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Kansas City, Mo. – Nature can provide benefits for mind and body. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a free Nature Rx Forest Spa Day event from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs.
Lisa Richter, MDC naturalist, will guide participants as they visit activity stations in the forest. The goal is to experience nature in new ways through the senses. Science has shown that contact with nature can provide health benefits such as reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, improving sleep, and other benefits. Making the senses more aware deepens the immersion in nature and boosts benefits.
Participants can enjoy sensory activities at five stations to experience the forest in new ways, such as by nature scent therapy, mystery touch bags, a native edibles tea party, listening closely to calming nature sounds. There will also be a mini-sight scavenger hunt. Small games can be played at each station to trigger the release of different neurotransmitters in the brain.
MDC will have a seating area at each station with a tarp on the ground. Participants are welcome to bring something portable and comfortable for them to sit on such as a camp chair, exercise or yoga mat, or a blanket. The nature spa treatments are designed for internal therapy focusing on the mind and body on the inside and not on external beauty. Nature journals will be made available to those who may wish to write or draw as they experience the forest.
This Nature Rx event is for participants ages 18 and older. COVID-19 safety precautions will be observed. Registration is required. To register, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4ph.
