Swirling mud and clear water

With Buddha's birthday on the 8th we have been talking about he is was and what Buddhist's believe. The kids are familiar with yoga, having been exposed to it in a variety of ways, but meditation has been a new concept. After a conversation about what mediation is at what some of the benefits may be we decided we would try it in the morning. While it is by no means every morning (although the crazy chaotic flow to our average morning probably warrants it!), we set a time frame, usually under 5 minutes, and follow an agreed on method. We have tried being completely silent, focusing on a object, a guided meditation. A book that resonated with us in the past Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean, has a fabulous activity in the back.
It goes as follows:
Fill a glass jar with water. Talk about how the water is clear, quiet, clean, like the sky. Take a little sand or soil and put it into the jar.Talk about each of those grains being one of your thoughts- they are all different; sad, happy, hopeful, angry, dark. Put the lid on and shake it up so that everything is swirling around, getting faster and faster. This is what your mind is like when you are moving fast, hurrying. Let the jar calm down by leaving it on the table, this is what your mind is like in meditation. The thoughts fall and settle at the bottom, the water which is your mind, is light and clear instead of muddy. You can act peacefully when you think clearly.

The kids and I have really connected with that visualization. The chaos of the dirt spinning around is often used to describe where someone is at, and we can talk about calming our thoughts and we are all on the same page!!!! so cool!