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in The Garden
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Zen Gardenning get-togethers
Guided Exploration Workshops for Small Groups and Special Events
Gather your favourite people around a large table for a guided exploration into the sensory-engaging art of sand gardening.
How it Works
1 - Reserve a date and time with NDG Artist/Maker, Christine Mantz, at 514-243-0099
2 - Find a location with one or more large tables
(e.g.: your dining or living room; a public library space; a workspace) and a good amount of chairs.
3 - On day of event, Christine will deliver and setup
her Hand-Crafted collection of Sand Gardens,
for you to enjoy with your guests in a hands-on,
lightly-guided, exploration session.
All materials are provided
All that is needed from you is a table, a few curious hands and a willingness to slow down together... along with some cold/hot beverages !
We help you create a fun mindfulness themed event for your friends, family or colleagues!
This summer, "Meet Me In The Garden" brings their sand gardening experience straight to your location, for the day! We help you create a fun event for your friends, family or colleagues!
All materials are provided. All that is needed from you is a table, a few curious hands and a willingness to slow down together... along with some cold/hot beverages !
This experience works beautifully for :
• a creative get-together with friends
• a stay-cation family activity
• a multi-generational extended-family activity
• a community workshop on the subject of "Mindfulness" or "Re-connecting with nature"
• a Valentine's Day Special Event for burgeoning or blossoming couples
• an intimate retirement send-off (with a Zen Garden in lieu of cake!)
• a mindful team-building moment at your workplace
• a "Get-well-soon" activity in a journey to recovery
How it works... in more detail:
Each guest will be provided with one of our twelve 15"x12" table-top sand gardens, small rakes and texture spheres (see images). The gardens will be surrounded with a bountiful arrangement of elements to interact with and explore in each-other's company.
All these elements — which I will have carefully setup prior to the arrival of your guests — are part of a private collection of twelve tabletop sand gardens built and curated over several years by yours truly, local NDG Artist/Maker, Christine Mantz. Included in this collection are: handcrafted rakes and texture spheres as well as an array of delightful objects brought home from nature walks, trips abroad and/or specialized suppliers (ex.: miniature boulders, mini trees, crystals, moss covered bark, delicate pebbles, cured pine cones, miniature figurines, etc.)
This is not a formal class, nor a lecture...
It is a shared, hands-on exploration of miniature sand gardens along with some simple tips and minimal guidance. Your guests and you will have the rare opportunity to freely interact with these preexisting gardens, touch, manipulate, experiment, ask questions, observe, play... enjoy the moment! One day in future some of you may choose to build your own!
Some participants may decide to approach it more like a D.I.Y. workshop and take notes, ask about materials and methods, and learn how to create a table-top Zen Garden at home. That works too!
Tea, conversation, shared discovery, and the simple pleasure of making something beautiful out of sand and nature's small gifts gathered — this is the spirit of the gathering.
If this sounds like something you would enjoy hosting, simply reach out and we can discuss the nature of your event and a possible date to "MeetMeInTheGarden" at your chosen location.
Test-Run and Feedback Received for this workshop:
I had the pleasure of launching this workshop at the NDG Benny Library in February of 2026. It was received with such heartfelt enthusiasm by all seventeen participants! The quality of their sustained attention and the level of their engagement completely surpassed expectations. I was also immensely surprised by the wide variety of participants ages. Attending that first workshop that day, were individuals from literally every decade: kids, teens, young adults, mature adults, middle-aged individuals, aging folks and retirees. This was especially surprising considering all participants had signed-up without going through any selection or invitation process. The demographics were simply astounding! There were also as many girls/women as there were boys/men! Some had attended as couples, some as friends, some were siblings, some had come alone, some with their kids... This test-run lead me to the joyful realization that I had discovered a multi-generational activity par excellence! A real dream come true for the humble dreamy community rose-coloured glasses idealist that I am at Meet Me in The Garden! Thank you to all!
