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 In today’s rushed and mechanized world, most children do
not have the chance to fully nourish and integrate their neurological
systems. Since for the child this happens primarily through movement,
in the Enki approach we draw from many rich and diverse sources
to accomplish this all important goal. The movement patterns of
Paul Denison’s Education Kinesiology, or BRAIN GYM PROGRAMS,
are a central part of this process and are included, along with
Sensory Integration exercises, in our program on a daily basis.
Whether using the PACE pattern while reciting a verse about ponds,
squirrels, and gnarled and twisted trees, practicing “elephant
ears” to activate listening, or working with “alphabet
8’s” before reading and writing, the Brain Gym Program
is an ongoing part of Enki curriculum in both the classroom and
homeschool curriculum.
| Parent in New Mexico: |
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One of the reasons that I find the Enki educational philosophy
so compelling is its tenet that neurological integration
is the foundation for all subsequent learning. This idea
is something that I knew little about but felt intuitively
to be true. After purchasing and reading the Enki Teaching
Guides, in particular, the section on Neurological Integration,
I followed up on the footnoted references to Jean Ayres (sensory
integration) and Paul Dennison (educational kinesiologist
and founder of the Brain Gym Programs) and Carla Hannaford
(also Brain Gym Programs). I have taken this learning into
my homeschooling with my children and find it immeasurably
helpful. |
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| Parent in Wisconsin: |
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After seeing just one post from Enki regarding Brain Gym
Programs, which I had never heard of before, I immediately
went to
their web site and connected with a practitioner, who I am
still working with. I knew immediately from what I heard
at Enki that Brain Gym would be helpful and relevant to us.
I loaned the Brain Gym practitioner a part of my guide and
she's really open to approaching things differently, from
a more imaginative outlook. Also, she realizes that we're
still working on base senses integration and hasn't really
done anything with Brain Gym balances yet. She can see that
my child is at that level. |
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| Parent in Japan: |
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I had always known intuitively that singing
and dancing and moving with my children was a wonderful thing
to do, not just because it was fun and a way of bringing us
together, but because I felt that it worked on a deeper, integrating
level. When I received my Enki Education materials and read
the detailed information on sensory and neurological integration,
it filled in a big part of the "why" piece for me.
At the same time I noticed that Enki incorporated something
called Educational Kinesiology into the circle time activities.
Just the very name "Educational Kinesiology" intrigued
me and I did some research on it, discovering that this was
an initiative of someone named Paul Dennison and that training
was available through the Brain Gym organization. I have since
done Brain Gym Programs and found that incorporating aspects
of this into our academic activities can make a very significant
difference. One of the most dramatic areas has been in the
area of handwriting where I was amazed at the difference, not
only for my own children, but in improving my own mediocre
ability. |
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| Parent in Italy: |
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My son was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum 7 years ago.
I was wholly dissatisfied with the public education and early
intervention programs available to us and began almost immediately
looking for alternative medical and educational philosophies.
Luckily we found Enki Education during his 1st grade year
and have really seen the approach “fit” his profile
and help us to bring academics to him in a deep and meaningful
way. With all the movement work he needs, it has been really
great to have that integrated into his daily academic routine.
Recently I have been working with other groups through cub
scouts and our homeschool coop and have found the exercises
from the Brain Gym Program’s recommended in Enki to
be a great bridge for my son to share his learning with his
peers. I purchased 3 off the Brain Gym Books and 2 tittles
by Carla Hannaford as well. Once my homeschool group saw
these books, our PE teacher put in a bulk order to Brain
Gym and last night distributed copies to over 15 families!
Our PE teacher is even planning on getting her certification
in the near future. |
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