Finding Peace in Nature: A Journey Through the Elements – Celebrating Earth Day
Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of the Ambassadors of Peace programme designed to teach children about finding peace and connection within the natural world. It was a truly enriching experience, and I wanted to mention it today on Earth Day.
We took 70 children on a trail through nature in a world heritage garden. There were 5 stations and the facilitator dressed up as the element. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether.
Children had a 30 minute workshop with each element.
My role was to embody the element of Earth, and I embraced my inner Mother Earth!
Dressed in earthy colours, I guided the children through my favourite Forest Bathing type exercises which helped ground themselves. I got them to really breathe into the earth and feel the earth beneath their feet, and to contemplate their intrinsic connection to the natural world around them.
We talked about how shoes cut out of real connection to the earth and how nature has so much wisdom.
We talked about the trees, exploring the fascinating idea of how they communicate with one another through their own world wood web. It was lovely to witness their curiosity spark as they started to realise how connected they were to the earth and elements.
When children feel connected to something, they want to look after it.
As a creative activity, we made talking sticks using wool and twigs gathered from the forest floor. Each pupil made such a unique talking wisdom stick and we talked about how tribes would use the talking stick in their meetings.
Interestingly, at one point during our exploration, I noticed some of the children were absentmindedly damaging the grass with their sticks, seemingly without a second thought. This presented a valuable teachable moment. We paused our activity and had a discussion about the importance of taking care of the earth we live in, even the seemingly small things like the blades of grass beneath our feet. It was a gentle reminder that everything in nature deserves our respect and consideration.
What struck me most profoundly was the palpable sense of calm and peace that washed over the children by the end of our session. They seemed truly grounded and connected, their energy noticeably more settled and serene.
It’s such a vital lesson to instil in young minds – the power and peace that can be found simply by engaging with nature, coupled with an understanding of our responsibility to protect it. These experiences, however small, can have a lasting impact, fostering a lifelong appreciation and respect for our planet. It was a privilege to be a part of their journey.
Teach children to respect nature. What should we be doing to protect our planet?
Today, the 22nd of April, we celebrate Earth Day, an important international day to raise awareness about pressing environmental issues like climate change, greenhouse gases, and global warming. While many of us are aware of the threats and are taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint, and it’s encouraging to see initiatives like legal recycling requirements and the growth of renewable energy in the UK, a recent poll suggests that public concern for these issues might be lower than it has been in over two decades.
This is concerning because the evidence of environmental damage continues to grow. Climate change remains a significant and escalating problem, and it’s crucial that each of us takes responsibility for our planet.
Teaching children to appreciate and respect nature from a young age is a vital part of this responsibility.
Getting children out in nature, to the park, the beach or City farms helps them feel connected and so more caring with their environment.
Here is the link to the Nature Audio – I did one of the meditations in the session.
