Part Two: Activities

In chapters seven through eleven, the activities are designed to help students take what they’ve learned in this chapter, combine it with the knowledge they acquired across the first five chapters, and apply the lessons to their final project. As always, you can decide which (and how many) activities you’d like students to complete.

Mental Health:

Summary: This activity will help students reflect on their mental health.

Objective: The objective of this activity is to equip students with tools to assess the state of their mental health, now and in the future. Students will be encouraged to find local, regional and national organizations that help them with mental health issues. By the end of this activity, students should have a better understanding of the seriousness of mental health issues, as well as know how and where to ask for help, should they need it.

Skills:

• Research
• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Self-awareness
• Empathy

Instructions:

Part One:

1. As a class, discuss the importance of mental health.
2. Encourage students to research and learn more about local organizations that offer mental health resources.
3. As a class, discuss the services that each organization offers and how they can help with mental health issues.

Part Two:

1. Take the class outside for a nature walk, or practice meditation after lunch for a period of time.
2. At the end of each day, have students complete as many activities as possible from the Maintaining Mental Health infographic.

Part Three:

1. Create a safe space in the classroom for students to have a discussion about mental health.
2. Divide students into small groups or have a whole-class discussion.
3. Use the guiding questions provided in the activity to facilitate the discussion and encourage students to share their thoughts and experiences.
4. Record ideas and key points from the discussion.
5. Encourage students to ask questions and seek clarification throughout the discussion.

Assessment: You can assess the state of your students’ mental health by reflecting on the class discussion and creating a space for one-on-one student conversations during the nature walk/meditation sessions.

Failure and Resiliency:

Summary: This activity aims to help students become more resilient.

Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students understand the importance of resiliency in life and career, and learn how to become more resilient when facing failure. Students will be encouraged to uncover and share resiliency techniques and discuss if failure is under or overrated as a learning tool.

Skills:

• Self-reflection
• Empathy
• Active listening
• Critical thinking
• Relaxation techniques
• Analyzation
• Research

Instructions:

Part One: Understanding Resiliency

1. Introduce the concept of resiliency to the class and explain why it is important.
2. Discuss with the class what it means to be resilient and what skills are associated with being resilient. You can use the prompts, resources/links and infographics provided in the activity.
3. Ask students to reflect on a difficult time from their past. How did they handle the situation? Would they have handled it differently looking back on it now? Encourage students to share their reflections with a partner or in small groups.
4. Ask students to pretend to give advice to a friend that’s going through a tough situation, maybe one similar to what they experienced themselves in the past. Have them write a short letter to this friend.
5. Highlight (or have students reflect back on) a few podcasts profiled on Nature Labs that exemplify resiliency. Discuss the examples and, as a class, try to determine the lessons or tools that can be gleaned from the podcasts and used by students when they face obstacles.

Part Two: Practicing Relaxation Techniques

1. Have students practice several of the relaxation techniques from the infographic (Becoming More Resilient) and find a few that work well.

Part Three: Learning from Failure

1. Discuss as a class what can be learned from failure, and if failure is under or overrated as a learning tool. Encourage students to explore the listed resources in the activity so they can hear different takes on the topic.
2. Ask students to reflect on what they’ve learned about resiliency and failure, and how they can apply the lessons to better cope with adversity and overcome obstacles in their lives.

Assessment: Assessment of this activity can be done through class discussion and written reflections on personal resiliency. Students can also be assessed on their understanding of the importance of resiliency, their ability to identify skills associated with being resilient, and their ability to reflect on past experiences and apply what they have learned to future situations.

Mentorship:

Summary: In this activity, students will learn about mentorship and how to find the right mentor.

Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students learn about the concept of mentorship and its benefits. Additionally, students will learn about different types of mentors, how to find a mentor, and how to develop a successful mentor-mentee relationship. This activity includes a sample mentor program.

Skills:

• Communication
• Goal setting
• Networking
• Self-reflection
• Leadership

Instructions:

1. Introduction

• Begin by introducing the topic of mentorship to the class, using the prompts and tools provided in the activity.
• Emphasize that mentorship is an important tool for personal and professional development.

2. Types of Mentors

• Explain the different types of mentors (experience, peer, distance, group, shared, just ahead, and elder) using the definitions and resources provided.
• As a class, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type of mentor.
• Ask students if they have ever had a mentor or if they know someone who is being mentored.

3. Finding a Mentor

• Explain the different ways to find a mentor, including looking within social networks, searching online, taking advantage of community service organizations, and/or asking family members or guardians for guidance and advice.

4. Mentorship Plan

• Explain the steps involved in developing a mentorship plan, taking advantage of the sample mentorship plan provided in the activity.
• Discuss the importance of regularly evaluating the mentorship relationship and modifying goals as needed.
• Ask students to think about what goals they would like to accomplish with a mentor and how they might go about achieving them.

5. Successful Mentorship

• Discuss the characteristics of a successful mentorship relationship, including building trust, clear and regular communication, asking questions that contribute to achieving goals, encouragement, accepting negative feedback, holding each other accountable, and recognizing when the relationship is not working.
• Ask students to share their own experiences with developing successful mentorship relationships, if possible.

6. Conclusion

• Summarize the key points of the activity.
• Ask students to reflect on what they have learned about mentorship and how they might apply the lessons.
• Encourage students to seek out mentorship opportunities and share what they learn with others.

Assessment: Ask students to write a reflection on what they’ve learned about mentorship and how they might apply the lessons learned. Also, observe student participation in class discussions and group activities.

Virtual Experiences: This activity encourages students to take a break from refining their projects, and the heavy topics discussed in this chapter, and explore the many virtual experiences we’ve created for them, including virtual drives, hikes and stories about the natural neighbours found in their classroom.