Chapel Matters

While the Year 7&8 students are based at Knox College, we have had the opportunity to go into the Botanical Gardens for some reflective time. As reported in last week’s newsletter, we had a chapel in the Herb Garden which was fun! 

This week, the Year 7s’ took their journals into the Gardens, and we did the Silent Spaces Trail. This loop around the top part of the Garden has been especially designed to encourage listening, observation, and peace – perfect for journaling! The brochure we used (see the link) says, “Spending silent time in nature can bring us comfort and help us feel restored. Green, clam places promote inner stillness.” 

These sorts of trails were started in the UK and the one here in Dunedin is the first in the Southern Hemisphere. Students were encouraged to turn their technology off and enjoy the birdsong, the sound of the water in the Leith, and just to notice what else they could feel, see, and smell (but not taste!). “Silence nurtures our nature, our human nature, and let’s us know who we are” (Gordon Hempton & John Grossman).