The spotlight is on gratitude this season. Gratitude is defined as a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. Experts tell us that practicing gratitude can improve mental health, strengthen relationships and reduce stress. During this season HEPL is offering a program focused on gratitude activities. A selection of activities are provided for all ages and you can do them at your own pace – as few or as many as you wish. Here is how it works:
- Log into your Beanstack account (or create an account) here
- Enroll in one or all Season of Gratitude programs (Family, Self, Community)
- Complete the required number of activities in each program to earn a badge
- Enjoy a renewed sense of thankfulness for those you consider family, for your community and for yourself
The Season of Gratitude activities will be available from November 15, 2020 through January 15, 2021. To make it even more fun to focus on the positive things in your life all participants who have earned a badge will be entered into a final drawing for prize bundles reflective of the theme of gratitude. Take a few moments this season to join us in practicing gratitude by completing the Beanstack activities or attending the following events.
#GratitudeAttitude for Teens
Thursday November 5 | 6-7 PM | Virtual
Do you have a #GratitudeAttitude? In today’s world, it often feels like there is a never-ending stream of negativity and stress coming at us from all angles. Science tells us that grateful people are happier, have better relationships with friends and loved ones, are more hopeful, and have higher GPA’s, just to name a few benefits! Join Chief Happiness Officer Sarah Ratekin to learn how and why YOU should cultivate a #GratitudeAttitude! For grades 6-12.
Genealogy Roundtable Focus on What is on Your Genealogy Gratitude List?
Tuesday, November 10 | 2-3 PM | Virtual
As Thanksgiving fast approaches, we should take time to think about the genealogy discoveries and technologies for which we are grateful. Attendees will share their thoughts about the top three items on their Genealogy Gratitude List. Just to get you started thinking, here is one of mine: I am grateful for new genealogists who aren’t afraid to ask questions and I am grateful for seasoned genealogists who generously share their experience.
This is an informal genealogy discussion group–please join us online for a Zoom roundtable! You will need a mobile device or computer with a microphone (webcam is optional).
Gratitude: Why Giving Thanks is So Good for Us (and Others)
Wednesday, November 18 | 7-8 PM | Virtual
To celebrate HEPL’s Season of Gratitude, Sarah Ratekin, Chief Happiness Officer of Happiness is Courage, Inc., is offering this series of interactive workshops on how gratitude practices can positively impact your life. You may register for a single workshop, or all three! Free copies of Sarah’s Silver Threads gratitude journal will be available starting November 4 at both libraries, while supplies last! Take a look at the December and January workshops, too! In this interactive session we’ll look at how gratitude affects us and the people around us, and talk about ways to create a personal gratitude practice, and how you can take that practice to the next level! Registration with email required for Zoom meeting invitation.
Virtual Personal Gratitude Vision Board
Thursday, November 19 | 6-7 PM | Virtual
Saturday, November 21 | 11 AM – 12 PM | Virtual
Thursday, December 17 | 6-7 PM | Virtual
Vision boards are often a collage of images and words that represent something you wish to see. We will design our boards with the thought of making a visual reminder of things we are grateful for. Patrons will lay out their designs on a canvas wrapped board that will be painted. You must register for this program to get a supply pack and the Zoom link.
Virtual Community Tag-You’re-It Class
Thursday, December 3 | 6-7 PM | Virtual
Saturday, December 19 | 6-7 PM | Virtual
Thursday, January 7 | 6-7 PM | Virtual
Put gratitude out in your community by designing a tag that you can attach to someone’s front door, car or literally anything else you can wrap a tag around. We will explore several different ways to make a unique tag that gets a message of gratitude across using materials such as aluminum cans and wax pencils. Once tagged, the recipient is left with an opportunity to ‘tag’ someone else. You must register for this program to get a supply pack and the Zoom link. Space is limited. Ages 7 and up.
Gratitude Attitude: The Gift That Keeps Giving
Thursday, December 3 | 7-8 PM | Virtual
To celebrate HEPL’s Season of Gratitude, Sarah Ratekin, Chief Happiness Officer of Happiness is Courage, Inc., is offering this series of interactive workshops on how gratitude practices can positively impact your life. You may register for a single workshop, or all three! Free copies of Sarah’s Silver Threads gratitude journal will be available starting November 4 at both libraries, while supplies last.
In this interactive, virtual conversation Sarah Ratekin will help us explore the ways that cultivating a “gratitude attitude” can be a gift to ourselves and the people around us. We will look at some of the physical, emotional, and social benefits of gratitude, along with easy ways to start (and sustain) your own personal gratitude practice! Registration with email required for Zoom meeting invitation.
Virtual Family Gratitude Flag Class
Saturday, December 5 | 11 AM – 12 PM | Virtual
Tuesday, December 8 | 6-7 PM | Virtual
Saturday, January 9 | 2-3 PM | Virtual
Make your own family flags with bits of cloth, thread and fabric markers. You will be encouraged to create symbols, drawings or simple words that express gratitude about your family. You must register for this program to get a supply pack and the Zoom link. Space is limited. All ages.
Meditation, Gratitude, and Unlocking Your Joy
Wednesday, December 9 | 6-7 PM | Virtual
Join us for a virtual talk and guided meditation centered on gratitude, presented by meditation teacher Fred May from Kadampa Meditation Center Indianapolis. Registration with email required to receive Zoom meeting invitation.
Adult Virtual Craft: Gratitude Stones & No Sew Burlap Bag
Thursday, December 10 | 6:30 – 8 PM | Virtual
At this time when we wish to encourage thankfulness and gratitude, we will paint a set of small Gratitude Stones and make a no-sew burlap bag in which to store them. Suggestions on how to utilize your stones in activities and bestow them as gifts will also be provided. Class is intended for those age-18 and above. Registration with email required for Zoom meeting invitation.
Virtual Personalized Gift Box Class
Saturday, December 12 | 11 AM – 12:30 PM | Virtual
Saturday, December 12 | 2-3:30 PM | Virtual
Make an oval box with a lid in several sizes and depths. The technique used to make these boxes is based on the band boxes popular in the 19th century, and is well suited to making boxes with curves, like this oval box. The is an elegant box that will complement that special gift. In fact, a well-made and decorated box is a gift unto itself. You must register for this program to get a supply pack and the Zoom link. Space is limited. Ages 13 and up.
Season of Gratitude: Teen Watch Party
Tuesday, December 29 | 2-4 PM | Virtual
To celebrate the Season of Gratitude, teens will meet up online to watch an uplifting, inspiring movie that celebrates hope and gratitude. Teens attending the Watch Party will vote on which movie to watch together. Grab some popcorn and candy and join us! For grades 6-12. Registration required.
New Year, New You, New Reasons to Keep Being Grateful
Tuesday, January 12 | 7-8 PM | Virtual
To celebrate HEPL’s Season of Gratitude, Sarah Ratekin, Chief Happiness Officer of Happiness is Courage, Inc., is offering this series of interactive workshops on how gratitude practices can positively impact your life. You may register for a single workshop, or all three! Free copies of Sarah’s Silver Threads gratitude journal will be available starting November 4 at both libraries, while supplies last.
Maybe you set resolutions, maybe you pick a word/affirmation/intention for the new year, and maybe you see other people setting goals, sigh in frustration, and throw in the towel because every year, no matter how well you plan, “”life”” happens, and your best-laid hopes and dreams wind up taking a back burner. In this interactive, virtual conversation, Sarah Ratekin will explain the super-nerdy and super powerful link between gratitude and motivation. We’ll briefly touch on the neuroscience, and then dive into practical, and most importantly EASY ways to combine gratitude with your goals for radically positive results!
Ignite Activity Track Packs
Ignite’s Activity Track Packs are sets of materials you can pick up at the library to do a project at home, on your own time. These activities correspond with learning tracks on HEPL’s Beanstack, and reflect the Season of Gratitude theme. Packs will be available for pick up Nov. 16 thru mid-January (or while supplies last).
Family Activity Track: Collaborative Drawing Game
Gather the family to play a surrealist game that involves a large sheet of folded paper and whatever drawing materials you like. Participants take turns by drawing a section of a body—head, torso, feet—on a large folded sheet of paper without the others looking. After completing their section, that person passes it fold side down to the next player to add another section to the body, and so on. Watch what unfolds as you see the results of your combined drawing and be grateful for the time spent together in this creative activity.
Self Activity Track: Gratitude Sun Collage Pack
Collage your own sun with colored pieces of paper that represent rays and sunshine. Incorporate things you are grateful for on the sun to have a visual reminder that you can post somewhere in your space.
Community Activity Track: Gratitude Postcards
Show gratitude for someone in your community by sending them a handmade postcard. Trace a premade design using graphite paper onto a craft paper postcard, color it