Mini Zen Garden

Mini Zen Garden

As summer draws to an end, we say goodbye to our wonderful teacher and student help and wish them well on their impending school year. A great little gift for the college kids and teachers in your life is a mini Zen garden they can keep on their desk. This is a simple, thoughtful gift for those going back to school to keep calm, focused and add a little Zen to any room.

For this project, you’ll need a dish with no drainage holes. A wide, shallow container works best so that less sand is needed to get the desired effect. Fine sand is the most important part of your garden and it can be any color of your choice. Some other additions to your Zen garden could be some smooth rocks of various sizes, a small mound of moss if desired, or a little lantern or bridge. A lantern is meant to encourage meditation and a bridge could represent distance in your garden. The rocks you choose symbolize several different things you find in nature; taller rocks are meant to represent trees and the flat smooth rocks represent the ocean or a body of water. Assembling your garden is as easy as dumping your sand into the dish and laying your rocks and accessories in place. The best part about a Zen garden is that it can be changed when desired.

This sensory garden is great for relieving stress and anxiety. It can encourage a person to focus and calm themselves whenever needed throughout the day. This can be achieved by sifting the sand through your fingers, raking the sand with a small tool and rearranging any accessories you have placed. We found our terrarium tools worked great for drawing lines in the sand. If you want a fresh pallet to draw in, simply shake your dish to erase any lines or imperfections and start over. The possibilities are truly endless in the many ways you can keep your Zen garden.