Practicing mindfulness has wonderful benefits for both students and teachers. It contributes to healthy school culture and sets students up to feel engaged, valued, and ready to learn.

What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment with openness and curiosity.

How it works

• Find 5 - 10 minutes a day, once a week or every other day. Maybe after lunch or at the end of the day is best?

• Have students find their object and a quiet place in the classroom.

• Set the timer for desired time. You might have to start at 5 minutes and work your way up to 10 minutes.

• Have the students use their object as a tool to draw, trace, repeat patterns or paint with.

Let’s get started

You will need:

1. An object close by that you are curious about. Could be an eraser, water bottle, or a found object from nature. You will use this object for 5 days!

2. Journal or blank piece(s) of paper.

3. Pen, pencil, felts or pencil crayons.

Here we go!

We are using a horsetail branch to guide our mindfulness!

Set the timer

Day 1 We drew our horsetail branch and added a green watercolour dot.

Day 2 Tried to paint with the branch.

Day 3 We used a spoon & squished the colouring out of the leaves.

Day 4 Sketched the branch in miniature and in all directions.

Day 5 Traced the branch multiple times and then coloured it in.

Post Activity Questions

1. How did you feel on day 1 vs day 5?

2. What changed for you over the week of doing this?

3. What would you have done differently?

4. What would you do the same?

5. What would you share with others about the mindfulness activity?