Bee Hive Book Set (Books 1-5)

Author: Stephen Campbell, Maria Ruberto, Josh Gee & Rob Rostolis

Bee Hive Book Set (Books 1-5)

The Seahorse Book Set is an educational approach to teaching brain health and mental fitness to young children. The books use a narrative framework to embody the knowledge of brain function. The brain characters come alive to guide young people in how to apply mental health strategies to promote resilience and wellbeing. 

Book 1
Honey for your Seahorse. Hippocampal strength and Believing in positive Expectations and Emotions.

In this first book, we are introduced to Orlando the Octopus.  Orlando is the character who emulates a fundamental protective factor of optimism in the development of wellbeing. Activating hope, positivity and perseverance (just to name a few) are conditions which are less likely to trigger the HPA Axis in the brain, which is the stress activation system. Learning, memory and mental fitness are enhanced when stress remains low.

The Seahorse in this book refers to the brain’s Hippocampus. According to neuroscience, this is the brain’s centre for memory consolidation and resilience modulation. So nurturing this organelle in the brain’s limbic system means stronger neural connections in this area. The Hippocampus [seahorse] is impacted neurologically where there is persistent negativity [Automatic Negative Thoughts, i.e., ANTS] or persistent positivity [Believing in Positive Expectations and Emotions, i.e., BEES}. ANTs prompt HPA activation, (our stress activation system) and BEEs protect HPA activation. In summary, the more BEEs we can harness in our heads, the greater the resilience-building capacity. BEEs make ‘honey’ – and in neuroscience, the ‘honey’ represents the BDNF [Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor] enzymes in the Hippocampus that are responsible for neuroplasticity, neurogenesis and neural strength. ‘Honey’ also represents other important neurotransmitters including serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine, essential for health brain function. In essence, ‘honey’ is food for our neurons.

Book 2
The Real Story of the ANTs and the BEEs. Automatic Negative Thoughts and how to manage these through Believing in positive Expectations and Emotions.

In this second book, the concept of the Negativity Bias is explored through Alma the Awful Ant who embodies ANTS (Automatic Negative Thoughts). Negative thinking can come from excessive worry, paying attention to all the deficits or awful things, using unhelpful and catastrophic beliefs, and fearing that bad things will happen.  When ANTS frequently enter our thinking it triggers the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) activation in the brain, where stress hormones rapidly release into the body. From this, children can experience strong physiological symptoms like feeling tight in their chest, rapid or shallow breathing, having a dry mouth or throat, heart palpitating, frequent visits to the toilet, nausea and dizziness. ANTS are abundant when anxiety is high. We teach children to turn their attention to creating BEES – Believe in positive Expectations and Emotions. BEES include helpful thoughts, expressing gratitude, thinking optimistically, remembering positive experiences, or engaging in something they really enjoy. This will release endorphins and help moderate and even exterminate the ANTS. The BEES ensure that resources in the Hippocampus are utilised effectively throughout the whole brain for optimal neural function and learning.

Book 3
The Power of zzzz – Explores the importance of sleep
Book three explores the importance of sleep. Here Sally the Sleepy Sloth demonstrates the concept of Sleep Hygiene, which is the mental and behavioural preparation for “clean sleep”. This period of preparation is vital to help children down regulate through a reduction of stimulus and slow, calming routines for inviting solid sleep patterns.  Teaching Sleep Hygiene is a combination of self-care and mindfulness habits, that through repetition, instruct the primitive and emotional areas of the brain that it is safe to sleep.  Factors that interfere with getting to sleep and remaining asleep can be worries, unpleasant feelings like guilt or fear, physical discomfort like a sore stomach or the feeling of needing to toilet, even though this has been completed.  When the brain detects threat or confusion, from something that happened at school, or with peers, or with family – or even a child’s own perception  of a situation, is all reality to a brain.  A child’s brain requires a sense of safety in order to let go, and fall asleep.  It is important to note that this sense of safety is not determined by the adult, but by the child’s mind.  However, an adult’s presence or absence of calm can significantly impact the child’s alert system in their brain, and sleep can be compromised.  In addition, such night time processes should not become “rituals” where there is rigidity or strict adherence to tasks/steps, but a gentle, soothing and centred approach into bed.

Predictable and calming sleep hygiene routines enable the mind and the brain to prepare to switch off and move into a state of rest.  Encourage slowing down and calming down.  Slow thoughts, slow stretches and slow movements.

Book 4
Super Honey
Super-honey in this book refers to BDNF as pictured, which is neurotransmitter responsible for the health and plasticity of the neurons in our brain.  So BDNF is like food for our brain cells.  BDNF can only be created during REM [Rapid Eye Movement] stages of sleep, hence the critical importance of slumber.  Poor sleep is like food deprivation for our neurons, which can lead to neural reduction, and hence impact learning and brain function.

Book 5
How Are You Really Feeling?
Book five utilises some of the tools of CBT – Cognitive Behavioural Theory.  CBT is a triangulation model of intervention which seeks to improve mental health.  The three points of the triangle are, namely, cognitions, emotions and behaviour.  Harry the Helpful Hampster introduces emotional literacy, which is the child’s capacity to have a broad and varied vocabulary and comprehension of names to hep identify and label the experiences of their feelings in their body.  This is a significant strategy to ameliorate strong negative emotions and hence assist in the management of anxiety and promote better coping.