HANDS-ON MINDFULNESS & SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Make & Take: Calming Creations™
Children design and build their own calming tools every session — paired with original SEL curriculum, guided mindfulness practices, and reflection journals they take home and use for years to come.
Through Community Education in Mounds View · White Bear Lake · Roseville · Centennial
WHAT MAKES THIS PROGRAM DIFFERENT
More Than a Craft. A Toolkit for Life.
Make & Take: Calming Creations™ is the only program of its kind available through Community Education in the Twin Cities north metro.
Every session combines a hands-on creative project with original trauma-informed curriculum — including a design worksheet, guided mindfulness breathing practice, and a structured SEL reflection journal — to help children develop real emotional regulation skills they can use independently long after class ends.
✔ A physical calming tool they design and create
✔ Original mindfulness curriculum by founder Tara Willits used by families in 20+ countries
✔ Guided breathing and sensory mindfulness practice
✔ SEL reflection journal with emotion vocabulary
✔ Home use guide so families can continue the learning
WHAT CHILDREN CREATE
A New Calming Tool Every Session
3-week sessions · one complete project per class · all materials included
Note for coordinators: Sessions are themed seasonally. Projects below represent a sample of available offerings. Specific projects per session can be confirmed at partnership booking and vary by season.
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Breathing Buddies
Breathing tool · Grades K–6 · all seasons
A customizable breathing buddy made from a cup and colorful paper streamers — children choose their buddy's character (Dragon, Octopus, Unicorn, Puppy, Cat, and more), decorate it, then use it to practice deep breathing by watching the streamers dance as they exhale.
Included in this project:
✔ Character design planning worksheet
✔ All materials: cup, streamers, markers, decorations
✔ Guided breathing practice with the finished tool
✔ "My Buddy Helps Me When" SEL reflection
✔ Take-home use guide for familiesStrategy taught: Deep belly breathing · exhale-focused calming
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Calming Sensory Bottle
Glitter sensory bottle · Grades K–6 · seasonal themes
Children design and fill their own sensory calming bottle with glitter, confetti, and color, using glycerin to slow the swirl. When shaken, glitter swirls and settles — children breathe slowly and watch, using the bottle as a built-in mindfulness timer. Each bottle has a handmade tag with an original poem.
Included in this project:
✔ Brainstorm/design worksheet (colors, materials)
✔ All materials: bottle, glitter, glycerin, funnel
✔ Guided breathing: slow breaths as glitter settles
✔ SEL reflection worksheet (feelings before/after use)
✔ Mindful use instructions for homeStrategy taught: Paced breathing · sensory grounding · impulse regulation
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Scented Sensory Slime
Snowflake Slime etc · Grades K–6 · seasonal themes
Children craft their own scented sensory slime, choosing seasonal scents (Forest Pine, Warm Vanilla, and others). Each child names their creation — building personal ownership — and learns how kneading and stretching slime signals the nervous system to calm.
Included in this project:
✔ All slime materials + child safe scents
✔ Naming and scent selection activity
✔ Guided mindfulness during creation
✔ SEL reflection worksheet ("when to use" prompts)
✔ Take-home affirmation poemStrategy taught: Sensory grounding · personal ownership of tools
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Clay Worry Stones
Clay stress tool · Grades K–6 · all seasons
Children sculpt a personal clay stress-relief creature — a tactile calming tool they squeeze or hold. Paired with a branded affirmation tag: "I rub my stone nice and slow, I let my worries shrink and go."
Included in this project:
✔ Brainstorm/design worksheet (colors, materials)
✔ All materials: bottle, glitter, glycerin, funnel
✔ Guided breathing: slow breaths as glitter settles
✔ SEL reflection worksheet (feelings before/after use)
✔ Mindful use instructions for homeStrategy taught: Tactile grounding · self-soothing through sensory input
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Self-Love Mirror
Grades K–6 · 6–8
Children decorate a mirror frame with clay charms and affirmation stickers, then complete a Self-Love Mirror reflection worksheet.
Included in this project:
✔ Acrylic mirror, clay charms, gems, affirmation stickers
✔ Affirmation companions
✔ Guided mindfulness during creation
✔ Self-Love Mirror reflection worksheetStrategy: Self-compassion · positive self-talk
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Nature Sun Catcher
Grades K–6 · seasonal theme
Children arrange pressed flowers, leaves, and petals in a clear sun-shaped catcher with paper sunrays, while practicing a guided 5-senses grounding activity.
Included in this project:
✔ Sun template, scissors, transfer paper, string
✔ Gathered nature materials
✔ Guided 5-senses grounding activity
✔ Gratitude reflectionStrategy: Nature grounding · 5-senses mindfulness
EVERY SESSION INCLUDES
Deliverables Per Class. Not Just Another Craft.
1
Planning & Design Worksheet
Before creating, children brainstorm and design — building intention and ownership before touching any materials.
2
The Physical Calming Tool
A real, functional tool designed for actual use — not a generic craft project.
3
SEL Reflection Journal
Structured worksheet with emotion vocabulary, coping strategy identification, and when-to-use prompts. CASEL-aligned.
4
Guided Mindfulness Practice
A facilitated breathing or grounding practice woven into the creation process — not just added on at the end.
5
Home Use Guide for Families
Simple instructions so families know how to use the tool at home — extending the learning beyond the classroom.
"Children leave not just with a craft — but with a complete calming strategy, practiced in class and ready for home."
SEL CURRICULUM — IN EVERY SESSION
Learning Through Reflection — Every Class
Every session includes a structured reflection worksheet designed to build the social-emotional vocabulary and self-awareness children need to use their calming tools independently.
Each worksheet is designed specifically for the project created that session, with questions that:
✔ Name and identify emotions before and after using the tool
✔ Identify specific feelings each tool helps with
✔ Build language around when and how to use each strategy
✔ Connect the physical tool to an internal experience
✔ Create a personal plan: "Next time I feel ___, I will ___"
CASEL SEL Competency Alignment:
Self-Awareness · Self-Management · Social Awareness · Responsible Decision-Making
Designed to complement — not replace — your district's existing SEL curriculum
PARTNERSHIP INFORMATION
Bringing Make & Take: Calming Creations™ to Your District
Make & Take: Calming Creations™ is available to Community Education programs as a turnkey 3-week after-school enrichment session. Here's exactly what every partnership includes:
What The Mindfulness Movement™ provides:
✔ All materials — completely — every consumable for every child in every session
✔ Original trauma-informed curriculum — all worksheets, reflection journals, affirmation materials, take-home resources
✔ Fully facilitated sessions — setup, delivery, and cleanup. Zero prep from school staff.
✔ 3 complete projects over 3 weeks — each with curriculum components per child
✔ CASEL-aligned SEL curriculum — all reflection journals address core competencies
✔ Professional credentialed educator — Child Psychology degree, TCI certification, 5,000+ classes taught
Program Format
✔ 3-week sessions (one 60 min class/week)
✔ Before or after school at your building
✔ Grades K–6 · small group enrollment
✔ Registers through your CE portal (Arux or Eleyo)
✔ All materials transported, set up & broken down by TMM
Current CE partnerships:
Mounds View CE · White Bear Lake Area Schools · Roseville CE (ISD 623) · Centennial CE
Ready to Register?
Calming Creations™ is offered through Community Education in four districts. Click your district to see current sessions.
Don't see your district? Join our list for early access or submit a partnership inquiry
