears regularly on radio and television on such programmes as Radio 4's 'Woman's Hour'. Her many books include self-help titles on subjects such as bereavement, as well as the children's spooky adventure series BURLAP HALL. The Government in Wales has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), stating that children and young people have rights, no matter who they are, where they live or what they believe in. Among the articles listed are: