Activity of the Month!

This month's activity is also related to teaching children about mindfulness and being present to the moment!  It is called the Mindfulness Jar.  Every time I have done this activity with children they really seem to enjoy it and can't wait to use their jar.  This activity is applicable for all ages, I personally have my own Mindfulness Jar at home and I use it when I need to quiet the mind from all the happenings of the day.

For the materials you will need any type of jar with a lid that seals well.  At the Dollarama spice jars can be purchased 3 for $1.  Other supplies include water soluble hair gel, water, sparkles, a few drops of tea tree oil to keep the water sterile, paper towel, scissors (if the sparkles come in plastic packages), and an empty plastic container (for pouring out contents of the jar if needed). 

For the instructions you will need to engage the children in a discussion about mindfulness, you can refer to the mindfulness resource posted on Feb. 19, 2014 on the blog.  You can also include a discussion about "connecting to your breath".  Then for the Mindfulness Jar itself, they will need to fill their jar a quarter of the way full with gel.  Then add the sparkles, but not too much or the sparkles will have a hard time settling to the bottom of the jar.

Then add in the water leaving some space at the top.  Then add a drop of tea tree oil.  Then close the lid of the jar tightly and shake it up.  Please note if the sparkles move too quickly to the bottom (less than a minute) add more hair gel, and if the sparkles move to the bottom too slowly dump out a bit of the contents and add water.  Then explain how they use the jar: shake it up, do their deep breathing, watch all the sparkles settle to the bottom, and try to focus on the sparkles which will hopefully help in focusing on the present.

Then ask the child(ren) how they could use their Mindfulness Jar in their daily life.  Some children in the past have said before bed, in the morning, and when they are feeling worried.