A Mission post on the benefits of Nature
At Goat Lees, we are always trying to improve our grounds to enhance the natural habitats we provide for creatures that visit us. We try to make areas, also, for the children and staff to use for calming and quiet reflection, as we know the importance of nature and its link to a healthy mental well-being.
So, last week, our Year 5 class (and 5 lucky adults) all set off to visit the Quiet View in Kingston, Canterbury, which is based on the idea that people are interested in undertaking a journey from the outside world to their inner nature. Lizzie and John (the owners) were very kind in allowing us to visit their amazing gardens, and what a day we had!
The children had a variety of mindfulness activities to make the most of this beautiful setting. After the initial teacher-led guided tour of the gardens, we gave the children the freedom to explore further on their own. Armed with pen, paper and clipboards, they ventured off to not only explore their surroundings, but also themselves! During the morning, the children wrote down a collection of words to describe what they saw, heard and their overall feelings of the grounds. In addition to the 'word collection' worksheet, they had the chance to walk through the beautiful labyrinth: they went in with a question or a problem, and as they slowly walked around, making choices of which way to turn to help them find a path to the middle, they tried to find a way to answer their own question.
Some children wanted to take part in our mindful activity of making 'wind wands'. Using a willow stick, they tied wool and strips of tissue, and then the children had great fun watching them blow in the wind. Others just wanted time to sit whilst they painted the landscape or flowers, or sketched the magnificent angel wood carving. Some just wanted to chat, or just be in the quiet and calm. What a wonderful morning!
Before we knew it, it was lunch, and after an inspiring and thought-provoking talk with Tom - the children adore Tom, and he always encourages them to add their opinions to his discussions, which he truly values - we settled down for something to eat.
After lunch, although our time was coming to an end, we still had time for a few activities (plus the weather, which had been so kind to us all day, was closing in). From the word banks of the morning, the children each wrote a postcard to Tom and Lizzie, expressing their thoughts and feelings on their visit and the surroundings. It was so inspiring to read and listen to the children as they spoke about their reflections on their visit.
Our last activity was to write a few words on a coloured strip of paper about a person or a pet who was special to us. Maybe we had lost them, maybe they just meant a lot to us, or they had supported us when we were in need. We then lit a candle in the yurt and, one by one, we all placed our folded pieces of paper into a glass jar. It was a lovely thing to do and was such a wonderful way to bring the day to an end! We left the jar at the Quiet View as it seemed the perfect place to leave it.
We all had such a brilliant day; a day of calm reflection, inner peace and all possible through the joy that nature can bring to us all!
Below is a selection of what the children wrote about their thoughts on the Quiet View:
'A place packed with grace and beauty'; 'there was an ethereal feel to the place'; ' I felt cared for here'; 'I feel like I do not have to think'; 'a perfect place to just sit and calm yourself'; 'I felt like a friend to nature, here'; 'my mind felt like it was floating away and I felt safe'; I could even sleep here; that is what it felt like to me'; 'the more I thought as I sat on the bench, the less I had to think about'; 'it was so still, I could think without being disturbed'; 'the calmness was everywhere'; ‘as I laid there, I felt like I was sitting in the clouds'; 'the place was so intriguing - I wanted to discover more'; ‘this place felt very close to me - I felt calm and peace'.
