Before we can be 🙏thankful, we need to be mindful. So, we made this DIY Mind✨Glitter Jar as a meditational tool to calm down, reflect, express gratitude and count blessings🙏.
A Mind /Calming Jar is a wonderful meditation tool to offer to a child who feels overwhelmed, upset or stressed. As an example of Focused Attention Meditation (object of focus): a child is encouraged to focus his/her attention on a single object like a breath, a mantra, visualization, part of the body, or an external object like a Mindful Jar.
What you will need to make this Mindful/Calming Glitter Jar:
- a jar (baby food, mason-jar, or any other recycled glass jar),
- glitter glue (we are using blue one – buy here),
- extra loose glitter,
- warm water to help dissolve the glue (you can also microwave the jar for 30-60 seconds, or keep heating it up until all the large clumps are dissolved);
- a glue gun,
- an object to look at once the glitter settles (we are using a Dragon- Silhouette Jade pendant).
To secure a pendant to the lid, we are using a glue-gun and double-sided tape.
Adrian thought that a Dragon Jade pendant inside a Mindful Jar would be nice to observe once the glitter settles.
The ratio is 1:1, depending on the size of your jar.
Add about one tablespoon of glitter glue per one cup of warm water, (2 tbs to 2 cups, etc).
The bigger the jar, the more glue you would add. Also, if you desire a thicker consistency and longer "settling/calming down" time, increase the ratio by adding more glue.
We also added extra loose glitter for more sparkle effect.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/244132963
The sight of dancing glitter was mesmerizing indeed. Offer your child to imagine the glitter as wondering thoughts. When you shake the jar, imagine that it is your head full of swirling thoughts. As the glitter slowly settles, imagine your thoughts or unease or anxiety settle as well, calming you down.
The more glue you add, the thicker the density would be, slowing down the settling process since the glue makes the water thick and gooey. It a 1:1 ratio, it takes about five minutes for all the glitter to slowly and gently swirl around and settle – the perfect time for a child to reconnect, find the inner balance, gather thoughts and feel the gratitude.
Also, the warmer the water, the quicker the glitter will settle.
Lastly, although we rarely use time-outs, I imagine this jar as a nice alternative to a time-out, encouraging a child to refocus without a sense of punishment: stop the behavior, shake the jar, focus on dancing glitter, reconnect with oneself.
Above all, I trust that this Mindful Glitter Jar will be a great meditational tool to quiet the mind, gather thoughts, find peace and inner balance while watching the glitter swirl around and around.
We made similar jars for Valentines, see here ❤️Valentines ✨Glitter Sensory Bottle ~ Calming Jar.
For more on Peace education, read here "Montessori ☮️PEACE Shelfie (Grace &Courtesy, Gratitude, Pillars of a Peaceful Character)."
For more on Thanksgiving-Inspired activities, see here "🦃Thanksgiving Inspired Homeschooling 101 Unit Study."
Lastly, the Dragon Jade pendant is from our China Continent Box – see here a detailed post "Montessori Cultural & Science Lesson (China 🇨🇳 Continent 📦 Box)."
No Comments