Create a forest mandala from leaves and pebbles
30 min Calm
Make a mandala in the forest or park using found leaves, flower petals, and pebbles. Calming, creative, and completely free.
A mandala doesn't have to be on paper. In the forest or the park, everything is already there: leaves in dozens of shades, pebbles, twigs, and flower petals that have fallen to the ground. Together you arrange them into a circular shape, working from the inside out, and you'll notice how naturally the calm sets in.
This activity is ideal for children aged five to twelve, but adults get just as absorbed in it. You collect materials already on the ground, find an open spot, and build a symmetrical pattern layer by layer. Along the way you learn which leaf belongs to which tree and where mandalas come from. At the end you take a photo, because a forest mandala belongs back in nature.
Walk slowly through the forest or park and collect only what is already on the ground: leaves, flower petals, pebbles, and twigs in different colors and textures.
Suggestion: Bring a basket or bag so your finds stay intact.Find an open spot on the ground and build your mandala from the inside out. Work in layers and play with symmetry and repetition.
Sit down next to your finished mandala and take in how all the elements come together as a whole. Share with each other what you find beautiful about it.
Take a photo as a keepsake and leave the mandala behind for the next passerby. At home you can recreate it in paint or pencil.
Suggestion: Challenge yourself to create a mandala around a theme next time, like the seasons.Related playbooks
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by PlayTryBe team