Project AWARE Night Sky Wellness Walk

Time Range: 7pm-9pm

Description: Join a naturalist for a guided night sky walk! During this program, we will take time to appreciate the sights and sounds of McCloud Nature Park after dark. Bring a blanket for the chance to stargaze! This walk will be about 0.5 miles in length on flat, level ground. Meet at Nature Center entrance.

Objectives: Increase awareness of how several lesser known and lesser loved creatures utilize their senses for survival, learn grounding techniques for mental wellness, provide space to slow down.

Theme: Dealing with mental health can be a challenge, just as it can be a challenge to co-exist with some of the creatures we’ll discuss tonight. Information and awareness can help ease our discomfort.

Intro

  • Focus on using our senses to promote wellbeing.

    • ◦ Important to take care of all aspects of our health, including our physical and mental health.

  • We’ll be learning how several lesser known and lesser loved critters utilize their senses for survival. It may be uncomfortable for us to co-exist with these critters, just as it is difficult to co-exist with our mental health at times.

  • Walk ends with time for quiet reflection and stargazing. (Blankets left in box)

Hike Prep

  • Wake up senses and get ready to move!

  • Stretch as you are comfortable, naturalists lead a few stretches (reach up, reach down, roll arms, ragdoll, waterfall)

Intro to Grounding

  • Techniques using the senses to help relax you in stressful situations.

  • 5-4-3-2-1

  • 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste (can be water)

  • Has really helped me when I have panic attacks.

5- Sight

  • Look around and find things in the color of the rainbow (ROYGBIV) When I say a color, point at something of that color.

  • Thumb-mometer (Thumb up/down/sideways) How do we feel about spiders?

  • Many spiders have poor vision and do not venture far from their webs. Talk more about jumping spiders.

  • Senses at work: Test the ability to follow direction while visually impaired (bug sight eye goggles)

4- Touch

  • Describe objects around you using words rather than sight, close your eyes if need be.

  • Thumb-mometer (Thumb up/down/sideways): How do we feel about raccoons?

  • Raccoons use touch as their primary sense to give them information about their environment. They do have a good sense of smell and they can see decently, but touch is the most important. They will get their hands wet to heighten their sense of touch.

  • Blind Bag Test

3- Hearing

  • We seldom take time out of our day to sit and be silent. We’re going to take some time to do that now for 1 min. Try to identify 3 different sounds. Try to keep focus on our sense of hearing as we listen silently for 1 min.

  • What did you hear?

  • Thumb-mometer (Thumb up/down/sideways): How do we feel about bats?

  • Bats utilize sound to navigate their world: More about echolocation and bats.

  • Test our sense of hearing with rattler/ bat and pup test.

2- Smell

  • Let’s try a breathing exercise. (Square breathing)

  • Thumb-mometer(Thumb up/down/sideways): How do we feel about snakes?

  • Snakes use their tongues to help them smell. More about Jacobson’s organ and snakes.

  • Roller ball scent matching using cardstock- See if they can match the smell rolled on individuals’ wrist to a scent on a card. Blindfold the guesser.

1- Taste

  • • Is there a specific flavor that makes you think of summer? Perhaps a popsicle or ice cream flavor you enjoy? (Do you have a flavor you wouldn’t choose?)

  • Thumb-mometer(Thumbs up/down/sideways): How do we feel about catfish?

  • Channel catfish have one of the best senses of taste of any of our native animals. Talk more about taste receptors all over the body and channel catfish.

  • Candy taste test (use jolly ranchers or flavored tootsie rolls.) Blind fold a few participants. Have staff unwrap candy with gloves on. Blindfolded participants must guess the flavor. Following this, make sure everyone gets a candy if they want one.

Conclusion

  • Thumb-mometer(Thumbs up/down/sideways): Have you learned more about how some of the unloved critters at McCloud Nature Park utilize their senses to survive? Can you co-exist in the world with these critters?

    • Let’s prioritize co-existing with our mental health. Remember the tools we learned to help us?

  • Review grounding technique: 5-4-3-2-1 ◦

    • 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste. ◦ Review breathing technique: Square breathing • You’ve taken a positive step to benefit your mental well-being in joining us tonight. We have one final practice to promote your health. We’ll wrap up tonight by being still and enjoying the beauty of the evening through stargazing. ◦ Provide star maps, blankets, orient to north. Use laser pointer to highlight major constellations. • As you pass out star maps, thank participants for taking time to slow down a bit, outdoors. Encourage them to take time for their mental wellbeing the rest of the year