Today we’re going to practice a mindfulness activity that allows us to walk around and take in our surroundings with more awareness than usual. This is an activity to practice outside, preferably in a garden or park. Walking meditations are a wonderful way to notice your surroundings with m
ore intensity- like we’re tuning our perception up to high definition. This practice can allow us to see the world around us from a different point of view.

Our walking mediation today will be like a scavenger hunt. We will spend a few
minutes walking around, noticing the things we are asked to focus on. At the end of each search, we will write down or draw the things we saw or heard before bringing our attention to another scavenger item.

First, we will bring our attention to the colors in the park or garden. Close your eyes and imagine all of the colors you might see here. After you do this, slowly open your eyes and begin to walk around, noticing as many colors around you as you can. They don’t have to be the types of colors that you imagined with your eyes closed, or even the type of things that you imagined would be those colors. You might be surprised to notice all of the different colors that are around you.

Pause after 2 minutes and engage students in a reflection activity. As mentioned before, this can involve drawing, writing, or anything else you think would ground the activity.

Next, we will bring our attention to the animals and insects in the park or garden. Close your eyes and imagine all of the different kinds of animals and insects you might find. After you do this, slowly open your eyes and begin to walk around, noticing as many animals and insects as you can. They don’t have to be the kinds that you imagined with your eyes closed, just notice what you can see now. You might be surprised to notice all of the different animals and insects there are around you.

Pause after 2 minutes and engage students in a reflection activity. As mentioned before, this can involve drawing, writing, or anything else you think would ground the activity.

Lastly, we will bring to our attention to all of the sounds in the park or garden. Close your eyes and imagine all of the sounds that you might hear. After you do this, slowly open your eyes and begin to walk around, noticing all of the sounds that you can hear. They don’t have to be the type of sounds that you imagined with your eyes closed, or even the type of things that you imagined would make those sounds. You might be surprised to notice all of the different sounds that there are around you.

Pause after 2 minutes and engage students in a reflection activity. As mentioned before, this can involve drawing, writing, or anything else you think would ground the activity.

Teachers: Once the sound activity is complete, you can check in with the students to see how they felt about this mindfulness activity. See if they noticed that they saw or heard more or less than they expected, or if they noticed some things that they’d never realized before.

Students: Did you like practicing this mindfulness activity? Walking meditations are a great way to explore and learn a lot about your environment. Perhaps you can practice this on your own with a different theme. If there isn’t a park or garden near you, maybe a parent or sibling will help you practice this while walking around the neighborhood.

Field trip idea: Academy of Sciences- Walking butterfly meditation with learning activity at the end!