ANTs At Your Picnic!

Many thanks to Ms. Megan for teaching me about ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) while we were chatting at parent book group, and to Dr. Nanci Norelli Smith for the concept & artwork! Her class, Thinking Traps: Spotting and Dealing with Automatic Negative Thoughts, is available on Outschool.

the "Discounting the Positive" ANT

My class really responded when we talked about ANTs and, in particular, how they can keep you from that first step in Nonviolent Communication, the neutral statement. I'd like to put together a little "picnic kit" that I can get out at the start of each school year when I present this concept.

So I'm thinking about a picnic basket, a red checked tablecloth, and the 16 items that are shown on the ANTs cards. I already had some things in my collection of play kitchen foods, but I need to get a few more foods in order for the picnic setup to match the artwork shown on the cards.

already had

donut

watermelon

strawberry

ribbon candy

banana

and can make

chocolate chip cookie

from Etsy seller MorgansMercantile

cupcake & cherry

from Etsy seller MissysFeltMarket

popsicle

from eBay

Hershey style Kiss, hand blown and signed by the artist Hulet in 2006

Christmas tree ornaments from Amazon

grapes

pretzel

hard candy

s'more

ice cream cone

corn on the cob

When the ANTs show up and steal the sweet foods from your picnic (the sweet thoughts from your mind), they leave you feeling grumpy and upset!

UPDATE: Just discovered that I have the perfect basket for this!!! My grandfather bicycled to work each day, and I have his vintage bicycle basket. I've kept it for years, but never found the just-right thing to store in this special basket. This lesson is perfect; the flat back allows me to store the ANTs cards without them bending, and the space inside is just the right size.

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