21 Sand Tray
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour. William Blake
Preparation time:Fifteen minutes
Materials:
(1) A shallow 2x2 box capable of holding sand.* (Dimensions can vary. If you are always in a classroom I would suggest creating a permanently stationed box 3x3 or larger.)
(2) Miniature garden tools (check toy stores)
(3) A variety of miniature props
(4) A small stone or two
Procedure:
Short time option: Best if you are in a classroom or other institutional setting
(1) Explain to participants that the sand tray represents our group and individual universe.
(2) Instruct participants one at a time to place an object from the props in the sand tray.
(3) After this is finished, ask participants to draw a shape in the sand.
(4) The prop and the drawing represent their present reality and emotional state.
(5) In the round or “popcorn” participants may share the shape and object they chose.
More Time Option: If you are at the beginning of a long day or weekend retreat you may want to consider this option.
(1) You will want a larger more visibly present sand tray 4x4 or larger if you have the space.
(2) Instruct participants to go outside and find two stones. One stone represents their present perceptional reality or emotional state. The second stone represents their wishes, goals, hopes and dreams.
(3) One at a time either in the round or popcorn style participants share both their present reality and their future state.
(1) You can also reframe this with three stones. They represent past, present and future.
Alternatives: If you really enjoy this activity you want to consider helping your students create their own sand trays for home and school or both. The best option I have found for this is old lunch pails. They generally have a colorful theme and can be closed to keep the family cat from using the tray when nobody's around.
Notes: Use your imagination and creativity when creating a box. Since I am so mobile I use a smaller jewelry box and keep the sand, tool and props in baggies. Nine by twelve glass Pyrex baking pans are a functional size and they usually come with a plastic cover. You don't really need it to be more that two inches deep. You will most likely find that a sand tray leads to wonderfully imaginative journeys.
*If you are a craft type person you can go to our website for several different plans to make your own sand tray.
Activity Credit: Adapted from Jean Sutton’s therapy practice.
High Concept
22 High Ropes Course Gear
Preparation time: None!!! Providing of course that you are on a high ropes course.
Materials:
(1) Helmets: Who leads but does not have a title? The head of the organization/group, not necessarily titles
(2) Carabiners: Who links things, ideas and people together?
(3) Ropes: The lifeline. Who/What is your lifeline?
(4) Harnesses: Who keeps everybody safe?
(5) Shear Reduction Devices: Who reduces or mediates conflict?
(6) Figure 8: Who helps you float and gives you a sense of freedom?
(7) Rescue 8: Who rescues others from difficult situations?
(8) All the different elements: Ropes courses all have different elements but think about what each could represent. Most courses have a jungle gym. What jungles do you have in your life?
(9) Pulleys: Who makes your job easier?
Procedure:
(1) Explain to the group that each thing we use on the high ropes course represents a useful function of each member
Notes: These metaphors can easily be used as checkouts. You might consider using these metaphors at the beginning and end of your high ropes day.
Activity Credit: Adapted from 10 years of running ropes courses with Bill Smith.
23 Matruska Dolls
Preparation time: Five minutes or less
Materials: Matruska doll preferably unpainted. A matruska doll also called a nesting doll consists of anywhere from 5-10 hollow wooden dolls of increasingly smaller sizes. Traditionally they were elaborately painted and then lacquered. You way want to paint yours or obtain a painted one but I prefer mine unpainted.
Procedure: With the five layer doll explain that each layer represents a layer of ourselves:
(1) Social: Church, school, sports, clubs
(2) Family: Biological family, adopted family, those taken into the family “like family”
(3) Friendships: Our larger circle of friends, people we most often hang out with
(4) Intimate relationships (for younger audiences best friend)
(5) The true self: the me that nobody sees and few know
Ask participants to explain how they are in each situation. Are they loud, funny, hostile, relaxed, withdrawn, secretive, revealing, completely honest?
Alternatives: You can also teach other models of the layers of the self
Notes: This activity is an example of finding meaning anywhere and everywhere. The unpainted matruska doll I now possess sat on a shelf in the Wishram teacher's lounge. When I came in for my bi-weekly visits I would ask who it belonged to. Nobody knew. After a few weeks of this the book keeper asked “if you want it why don't you just take it?” I took this as permission and it's been traveling with me ever since.
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