This week we are celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week. This year the theme is Nature and the children will learn how connecting with the natural world can support good mental health and strengthen our faith by showing appreciation for God’s beautiful creations. Each day we will be posting suggestions on ways that you can interact with nature outside of school. We hope that you have fun getting back to nature and would love to hear which activities you have enjoyed the most.
Today’s focus is ‘Connecting with Nature’. Connection is about relating to one and other, feeling understood and being at one with the world around us. Try out one of the activities below and see how close you can get to nature.
Cloud Watching: Look out and up—are there any clouds today? Just stop and watch for a while. Can you describe their movement? Fast, slow, steady, erratic? Be creative—what other words or phrases could you use? Clouds can create pictures and stories in the sky. Can you see any shapes or images in the clouds? Do they stay the same, or change into something else? Write a story about the characters and pictures you can see, or a poem describing the clouds’ movements.
Roots and Branches: Stand still and feel your feet planted on the Earth. Close your eyes and imagine that you are a tree rooted to the ground. Now describe how you are growing in a slow paced and even tone.
Tree Explorer: Visit a park and find a tree to explore. Examine the tree from the floor up. Can you stretch your arms around it? Hug the tree while listening to and smelling it. What is your favourite thing about the tree?
Outdoor prayer: Say your evening prayer outdoors and thank God for his beautiful creations.
