In the last 6 weeks we have worked with over 2000 kids from Long Valley to Titusville, New Jersey! As we wrap up 2022 we are so grateful to all the teachers, parents, principals and school counselors who advocated for our #PullYourWeeds® SEL Programs in their schools. Empowering children with healthy and positive tools to manage stress is needed now more than ever and we are confident that each and every child we connected with this year now has the vocabulary, mindset and tools to help them grow forward feeling confident and calm. We can't wait to see where it grows in 2023! To learn more about the many SEL programs we offer for students, teachers and families Click Here! We still have space available for pre-spring sessions and assemblies! Get your school on our 2023 schedule today! --> Email us at flowers@youareagardener.com

We wish all our gardener friends a joyful and bright holiday season! Thank you for rooting for us this year and helping us grow. We will back in 2023 with some big announcements! Stay tuned...

We've got some pretty big things 'growing on' for 2023. Stay tuned to our #PullYourWeeds® Blog, our weekly 'Weeds to Seeds' Newsletter and on social media @youaregardener in early January of 2023 for some super special announcements! #smallbatchbooks #itsgrowtime #newyearnewgoals #seedsaresprouting

This Tuesday 12/6 marked our five year anniversary at You Are a Gardener®! We celebrated this milestone all week along. On Tuesday we had a #PullYourWeeds® Assembly at the Cucinella School in Long Valley, NJ. On Tuesday night we received the very first printed proof of our Second Edition of You Are a Gardener® (arriving soon). On Wednesday we spread some local seeds with a #PullYourWeeds® Workshop at the Kemmerer Library. Our journey has taken us on some beautiful rides and we have met so many incredible gardener friends along the way. Thank you to our loving community for rooting for us all these years. We can’t wait to see where we ‘grow’ next! Scroll down for pictures of our week long celebration & some 2017 throwback pictures to when we were working on the first edition of our book ! 5 YEARS & GROWING STRONG! We connected with over 200 kids this week in Pre-K-2nd grade with our #PullYourWeeds® SEL assembly at the Cucinella School in Long, Valley, NJ! We had so much fun spreading some local seeds at the Kemmerer Library this week. Gardeners of all ages joined the fun at our library event! Throwback to some photo snaps in 2017 while putting together the first edition of our children's book, You Are a Gardener® with our Illustrator Kelsey Jordan.

We are so excited to announce that our Second Edition of You Are a Gardener® will be arriving in the next couple of weeks. Pre-Order a signed copy today! --> https://www.youareagardener.com/product-page/you-are-a-gardener <-- "Over the years our message, mission, and mindset has gotten significantly stronger and much more defined. We really want this to shine through in the brand new edition!" ~Shanna Truffini Without giving too much away, there will be several new literal changes to the book as well as some beautiful, new illustrations by our extremely talented Illustrator, Kelsey Jordan. Now more than ever children need tools to help them navigate stress. By introducing a new narrative that uses gardening vocabulary as emotional metaphors, You Are a Gardener®️ organically connects with children to empower them with a mindset and tools to help them ‘grow‘ forward feeling confident & calm.

There is still time to register for our Free event this Wednesday 12/7 at 4PM at the Kemmerer Library in Harding, NJ! This is a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn all about the You Are a Gardener® mindset, meet Gardener Anna & Gardener Aidan, do a fun craft and get free gardener giveaways! We will also be reading for the first time, the Second Edition of You Are a Gardener® (coming soon) Register For Free Now: Click Here! See you there gardeners!

We were spreading seeds from Woodbridge to Hopewell this week and connected with over 1000 students! The response and feedback has been extremely encouraging and we feel 100% confident that all 1000 kids now know simple strategies to manage stress and use positive tools to help them stay confident and calm. Stay tuned because we are closing out 2022 with 4 more schools! It's All About Turning "Weeds to Seeds" 1.) Identify what does not feel good (the weeds) 2.) Communicate those feelings with with a trusted source (pull your weeds) 3.) Manage big emotions with healthy and positive 'gardening' tools (turn weeds into seeds) Featuring: Matthew Jago School, Hopewell Elementary School, Stony Brook School We bring gardener giveaways for all the students! Can you guess what's in our goodie bag? "Our school had a great visit from Gardener Shanna today! She read her book and taught us gardening tools to help us pull the weeds in our gardens so we can all grow like flowers! The message was simple, meaningful and both students and staff related well to the strategies. Teachers began using what we learned in their classrooms that very same day! The students loved the You Tube channel too! Thank you Gardener Shanna for reminding us we all have weeds and we all have gardening tools to use!" (December 2022) ~Ms. Christine Laquidara Principal, Hopewell Elementary School Now Booking: SEL School Assemblies In New Jersey We are currently booking early Spring 2023...get your school on our schedule today! Email us at flowers@youaregardener.com

We have just opened up or calendar for Pre-Spring 2023 and now booking In-Person assemblies, workshops and speaking engagements. If you would like to learn more about our SEL services for students, teachers and families --> CLICK HERE to download a PDF featuring everything you need to Know about our #PullYourWeeds® SEL programs! For more information or to book now, send all emails to flowers@youareagardener.com . GET YOUR SCHOOL ON OUR SEL SCHEDULE FOR PRE-SPRING 2023

Practicing gratitude is one of our favorite 'gardening tools' we use at home home. When you take a moment to pause and think about the things you are grateful for, you are drawing all your attention to a happier and calmer state of mind. As gardeners, the more positive emotions we experience, the more we nurture our emotional well being -aka our gardens. Think of practicing gratitude like a stop sign for negative thoughts- aka our weeds. When you actively choose to redirect your thoughts from a negative to a positive, we are encouraging ourselves to experience a higher level of positive thoughts and emotions- aka our flowers. Growing a Gratitude Garden at home or in the classroom is a wonderful exercise for gardeners of all ages. This activity encourages gardeners reflect on all that we are grateful no matter how big or small the thoughts are. Scroll down for our Free Printable- Gratitude Flowers that you can print out and write what you are grateful for on the petals. You can hang them on a bulletin board, your refrigerator or even tape them to a window. #plantseedsofgratitude Scroll down for our Free Printable Gratitude Flowers DOWNLOAD A PDF OF OUR GRATITUDE FLOWERS BY CLICKING ON THE IMAGE BELOW #plantseedsofgratitude Did you grow your own gratitude garden? We would love to see pictures. send us your photos to flowers@youareagardener.com #PullYourWeeds®

Grab some brand new gardener gear in our Fox Shop! We just added some adorable new #PullYourWeeds Pins to our lineup. Shop now and get all 4 custom pins for only $3.99. All merchandise is limited edition...Dig In! <>

Building On Your Emotional Toolbox is what gardening is all about! The more strategies and 'gardening tools' we have, the more prepared we are when we encounter stress, negative feelings and uncomfortable emotions, aka weeds. When we use and apply our gardening tools we are encouraging our ability to successfully handle life’s stresses, adapt to change and adjust during difficult times. Maintaining a healthy garden and staying in a space of emotional wellness takes a lot of practice and patience. Be gentle with yourself gardeners and always be open to trying new 'gardening tools'. The more you know, the further you can grow! When you feel like you have hit a breaking point, aka the Last Straw then today's new gardening tool could be very helpful for you. The STRAW strategy can be applied by anyone, at anytime, anywhere. All you need is a glass of cold water. S it down T ake a drink of cold water R ecognize this will pass A llow yourself to breath W ait until you are calm This mini mindful moment encourages us to identify our negative feelings, take a pause and use positive action to help ourselves get to a calmer sate. The act of drinking a glass of cold water is a sensory one that can also help bring us back to the present moment. Scroll down for some more of our favorite go-to 'Gardening Tools'... -You Are a Gardener's Top 10 'Gardening Tools' For Your Emotional Toolbox-

From the moment I walked through the front door of Woodland Elementary School in Morristown, NJ, I felt such a warm and welcoming vibe from every single person I encountered. Their beautiful campus is tucked away in the back roads of a quiet Morristown neighborhood. I had the greatest pleasure of presenting my #PullYourWeeds® SEL Program to their entire school of over 300 incredible students. This seed was planted last school year when Woodland's School Counselor, Megan Stonebrink, inquired about in-person SEL programs and assemblies for their school Principal, Ms. Katina Thelemaque. Walking away from the experience I feel confident that each and every student at Woodland School knows how important it is to identify stress and negative emotions. They know the trusted sources they can talk to to help them communicate how they are feeling and they know some helpful and positive 'tools' they can use to help manage their emotions. It's all about turning 'Weeds into Seeds'! Thank you Woodland School for spreading some seeds and helping to raise a new generation of emotionally empowered kids! Our November/December calendar is totally booked with a ton of new schools and local workshops! Stay tuned to the #PullYourWeeds® Blog for more School Spotlights and details on upcoming Gardening Events. Get your school on our schedule for 2023 now by emailing us at flowers@youareagardener.com