So not long ago, I was doing what I do best and browsing pinterest. Not really looking for anything in particular, I came across a pin for something called a "Mind Jar."
(Tada! A Mind Jar!)
The Mind Jar is literally a glittery fluid filled jar. Almost snow globe like. According to the blogger, she uses this as a replacement for time outs. Whenever there's a tantrum or some upset, she shakes the jar and the child is to sit and watch the glitter fall to the bottom. It should take about five minutes for it all to settle. By the end of that time, the child is calm/distracted from the original issues.
Sounds pretty awesome, right? I thought so too. Luckily, the original blogger posted abit of a tutorial for this awesome idea. Hot water, a tube of glitter glue and glitter combined in a jar will create the mind jar.
And there's no science behind it. Seriously. I just added without measuring anything.
I added blue food coloring to my water because, well, I like blue. But feel free to add whatever color you want. Or don't. It's all up to you. So this is my "Mind Jar" all non shaken like.
And here it is all shaken up!
Beautiful. And believe it or not, it works! Anytime there's any anxiety in the house, the Mind Jar is shaken up and watched. The kids tend to get impatient waiting for it to settle but they always end up calming right down. Maybe it should be a Calm Down Jar?
It definitely should be... Even Jon and I use it just to recenter when we get over whelmed.
(We use it more than the children, honestly.)
I'm giving this Pinterest a 2 thumbs up. Even if you DON'T have children, this is an amazing tool for calming. And it's way pretty to look at.
Want to make your own? Head over to Herewearetogether.com for a basic tutorial. And if you do, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know if I'm the only one entranced by the awesomely awesome Mind Jar.
I don't need anything like this for McCartney just yet but I think it will be a fun project for us anyway :)
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