Welfare Wednesday Archives - Studio Cambridge

Cambridge in bloom

AnnaSpeedman — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 12:15:00 +0000

Cambridge in bloom

Welcome back to our monthly #WelfareWednesday blog! As winter draws to a close and spring approaches, I’m thinking about how the environment impacts our mental health.

Cambridge is beautiful all year round. However, over the next few months, the floral scene around the city is guaranteed to be quite extraordinary. During your time here in Cambridge, we highly recommend a visit to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Whatever season it may be, you’re sure to be in for a treat!

The Botanic Gardens in Cambridge

The original Botanic Garden of Cambridge was founded in 1762. Originally, its purpose was to grow plants used for teaching medical students at the University of Cambridge. Now, it’s a popular attraction both with those local to Cambridge and those visiting.

The snow drops are already in full bloom in the Cambridge Botanic Garden. Our Sir George students captured some wonderful photos recently during their Friday afternoon visit.

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The garden showcased the famous Snowdrop Trail throughout February and attracted thousands of visitors. Interestingly, there are 39 different species of snowdrop. From ‘Grumpy’ to ‘Octopussy’, there are hundreds of named snowdrop cultivars. Their names often reflect floral features, or special people or places.

Springtime flowers

Spring has sprung particularly early in Cambridge this year. As well as the delightful purple crocus flower, stunning daffodils have been popping up all around the city. Seeing daffodils out and about really does take me back to that wonderful poem I learnt at school, Daffodils by William Wordsworth, 1804.

When you visit Cambridge, you may like to have a wander to the Mill Pond, where you can see Darwin College across the river. This is one of Cambridge’s postgraduate colleges. I got a photo of a swarm of purple crocuses just recently – it really was a sight not to be missed!

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Charles Darwin and Botany in Cambridge

Fact:

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. He was an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge and Darwin College is named after his family!

During his famous voyage on the Beagle, he regularly sent back specimens to his old teacher, Professor Henslow. Some of these specimens, including some of the famous Galapagos finches, found their way to the University Museum of Zoology.

The Correspondence of Charles of Darwin is part of the volume containing letters written by Darwin as part of his work communicating with other naturalist in many fields and in all quarters of the globe.

Did you know?

Although his voyage to the Galapagos and his work with finches were important parts of his work, at heart, Darwin was a botanist: an expert in or of the scientific study of plants.

Flowers and well-being

How’s all this relevant to welfare?

I’ve been reading lots this month about the positive impacts that flowers and greenery could have on our health and general well-being.

Going for a walk or treating yourself to a bunch of flowers for your home could really have a positive impact on your mood. Further, it could help reduce stress and help you find peace of mind.

I always like to have a bunch of flowers at home in a vase. It brightens up the room and creates a happy, positive environment.

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Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.
Luther Burbank, American botanist, horticulturist, and pioneer in agricultural science

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This quote by Luther Burbank really sums up my feelings – flowers are always a positive for students! It’s one of the reasons we make sure to visit the many areas of natural beauty in Cambridge as part of our activities programme. We are truly blessed to be based in such a beautiful city.

See you all next month! And take the words of Walt Whitman to heart as you study:

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Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed.
‘Give Me the Splendid, Silent Sun’, Walt Whitman, 1787 – 1900

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Take time to enjoy the floral scene around the city and maximise your learning potential.

Lots of love,

Amy xx

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Kindness. It costs nothing but means everything.

AnnaSpeedman — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 17:10:00 +0000

Kindness. It costs nothing but means everything.

Hi there – and welcome back to #WelfareWednesday. Is it that time of the week already?

I hope you’re all having a good week so far! We certainly are at Studio. This week’s theme is kindness, as I have seen so much kindness around school. It’s heart warming to see our students taking care of our community.

Not loud, ostentatious gestures but very simple things that help someone else or make their day just that little bit brighter. I’ve seen students holding the doors open for each other, telling each other that their shoes laces are undone and moving up a space at the lunch table so that someone from another group can sit down.

Why be kind?

Kindness releases feel-good hormones. Have you ever noticed that when you do something nice for someone else, it makes you feel better too?

Research shows that doing nice things for others boosts your serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of satisfaction and well-being.

Like exercise, altruism also releases endorphins, a phenomenon known as a “helper’s high.” So being kind really is a win-win situation for you and the person you have been kind to.

A thank-you note for me!

One of our students from Jordan left her bag in the Common Room this week, so I brought it over to Reception and kept it safe for her to pick up the next day.

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She then left me this touching note and bar of chocolate on my desk, which I found on Monday morning. It was very small kind gesture but it meant so much to the student. Thank you again for the chocolate! And what a testament to her English learning!

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Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.
Henry James

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I like this quote very much.

Kindness strengthens your heart physically and emotionally. Maybe that’s why they say that nice, caring people have really big hearts?

Lots of love,

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Amy

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Is singing good for you?

AnnaSpeedman — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 16:44:32 +0000

Is singing good for you?

Welcome to #WelfareWednesday, where I’m going to be talking about the things we do at Studio Cambridge to ensure our students are their happiest! You may have caught some of my previous posts on our social media – I’m Amy, Head of Welfare, and I’m in charge of promoting the social and friendly atmosphere amongst our students here at Studio.

What have we been getting up to?

There’s been a fantastic buzz around school and singing really does seem to have been a highlight of the week, so that’s what we’re thinking about today. Our students from Brazil enjoyed a Team Quiz last night at school, followed by some excellent karaoke in Café Studio. The atmosphere was outstanding as everyone was having so much fun, meeting new people and learning new English song lyrics.

Reception has also seen Gabriel from the IST Group singing a beautiful song during break time, followed by Gemma from the Sales Team singing her version of “You’ve got a friend” (originally sung by James Taylor). Both voices were stunning and resonated wonderfully through the offices and classroom around Reception. Students and staff eagerly popped out to listen.

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Singing is very good for you because it raises endorphins, puts a smile on your face and encourages good posture!
Gemma

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We’re also holding a Latino Disco on Thursday this week which is sure to be another great opportunity for students to sing and dance together!

Benefits of Singing:

There are numerous benefits to singing. For example, it helps release endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in the brain. Research from the University of Frankfurt suggests that singing also boosts the immune system. Further, it is also known that people who sing in groups might feel a lift from their social connection and may feel happier. The Alzheimer’s Society recognises this and has even established their own ‘Singing for the Brain’ service!

We hope you have a fantastic rest of the week and remember to keep singing – it might even reinforce your English vocabulary. Have a look at Gemma and Gabriel singing in reception in the video below.

Lots of love,

Amy x

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