These are the foundations of the conceptual structure of LUMI. Graphically portrayed by a small archipelago of seven islands, each representing a different area of development, the islands are all connected to each other, as growth is a global process involving various cognitive, emotional, and social dominions, all of which are interconnected.
The products in the LUMI range belong to seven distinct—but interconnected—areas to stimulate integrated and global learning. The contents of the activity books and games have been created based on the specific goals indicated, and can be summarized in seven large categories which are transversal to the age range and represented graphically by the seven islands of the archipelago:
FEELING
REASONING COMMUNICATING
. . . ITS INHABITANTS
You will also find some friendly companions among the animals living on the island, who have taken on the role of accompanying our explorers, based on their age group.
Logi Uniq
This hermit crab is a sweet little animal. His strong shell means he can hide away whenever there’s a predator about. Logi is the perfect companion for our youngest adventurers, protecting them as they gradually explore the world around them until they can eventually shake off their shells and wander off to new horizons, confident in their newfound skills.
Another resident of the LUMI archipelago is the sea turtle. As soon as they can move, these brave creatures head for the sea, never looking back. Uniq is the perfect companion for our young but intrepid explorers as they enthusiastically head off on a voyage of discovery of basic skills, encouraged by their conquests in physical, linguistic, and social skills.
Mega Ido
Our third friendly animal guide is the whale. Since the beginning of time, whales have always fascinated humankind, representing a symbol of humanity itself and of a search for knowledge. Mega’s fellow adventurers are strong and determined, ready to leave dry land behind and sail the seas to the very abysses of knowledge, on a discovery of their own individuality.
And finally, everyone in the LUMI archipelago has an invaluable friend in the seagull. Free, independent, determined, curious, and loyal to the group, Ido the seagull accompanies our more mature adventurers as they leave the safety of the lido to explore the more complex areas of the world of knowledge, transforming themselves into young but skilled leaders.
AN EDUCATIONAL VISION
Emotion is a psychological condition that arises in response to external or internal stimulus and combines mental, physical, and behavioral components. Daniel Goleman , professor of Psychology at Harvard University and author of important studies on the role of emotions, talks of two minds, separate but interconnected: one that feels and one that thinks. The quality that best guarantees success in life is, according to Goleman, emotional intelligence: that is,
“that ability such as being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations; to control impulse and delay gratification; to regulate one’s moods and keep distress from swamping the ability to think; and moreover, the ability to empathize and to hope.”
(D. Goleman, Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships)
According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is made up of five components: self-awareness (the ability to recognize one’s emotions); the ability to manage emotions (self-regulation); motivation (or rather the force to reach one’s goals); empathy (recognizing and feeling the emotions of others); and social skills (knowing how to interact with others in the most constructive and efficient way possible).
THE SUBJECTS IN THIS BOOK
The subjects in this book have all been inspired by Daniel Goleman’s studies on the factors that contribute to the development of emotional intelligence. The activities have, therefore, been grouped into three areas: 1 2 3
Understanding emotions: or rather, what are emotions? who feels them? and what are the physical characteristics that distinguish the various emotional triggers?
Recognizing emotion inside ourselves and others, training self-awareness, and therefore self-regulation and empathy.
Developing resources and strategies to get through and control emotions.
WHAT
YOU WILL FIND IN THIS BOOK; INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE
This activity is aimed at children aged five to seven, an age in which our repertoire of emotional expression is complete, and children have learned how to name and recognize their emotions.
The book deals with the six main basic emotions, together with two social emotions that start to emerge at this age: joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, shame, and envy. The activities included are not aimed at changing behavior, but rather at encouraging children to reflect on the function and characteristics of their emotions; to learn to read their inner selves and recognize emotions in others; and to train themselves to develop strategies in controlling their emotions.
The activities are mainly recreational in nature, but exercise fine motor skills, logical reasoning, and the search for solutions. The first chapter introduces the emotions one by one, while the following chapters aim to integrate the knowledge acquired regarding the various emotions.
The exercises are introduced by a kind and intriguing character-guide: wise old Gramma Belarda. Known as “Bel,” this modern grandmother loves traveling and music, studies oriental philosophies, and does yoga each morning. Gentle and encouraging, Gramma Bel narrates the activities, providing explanations, strategies, and advice to help children become real emotion experts
Together with the book, you will also fi nd a motivational poster : a fantastic picture of a dragon leafing through his book of joy, thinking of phrases to build his self-esteem. At the bottom of the poster, you will also find some photo frames for photos (or drawings) of any experiences that have left a positive memory in your child. Hanging on their bedroom wall, this motivational poster is the perfect way to remind your child of the resources they have in times of difficulty, or just to start the day with determination and confidence.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR EMOTIONS
What Are Emotions?
Emotions are basically our body’s reactions to what happens around us; they make us behave in different ways and give us a feeling of knots in our bellies.
“YOU CANNOT GO OUT”
COMPLETE the lines, tracing them from the external situation to an emotional reaction, passing through the various knots in the belly.
“WHAT A GREAT SONG”
“OH, NO! IT’S BROKEN” “WOOF! WOOF!”
CIRCLE each symbol and MATCH it to the part of the body that the girl assigns them to in the rhyme, and then CONNECT THEM TO THE FACE that expresses the emotions being described.
SYMBOLS
BODY PARTS EMOTIONS
How Do We Feel Emotions?
There are lots of different emotions, and each one can be felt in different parts of our bodies. To express them, we can compare them to colors or elements, as in the following rhyme.
LISTEN carefully to the rhyme.
A little girl wakes with the sun in her eyes.
“Hooray, it is morning!” and from her bed she quickly starts to rise, but then, “What’s this feeling in the pit of my belly?”
Could it be the new adventure that turns her legs to jelly?
Peace and calm are nowhere to be found:
“Why do I have to go to somewhere that may not be safe and sound?”
Uh-oh, here comes anger, and her stomach’s in knots.
“It’s not fair, another day with my eyes full of teardrops!
Quick, Mom, come back soon; all I need is a hug to get rid of this sadness that feels like a bug.”
Sadness, Where Art Thou?
Sometimes our emotions hide deep inside us.
For example, sadness can HIDE behind a smile.
Try and FIND all the sad children hiding among these laughing faces.
CIRCLE all the faces that you can see are sad. There are six in all!
RECOGNIZING EMOTIONS IN OURSELVES AND IN OTHERS
Measuring My Emotions
IMAGINE being in the situations in the pictures. How would you feel? COLOR the thermometer in red: the lines represent the strength of the emotions you would feel.
SADNESS SURPRISE
FEAR
The Forest of Fear
These are the things that scare Edward:
FOLLOW the path to lead Edward to the safety of the tent, but remember—try to stop him from getting scared! You will find symbols of the things that scare him illustrated above. Change directions if you find one along the way; otherwise continue straight on.
RECOGNIZING EMOTIONS IN OURSELVES AND IN OTHERS
Emotions in the Mirror
To remember what emotions look like, try expressing them to yourself in the mirror! What does your face look like in the reflection? TRY and draw it in the mirrors below.
Think of something that you find really disgusting and makes you go “yuck!”
DRAW YOUR DISGUSTED FACE.
Think of something that makes you really scared and cry for “help!” DRAW YOUR FRIGHTENED FACE.
Think of something that surprises you and makes you go “oh, wow!”
DRAW YOUR SURPRISED FACE.
RECOGNIZING EMOTIONS IN OURSELVES AND IN OTHERS
Wow, What a Surprise!
Surprise is a fast emotion: there one minute, gone the next, replaced by another mood. Try to capture the emotion of surprise! ASK someone to play along and try to surprise you. GET a box and six small objects (for example, a button, a coin, or a clothespin) and ask your friend to put one object into the box at a time. Rattle the box and TRY TO GUESS which object is inside from the noise, then open the box and see if you were right. Now, stop right there and concentrate on what you’re thinking. What does it feel like to be surprised?
DESCRIBE IT by drawing how you looked in that particular moment and then color in your picture.
Explosive Anger!
If we let anger get the better of us, it can explode into AGGRESSION and make others sad. But we can learn to express our anger without an explosion!
There is an angry child and a sad one in the situations below. COLOR the child that you think looks angry in red and the one who looks sad in blue.
RECOGNIZING EMOTIONS IN OURSELVES AND IN OTHERS
Emotional Mazes
Which of the emotions on the right do you think these children are feeling? SAY IT out loud, and then CHECK by following the various paths.
DEVELOPING RESOURCES
Trapped by Emotions
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by our emotions and trapped in them. Here are some strategies to help you escape.
Once upon a time, there were four dragons, a BLUE one, a RED one, a GREEN one, and a YELLOW one, who were playing tag. All of a sudden, the blue dragon tripped and, convinced that someone had pushed him, accused the red dragon “YOU PUSHED ME OVER! ” and they started arguing. As they tried to get them to make peace, the green dragon and the yellow dragon ended up arguing with them too. Everyone got so angry that they ran off into the woods, breathing fire, tearing up flowers, and roaring at the tops of their voices like lions!
After such a commotion, they fi nally stopped, exhausted, and turned around to see the destruction they had caused. They immediately FELT SORRY for what they had done. Each dragon tried to GET OVER THEIR ANGER in their own way.
What can we do to help each dragon calm down?
In the grid here, LOOK for the paths that lead to the best strategy to help the dragons calm down, and when you find each one, CIRCLE THEM.
REMEMBER , red dragons calm down when they breathe, blue dragons like coloring in, green ones love pillows, while yellow ones like going for walks in the woods! Use colored pencils to DRAW footprints going towards the activity that can calm down the angry dragons. And REMEMBER : each path can cross the others!
ANSWERS
I WOULD RUN AWAY
I WOULD THROW IT AWAY
I WOULD BE SURPRISED
Remember , some exercises that are not included in the solutions are subjective, meaning that there is no right or wrong answer, but it depends on you and your personal preferences.
