The Weekly Challenge, 8th June 2020 – Connecting Nature
LIFEbeat is a charity that provides training for teachers and youth workers as well as creative residential programmes for 14 to 18-year-olds. They believe that the voice of every young person counts and that a creative approach to wellbeing can transform a young person’s life, allowing them to find their unique talents and passion in the world. This week they’re inviting us to connect with nature, recognising its beauty and diversity whilst noticing its influence on our mood and wellbeing.
Create a mandala using natural objects such as flowers, stones and leaves to symbolise your connection with yourself and with the natural world. A mandala is usually a geometric design or circular pattern that is organised around a single, central point. In different spiritual traditions, they have been used to focus attention.
Think about the different colours, textures and designs of each element and how they interact with each other to create the bigger picture. What story can you create with your patterns? How can the process of building your mandala feel calming and reflective? How does the mandala you have created reflect something of you and who you are?
Create a poem inspired by your creation. Each line of the poem could start with an object that you have used in your mandala. Or if you enjoyed working visually, try creating a mandala using household objects, everyday materials or clothing, and notice how the two experiences differ.
Think