Skill Level
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Learner Outcomes
- Develop awareness of the food system and reflect upon personal responsibility.
- Develop awareness of body sensation and how it is heightened by focusing mindful attention.
- Experience a felt sense of interconnection, or what is sometimes called ‘inter-being.’
- Learn to see others and the land through a new lens.
Life Skills
Healthy life-style choices, self-responsibility, critical thinking, managing feelings, sharing
Time
10 minutes
Materials
- A handful of raisins for each participant. See variations on how to modify this activity with another type of dried fruit.
Space
Space for the group to sit comfortably
Introduction
In this activity, we explore a new mindset with regard to how the simple act of honing our attention can make a difference in perception. The group practices learning to see others and the land through a new lens.
Vocabulary
Mindfulness: a mental and physical state of awareness and acceptance of the present moment
Garden: any space you intentionally cultivate plants. This can be in containers, a raised bed, in the ground, etc.
Activity
Opening Questions
- Mindfulness, or mindful attention, is becoming more commonplace in our language. What does it mean?
- Has anyone practiced mindful eating before? Please tell us about it.
Experience
- Invite youth to begin by washing their hands.
•If youth may not be familiar with vineyards, it may be helpful to show the images provided in this activity as it will help them visualize the journey of their raisin. - Hand out a raisin to each person and instruct them not to eat it.
- Below is a script for facilitators to use, we encourage the facilitator not to rush, and read slowly with intention. In our often ‘too busy’ culture, this can feel uncomfortable to some; you may even want to practice prior to the session. Taking a breath in between sentences can help with pacing. Please modify the script as needed to fit the snack and the group.
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Raisin Imagination Script ·Let’s take a few moments to see this raisin and remember the journey it took to get here. I invite you to close your eyes if you feel comfortable or rest your gaze on the raisin. ·This raisin came from a grape, which was born on vineyard. Imagine a grapevine in a vineyard, plump with grapes. The sun is shining, there is a gentle breeze, and nurturing soil providing foundation for us all. ·Picture the hands that grew this grape, do they look like yours? ·Farm workers tend to the grapes as they grow, providing water and nutrients as needed. When grapes are ripe, farm workers harvest the grapes and prepare them for transportation. Grapes are loaded onto tractors and transported to the next steps on their journey. Processed by people into packaging, juices, jams, raisins and more, so they ultimately arrive to you. ·Take a look at this raisin in your hand. Try to look at this raisin as if you have never seen a raisin before. Notice its textures, color, how the light and shadow reflect upon it. If you are thinking to yourself, “why am I thinking so much about this raisin?” Or “this is a silly exercise.” Please note these thoughts and bring your attention back to this moment. ·Rotate the raisin in your hand or between your fingers. Feel free to close or rest your eyes. Feel the different textures, and notice if they are soft, rough, bumpy, sticky, or smooth. ·Gently, bring the raisin towards your ear. Squish it, roll it around in your fingers. Notice any sounds that you hear. ·Slowly, bring the raisin under your nose. Inhale softly. What do you smell? Is this what you expected to smell? Notice your body’s response. Is your mouth watering? ·At last, gently place the raisin on your tongue. Do not bite yet, notice the sensation of the raisin on your tongue. Does it feel differently than when it was in your hand? Notice the flavors, notice your body’s response, producing saliva or the urge to chew. ·Now, begin to chew slowly. How does the texture of the raisin change? How about flavor? Notice the body’s response, the need to swallow. ·Now allow yourself to swallow, notice how the body knows exactly what it needs to do. Follow the raisin from mouth to throat to belly. ·Take a moment to reflect on how this experience was for you. |
4. Ask the group to share a word or thought to describe how they felt during the raisin imagination if they feel comfortable.
Reflection Questions (choose a few that work best for your group)
- How did this practice compare to how you typically eat?
- How does this experience relate to exploring definitions of land?
- What does the land give to us? What do we give to the land? How do we care for the land?
- How do you interact with land in your daily life? Where do you feel most connected to land?
- If we were to apply the “slowing down” pace inspired by this activity to our relationship with the land each day, what might that look like?
- How does land connect to the garden? How can we extend the same care to our gardens as we do to the land?
Variations
- For this activity, any type of dried fruit works well. See example blueberry script below.
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Raisin Imagination Script – Dried Blueberry ·Let’s take a few moments to see this blueberry and remember the journey it took to get here. I invite you to close your eyes if you feel comfortable or rest your gaze on the blueberry. ·This blueberry grew on a bush on a farm. Imagine a blueberry bush on a farm, plump with berries. The sun is shining, there is a gentle breeze, and nurturing soil providing foundation for us all. ·Picture the hands that grew this blueberry, do they look like yours? ·Farm workers tend to the berries as they grow, providing water and nutrients as needed. When blueberries are ripe, farm workers harvest the berries and prepare them for transportation. Berries are loaded onto tractors and transported to the next steps on their journey. Processed by people into packaging, juices, jams, yogurt and more, so they ultimately arrive to you. ·Take a look at this blueberry in your hand. Try to look at this blueberry as if you have never seen a blueberry before. Notice its textures, color, how the light and shadow reflect upon it. If you are thinking to yourself, “why am I thinking so much about this dried blueberry?” Or “this is a silly exercise.” Please note these thoughts and bring your attention back to this moment. ·Rotate the blueberry in your hand or between your fingers. Feel free to close or rest your eyes. Feel the different textures, and notice if they are soft, rough, bumpy, sticky, or smooth. ·Gently, bring the blueberry towards your ear. Squish it, roll it around in your fingers. Notice any sounds that you hear. ·Slowly, bring the berry under your nose. Inhale softly. What do you smell? Is this what you expected to smell? Notice your body’s response. Is your mouth watering? ·At last, gently place the berry on your tongue. Do not bite yet, notice the sensation of the blueberry on your tongue. Does it feel differently than when it was in your hand? Notice the flavors, notice your body’s response, producing saliva or the urge to chew. ·Now, begin to chew slowly. How does the texture of the blueberry change? How about flavor? Notice the body’s response, the need to swallow. ·Now allow yourself to swallow, notice how the body knows exactly what it needs to do. Follow the berry from mouth to throat to belly. ·Take a moment to reflect on how this experience was for you. |
Learn More
- GEM: Get Experience in Mindfulness University of Delaware
- Inspire kids to doTM : Kids’ guide to mindfulness National 4-H
- Mindfull or Mindful? Penn State Extension
- Mindfulness in 4-H: How to integrate mindfulness into your 4-H program University of New Hampshire Extension
- Social, Emotional and Mindful Learning Curriculum University of New Hampshire Extension
- What is Mindfulness? Mindful Communications
- A Wholeness Offering meditation script by Embracing Equity
Acknowledgements
This activity has been adapted from existing raisin meditations, a practice common in some spiritual traditions.