As a child, I was very anxious about many things. I would worry about how long my parents would be away when they left home, about going on campouts or to church camp for a week, and perhaps most of all, I would worry about storms. I can, when I choose to visit my inner child, still experience the anxiety he once felt about those Midwestern storms that would slowly roll though our part of the prairie. I remember listening closely when the weatherman came on the TV or radio; I would scan the skies looking for dark clouds, and when the storms came, I would be anxious for hours before and after they had passed. A larger part of my childhood than I would have liked was devoted to worrying about the thunder and lightning, so I care deeply about children who may experience some of those feelings today.
Recently, I spoke with a parent about this very issue, and I began using what I know about anxiety and how children experience their world to create something that could be used to engage kids in those moments of worry or fear. I believe deeply in the power of play, imagination, and grounding, so I created this “Lightning in a Jar” intervention that might be helpful in using those techniques to work with kids and their anxiety about storms.
How it works: when a storm is beginning, a child can listen for thunder or look for lightning. As they experience those sounds or sights, they may choose a “magic charm” to place in the jar. The jar will collect all the “magic charms” during the storm, and after weather has calmed, the child may then make a wish on the magic they have collected in the jar. Of course, some direction and imagination will help to make this ritual even more satisfying to kids. Adults add narratives, such as, “the energy from the storm is what gives the charms their magic,” or the child can say something with each charm as they place it in the jar, such as, “I am safe,” or “the magic is growing.” The adult can teach the child that magic in the jar is very good for granting some wishes like “I wish to be braver,” or “I wish to worry less,” while it is less good for wishes like “I wish for a million dollars.”
I wanted to include a tutorial of how I made my jar, but of course your imagination and own personal touches are what really make the magic come to life. I hope you enjoy this idea and that the little ones in your life feel more confident about the world around them.
Here are the supplies I collected for my jar. All the items pictured below came from Michael’s except for the lightning bolts. I found an image online that I liked and printed to the size that would look right for the size of jar I was using.
After you find a lighting bolt that you like, print and cut it out to use as a template. I chose to get the thin foam sheets that have a sticky adhesive on the back for my lightning bolts. Use your template to trace your lightning bolts on the back of your foam sheets, remember to flip your template over if you want bolts that will mirror each other and face different directions.
I found that six lightning bolts were enough for how I wanted to decorate my jar.
Using the black foam sheet, I measured how tall the jar was and cut the sheet to wrap around the outside of my jar.
I peeled the paper backing off the adhesive and added a little gorilla glue just to give it a little extra sticking power to the jar.
I found these letters to label the jar; it took two packages to get all the right letters, so make sure you check the package if you choose to use a similar method.
Add the lightning bolts to your jar. My jar looked good with four around the outside, but you might use more or less depending on the size of your jar and the template you use.
I added two lightning bolts for decoration on the lid.
Here is the back of the jar; my black foam sheet wrapped around and covered the jar with a single sheet. I found square “magic charms” to use. I liked these as they had a little weight to them and had a rainbow look to them. You could use a variety of any other rocks, gems, cotton balls, etc. Be creative and keep in mind what your little ones might like.
View of the completed jar from the front:
Looks ready to start collecting the magic!
You might keep the charms in a separate basket, jar, or bag that can be set next to your lightning jar during the storm.
I hope this has been helpful. The little kid in me feels proud that other kids might have something to help them feel a little better about their worries!