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Nature Connection Challenge - Day 11

Today’s Challenge is to work on your physical balance out in nature.

Get outside and find some fun ways to test your balancing skills! Find a downed tree you can walk across, a rock wall to walk along, or any other natural obstacles you can use to work your balance.

Try to see how long you can stand on one leg. Maybe even have a fun little competition with your family members.

Let us know the ways you worked on your balance today!!

We are living in a time of uncertainty. Many of our lives have been upended as the world adjusts to a new reality. It is natural for the mind to try and make sense of these changes, but often we find ourselves in a flurry of thoughts, worries and negativity. Gratitude is an amazing antidote to negativity. Gratitude helps us wake up to the magic that is already all around us.

Today’s challenge begins with a walk in nature. If you’re …

Today’s challenge is to create a face in nature, using natural materials, and there are many ways to do this! Here are just a few possibilities:

• Use clay to make a face on a tree or tree stump

• Use sticks, rocks and other natural materials to create a face on the ground

• Make a face on the forest floor using only acorns

• Use shells or rocks to make a face in the sand, soil or snow

• Use water to paint a face on a roc…

Nature Connection Challenge - Day 8 - Connecting to the sense of Hearing

Today's subject is Mindfulness of Sound. Mindfulness means paying full attention to something. It means slowing down to really notice what you're doing. When you're mindful, you're taking your time. You're focusing in a relaxed, easy way.

Find yourself a place outside where you can sit in peace and comfort. If you can't sit outside then find a spot by a window where you can look outside. Sit there for a few moments taking …

Nature Connection Challenge -Day 7- Get outside and PLAY!

Research suggests that one of the most important elements for healthy development in humans and even animals is play. It is easy to look at play as frivolous, but it is an essential part of supporting physical, emotional and mental health for all ages.

So, today’s challenge is to make time for play. If you have a child in your family, ask them to guide you in a playful activity. Really follow their lead and embrace a playful mindset.

I…

Good Saturday Sunny Morning!

Today’s challenge is for you to go outside and make a fire (if you are able to make a fire safely in your yard).

See if you can make your fire with materials you can gather from outside (rather than bring stuff from inside your home).

Once you have your fire going - take some time to pick up sticks around your yard to keep your fire going.

Enjoy your time outside and enjoy taking some time to gaze at the magic of the fire.

Warmly,
Through The Trees

Nature Connection Challenge - Day 5 - Foraging

Today’s Challenge - Make Pine Needle Tea

1. Go out in nature.

2. Locate a white pine tree (look for longer needles in groups of 5!). Other pines, fir, spruce or hemlock make good tea too.

3. Collect some needles.

4. Use the needles to make tea.

White pine is a tree that is plentiful in Maine, and has many medicinal qualities. Pine needles are very high in vitamin C and have antiviral and antibacterial qualities. White pine tea was used extensi…

Nature Connection Challenge Day 4 - Getting Active

Welcome to Day 4’s challenge!

Put on an extra layer and your rain gear and get outside for a nice walk in the rain. Often times we think of a rainy day as a day to hunker inside but the rain can make the woods feel even more magical!

Share pictures or rainy revelations with us on Instagram or Facebook!

Nature Connection Challenge Day 3 - Gratitude

“Being satisfied and grateful with what we already have is a magical golden key to being alive in a full, unrestricted way.” -Pema Chodron

Todays challenge is all about cultivating an attitude of gratitude. It is easy when we are facing unpredictability and change to focus on what is going wrong. Gratitude can shift our perspective and help us see the gift each moment offers us.

Here it is your gratitude challenge:

• Start by getting a journal …

Day Two Challenge - Nature Art and Mandalas

A mandala is a circle organized around a central point. In Asian cultures it holds spiritual and ritualistic symbolism and is used in prayer in meditation as a representation of the Universe. It is believed by many that creating and then focusing on the mandala, moving your focus toward its center, sets an intention of moving toward peace and joy on Earth and in the Universe.

Your challenge today is to go for a walk in nature and collect items to cre…