Ellie Elephant and Reggie rabbits Gardening Adventure: An Early Intervention Story About Slowing Down

This story can support children with anxiety, fears, and behavioral concerns. Learning an early intervention skill to slow down, lends educational ways for parents and children to start making slight changes. Reading together about Ellie and Reggie, how they learn a breathing mantra to help relax and understand their bodies, may help a slower pace of thinking, feeling and mindfulness. Ellie Elephant and Reggie Rabbit have fun learning how to use breathing methods while they garden in the authors bush property in NSW Australia. The mantra of "breathing in and breathing out" repeats throughout the story with a mindfulness mediation at the completion of their adventure to help relax Ellie and Reggie and encompass learning for the reader. Different experiences throughout the story involve learning to watch Australian birds, listening to their calls, while gardening and using mindful breathing exercises. Chattering and giggling, enjoying each other's company as they play, plant succulents, and weed the garden. Learning how to take slow breaths helps them both take time to watch, noticing nature. Ellie and Reggie identify tiredness and understand why breathing in and out technique's help. The breathing mantra supports their ability to enjoy themselves while having fun, including developing an awareness of when to start to calm themselves, when they feel tired or overwhelmed. Focusing on their breathing, feeling their bodies relax after adventures and fun, slipping into a meditation becomes a simple task. Ellie and Reggie start embracing our local environments to bring our next generation up to change the way we look after ourselves and how to use a breathing mantra. Stopping, watching, and listening together, is a skill to learn.