Materials:
- White flowers (like carnations)
- Water
- Food coloring (blue for calm, yellow for happiness, red for anger, etc.)
- Multiple cups
- Clear tape or a small piece of plastic wrap (for creating a “shield”)
Method:
- Setting Up the Experiment:
Fill each cup with water and add different colors of food coloring. Assign each color a different emotion or “energy” (e.g., blue for calm, red for excitement, green for creativity). - Absorbing Energies Around Us:
Place one flower in each cup without any covering on its stem. Over time, the flowers will absorb the colored water, changing color to represent the influence of the “energies” around them. Explain to the kids that just like the flowers, we often “take in” the emotions and energies of people around us. - Introducing the Energy Shield (Blocking Other Energies):
For one or two flowers, wrap a small piece of clear tape or plastic wrap around the end of the stem before placing it in the colored water. This acts as a “shield,” preventing the flower from absorbing the colored water. - Observe the Difference:
Over time, the flowers with the shield will stay white while the others change color. Explain that, just like the shielded flowers, we can also set boundaries or create a “protective shield” around ourselves to limit absorbing emotions or energies from others. We can do this by focusing on our own emotions, practicing self-care, or spending time alone when we need it.
*Warning, don’t make this display last over too many days, or the flower that’s not getting water will die – the OPPOSITE of the lesson we want here. this is also why we use carnations, they tend to last longer without water.
Guarding Your Energy
Talk to the kids about how different people might bring different “colors” of energy into their lives—some happy, some calm, and some more intense. Emphasize that while it’s natural to absorb some of this energy, they can also choose to set boundaries, just like using the shield on the flower. Teach them simple ways to create their “energy shield,” like imagining a bubble around them or taking deep breaths to stay grounded.
This adds a powerful, visual way to understand that while energies around them can influence their feelings, they also have the power to protect their own energy and decide what they let in.
