Panhandle PBS presents Garden of the Mind

Learn to thrive in the Panhandle PBS Garden of the Mind on Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Oeschger Family Mall on the Washington Street Campus of Amarillo College.

The event borrows its title from a “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” episode in which Mr. Rogers suggests viewers can “grow ideas in the garden of your mind.”

Garden of the Mind invites participants to cultivate the little things they can do to improve their mental health. The healing powers discussed in “The Little Things” will be divided into themed areas where attendees can learn new practices.

There will be expert-led demonstrations of meditation and breathing techniques in the Garden of Mindfulness and Movement, mindful cooking in the Food & Mood Garden, and art activities in the Garden of Creativity.

Local organizations such as Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo Public Library, High Plains Food Bank and the Texas Panhandle Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will provide other stress-relieving, family-friendly activities.

7 Star Horse Therapy will show one of its horses. Therapy dogs will be on hand. And, Daniel Tiger from the PBS series “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” will make an appearance.

PBHA and other entities will share information about community resources.

Texas Panhandle Centers will bring its Mobile Wellness Clinic, staffed with a team that includes a nurse practitioner and mental health professionals. In addition, licensed counselors and other mental health professionals have volunteered to be on site. Plus, garden-goers can check out a screening of “The Little Things” series.

Garden of the Mind is presented with support from Bank of America, Amarillo Area Foundation, Amarillo College, Northwest Texas Healthcare Systems, Street Toyota and Texas Tech Physicians Department of Psychiatry.