Hi, we’re Ellie and Alyssa. We had a crazy time last year camping at a national park near where we live. You can read about our adventure here, but right now we want to share with you some of the tools that help us be brave!

Ellie has a backpack where she keeps special things that mean something to her, or has happy memories about. We each have our own set of tools to remind us of what’s important or that guide us through the day. Here are some of our tools:

Item

What they mean

Shell

Breathe

Take a deep breath and relax when you’re feeling cross or stressed.

Pencil

Imagine

Always good to have a pencil on hand to capture your creativity.

Journal

Perspective

Sometimes writing it down helps to see things differently.

Photo of friends

Empathy

A friend can support and help you and you can try to understand others.

Beaded necklace

Awareness and presence

Feel the weight against your skin. It will remind you to be aware of what’s around you and how you’re feeling, to be present and not distracted.

Compass

True north

Stops you from getting lost but also makes sure you make the right decisions. What’s the right thing to do in this situation?

Initial keyring

Be you

A reminder to be who you are and to speak up for what you believe in. Like this quote from a Dr Suess book, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

Butterfly stickers

Growth

You have to go through a transformation to be a butterfly. No one starts off amazing straight away and we have lots of learning and hard work to get there.