This is my Calming Jar.
I
have a calming jar because of something my niece, Sarah Jane, posted on
Facebook.
Sarah
Jane is an old soul. She is my youngest
niece & she has amazed me from the first moment she formed words. And sentences. Sentences followed quickly after words.
She was a child who heard an adult use a word
in a sentence & within ten minutes, Sarah Jane formed a sentence, using the
word in its appropriate context for what was being discussed.
A
little scary, but at the same time marvelous & exciting.
Sarah
is an intern with Hoof Prints & Heartbeats Equine Assisted Therapy. It is a non-profit, amazing program, headed
by her mother Brenda & her mother’s life partner Julie, working with
children with autism, ADD, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, PTSD, special needs.
HP&HB
also helps out adults with trauma, addiction & PTSD.
In
addition to being a gifted musician, a gifted poet, an amazing mind, Sarah Jane
has a connection with all living things.
I know that she hears & understands what living things she
encounters have to say.
She
is also passionate about educating the public about the wonder of people with
special needs. About fighting the
discrimination that so many with challenges experience in this, our enlightened
world.
Sarah doesn’t fear the Other or
Difference. Instead, she reaches out,
embraces it, respects it, defends it.
And celebrates it.
Sarah
shared a post by a mother about how she used a Calming Jar with her daughter:
CALM DOWN JAR Written by
contributor Melissa Allen of Green Owl Art. If your child is like mine and
time-outs only cause a bigger eruption of emotions and never seem to work the way
intended this can be a great tool. When Emma needs a moment to herself (to put
in nicely) I ask her to sit with her calm down jar for a few minutes and come
find me when she sees most of the glitter fall to the bottom. She usually
starts off by giving it a good shake, this helps get some of that frustration
out. Then she sits memorized by all the glitter falling to the bottom. By the
time I get my over tired and emotional child back, she is ready for a cuddle.
Yes, it’s not magic, but it seems to help smooth things out. It is actually
pretty relaxing for me to watch as well. I had Emma help make it and explained
to her what her special calming jar was. This was a good opportunity for us to
chat about feelings and good ways to express them. CALM DOWN JAR MATERIALS
Small jar- make sure it’s one that will hold liquid tightly 2 tubes of glitter
glue Half a tube of glitter A few drops of food color Water This is pretty
simple: just add everything to the jar. Use warm water and give it a good shake
to get the glue mixed in well. I had Emma help me by adding all the materials
and of course the shaking. Bring on the peace! http://familysponge.com/parenting/artkids-calm-down-jar/ #ripplekindness
I
thought to myself, What a wonderful alternative to forcing time outs in a chair
or a corner. I wished I had given my
sons a Calming Jar.
My
sons will be 30 & 24 this year – a bit late to introduce a Calming Jar into
their lives.
But not
too late for me.
So, I
went to the dollar store, rummaged through my scrapbooking materials,
sacrificed my favorite size Mason jar & made myself a Calming Jar.
It
came out a bit more purple than I planned.
With color, I am always aiming for cobalt.
I shake it when I stress out over a
conversation with a health care worker, or an insurance company, or a doctor’s
office, or Fox News on Sunday.
I
shake it & I breathe slowly & watch the glitter & the light &
the sparkle as it moves with gravity. And
then I smile.
Sometimes,
during the day, I walk past my Calming Jar & pick it up. I shake it & I set it down & take
time to watch the bits of lightning flicker as bits of purple & silver
& blue follow gravity.
Next
Wednesday, we meet with the surgeon to discuss flap surgery on Jean’s
wound. It will mean a week at Methodist
Hospital in Sugar Land, five to six weeks at Kindred Hospital in Sugar
Land.
And I will take my Calming Jar
with me.
Thank
you, Sarah Jane. For the Calming Jar
& for the moments of clarity & serenity it brings. I love you.
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