Here's a fun gardening fact...every #PullYourWeeds® workshop introduces children to 1-2 new 'gardening tools' for kids to use when they encounter uncomfortable feelings and emotions. As gardeners there are so many tools available to help us proceed confidently and calmly! Check out some of our favorite 'Gardening Tools' (exercises & activities to to help redirect their thoughts from negative to positive) that we introduce in our #PullYourWeeds Programs. Introduce kids to the You Are a Gardener® vocabulary: flowers, weeds, seeds. #PullYour Weeds®-the most important gardening tool of all-talking about your uncomfortable feelings & emotions with a trusted source. Origami foxes-origami is a wonderful way to redirect thoughts to the present moment by creating an object from only 1 sheet of square paper. 5.4.3.2,1-a wonderful grounding exercise to help your mind stop wandering to the weeds and get you back to your flowers. Pocket Journals-tiny in size, yet mighty in reward. Writing mini mantras to yourself is a wonderful positive affirmation tool. World's Longest Hopscotch-Outdoor activities that get kids, creating, moving and having fun is a wonderful tool to encourage gardeners to stay on the bright side. Would you like to start earning some gardening tool badges? We would love to get you enrolled in the program! Click here for more information on how to get started! #PullYourWeeds® | #GetYourBadges | #YouAreAGardener®

If you have been interested in spreading some seeds at your school, home or organization then consider this your sign to reach out for a free demo of the #PullYourWeeds® Program today! Raising a new generation of emotionally empowered kids starts with each and everyone us! Let's work together to plant the seeds for a brighter future for this younger generation! If you were waiting for a sign, this is it... flowers@youareagardener.com #PullYourWeeds | #SignsEverywhere | #YouAreAGardener.

The seeds for You Are a Gardener® were planted in 2017 when Shanna Truffini heard a friend compare stress and anxiety to "watering your weeds". Focusing on negative thoughts and feelings is extremely common for most people, especially kids. According to the National Science Foundation, "an average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive thoughts. If we repeat those negative thoughts, we think negative way more than we think positive thoughts." In efforts to help raise a new generation of emotionally empowered kids our mission is to provide children with a universal vocabulary* to help them identify these 'weeds' and teach them tools to help them turn their "hose or watering cans" back to their "flowers"! Scroll down for our Top 10 favorite 'gardening tools' to help you water your flowers instead of your weeds! When you find yourself 'watering your weeds' here are some easy gardening tools to help you redirect your thoughts and energy back to your 'flowers': Take 5 Deep Breaths Color Journal About Your Feelings Do A Craft Take A Walk Bake Something Play An Instrument Dance Do A Puzzle Listen To Your Favorite Song *You Are a Gardener®, Flowers, Weeds, Seeds, Pull Your Weeds! There are so many gardening tools out there! What are some of your favorites? Send us an email to flowers@youareagardener.com! #PullYourWeeds®

If you are looking for fun ideas for homemade party decorations, place settings or something cute to put on your shelf, then get ready to roll into today's craft featuring paper roll foxes! This kid-friendly craft is great for gardeners of all ages and you only need a few common household items! Scroll down for step-by-step instructions: Here's what you need to make these adorable paper roll foxes: ✔︎ Toilet Paper or Paper Towel Roll ✔︎ Orange and White Paper ✔︎ Glue ✔︎ Scissors ✔︎Black Marker or Crayon 1. Wrap you roll in orange paper and seal with glue. 2. Cut out a small white heart for the face and glue on the roll. 3. Cut out 2 orange triangles for the ears and glue inside the roll. 4. Cut a small white tear drop and make 3 cuts and glue to the tip of the orange tail. 5. Cut out an orange tear drop shape for the tail and glue to the side of the roll. For multiple foxes it's fun to make them with different faces and different sizes! Did you make this craft? If so, send us your photos to flowers@youareagardener.com or tag us in your pictures @youareagardener #PullYourWeeds .

Whether you are a parent, teacher, grandparent, babysitter or tutor...You are a character educator! Any time we interact with children we have the opportunity to help educate them on how to positively regulate their feelings, thoughts and emotions. Empowering kids with tools, confidence, mindfulness, responsibility and respect will help making a lasting and positive impact on their character and social/emotional development. Our Camp Hello Gardeners® & Hello Gardeners® video series are all rooted in character education and make for a wonderful tool to use with kids at home and in the classroom! Each video features mindfulness activities, growth mindset tools, conflict resolution exercises, inspirational stories, fun crafts and so much more! Click The Photo to Watch our videos > Let's Grow! https://www.youareagardener.com/hello-gardeners If you or your kids have a special talent or inspirational story to share with our gardener friends and would like to be featured in an upcoming video please send an email to flowers@youareagardener.com.

This week's #PullYourWeeds® Workshops were all rooted in learning new 'gardening' tools to help young gardeners when they feel like they are 'watering their weeds'. Over 100 students in multiple schools, walked away with knowing how important it is to identify when they are focusing on negative feelings an emotions and have the tools to redirect their thoughts to help them get to a calmer, more confident state. Each (virtual) workshop or assembly always closes with a fun craft or activity. This week's feature was origami foxes. We have always been a huge fan of origami as it promotes mindfulness by bringing your thoughts and focus to the present moment. It encourages patience, develops hand/eye coordination and improves concentration and memory. Scroll down to learn how to make our signature origami foxes, seed packets and tulips! CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE OUR > SIGNATURE ORIGAMI FOXES https://www.youareagardener.com/post/fox-folding-fun CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE OUR > SIGNATURE ORIGAMI SEED PACKETS IN EPISODE 7 OF HELLO GARDENERS® https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RkBVnldCuw CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE OUR > SIGNATURE ORIGAMI TULIPS IN THE 1ST EPISODE OF HELLO GARDENERS® https://youtu.be/Kqz502LWivk What types of activities & crafts do you like to do to practice mindfulness? We would love to share them with our gardener friends! Send us an email to flowers@youareagardener.com. #PullYourWeeds | #FoldingFun | #MindfulKids

Over the past year children have had to navigate new feelings, experiences and emotions which may have caused a lot of 'weeds'. Now more than ever kids need positive tools to help them identify, communicate and manage their emotions to help them move forward confidently and calmly. Today on the #PullYourWeeds® Blog we are sharing some easy tips on things we can do to help our kids gardens grow healthy and strong! ❀Embrace the power of the words flowers, weeds and seeds and introduce your kids to the You Are a Gardener® vocabulary and mindset. Click Here to Get Started! ❀Get inspired on our #PullYourWeeds® Blog. Engaging children with positive activities to keep them interested and engaged is a wonderful way to practice mindfulness. Click Here for Fun Crafts, Easy Activities and Tasty Kid-Friendly recipes! ❀Start a journal. Documenting your day is an excellent way for kids to identify their daily experiences and encounters. Journaling is also a way to help kids open up and get the conversations flowing. Click Here To Make Your Own Journal! ❀ Booking a workshop or assembly for your school is a fun and interactive way to spread some seeds and help children embrace a positive mindset when it comes to managing stress and big emotions. Click Here To Learn More About Our School Programs! ❀ Our Camp Hello Gardeners® & Hello Gardeners® video series are a wonderful way for kids to see other children and gardeners using the vocabulary and practices of our programs. They are also wonderful tools to use at home or in the classroom. Click Here To Watch Now! When Gardener Anna was only 8 years old she had the idea to start a video series where she and her brother, Gardener Aidan would help other kids 'pull their weeds and turn them into seeds' as well as a do a fun craft or mindfulness activity. She wanted to call the series Hello Gardeners®. Fast forward to 3 years later, Anna & Aidan have filmed over 20 episodes and even created a spinoff series, Camp Hello Gardeners®. At the root of it all, they recognize and empathize that everyone has 'weeds' and we all could use a little help pulling them out...especially kids. < PRESS PLAY TO WATCH NOW > We would love to feature you or your kids in our upcoming episodes of Camp Hello Gardeners®. If you or your child has a special skill or inspirational story that would help empower other kids with new 'gardening tools' please send us an email to flowers@youareagardener.com. #HelloGardeners | #PullYourWeeds | #YouAreAGardner

Hello Gardeners! Today on the #PullYourWeeds® Blog we are sharing a fun way to freshen up old flower pots! So, if you are looking for a fun project to do outside on a nice day or inside on a rainy day, we've got you covered with our Ombré Watercolored Paper Plate Vases! Who knew the paper plates in your kitchen cupboard could be so stylish?! take a minute to . . . ✔︎Paper Plates ✔︎Stapler ✔︎Scissors ✔︎Watercolors ✔︎Small Terracotta Pot If you don't have any watercolors you can use markers and dip the tips in water to create a watercolor effect OR try out ice painting ! Find the container that you would like to cover. *NOTE - the paper plate will only cover a certain size pot. A small terracotta pot is about the maximum size! Have fun and experiment, try mixing your colors! Watercolors are an easy way to play around with color mixing, it allows you to control the vibrancy to suit your style. To add a little extra texture you can add washi tape, stamps, or stick on gems! We hope this craft inspires you to freshen up your new spring plants. What other ways have you pumped some Spring energy into your home this season? Let us know in the comments below! #RingInSpring #PlantSeedsOfPositivity We love seeing your creations! Share your creations with us by tagging us in your photos or sending them right to our inbox! #PullYourWeeds | #PlantNewSeeds | #YouAreAGardener

Wherever your ’growing’ this week or weekend take a moment with your kids and look at something you see everyday and explore it from a new perspective. Take out a pen and paper and write down each other's observations. This exercise allows one to see that there are many ways to look at the same thing. Empowering kids with the ability to see their way around a situation or challenge from different perspectives can help them navigate to a calmer state of mind. It allows one to see the bigger picture of things and look beyond their own point of view. Considering that someone else may think or feel differently about the exact same thing, helps children better to respond to situations instead of reacting. While we can’t always change our environment, we can change our point of view. (This is a wonderful exercise to do at home, in school or as an after school group activity.) “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ~Dr. Wayne Dyer “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~Marcel Proust Do you have any exercises or activities you like to use to help your kids learn about different perspectives? Send us an email to flowers@youareagardener.com. #PullYourWeeds | #PerceptionIsReality | #YouAreaGardener

The gardeners are kicking off their spring break with the “world’s longest hopscotch” inspired by their friend Gardener Finola in Session One of Camp Hello Gardeners®️ . Watch as #GardenerAnna​ & #GardenerAidan​ jump the alphabet, tackle a long jump, hop on their left foot, do the rainbow slide and more before they reach the finish! We love this activity because you get to be outside, use your imagination, play with chalk and be active! (PRESS PLAY TO WATCH NOW & SCROLL DOWN FOR TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN) Suggestions For The World's Longest Hopscotch -Jump the numbers from 1-10 in staggered circles -Draw multiple arrows for spins -Stagger squares for jumping jacks -Draw long arrows for long jumps -Draw multiple figure 8's -Jump the alphabet by drawing letters in circles -Draw 4 shapes in straight line for hop on your right foot -Repeat for hop on your left foot -Draw a super long arrow for Run -Finish with rainbow arches for the rainbow slide Use your imagination and have fun! We would love to see your pictures and videos of your creations! Please send us an email to flowers@youareagardener.com or tag us @youaregardener on Instagram or Facebook. Check out more kid and family approved activities and videos and watch Gardener Finola's video in Session One of Camp Hello Gardeners®! < Click Here To Watch Now >

Shanna Truffini, creator of the #PullYourWeeds® SEL Program is now booking complimentary, 15 minute live, virtual demos of her program! During this time you will learn about the roots and benefit of her workshops & assemblies. You will also enjoy a sample presentation of what your students will experience! (Ideal for grades K-5) Please send an email to flowers@youaregardener.com to set up your free demo today! Bright, uplifting and positive content for kids is needed now more than ever. The #PullYourWeeds® Program is rooted in social emotional learning (SEL) skills, growth mindset tools, self-empowerment, confidence building, conflict resolution skills and mindfulness, and are guaranteed to change the way your students and staff manage stress and big emotions with empowering results! Click Here to Learn More!

We just received the 'sweetest' news ever! Rebel Daughter's® Lavender Ginger Cookie that was developed last year as a request from Gardener Anna from Season 2 Episode 6 of Hello Gardeners® is now BACK IN STOCK!!! This chewy, crispy, sophisticated cookie is a blend of fresh ginger, lemon, white chocolate and fragrant lavender. As if all that wasn't enough to make your taste buds tingle, they top it off with Reed's crystallized ginger for little extra zing. Tasting is believing with this one! These cookies are a LIMITED EDITION cookie....Get it, don't regret it! We just ordered ours! Follow this link and be a rebel...get the cookie! https://www.rebeldaughtercookies.com/cookies/annas-ginger-lavender 🍪 "Our crispy/gooey/chewy white chocolate ginger lavender cookie might be our favorite ever in terms of texture and unexpectedly brilliant flavors. We happily took on the challenge of creating it at the request of YAAG’s one and only “Gardener Anna” to tie into their gardening-themed #PullYourWeeds®🌱 SEL platform. Our recipe calls for fresh ginger, fresh lemon, organic lavender, and Reed’s crystallized ginger sprinkled on top for a truly gourmet treat." ~Rebel Daughter® Cookies PRESS PLAY TO WATCH GARDENER ANNA & GARDENER ANNE FROM REBEL DAUGHTER COOKIES® IN THE SWEETEST EPISODE OF HELLO GARDENERS! ORDER THE COOKIE FEATURED IN THE VIDEO HERE!