What is the “big idea” for this lesson?

• Mindfulness can help us be more resilient (“bounce back” from challenging events and emotions).

• Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way to the present moment, just noticing without judgement.

• Practicing mindfulness can help us calm our brain. It helps the thinking brain calm the emotional brain.

Reflection questions:

1. Have you noticed any overwhelming or challenging emotions during this Stay-At-Home time?
   
   

2. What have you noticed helps you calm your brain and pay attention to this present moment? There are many different ways to practice mindfulness.
   
   

3. What are you noticing right now in this moment, either inside you and/or around you? How can you practice mindfulness today/this week?

Mindfulness Scavenger Hunt

Use each of your 5 senses as focus points for your attention to help you practice mindfulness, returning your attention to this present moment over and over again. You can do this scavenger hunt with your family if you want! Collect, write, draw or even take photos of what you found on your scavenger hunt to share with your classmates.

Materials: 

• Paper

• Pencil or pen and your favorite drawing supplies (markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc.) to write or draw what you found.

• Optional: phone or camera to take photos of what you found on your scavenger hunt.

Directions:

1. Sight:
   What do you see? Go find/collect one item that you see or draw/write down one thing that you see in your environment. Go outside if possible!
   
   
   

2. Sound:
   What do you hear? Listen to the sounds in your environment. Write down/draw:
   a) one sound you hear inside your body
   b) one sound you hear nearby
   c) one sound you hear far away in the distance
   
   
   

3. Smell:
   What do you smell? Write or draw (or collect an item to represent) one thing that you smell right now.
   
   
   

4. Taste:
   Go taste one bite of a food of your choosing! Before you eat it, notice the sights, sounds and smells of the food. Notice: What does it look like? How does it smell?Finally: How does it taste? Eat it slowly. Notice as the food goes down your throat. Write, draw or collect an item to represent what you tasted and how it was to do this mindful eating exercise.
   
   
   

5. Touch:
   Go feel something with your hands (and/or feet/body), that is safe for you to touch and that you have permission to touch! How does it feel on your skin? Notice the texture. Is it soft? Hard? Rough? Squishy? Etc. Collect that item if you have permission to, or draw/write what item you felt, and how it felt.

Bonus Mindfulness Activity:  

Breath as Anchor: Practice mindfulness by watching and breathing with this GIF.

Let your belly fill up with air like a balloon when you inhale and watch the image expand. Let your belly gently and slowly deflate like letting air out of the balloon when you exhale and watch the image get smaller. Notice whether focusing on your breath and breathing deeply feels good, and whether it helps you calm your mind.

Bonus Mindfulness Video: 

This video explains the basics of mindfulness and how mindfulness practices
can help make life more enjoyable and less stressful.