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We’ve trained awe out of the classroom, and it’s costing us.
Demands for academic performance slowly pushed out the very thing that fuels deep learning and emotional well-being: wonder.
The irony? Research says that wonder activates powerful physiological shifts such as lowering stress, boosting oxytocin (the bonding hormone), and even reducing inflammation in the body.
And yet, our systems treat it as something reserved only for mountaintops or museums.
Awe doesn’t have to be grand or something rare and hard to reach.
Even short, everyday moments of wonder boost the brain’s learning and bonding systems.
This week, we’re showing you how open-ended play brings awe back where it belongs—in everyday learning. Let's enrich the minds of our young learners and support their whole well-being!
Discover the Curriculum Putting Play, Joy, and Connection at the Heart of Learning
Well-being doesn't have to be an extra thing on your plate… but the plate itself.
Join us for a free live webinar as we explore the world's first full-year, fully play-based well-being curriculum for students from Kindergarten to Secondary.
Built around connection, movement, gratitude, and giving, this curriculum is helping schools around the world spark trust and confidence without burning out teachers or adding more prep work.
What you'll take away:
- A walk-through of how the curriculum works (mapped to 10 global systems)
- Why play builds mental wellness, engagement, and resilience
- Real stories, real outcomes from pilot schools to university research
Tuesday, August 12, 2025 • 1 PM AEST
All attendees receive 10 exclusive activities + school walkthrough access
Save your seat now and get the replay if you can't attend live!
Daily Mission Cards
One of the most silent culprits behind rising anxiety and burnout? Time poverty. The chronic feeling that there’s never a moment to slow down.
This week’s mission, Recharge, is a powerful antidote. It invites students (and yes, adults too) to pause for 30 minutes of outdoor stillness.
Pair it with the A.W.E. Method (Attention – Wait – Exhale and Expand), and this moment becomes a microdose of mindfulness that regulates the nervous system and reconnects us more deeply with the world and ourselves.
Awe doesn’t require a mountain. Sometimes, it just takes a bench and a moment.
Check out the Creative Play & Movement Mission Cards for 50 engaging, playful micro-moments!
Drawing Animals On Your Head
We need wonder as much as water. Not just kids. All of us. Especially the grown-ups.
This game is ridiculously simple. Each person balances a piece of paper on their head and attempts to draw their favourite animal. The results? Utterly messy and completely delightful.
This activity triggers laughter and activates social bonding. They interrupt the stress loop and reconnect you with that part of yourself that still loves the ridiculous.
Try it as your playful family ritual and share a moment of just being together in joy!
Improving your overall health and wellbeing
We’re great at putting students and colleagues first… but when was the last time you checked in on yourself?
The constant pressure to do more with less has left little room for us to breathe, let alone wonder.
This 40-minute course serves as a gentle nudge back to balance.
It’s not about overhauling your life, but about small, sustainable practices that restore your energy and make space for delight.
Sign up here to watch this webinar and think of it as a mini awe walk for your mental health!
A Joy-Filled Day of Play for Students & Staff
This road trip to Warrnambool brought together students from Grasmere and Woolsthorpe Primary for a day of energising FunShops designed to boost well-being and connection.
The excitement didn’t stop there. We capped it off with a staff PD attended by four schools, where play and purpose collided. Teachers left recharged and ready to bring our play-based well-being curriculum into their classrooms with confidence and joy.
Join us on this global journey of joy and connection! If you want to bring The School of Play to your community, fill out the form here ➡
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