Daily Gratitude at ECO

What follows is a brief excerpt from a May 2026 interview with ECO Founder Sarah Besse.  See the full interview HERE.

How do children practice gratitude and reflection at ECO?
Each day, we express gratitude for the earth and for one another through speech, music, visual art, and/or movement. We invite children to reflect on their day and to notice something they are grateful for — a friendship, a bird sighting, a muddy adventure, or the feeling of sunshine or rain.

Our gratitude practices provide an opportunity for children to develop a daily habit of reflection.  In addition, research suggests that gratitude can support emotional wellbeing and social connection. Our goal is for children to understand themselves not as separate from nature, but as participants in a larger ecological community.