As humans, we rely upon the sun for energy, the earth for our food source, the trees for air, and water for drinking. Sadly, in our modern world and as we go about our busy daily lives, it is easy to take the water, air, and plants found all around us for granted.

Using and developing the practice of mindfulness begins to take us off autopilot and allows us to start to take stock of our lives. It will enable us to stop and pause, begin to experience the present moment and, in turn, give gratitude for all the elements from the natural world that are continually here to support our daily lives.

Stepping out of our classrooms, workplace or houses to practice mindfulness allows us to connect with nature, appreciate and value our surroundings and begin to develop a stronger relationship with the natural world all around us.

Since the end of the lockdown period and the return to school life, I have regularly practised mindfulness techniques with the children in my class. This approach can be implemented at various points of the busy school day, and it is also used to break up the busy schedule. It also allows my pupils to relax, reflect on how their day is going, and begin to reconnect with themselves and others in a positive and meaningful way.

Where possible, and during my outdoor learning sessions, I have also tried to use this approach within an outdoor setting, like my local woodland. As a result, my pupils love these outdoor reflective moments and frequently tell me they regularly have valuable "mindful moments" that can then be transferred into the day after practising mindfulness outside. Consequently, these mindful moments allow the children to begin to forget what they thought was once important, like the lure of playing computer games, watching Youtube, etc. They then start to notice and begin to appreciate what is all around them—allowing them to enjoy the precious things in life and then make valuable connections to other areas of their busy lives.

In today's modern world, utilising approaches like mindfulness is even more important to do with your students. Developing this approach within your classroom, school, or outdoor setting can considerably benefit your working classroom's overall balance and feel. It can have numerous personal benefits for children and their everyday lives away from school.

So to explain this approach further, here are one or two exercises that my pupils have found beneficial. You can use them inside the classroom and outside.

It is Time to Engage the Senses

Firstly, take your pupils outside and ask them to sit down on the ground, on a bench, or whatever works for you, in the space you find yourselves in.

Next, encourage the children to spread out and use the space well by creating their sense of freedom. Doing this allows all pupils to begin focusing on themselves and not worry too much about what others are choosing to do. Make sure they have their own free space, but make sure they are close by and can always hear you, and you can hear them.

1: Begin the activity by asking your pupils to close their eyes and take a few deep breaths, inhaling in and out and counting as they do this. Once their breathing is focused and in a regular pattern, ask them to focus their attention on the sounds they hear around them and see if they can concentrate on the calls and movements of birds or any other natural sounds within earshot.

As time passes, their attention will naturally waver and begin to dip back into their thoughts, so it is important to gently remind them to bring their focus back to the sounds they hear every minute or two.

Move on to the next part when the timing feels right, and the pattern of listening and doing is regulated.

2: Next, ask your pupils to feel the sun on their skin -- their faces, hands, arms or any place exposed to the sun. Ask them to keep their attention on all the parts of their body where they can feel the sun, reminding them that all the life and energy on earth comes from the power of the sun.

You can develop this by asking the children questions and then gaining a response from what they say. This approach will allow for conversation and perhaps encourage children who appear reluctant to participate with their thoughts, ideas and emotions.

3: Ask them to feel the air moving across their skin. How does this feel? What will affect how much you think and what you feel?

After doing this for several minutes, ask your pupils to concentrate on a specific part of their body, focus on where they can feel the wind. It could be the tip of their nose, their hands or the back of their neck. Ask them to keep their attention on this specific place until you feel it is time to move on.

4: Instruct your pupils to focus their senses towards the ground and get them to feel their bodies sitting on the earth. As they sit down on the floor, see if they can keep their attention focused on any part of the body touching the earth. It could be only their feet or the whole lower half of their body (if they are sitting on the ground). Ask the students to connect with the earth and feel the earth supporting them.

5: Next, ask your students to connect with their breath. See if they can focus on their breath for 1-2 minutes, paying close attention to each inhalation and exhalation. At this point, you might want to engage the pupils by asking them to focus on their breathing and think of how the air passes in and out of their lungs. At the same time, refer to the plants and trees and how the same kind of effect comes from these living things.

6: It is crucial to end the activity positively at the end of your time outdoors, so complete the session with a gratitude practice. Ask students to envision their favourite place or thing from the natural world. It could be a park, an animal or a tree -- whatever comes to their mind. Once they have something in mind (it will take a moment or two), ask them to send thoughts of gratitude to this place or element of the natural world.

It is essential to encourage all of the children to appreciate this place or creature fully. Remind them how special it is to have this creature or part of the natural world in their life.

After you have done these exercises, ask your students to end by gently opening their eyes. Then discuss what they just experienced together.

A simple discussion topic might include:

• Which one of the elements did the students connect with the best?

• What did this feel like?

• Does anyone feel more like part of the Earth?

In addition, you can develop this further by getting the children to move away from the topic of discussion and develop their thoughts into writing or a form of artwork, which begins to develop their feelings and expressing their opinions.

There is a practical exercise called 'sound postcards', and this is a perfect way of collecting their thoughts and ideas, building on their enthusiasm and putting it all down on paper. You can download my sound postcard activity here: Outdoor Learning - Sound Postcards | Teaching Resources (tes.com)

Further Tips for Teaching This Exercise

1. As with most things in life, it is good to use your intuition to figure out how long to spend on each part of the activity. Ideally, the whole exercise can last between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on your pupils and what other activities you might have planned. You can also break up the exercise and discuss the different details at any point.

2. My teaching style is developed around being calm, so you want your tone to be gentle and inviting, as this will help reassure the children and improve valuable communication.

3. Before teaching this exercise, it is good to go outside and practice the activity yourself before the school day or before teaching this lesson. It not only develops positive thinking but also sets you up for the day.

Education Resources

You can download a variety of different resources that might come in useful during your educational practice outdoors or in the classroom. My resources are available here: RESOURCE SHOP