When one of Erica Simmons' students at Sheridan Elementary School needs a mindful moment during the busy school day, they pop into her office, climb into a calming cottage, and practice a breathing exercise or two. "This is like a level up from a calming corner because it allows for a little bit more privacy," said Simmons, the Allentown school's counselor, referencing the peaceful classroom spaces teachers create for students to calm down in.
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Creating Safe Spaces for Mindfulness
The calming cottage in Simmons' office is one of 15 playhouses from Make It Cute that recently were donated to all Allentown School District elementary schools. The office of local State Farm Agent Shawn Leh sponsored the donation of the playhouses for use in the counselor's offices, along with a year's worth of mindfulness education for 15 students through the Mindful Child Initiative. Make It Cute was founded in 2021 by Allentown schools alumni Maureen North, Anne Hoehn, and Amanda Seyfried, the award-winning actress best known for her roles in "Mama Mia!" and "The Dropout."
The Power of Mindfulness in Education
Students can climb inside the calming cottages, where they find posters with breathing exercises to encourage mindfulness. "Your breath is something you have with you all the time so these tools, these mindfulness practices are something you can access wherever you are," Simmons said. The calming cottage sponsorship program is a collaboration between Make It Cute and the Mindful Child Initiative, an Allentown nonprofit that provides weekly mindfulness instruction to all 415 Allentown elementary classrooms. The Mindful Child Initiative provides this instruction to 7,400 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade at no cost to the district by relying on grants, sponsors, and donors.
Expanding the Reach of Mindfulness
With additional sponsors, the next focus will be getting more calming cottages in special education classrooms and common spaces, such as school libraries, said Jason Sizemore, co-executive director of the nonprofit. "The whole idea behind this is that sometimes when you need a mindful moment, you need your own space, you need a small space to feel safe that feels good to you," he said. The initiative not only provides a physical space for mindfulness but also equips students with practical tools to manage stress and anxiety effectively.
