Healthy SELfie Activity: Tune in this week for DAILY HEARTWORK (arts and crafts) activities for your Healthy SELfie! Unleash your creativity with using materials from around your house!
On this page you will see the homemade recipes for:
- Edible Empathy: Making Edible Malas and Breathing Tools
- Yoga Slime
- Less Mess Glitter Globes
- Macaroni Mandalas
- Plant Positive Power Play Dough
All of these crafts create a sensory experience to connect us to our heart. The more we have compassion for ourselves, the more we can share the compassion with others for Social Awareness!
Monday: Edible Empathy: Making Edible Malas & Breathing Tools
Create your own edible breathing tools to use for relaxation, math manipulatives, and to practice fine motor skills!
Materials:
Cereal: Any kind of cereal with a circular shape. I used Cheerio’s and Fruit Loops, but check your pantry and use what you have!
Licorice Laces (I found the brand Rayge Candy & Nuts at my local Shoprite). You can also use thin string or yarn, but obviously only eat the Cereal from it.
Breathing Tool: Mindful Moment Manipulative
Directions:
- Take the string, and tie a knot at the end.
- String 5 pieces of cereal and tie a knot at the other end.
- With each piece of a cereal, take a deep breath as you move the cereal piece to the other side.
- Repeat as many times as you would like!
Edible Mala Breathing Bead Bracelets
The word “Mala” in the Yoga Language Sanskrit means, “To String”. A Mala is tangible tool to connect yourself with your breath. You can include a Mantra (positive affirmation) as you breathe and hold on to each cereal piece and say, “I AM STRONG”, “I AM PEACEFUL”, “Breathe In Love, Breathe Out Peace” or create your own. A full Mala has 108 pieces, and it is said that if you repeat your Mantra 108 times it resonates with the Universe.
Directions:
- To make a quarter of a Mala for a bracelet, string 27 pieces of cereal.
- Get creative with the designs: Maybe you make a Math Pattern, multi color or solid bracelet! Can you think of other edible food to include in your Mala besides Cereal? Pasta Pieces? Other types of circular shaped Snacks?
- The more we practice Peace in our mind, the more we can share that peace collectively with the world!
If you decide to eat your tools, can you practice Mindful Eating?
Tuesday: Yoga Slime
Materials:
Chia Seeds
Water
Color Dye
Corn Starch
Optional Essential Oil: Peppermint, Lavender, Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Lime
Directions:
- In a mixing bowl, place 1/4 cup of Chia Seeds, 1 & 3/4 Cups of Water and a few drops of the Color Dye of your choice. Mix it all together.
- Cover the bowl and keep it in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours.
- Take it out of the fridge and slowly add in the corn starch, mindfully mixing in a little at a time. Option to add in an Essential Oil to enhance the Sensory experience! If you want to add in the essential oil, all you need is 1-3 drops as you mix it in with the corn starch. Add water if you need to.
- Mindfully play with the slime! Notice the texture, the smell, the sight, and the sound!
- Store the slime in a container or plastic sandwich/freezer bag and keep in the fridge after each use. Add a little water when you take it out again to get the Nama-slimey feel!! Use when needed for SELf care!
Wednesday: Less Mess Glitter Globes
Your mind is like a snow globe, and all of the snowflakes and glitter are like the thoughts and emotions swirling around in your mind! When you shake a snowglobe, you are aware of all the little pieces of your mind-from friendships, relationships, situations, emotions, etc. Eventually all the particles settle, and you can think more clearly!
Make your own messy free Glitter Globe without using glue! Option to add as many sparkles as you want!
Materials:
Plastic Bottle or Glass Jar
Water
Canola Oil
Food Color Dye
Optional: Glitter, Confetti, Mini Macaroni Alphabet Pasta, Easter Grass, Orbi’s
Directions:
- Depending on the size of your container, you will pour about 2/3’s of the container with Canola Oil
- Then fill the rest with water (I like to save a little space at the top so it doesn’t overflow if you add the glitter/confetti etc
- Put a drop or 2 of the color Dye and mix it up
- Option to add in the Glitter, Confetti, Mini Macaroni Alphabet Pasta, Easter Grass, Orbi’s or anything else! Get creative!
- Secure cap on by using Glue or strong tape to prevent from spilling (Or just fill it with less liquid if you do not have those materials handy)
- Shake and enjoy!
Thursday: Macaroni Mandalas
In the Sanskrit Language, the word Mandala means “Circle”. Mandalas are meditation tools designed to create relaxation and calm.
Traditional Mandalas are used for Coloring to Calm. Create a 3D Mandala using Macaroni as a mindfulness heARTwork tool for clarity and peace.
Materials:
Any type of Macaroni
Glue
Paper Plate/Paper/Cardboard
Crayons/Markers
Any other art supplies such as Glitter, Stickers, Feathers (Get creative with what you HAVE at HOME!)
Directions:
- Choose you background (either use a paper plate, cut out a Circle or any shape using paper, or use a piece of cardboard)
- Pick out your macaroni and design the layout of your Mandala. (Get creative, it can have a variety of geometric shapes!)
- Glue the macaraoni pieces on
- Feel free to add Glitter, Stickers, Feathers (or whatever you have at home) to jazz it up!
- Let dry, and hang up on the fridge or keep it in your Calm Corner or SELf care tool kit to remind you to take deep breaths!!
Friday: Plant Positive Power Play Dough
Make your own homemade sensory play dough! Great way to connect with your senses to create more compassion for yourself and more compassion to others!
Materials:
1 Cup of Flour
1/2 Cup of Salt
2 Tablespoons of “Cream of TarTar” (Find in Baking Aisle in the Spices)
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 Cup of Boiling Water
Optional: 5 Drops of Essential Oils to mix in with the water Or Food Coloring to make your dough colorful!
Directions:
- Boil 1 Cup of Water
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, cream of Tar Tar together. Mix it all together
- Next add the Olive Oil
- Carefully pour in the boiling water into the bowl (If you are adding in Food color or the Essential Oil, you can mix it in the liquid)
- Start with a spoon and mix the liquid and dry ingredients together, and when it cools down use your hands to mix it all together. (Option to add in additional drops of the Essential Oil if you can’t smell it)
- Put it in the fridge to cool
- Take it out and PLAY!!!
- Store in a container or plastic bag