Hello Gardeners! On the blog, we talk a lot about focusing on the 'flowers' and if you are new to the blog that means choosing to focus on the things that make us smile, give us joy, and make our lives feel so fulfilling! Today, we are sharing our Salt Dough Impressions craft so you can place lovely reminders all around your home as a reminder of all the people, moments and experiences that make a positive impression in your life. (Scroll all the way down to see why this is a #PullYourWeeds Approved Craft) F i r s t t h i n g s f i r s t We need to make our salt dough! You will need: 1/4 cup of salt 1/2 cup of flour (sub any kind of flour for gluten free!) 1/4 cup of luke warm water *If you plan to make a bunch of these, feel free to double or triple the recipe!* Mix the flour, salt, and water together until it forms a semi-firm dough. If yours feels a little sticky, feel free to add some more flour or cornstarch to firm it up a bit! G a t h e r y o u r p l a n t s 🌿 🌻 Now it's time to gather up what you will be stamping into your dough. I suggest picking items that are pretty fresh, and have some structure to them! M a k e y o u r i m p r e s s i o n Roll out your dough so it is your desired thickness - to me, thinner is better, but whatever you prefer! Then take a jar lid, container, or cookie cutter to cut your dough into shapes. Next, take your items and arrange them on your dough cut outs. With medium pressure, use your rolling pin to form an impression of the plant into your dough. Once you feel you've gotten the impression, peel up your plant! L e t t h e m d r y You can air dry these or bake them in the oven. Air drying (depending on the thickness) can take about 24-48 hours or you can bake them at 225° for about 2 hours or until dry. P a i n t t h e m + d i s p l a y ! Since we chose only greens, I mixed up a bunch of green paint in various shades and painted mine in two tones. Then you can choose where to display! Maybe use some twine to wrap one around a flower vase, or display near a potted plant, or maybe hang as a window charm! This craft is #PullYourWeedsApproved because it: helps gardeners practice measurement is a wonderful sensory activity (and you can use this recipe to make your own playdough!) helps us practice patience! Waiting for dough to dry/bake can sometimes be a challenge! Did you make this craft or our salt dough recipe? We would love to see what kinds of ornaments YOU created! Send us your photos at flowers@youareagardener.com or @youareagardener. Sending you sunshine on this beautiful Thursday! #TheFutureIsBright!

Hello Gardeners! Who needs something bright and cute for their walls? Today on the blog, we have one of our favorite crafts to date and bonus - it is PERFECT for gardeners ages 2-12 - although gardeners of all ages are welcome! If you've been looking for some fun activities to keep your kids busy and creative, you won't want to miss this one - it's our Handprint Succulents 🌵craft! Here is what you'll need: Paint (choose paint that is skin-safe!) Construction paper Scissors Glue Paintbrush First things first, let's make our succulents! Paint your little one's hands/fingers/feet with green paint. You can choose different parts of the hands or feet to get certain shapes an even use little bits of purple or red to add colorful accents to your succulents. Once you've made all the finger and handprints you'd like, cut out planter shapes from your construction paper. If your gardener isn't quite ready to go solo with the scissors, use the hand-over-hand method to help them start to develop those muscles! Lastly, glue your planters in place and let the whole thing dry! Voilà - you've got the cutest print to showcase their little handprints! Benefits of this craft: It is a great sensory activity! Feeling the cool, wet paint in between your fingers is great sensory exposure. This is the perfect craft to practice basic scissor skills! Strengthens those fine motor skills - bending the fingers and hands into different shapes, holding scissors, and applying glue! Have you done any of our crafts at home? We would love to hear your thoughts, see your creations, and share your work! Email us at flowers@youareagardener.com or tag us @youareagardener. Keep creating, gardeners - keep pulling those weeds and don't forget, #TheFutureIsBright!

Hello Gardeners! Around here, we have been trying to soak up all the sunshine we can! With all the beautiful weather we have been having it is the perfect opportunity to do some outdoor crafts, outdoor learning, and nature excursions! We would love to hear how you are spending time outdoors - let us know in the comments below 👇👇 Today we have another craft to get you outside enjoying the fresh air - it's our Paper Bag Kite craft! Kites can mean hours of fun whether you bring them to the park on a sunny day, or fly them during a walk around the block, there is something about feeling the wind whip around that gives us so much joy! Here is what you'll need: Paper lunch bag Tissue paper String Crayons Tape and/or glue Popsicle stick (or something similar) First, poke a small hole in what would normally be the base of your paper bag. Next, take your string and tie a knot around your popsicle stick. I didn't have a popsicle stick so anything that is shaped similarly and lightweight will work! This is just to prevent your string from slipping out of your bag. Then, tape the tied string to your popsicle stick, ensuring the string is centered. Feed your string through the hole so that the popsicle stick end in on the inside of the bag. Now it's time to start decorating! You can really use whatever you'd like to decorate - washi tape, stickers, paint - just be sure that everything dries before your try to fly your kite (especially glue!) Next, cut strips of your tissue paper and glue or tape them to the bottom inside of your kite. Last but not least... go out and enjoy! You can alwasy use another popsicle stick at the end of your string to keep a better grasp when flying your kite. This craft is #PullYourWeeds approved because it: is another fun activity you can do and enjoy outdoors! allows for creative expression! Open-ended crafts like this really give kids creative control. pairs well with a physical activity. If everyone's been kind of idle in your house, it's the perfect craft to get them running and active all day long! Thanks for reading along today, gardeners! Remember, #TheFutureIsBright!

Land of the free because of the brave 🇺🇸 Happy Memorial Day gardeners! These beautiful peonies have been freshly cut from our peony plant that has been in our family for generations. It has been passed on and transplanted for almost a hundred years. It is such a beautiful reminder of those who have gone before us and the roots they planted that continue to blossom today. Thank you to all of the confident and courageous men and women who have planted the roots for our freedom. We remember you today and grateful for your service 🌺 #gonebutneverforgotten

Get ready gardeners 😎 we are about to jump in and make a really big splash with a top secret project we have been working on the past couple of months! All we can say is the gardeners have been missing their greenhouse, meeting new gardener friends and learning fun filled activities to keep them active and bright! In the meantime you may want to catch up on previous episodes of Hello Gardeners™ by clicking here! #ComingSoon#SummerFun#MakeASplash#StayTuned

Hello Gardeners! Every day the sun is bright and the wind is blowing, we are finding ourselves outside enjoying it as much as we can! Today we are looking at crafts you can do outdoors - including this awesome Painted Stick Wind Chime. This is the perfect activity to get everyone involved. You can even take a walk together to find your sticks! Here's what you will need: Sticks of various sizes Paint Paint brushes String Painter's tape (optional) First, gather up your sticks! I tend to think that larger ones make a better chime and I would gather no fewer than 4. Next, paint your sticks! I like using painter's tape to block off certain areas for different colors, but have your kids do what they'd like! Then pick one string to be your hanger and the rest of your sticks will be hanging. Tie your hanging sticks - you can even wrap a larger portion of your stick if you want to create another color block! Then, hang in a in a place where the wind can reach it and you've got yourself a beautiful wind chime! We love this craft because it . . . . . . encourages collaboration. Get your kids communicating, problem-solving, and working together! . . . develops fine motor skills. Grasping a paint brush, ripping tape, and wrapping string gets all of those small hand muscles moving! . . . exercises observation skills. Having the kids search for the right sized sticks helps them strengthen these skills. Wherever you are get outside and get some fresh air! If you are looking for other crafts to get you outdoors, try our: Springtime Terrariums Craft Nature Crown Craft Bird Feeder Craft Natural Paintbrush Paintings Craft . . . Thanks for tuning in with us today, gardeners! Have your kids completed any of our recent crafts? Send us your pictures at flowers@youareagardener.com or @youareagardener.

Hello Gardeners! With all of the uncertainty in the world right now, you may have unknowingly found yourself watering your 'weeds and not your flowers'. Today on the blog, we are here to support you during these uncertain moments. We've got tips to help you self-regulate, suggestions for what to do with the kids home from school and some tips to help the whole family relax! B R E A T H I N G + M I N D F U L N E S S Start each morning with a sun salutation. Not only does yoga help create awareness of the body and mindfulness of the breath, but it also helps get the blood flowing! S E N S O R Y P L A Y Create a sensory room. Sensory activities are becoming quite popular in classrooms and for kids with special needs, but they are fun for everyone in the whole family! - Mix sand and shaving cream to make a quick moon sand - Make homemade slime with one of these recipes - Boil spaghetti in colored water to create multi-colored fun - Tie ribbons onto a hair tie to create sensory ribbon bracelets - perfect for a dance party! E N J O Y T H E O U T D O O R S Take this time to get your outdoor space cleaned up and ready for warmer weather! Start with this cute and easy #BirdFeeder made from reusable materials! Here's what you'll need: Plastic container (we used an old frosting container!) Paint Super glue or hot glue String Birdseed An adult with a box cutter (safety first please!) First, cut the lid of your plastic container in half and then cut a semi circle out of the base of the container. Glue the lid onto your container so that it lines up with the cutout on the base. Decorate your container with a pattern or your favorite spring flowers! With your box cutter, poke two holes on the side of your container for a string. Fill the with birdseed and find the perfect place to hang! There are so many ways to turn this unsettling time into fun, relaxing, family time! This is an easy time for the stress weeds to grow - keep in touch with friends through phone calls and video chats - most importantly take care of yourself and don't forget to #PullYourWeeds!

Hello Gardeners! We don't know about you, but all of us on the Gardening Team have been making an effort to read more while staying at home. Dedicating 30 minutes to one hour to reading every day is a great way to help our kids (and ourselves) minds stay sharp! If that time frame seems a little too ambitious, pick an amount of time that seems doable for your family and grow from there! Today we have a craft to help encourage more reading time - Mr. Fox Bookmarks! This particular craft is a bit more challenging, as there are a lot of small cuts to be made - you may want to do this with your older gardeners OR precut everything for the younger ones. Here's what you will need: Construction paper (White, Black, Orange) Scissors Glue Googly eyes (optional) First, cut a thin strip of your orange paper and a slightly thinner strip of your white paper. Cut the white strip down by about 1/3 and round the corners. Next, cut off the top of your orange strip so you have a rectangle that outlines the white piece and a square piece. Cut off the bottom corners of your square so you have pentagon-like shape. Using your scissors, shape the pentagon shape into the fox head - soften the bottom edges and outline the ears at the top (remember, it doesn't need to be perfect!). Then, using a small piece of your white paper, outline the shape of your fox head with a pencil and cut out the shape. Then cut out a triangular shape to form the cheeks of the fox. Take a minute to glue everything down! Roughly center your white rectangle on your orange rectangle and glue the white cheeks to your orange head. Using a small rectangle of orange, cut out the little legs - remember to leave enough room at the bottom to glue! Glue them right above the top of the white rectangle. Then, glue the fox head on top of where you glued the leg piece. Using scissors, trim the orange rectangle to create the shoulders. Last but not least, cut out a nose and eyes (or use googly eyes) and glue in place. Let it dry fully and there you have it! We love this craft because it . . . . . . is a great focus activity. All of the small cuts, placement, and instructions require focused attention! . . . is a challenging fine motor skills task. There are so many little things to cut out and glue. If you are looking to challenge your gardener, this one's for you! . . . creates excitement about reading! Having a fun bookmark may engage a young gardener to snuggle up to a good book! Need a book to read? Grab your signed copy of You Are A Gardener here! And as always, don't forget to #PullYourWeeds!

Weekends are for gardening 🌱 and today we are spreading some seeds all the way to Oceanside, CA 😎 It is always so rewarding to see our roots grow #NJtoCA When our author/creator Shanna Truffini wrote a poem one night in the spring of 2017 called You Are a Gardener™ she instantly felt something take root. As if every path she had ever traveled, every person she had ever met and every experience she had encountered (both positive and negative) had led her to this moment. Fast forward to the present day, that poem became a printed book, that book inspired a social and emotional learning (SEL) program for elementary schools, Shanna's children created their own video series called Hello Gardeners and the #PullYourWeeds blog became an online destination for families and teachers to use as a resource to keep kids happy, active and engaged. If you would like to learn more about the You Are a Gardener™ programs and how you can help spread some seeds please send an email to flowers@youareagardener.com 🌱

Hello Gardeners! Today on the blog we have a craft that is not only fun & colorful, but is made using recyclables, and is 100% frameable - it's a Stamped Recyclable Print! Hanging your children's art on the wall in your home shows them their creative efforts are valued, it builds their confidence and a beautiful expression of how proud you are of them! Here is what you'll need: Textured recyclables - we chose bubble wrap, packing peanuts, cardboard, and takeout containers, pretty much all the stuff that we've accumulated during the stay-at-home order thus far! Paint - choose colors that will compliment the decor of your home Paper - choose a size that is easy to frame (5x7, 8x10, 10x10) Painters tape - an artist trick to making work look frame-ready! First things first, gather your recyclables! Bubble wrap is a really fun one to print! Then, tape your paper to your working surface. Leave a big border or a small one - but taping off the edges gives a sort of faux-mat to the page! Mix your colors and start stamping! Then, when you're ready, carefully peel up the tape and let your work dry! There you have it! A beautiful, frameable print - the perfect craft to gift to Mom or to send to the loved ones you miss spending time with. We love that this craft because it: Teaches gardeners about repurposing materials! Reusing makes us more resourceful which is an invaluable trait! Cultivates creative decision-making skills. Whether it's arrangement, color choice, patterns, etc. creative decision-making instills confidence in young gardeners! Encourages self-expression. Art is inherently expressive, but working in the abstract challenges us to convey emotions through form, color, and arrangement! Gather up those excess packing materials, grab some paint, and start making. We can't wait to see what you create! Stay strong, gardeners! #TheFutureIsBright!

Hello Gardeners! We may be losing track of what day it is, but we certainly cannot forget that Mother's Day is coming up! And because this Spring has been *slightly* different than years previous, let's make it as special as we possibly can! Whether you are celebrating Mom, Grandma, or a maternal figure in your life - there are so many ways to honor the women we love. Start with a homemade card. Here is a fool-proof, flower stamp card! All you'll need is: A straw or piece of string (or something similar!) Cardboard Tissue paper Tape Paint First, cut your cardboard piece in half. Next, tape your straw or string onto one piece of your cardboard so that it resembles a flower stem. On the other piece of cardboard, tape small pieces of paper so that it forms a textured circle. Then, paint your "stem" green and stamp on a folded piece of paper. After that, dip or paint your textured tissue paper circle in a bright color of paint and stamp that piece on the top of the stem. Allow your stamped paper to dry and be sure to write a nice note to Mom inside OR make her a bunch and give to her as a Mother's Day gift! This #PullYourWeeds approved craft: encourages resourcefulness! Reduce, reuse, recycle 🌱 ♻️ 🌎 helps us think ahead! Thinking about the shape you want to create forces you to think about how to arrange your stamp! boosts creativity! Mix your own colors, create a variety of textures, experiment with placement. Make her breakfast You can never go wrong with breakfast in bed! Try our Flower Pancakes to make Mom feel extra special! Help give Mom the day of relaxation she deserves. Whether that means giving her a day to put up her feet, letting her choose how the whole family spends the day, or helping her create the day SHE wants - it's all about her! Happy Mother's Day gardeners! Stay positive, #TheFutureIsBright!

Send somebody flowers today 🌸 and we don’t mean literal flowers. Random acts of kindness can bring so much joy to someone’s day. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while, write your grandmother a letter, drop off a gift or treat at someone’s doorstep. There are so many little things you can do that can make such a big impact, like this delightful self-care package Anna found in our mailbox today from our sweet friend Leah of @homemadehappinessbyleah 🛁 This thoughtful gesture had Anna blooming with excitement all day long 💐 #RandomActsOfKindness Here are some other fun random acts of kindness kids can do: Write positive messages in chalk around your neighborhood. Go through your old toys and donate ones you no longer play with. Donate clothes to charity and leave a joyful note in the pocket. Clean up litter in a local park. Set the table for dinner without being asked. Give 3 people a compliment today. Read a book to someone. Make your bed when you wake up in the morning. Leave painted rocks with positive messages around town. Teach someone something new. Teaching kids to be kind and perform selfless acts can create feelings of self-worth and belonging as well as a feeling of optimism and excitement.