Blue Marble Project Lesson

This is a Blue Mind lesson created by Marine Science and Physiology teacher Malia Holmes, MS; ATC; CMT of Villa Park High School

On the very first day of class as the students entered the class I gave each one a Blue Marble. I did this with all my students in Marine Science, Physiology and Honors Physiology.

I talked a bit about the class and what we would be learning, a bit about me as a person and as a teacher and finally about this wonderful book I read this summer, Blue Mind, by Wallace J,Nichols. I explained how the book talks about how we relate and heal with water. I asked them questions about how they felt about water, either salt or fresh. I asked them about their favorite color, most of them said it was blue. I asked a few if they would tell me why blue. Some said it was calming, others didn’t really know. I asked them to close their eyes and think about a time that they enjoyed being in the water, this could be a bath, at the beach, in the pool, the lake or a river. Seeing if they could recover that feeling, who was with them, why was it enjoyable, and any other details they could remember. I could see smiles on their faces as they thought about this time. Many of them were playing with their marble while thinking about the water. So many different reactions and observations. 

Finally I asked them all to take out their blue marble and I read to them what Mr. Nichols wrote in his book and had his audience do. Extend your hand out and look at the marble, that’s what Earth looks like from space, now bring it close to your eye and that’s what it looks like when you are under water, now bring it to your heart and think about someone you love, or someone who you are grateful for. Have you told them lately that you loved them or that you appreciate what they did for you. It may not have been a big deal to them but I am sure they would love to know that it was to you. Please feel free to give this blue marble to that person and tell them the story. See their reaction, then think about how that made you feel. 

I had a student the very next day ask for another blue marble because she gave hers away but she also noticed that it calmed her down in her class that she was anxious about. Thank you Wallace J. Nichols for the book and the idea of the Blue Marble Project and Blue Mind Movement.