On International Day of Happiness, Kent’s School of Psychology are inviting schools within Kent to sign up to their free outreach project ‘How to make a Happy School’.
The research project is designed to assist young children develop their scientific research skills as well as their social and emotional literacy, helping them to build up their ability to form strong social relationships, empathise with others and discover more about themselves. It is primarily aimed at Years 4, 5 and 6.
The programme is led by Dr. Lindsey Cameron, Reader in Psychology, and her team, designed to explore questions such as, ‘What is happiness?’, ‘How do you measure happiness?’, ‘What makes YOU happy?’.
Dr Cameron said: ‘At the University of Kent, we are interested in finding out how children think and feel about the world around them. School is an integral part of that world, and a lot of potential for joy and happiness can arise from a typical school day.’
In this one-of-a-kind research project, students are encouraged to take on the role of a “Scientist of Happiness”, investigating happiness in relation to their own school experience from a scientific perspective. Interactive and engaging activities will encourage students to think about scientific measurement, data collection as well as other important scientific skills.
This opportunity is offered for FREE and is part of a range of outreach projects carried out by the University to build partnerships with schools within the local area. The Happy Schools project has previously been successfully delivered to various primary schools in Kent, and has been well-received by children and teachers alike.
To find out more and to sign up please contact Dr. Lindsey Cameron and her team at happyschools@kent.ac.uk or L.Cameron@kent.ac.uk.