A few years ago when visiting family for Thanksgiving, we decided to put up a Gratitude Tree. Without much fanfare, the kids and their cousins passed around autumn leaves and markers and asked everyone to share what they were grateful for.
Fall Scavenger Hunt Makes Great Nature Break
Our autumn-themed scavenger hunt is a great way to get kids outdoors and makes a wonderful Mindful Recess or Nature Break.
Feelings Connect to Experiences in Life, Slides & Ladders
This life-sized version of Slides and Ladders prompts children to reflect on feelings associated with different real-life scenarios. Combining outdoor time with chalk art, this Mindful Recess helps kids understand it’s okay to sit with difficult feelings.
Make a Nature Paintbrush to Create Kindness Cards
Nature and art make perfect companions in this sensory outdoor project. First you’ll use your keen observation skills to collect natural materials outside. Next, you’ll use those items to create a Nature Paintbrush. Finally, you’ll paint beautiful Kindness Cards to send to people you love and care about. Let’s get started!
Eye Pillow Craft and Sleep Meditation
Using a lightly weighted eye pillow is a wonderful way to release anxiety by stimulating the vagus nerve and slowing the heart rate. Here’s how to make your own eye pillow, either for yourself or as part of a Peace Kit for someone else, plus a simple sleep meditation to help you relax and rest.
Grounding Nature Name Game
With the pandemic keeping us inside more hours than I’m used to, walking outside has become a necessity – and not just physically.
Rainbow Walk: Sense of Sight Helps Us Be In the Moment
Taking a Rainbow Walk is a simple, fun way to practice mindfulness with Littles using our sense of sight. Focusing on the world through a single sense is a powerful way to anchor our awareness in...
A Heart-Filled Treasure Hunt
One of our favorite outdoor activities is a going on a heart-filled nature treasure hunt. The idea is simple: go outside, search for as many naturally occurring heart-shapes as you can, snap a photo and that’s it.
Outdoor Sound Hunt: Sense of Hearing Anchors Us
An Outdoor Sound Hunt is exactly what it sounds like: you walk, hike or sit with your kiddos outside, stay (relatively) quiet and try to "hunt" or notice all the different sounds you hear. This...