What does it mean to grow up as a gardener? For Gardener Anna, a student at Madison High School in New Jersey, it means growing up with a unique vocabulary for understanding emotions, discovering healthy ways to work through challenges, and sharing those tools with younger students through our interactive SEL school assemblies. Gardener Anna has been part of our You Are a Gardener® family business since our company first took root! From the early days of our children's book to presenting at schools and connecting with thousands of students, she's grown right alongside our platform. Today, Anna continues to present alongside our family in our #PullYourWeeds® School Assemblies. She's also exploring new opportunities through her high school internship, taking on independent projects and discovering more about the creative and entrepreneurial sides of a business she's been part of for years. We're excited to share a closer look at Gardener Anna's journey, from growing up with our gardening tools to sharing them with younger students, and the new ways she's continuing to learn, create, connect, and grow. Growing Up a Gardener For Anna, being a gardener isn't just something she talks about during our school assemblies. It's a mindset she's grown up with. From a young age, she's been familiar with the Gardener Vocabulary & Mindset that forms the foundation of You Are a Gardener®: Flowers: The joys and moments of gratitude in our lives. Weeds: The worries, stressors, and challenges we all experience. #PullYourWeeds®: Identifying and expressing our worries, stressors, and challenges, and taking healthy actions to work through them and grow. Gardening Tools: Healthy activities and actions we choose to feel more confident, creative, calm, and connected. Weeds to Seeds™: Using our gardening tools to work through challenges and create positive shifts. It's about growing through what we go through. Seeds: The positive thoughts, lessons, and changes that grow when we use our gardening tools. As Anna has grown, so has her understanding of what it means to be a gardener. The same vocabulary she learned when she was younger continues to have meaning as she navigates high school, friendships, responsibilities, and new experiences. She's experienced firsthand how our gardening tools can grow with us, taking on new meaning at different ages and stages. Growing Together as a Family Business One of the special things about You Are a Gardener® is that it's truly a family business. From the early days of our children's book to developing our #PullYourWeeds® School Assemblies, Anna and her younger brother, Gardener Aidan, have grown alongside our platform. Over the years, Anna and Aidan have helped share our gardening message in so many ways, from starring in their own YouTube series when they were younger to presenting at school assemblies and connecting with thousands of students through the gardening language and tools they've grown up with. Our family-led assemblies bring together different ages and perspectives, creating opportunities for students to hear how our gardening tools can be used in everyday life. For Anna, being part of our family business has meant more than presenting onstage. She's also seen firsthand how ideas develop, programs evolve, and new opportunities take shape. And now, through her internship, she's discovering even more ways to contribute. A Student Presenter Connecting with Students For the past several years, Gardener Anna has presented alongside our family, bringing the You Are a Gardener® message to elementary school communities. One of our favorite parts of these assemblies is watching Anna connect with younger students. As a high school student, she brings a relatable perspective to the stage. She understands many of the experiences students are navigating, while also sharing what she's learned as she's grown. Whether she's sharing her experiences, introducing healthy gardening tools, participating in interactive activities, or answering thoughtful questions, Anna brings an encouraging, genuine presence to our presentations. Students aren't just hearing about emotional awareness, kindness, confidence, and personal growth. They're hearing from someone who has grown up using these tools and continues to discover new ways to put them into practice. Sometimes, seeing an older student share their experiences is a meaningful reminder that we're all gardeners, and we're all still growing. From Student Presenter to Student Intern This school year, Anna is exploring a new side of You Are a Gardener® through her high school internship. Although she's been involved in our family business for years, her internship is giving her opportunities to take on more independent projects, develop new skills, and experience more of what happens behind the scenes. Along with continuing to present at our school assemblies, Anna has been busy: Creating educational printables and student activities inspired by our gardening characters and messages. Exploring graphic design and developing bookmarks and other materials for upcoming assemblies. Writing blog content and creating social media posts. Connecting with schools and introducing our #PullYourWeeds® School Assembly Program to new communities. Researching community partnerships and opportunities to expand our reach. Exploring animation and new ways to bring our characters and educational messages to life. Through these projects, she's gaining firsthand experience in marketing, communication, design, organization, entrepreneurship, and creative problem-solving. A bookmark she designs might end up in the hands of hundreds of elementary school students. A printable she creates might become a resource for young gardeners to explore at home or in the classroom. A school she connects with might become a new community we have the opportunity to visit. She's not just learning about a business. She's contributing to the growth of one she's been part of since childhood. Why Student Voices Matter in SEL School Assemblies Social-emotional learning (SEL) encourages students to develop emotional awareness, build positive relationships, make thoughtful decisions, and discover healthy ways to navigate everyday challenges. Through our #PullYourWeeds® SEL School Assemblies, we introduce these concepts using gardening metaphors, interactive activities, mindfulness and grounding exercises, and practical gardening tools. Having Gardener Anna and Gardener Aidan participate brings another perspective to the experience. Younger students get to see what it looks like to grow up using the same vocabulary and tools we're introducing to them. They hear how these ideas can be used at different ages, through different experiences, and in different situations. And they see that being a gardener isn't about having everything figured out. It's about building awareness, discovering healthy tools, and continuing to grow. Our goal is for every student to leave with something meaningful they can carry into their own lives, whether that's a new way to express a feeling, a gardening tool to try, or a seed of kindness to share. Bringing #PullYourWeeds® School Assemblies to NJ, NY, CT, and Beyond Our You Are a Gardener® family has had the opportunity to share the #PullYourWeeds® School Assembly experience with more than 30,000 students. Our interactive elementary school assemblies combine children's literature, emotional awareness, mindfulness, grounding, healthy coping strategies, student participation, and opportunities to spread seeds of kindness. With our family presenting together, students experience a program that brings the Gardener Vocabulary & Mindset to life through different ages, perspectives, and personal experiences. We're based in New Jersey and offer SEL school assemblies throughout New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), and Connecticut (CT), with opportunities to travel to schools and districts nationwide. Whether you're a principal, school counselor, SEL coordinator, PTO/PTA representative, or educator exploring elementary school assembly programs, we'd love to share more about bringing #PullYourWeeds® to your school community. The Next Generation of Gardeners From being part of You Are a Gardener® since the very beginning as a first grader to presenting onstage and taking on new responsibilities within our family business, Gardener Anna continues to grow right alongside our platform. Her internship is giving her opportunities to explore new interests, discover her strengths, contribute fresh ideas, and experience what goes into growing a business with a meaningful mission. And while her role continues to evolve, one thing has remained the same: the gardening language she's grown up with continues to be part of her journey. We love seeing Anna and Aidan share their experiences with younger students, knowing that the seeds we're planting together today can continue growing in new and unexpected ways. Because growing up as a gardener means discovering that there's always something new to learn, create, share, and grow. Bring #PullYourWeeds® to Your School! Looking for an engaging SEL school assembly that encourages emotional awareness, confidence, kindness, connection, and personal growth? Explore our 2026/2027 #PullYourWeeds® School Assembly Program Guide to learn more about our interactive, family-led presentations and the gardening tools we share with students. [Explore Our School Assembly Program] We'd love to connect, answer your questions, and explore opportunities to spread some seeds at your school! Let's plant something that keeps growing long after the assembly ends.

Scroll down to download our newest free printable, The Slowest Race Ever, designed by Gardener Anna. 🐢 Sometimes, moving forward starts with slowing down. We spend so much of our time trying to get somewhere. Finish the assignment. Get out the door. Answer the email. Make the decision. Move on to whatever comes next. But what happens when we stop trying to reach the finish line quite so quickly? Sometimes a few intentional minutes can shift our energy, bring us back to what’s right in front of us, and remind us that moving forward doesn’t always have to mean moving faster. That idea has been growing around here lately, thanks in part to two of our quieter gardeners, Shellie and Tortie. Bringing Shellie + Tortie Forward At our recent #PullYourWeeds® school assemblies, Gardener Anna had a different view of You Are a Gardener®. As she listened to the book being read and watched the illustrations appear larger than life on the big screen, she found herself looking at some of our familiar characters a little differently. This time, Shellie and Tortie stood out. Seeing the two turtle gardeners up on the screen got Anna thinking about how we could bring these quieter characters forward and give them more opportunities to connect with our community. Their slow and steady nature also sparked an idea. That inspiration followed her home from the assemblies and eventually became The Slowest Race Ever, a new calming printable for kids built around one simple question: What if the point of the race wasn’t to finish first? Six Stops. No Need to Rush. Instead of racing from START to FINISH, Shellie and Tortie invite us to stop six times along the way. We set an intention. Take three slow breaths. Notice what we can see, hear, smell, and feel. Think of a flower. Choose a kind action. And identify a few quiet gardening tools that can bring us some calm. Nothing needs to be rushed, and there is no right way to finish. The printable may have been designed with young gardeners in mind, but something interesting happened when Anna finished creating it. Gardener Anna sat down and did it herself. And somewhere between START and FINISH, she realized that slowing down to work through each prompt was actually helping her feel calmer, more focused, and present. When We Use the Tools We Share There is something different about creating a gardening tool and then actually taking the time to use it ourselves. As Anna worked her way through each stop, the prompts gave her a reason to pause and think about what she needed in that moment. The same activity she had designed for younger gardeners worked for her at 17, too. It was a simple reminder of something we believe strongly around here: Gardening tools grow with us. Taking three intentional breaths isn't only useful when we're little. Neither is noticing our surroundings, thinking about something we're grateful for, choosing kindness, setting an intention, or recognizing what might bring us some calm. A young gardener can do it. A teenager can do it. A grown gardener can do it. The answers will change. The way we use the tools may change. But we never outgrow the opportunity to slow down and check in with ourselves. Try the Slowest Race Your Way There are lots of ways to use this one. Bring it into the classroom for a quiet reset. Leave copies in a calming space. Try it after school or before homework. Complete it together as a family. Keep one nearby for a day when your thoughts feel scattered. Teens and grown gardeners can approach it their own way, too. Write instead of draw. Spend longer at one stop. Come back to it later. Or simply use the prompts as a guide for a few quiet minutes. There is no need to complete the whole thing at once. After all, this is The Slowest Race Ever. Ready to give it a try? Download The Slowest Race Ever and see what happens when you give yourself a few minutes to slow down, check in, and move through each stop at your own pace. For gardeners of all ages and stages. [FREE PRINTABLE: DOWNLOAD HERE] Why Slowing Down Can Be a Gardening Tool Slowing down doesn't have to mean stopping everything. Sometimes it's simply giving ourselves enough space to notice what's happening before moving on to the next thing. A few intentional minutes can: Bring us into the present by focusing our attention on what is right in front of us. Give scattered energy somewhere to settle by focusing on one small prompt at a time. Reconnect us with gratitude by asking us to notice a flower in our day. Create space for kindness by turning a positive thought into an action. Remind us what works for us by identifying gardening tools we can reach for when we need them. Give us a small reset without needing to have everything figured out first. And perhaps most importantly, slowing down can remind us that we are still moving forward. Slow and Steady Still Gets Us Somewhere What started with Gardener Anna seeing Shellie and Tortie a little differently at an assembly grew into a new gardening tool. And when Anna used that tool herself, it became a reminder that what we share with our younger gardeners can be just as meaningful for the rest of us. Slowing down doesn't mean we aren't moving forward. Sometimes we take a breath. Sometimes we notice what's around us. Sometimes we choose a little kindness or figure out what might bring us some calm. And then we keep going. It may look like a race, but there's no need to rush to the finish line. Download The Slowest Race Ever and take it at your own pace. 🐢 [DOWNLOAD THE FREE PRINTABLE] Meet Shellie + Tortie in You Are a Gardener® 🐢 Shellie and Tortie are just two of the gardeners growing inside the pages of You Are a Gardener®. Follow along as our characters explore flowers, weeds, gardening tools, and the small shifts that can plant positive seeds along the way. [GET YOUR COPY OF YOU ARE A GARDENER®] Discover The Slowest Race Ever, a calming printable for kids and adults. Download The Slowest Race Ever to slow down, reset, and connect.

Gardener Anna has been busy creating behind the scenes, and this week, she needs your help! As part of her work-based learning internship with You Are a Gardener®, Anna was given a new project: design a bookmark that we can share with 500 student gardeners at one of our upcoming #PullYourWeeds® assemblies later this month. So she opened Canva, started experimenting, and got creative. One bookmark quickly turned into three. And now we can’t decide which one to pick. 😊 That’s Where You Come In! Take a look at Gardener Anna’s three designs and vote for your favorite! The winning design will be printed and packed up with our assembly materials for the end of the month! So, What Else Does Gardener Anna Have Growing On? Quite a bit! Her internship has given her the chance to see a whole new side of You Are a Gardener®. She’s been making school outreach calls (definitely a confidence grower!), researching literacy organizations and community connections, creating social media content, helping us prepare for assemblies, exploring new ideas for our programs, and learning what it takes to move an idea from “What if we tried this?” to actually making it happen. And along the way, she’s discovering new gardening tools of her own. One of them is Canva... A Gardening Tool for Creativity Canva has become a fun way for Anna to explore graphic design and turn the ideas in her head into something she can actually see, share, and soon, hold in her hands. And that’s one of the coolest things about creativity. We don’t have to know exactly what we’re doing before we begin. Sometimes we just need a place to experiment, move things around, try a different font, switch a color, scrap an idea, start again, and see where our creativity takes us. For young gardeners who are curious about graphic design or content creation, Canva can be a great place to start. There’s a free version, plenty of tools to explore, and lots of room to learn and grow as we create. Because sometimes confidence grows simply by being able to say: “I made that.” And in a few weeks, Gardener Anna will get to watch 500 students walk away from our assembly holding something she designed. But first... We need to pick one! Take another look, cast your vote, and help Gardener Anna decide which bookmark is coming with us to our upcoming #PullYourWeeds® assembly. 🦊

Ever have one of those days when your thoughts are bouncing around, your energy feels scattered, and you are not quite sure what to do with yourself? Maybe you feel restless. Maybe you are overwhelmed. Maybe you want to throw your hands up and say, I don’t even know where to start. This might be the perfect time for a little chaos gardening. Chaos gardening gives all that extra, scattered energy somewhere positive to go. We don’t always need to settle down or figure everything out right away. Sometimes, we can choose a gardening tool that lets us move, make, sort, clear, create, or release. So what can chaos gardening actually look like? More everyday than you might think... Try a Little Chaos Gardening When you’re feeling scattered, try giving that energy somewhere positive to go. Pick a gardening tool and get started: Organize one drawer. Not the whole room. Just one drawer. Clean out a closet. Pull everything out, make a mess, and put back only what belongs. Start a donation pile. Letting go of things we no longer need can create a little breathing room. Make a collage. Cut, tear, arrange, glue. There does not need to be a plan. Fill a page with words. Free write every thought, feeling, idea, worry, or random word that comes to mind. No editing. No rules. Weed the garden. Pull, dig, move, and get your hands in the dirt. Take on a small cleaning project. Wipe down a shelf, tackle the junk drawer, or finally clear off that counter. Doodle an entire page. Lines, shapes, words, patterns. Let your hand keep moving. Put on music and move. Stretch, dance, straighten up the house, or walk around the block. Sort something. Books, photos, art supplies, makeup, a desk drawer, or that mysterious basket where everything seems to land. Make something without thinking about the outcome. Paint, build, bake, rearrange, sketch, cut, paste, or create just because it feels good to do it. Go outside and tackle one small garden project. Sweep the patio, gather sticks, trim something back, move a planter, or clean up a garden bed. The goal isn’t to get everything done. It’s to give our energy somewhere positive to go. Start small, choose what feels doable, and remember that one small action can be enough to create a shift. You Don’t Always Have to Sit Still to Get Grounded We often think getting grounded means slowing down, sitting still, or quieting our thoughts. But sometimes, when our energy is buzzing and our minds are racing, stillness can feel like the last thing we want to do. Sometimes we need movement before stillness. That might mean pulling weeds, cleaning out a drawer, making something, taking a walk, or tackling one small task with our hands. Giving our energy somewhere to go can bring us back into the present moment and create a little space between us and everything swirling around in our minds. Getting grounded doesn’t always have to look calm. Sometimes, we find our calm by moving through the chaos first. The Benefits of Chaos Gardening Giving scattered energy somewhere positive to go can: Create a sense of focus when our thoughts feel all over the place Release restless energy through movement and hands-on activity Give our minds a break from overthinking Create a small sense of accomplishment when everything feels like a lot Spark creativity without pressure to make something perfect Clear physical clutter, which can make our surroundings feel more manageable Bring us into the present moment by giving our attention to what is right in front of us Shift our energy without needing to have everything figured out first That is the beauty of chaos gardening. It does not have to be productive. It does not have to be perfect. And it definitely does not have to look pretty while we are doing it. Sometimes we just need somewhere positive to put our energy. So when things feel a little scattered, choose one small thing to move, make, sort, clear, create, or release. Shift that energy in a new direction. Thank you to Gardener Christopher for inspiring this week’s post! If you have a topic you’d like us to dig into, email us at flowers@youareagardener.com. Feeling scattered? Discover Chaos Gardening, a playful way to channel restless energy into simple, positive, creative actions that can help us feel more grounded.

Seasonal changes can sometimes feel heavier than we expect. A shift in routines, schedules, daylight, responsibilities, and even the energy around us can bring more stress, anxiety, frustration, fear, or tension into our days. Coping with seasonal changes does not have to mean making major changes. A few small, intentional shifts can help us slow down, stay present, and feel more grounded as we move into a new season. If you have been feeling a little more overwhelmed, quick to react, distracted, or simply not quite like yourself lately, you are certainly not alone. Sometimes a change of season is a good reminder to pay attention to what we are carrying and make a few small adjustments to how we move through our days. We do not need a major life overhaul to feel a difference. Simple, intentional habits can help us slow down, stay present, manage everyday stress, and create a little more calm and connection in our days. Here are 10 small shifts to try this season: 1. Start and End Your Day With Gratitude Before you reach for your phone in the morning, take a moment to think of three things you are grateful for. Do the same before you go to sleep. You can say them in your head, write them down, or share them with someone you love. There is no right way to practice gratitude. The goal is simply to begin and end the day by intentionally noticing what is good, meaningful, or working in your life. 2. Set a Reminder to Pause Set an alarm on your phone two or three times throughout the day with a simple reminder: Pause. Breathe. When it goes off, stop what you are doing and take three to five slow, deep breaths. It only takes a minute, but that minute creates a little space between what is happening around us and how we choose to respond. Gardeners do not react, we respond. 3. Give Yourself Small, Attainable Goals Big goals can quickly become overwhelming. Instead, plant a few small goals that actually feel doable. Try a new recipe. Take two walks this week. Read ten pages of a book. Clean out one drawer. Call someone you have been meaning to call. Small accomplishments can build confidence and momentum. Growth does not have to happen all at once. 4. Get Outside Every Day Try to carve out 15 to 30 minutes each day to get outside. Take a walk. Sit on the porch. Drink your coffee outside. Take the dog around the block. Notice the trees, the temperature, the sky, or the sounds around you. Sometimes changing our environment is one of the simplest ways to shift our energy and bring ourselves back to the present moment. 5. Scroll Less Pay attention to how you feel after spending time scrolling. If you consistently walk away feeling anxious, irritated, distracted, behind, or overwhelmed, that is useful information. Try creating a few screen-free pockets throughout your day, especially first thing in the morning and before bed. Even small boundaries around our screen time can give our minds a little more room to be where we actually are. 6. Practice Fear-Less Thinking Fear has a way of taking us ten steps ahead of where we actually are. When you notice your thoughts heading toward What if?, bring yourself back to What is? What do I actually know right now? What can I control? What is one thing I can do today? Want to dig a little deeper? Click here to explore Fear-Less vs. Fearless Thinking and learn how changing the way we respond to fear can shift the way we grow through it. 7. Be Present in Conversations When you are having a conversation, practice really being there. Put the phone down. Make eye contact. Listen instead of preparing your response. Pay attention to what the other person is actually saying. Being present strengthens connection and gives our minds a break from trying to be everywhere at once. 8. Set Emotional Boundaries Not every problem needs to become our problem. We can love people, listen to them, and support them without taking on every emotion, disagreement, worry, or decision as our own. Ask yourself: Is this mine to carry? Sometimes one of the healthiest things we can do is put down what was never ours to hold. 9. Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To It does not have to be a vacation or a big event. Plan a favorite dinner. Meet a friend for coffee. Start a new book. Take a Saturday morning walk. Watch a movie you have been saving. Visit somewhere new. Having something small to look forward to can add a little light to an ordinary week. 10. Check In With Yourself At the end of the week, take a few minutes to check in with yourself. What are my flowers right now? What is bringing me joy or gratitude? What are my weeds? What has been worrying, frustrating, or weighing on me? What gardening tools am I using? What healthy actions are helping me grow through what I am feeling? And finally: What seeds am I planting? What small positive shifts do I want to carry into the week ahead? Small Shifts. Positive Growth. A new season does not require a new version of us. We can simply become a little more aware of what we need, what we want to let go of, and what we would like to grow. Pick one or two ideas from this list and start there. Keep them simple. Keep them attainable. And remember gardeners, even the smallest shifts plant seeds of positive change. Feeling off lately? Explore 10 simple tips for coping with seasonal changes, reducing everyday stress, staying present, and feeling more grounded.

A hidden pictures activity printable can be so much more than a fun puzzle. Searching for hidden objects encourages gardeners to slow down, focus our attention, notice the little things, and stay present with what is right in front of us, making it a simple and engaging gardening tool for gardeners of all ages. Sometimes, the gardening tool we need is an activity that gives our minds somewhere positive to focus. Hidden pictures invite us to pause, look closely, and concentrate on one small thing at a time. That is mindfulness in action: slowing down, staying present, and bringing our attention to what is right in front of us. And when we add coloring to the experience, we create another opportunity to slow down, engage our creativity, and find a little calm along the way. That is why we created our new Foxtastic Fall Hidden Pictures, a free printable featuring Gardener Foxie, Mousie, and Birdie! Why Hidden Pictures Can Be a Gardening Tool When our thoughts feel busy or our emotions feel big, activities that gently direct our attention can give our minds somewhere positive to land. Hidden pictures encourage us to focus on the details rather than trying to take in everything at once. We search, notice, pause, and keep looking. These small actions can support skills that extend beyond the page. A hidden pictures activity can encourage: Focus and attention by concentrating on one object at a time Mindfulness by bringing our attention into the present moment Patience when an object takes a little longer to find Problem-solving as we look at shapes and details in new ways Visual awareness through careful observation Confidence as we find each hidden object Calm by giving a busy mind a simple, manageable task Creativity when the activity becomes a coloring page, too There is no need to rush. Look closely, take your time, and enjoy the process. Coloring Can Be a Gardening Tool, Too Once all the hidden pictures have been found, the gardening does not have to stop! Our Foxtastic Fall Hidden Pictures printable doubles as a fun fall coloring sheet. Gardeners can add their own colors to Gardener Foxie, Mousie, Birdie, the leaves, pumpkins, and the rest of the fall scene. Coloring gives us another simple way to pause and focus our attention. It can: Give our hands and minds something calming to focus on Encourage creativity and self-expression Create a natural opportunity to slow down Support mindfulness and present-moment awareness Offer a fun, screen-free activity There is no right or wrong way to color your garden. Choose your colors, take your time, and make the page your own. One Printable, Lots of Ways to Grow This free hidden pictures printable can easily be used wherever a gardener may need a few minutes to focus, reset, or create. At home: Print it for an after-school reset, a rainy afternoon, quiet time, a screen-free activity, or simply for fun. At school: Add it to a calm corner, morning work, indoor recess, early-finisher activities, brain breaks, or a classroom mindfulness station. During a counseling session: Use the search-and-find activity as a gentle way to settle in, support conversation, or give a gardener something to focus on while talking. And because it is both a hidden pictures puzzle and a coloring sheet, gardeners can return to it more than once. A Foxtastic Fall Hidden Pictures 🍂🦊 Gardener Foxie, Mousie, and Birdie are spending a beautiful fall day outside, but there are lots of little things hiding throughout their scene. Can you find them all? Search for the objects in the guide, then grab your crayons, markers, or colored pencils and turn the entire scene into your own colorful fall garden. DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOXTASTIC FALL HIDDEN PICTURES PRINTABLE Keep Growing With More Free Printables Looking for more gardening tools? We have a growing collection of free printables for emotional awareness, mindfulness, creativity, gratitude, and positive growth for gardeners of all ages and stages. CLICK HERE TO EXPLORE MORE FREE PRINTABLES Sometimes, the gardening tool we need is simply a few quiet minutes to look closely, focus, create, and grow. Discover how a hidden pictures activity printable can support focus, mindfulness, calm, and creativity. Download our free Foxtastic Fall free activity for gardeners of all ages.

Originally published January 2024 | Updated September 2026 We all have weeds. At You Are a Gardener®, we believe that learning how to recognize what we are feeling and knowing what to do with those feelings is an important part of growing through what we go through. The SEEDS Technique™ is a simple tool for emotional regulation that brings awareness to challenging feelings and offers healthy, approachable ways to grow through them. Designed for gardeners of all ages and stages, SEEDS can be used at home, in the classroom, in a counselor’s office, at work, or anywhere we may need a little support turning our weeds into seeds. For teens and grown gardeners, it can also be a simple way to pause, check in with what we’re feeling, and choose what we need next. Scroll down to download our FREE SEEDS Technique™ printable for your home, classroom, counselor’s office, workspace, or anywhere gardeners could use a simple reminder to turn their weeds into seeds. First, Let’s Dig Into Our Gardener Vocabulary Our SEEDS Technique™ is rooted in the language and mindset behind You Are a Gardener®: Flowers are the joys in our lives and the things we are grateful for. Weeds are our worries, stressors, challenges, and difficult feelings. Gardening Tools are the healthy actions we can use to grow through our emotions. Deep breathing, grounding, talking to someone we trust, journaling, creating, moving our bodies, listening to music, or practicing gratitude can all become gardening tools. Seeds are the positive shifts and takeaways that can come from working through our weeds. A seed might leave us feeling calmer, more confident, hopeful, prepared, connected, or ready to move forward. #PullYourWeeds® is how we identify and express our weeds, take healthy action, build emotional empowerment, and plant seeds of positive change. Our Gardener Vocabulary gives us a way to recognize what we’re feeling, talk about it, and decide what we need next. The SEEDS Technique™ brings it all together in five simple steps. How to Use the SEEDS Technique™ When a weed pops up, SEEDS gives us five simple ways to grow through it: S | STOP Take a breath and notice what you’re feeling. Before we can decide what we need, we have to recognize what is happening. Maybe we feel worried, frustrated, disappointed, nervous, overwhelmed, or something we cannot quite name yet. We can simply stop and notice. E | EXPLORE Look around. Notice what you can see, hear, smell, and feel. Using our senses can bring our attention to what is happening right now. Notice the room around you, sounds nearby, how your feet feel on the floor, or the temperature of the air. E | EXPRESS Talk to someone you trust or write about how you feel. Our weeds do not have to stay bottled up. We can put words to them by talking with someone we trust or writing down what is on our mind. D | DISCOVER Choose a gardening tool that helps you feel calm, confident, or creative. Different weeds may call for different tools. Take a few deep breaths. Go outside. Draw. Journal. Stretch. Listen to music. Take a walk. Connect with someone. Discover what supports you in that moment. S | SEE Notice your flowers, the things you’re grateful for that bring you joy. Even when we are experiencing a weed, our flowers are still there. Taking a moment to notice something good can create a small shift in perspective. That’s where the seed takes root, in the positive shift that comes from growing through our weeds. From Weeds to Seeds The goal of the SEEDS Technique™ is not to make difficult feelings disappear. Our weeds are part of being human. Instead, SEEDS gives us a way to notice those feelings, explore what is happening, express what we need, discover healthy tools, and reconnect with the flowers that are growing alongside our weeds. Sometimes the seed is feeling calmer. Sometimes it is having the confidence to try again. Sometimes it is recognizing what we need, asking for support, finding a new perspective, or simply feeling a little more prepared for what comes next. Small shifts can lead to positive growth. A Tool for Gardeners of All Ages One of our favorite things about the SEEDS Technique™ is that its message is ageless. A young gardener can use SEEDS after a difficult day at school. A teenager can use it before a test, game, performance, or challenging conversation. A parent can use it during an overwhelming afternoon. An educator can introduce it during a classroom reset. A counselor can use the prompts to open a conversation. And grown gardeners can use the same five steps when work, relationships, responsibilities, or everyday life start to feel like a lot. The weeds may change as we grow. The importance of knowing how to respond to them does not. Keep the SEEDS Technique™ Where You Can See It Emotional regulation tools are most useful when we can actually remember to use them. That’s why we created our newly redesigned SEEDS Technique™ printable to keep the five steps visible and accessible. Hang it on the refrigerator at home, in a classroom or calm space, in a school counselor’s office, in a therapy or wellness space, near a desk or workspace, or anywhere gardeners may need a reminder to STOP, EXPLORE, EXPRESS, DISCOVER and SEE. DOWNLOAD OUR FREE SEEDS TECHNIQUE™ PRINTABLE Sometimes simply seeing the steps is enough to remind us that we have choices in how we respond. Plant the Seeds and Keep Growing We cannot prevent every weed from popping up, but we can continue growing the awareness, language, and healthy tools that allow us to move through them with greater confidence. STOP. EXPLORE. EXPRESS. DISCOVER. SEE. Notice the weed. Reach for a gardening tool. Look for your flowers. And see what seed you can plant next. We are all gardeners, growing through what we go through. Join the #PullYourWeeds® Movement You Are a Gardener® is an emotional empowerment platform for gardeners of all ages and stages. Through our Gardener Vocabulary, healthy Gardening Tools, and the #PullYourWeeds® movement, we encourage greater awareness of what we are feeling and healthy ways to respond to the weeds that pop up along the way. From children and teens to parents, educators, counselors, and grown gardeners, our resources are designed to plant seeds of confidence, resilience, kindness, connection, and positive growth. Dig into the #PullYourWeeds® Blog and discover tools, resources, and inspiration for growing through what we go through: Explore our Blog > We all have weeds, and as gardeners, we all have the ability to grow through what we go through! Discover You Are a Gardener's® SEEDS Technique™: Bringing mindful awareness to emotional distress. Turn weeds into seeds in 5 simple steps & manage stress levels with this effective approach.

Finding an elementary school assembly program that is engaging, meaningful, and relevant to what students are navigating today can be a challenge. Schools are looking for more than entertainment. They are looking for experiences that reinforce the work already happening in classrooms, counseling offices, and school communities, especially around emotional regulation, confidence, empathy, kindness, resilience, connection, and healthy ways to work through everyday challenges. That is exactly where our #PullYourWeeds® School Assembly Program takes root. Created for students in grades K-8, our interactive assemblies give students simple, relatable language and practical “gardening tools” they can carry with them long after the assembly ends. What Is a #PullYourWeeds® School Assembly? At the heart of every #PullYourWeeds® assembly is a simple idea: We all have weeds. We all have seeds. And we all have the ability to grow. Through our Gardener vocabulary and mindset, students learn to recognize what they are feeling, understand the difference between reacting and responding, and discover healthy 'gardening' tools they can use when they encounter worries, frustration, disappointment, friendship challenges, self-doubt, and other everyday “weeds.” Instead of telling students how they should feel, we give them approachable ways to recognize what they are feeling and choose what they want to do next. Because gardeners respond. We don’t react. Supporting Emotional Regulation Through Healthy, Relatable Tools Emotional regulation is becoming an increasingly important part of conversations in schools, and for good reason. Students need opportunities to practice what it looks like to pause, recognize their emotions, and make thoughtful choices in real-life situations. During our school assemblies, students are introduced to healthy, relatable gardening tools rooted in confidence, calm, connection, and personal growth. These tools can be used in the classroom, on the playground, at home, during friendships, before a test, or anytime a student feels a “weed” beginning to grow. The goal is not to eliminate difficult emotions or challenges. Those are part of growing. The goal is to give students 'gardening tools' for growing through them. Planting Seeds of Confidence, Empathy & Kindness Understanding our own emotions can also help us better understand one another. When students begin to better understand their own emotions, they also create more space to understand what someone else may be experiencing. Our #PullYourWeeds® assemblies encourage students to explore: Emotional awareness and learning how to grow through their “weeds” Healthy, relatable gardening tools for everyday growth and emotional well-being Building confidence and self-awareness Cultivating empathy, resilience, and emotional strength Spreading seeds of kindness and connection Discovering how small shifts can lead to positive growth and lasting change These conversations help reinforce a school culture where students feel empowered to make thoughtful choices while recognizing the impact they can have on the people and communities around them. An Interactive School Assembly Students Can Understand and Remember Our Gardener vocabulary gives students a simple, relatable way to explore emotional empowerment and personal growth. Using the garden as a metaphor, students dig into four core ideas: -Flowers represent our joy, gratitude, and the good things growing in our lives. -Weeds represent our worries, stressors, and challenges. -Gardening tools are the healthy ways we can grow through our emotions. -Seeds are the positive shifts that can come from using our tools and making thoughtful choices. Through an engaging, interactive presentation, students participate in discussions, activities, relatable examples, and exercises that bring these ideas to life. Our goal is for students to leave not only inspired, but with language, mindset, and tools they can carry with them as they grow. Extending the Experience Beyond the Assembly We believe the most meaningful school assemblies are the ones that keep growing long after the presentation is over. Each #PullYourWeeds® assembly includes classroom resources designed to help schools continue the conversation, including digital educator materials, student takeaways, a signed copy of You Are a Gardener® for the school library, and opportunities to extend the experience into the broader school community. Schools can also participate in our Keep It Growing Book Campaign, giving families an opportunity to bring the Gardener vocabulary and tools home while supporting their school. This creates a connection between what students experience during the assembly and the conversations that can continue in classrooms, counseling spaces, and at home. Bring the #PullYourWeeds® Program to Your School Whether your school is focusing on emotional regulation, social-emotional learning, kindness, empathy, resilience, character education, mental wellness, or building a stronger school community, our #PullYourWeeds® School Assembly Program offers an engaging way to reinforce those goals through a language and mindset students can understand and remember. Our 2026/2027 #PullYourWeeds® School Assembly Program Guide brings all of the information together in one place, including what students experience, what is included with each assembly, school reviews, program options, our Keep It Growing Book Campaign, and everything you need to explore bringing the program to your school. Ready to plant some seeds? Download our 2026/2027 School Assembly Program Guide > Let’s plant something that keeps growing long after the assembly ends. Let's grow! Explore elementary school assembly programs rooted in emotional regulation, confidence, empathy, kindness, resilience, and personal growth.

Digging Into a New Season: We’re Back, Gardeners! We took the summer to dig in. 🌱 Into family. Into our roots. Into travel, rest, reflection, and a little rediscovering. This summer, we made a little space to slow things down and reconnect with what mattered most. Space to be present with family. Space to travel. Space to write. Space to reflect on how far we’ve come and where we want to grow next. Sometimes growth looks like doing more. Sometimes it looks like creating the space to see what wants to grow next. And one of our favorite places to reconnect with our roots happens to be Nantucket.... Back to Our Roots Every summer since 2018, our family has returned to the Crooked House in Madaket, the former Nantucket summer home of Fred and Joanne Rogers, to take a photo with our children’s book, You Are a Gardener®. What began as one simple photo of Gardener Anna and Gardener Aidan holding our book has become one of our favorite family traditions. Year after year, we return to the same spot. The kids get taller. Our family grows and changes. You Are a Gardener® continues to grow. And that little house remains a beautiful reminder of where we started and how far we’ve come. A few years ago, we also discovered a Mister Rogers-inspired Little Free Library nearby and added another stop to our tradition. Each summer, after taking our annual photo, we stop by and leave a copy of You Are a Gardener® inside for another family to discover. There is something pretty special about returning to the same place each year and being able to actually see the growth. Digging Into What’s Next And now... we’re back, gardeners! We’re heading into this new season with fresh energy, big ideas, and so many exciting seeds being planted. 📚 Our new book is getting closer to print. 🦊 Anna is officially joining the YAAG team as an intern for her senior year. 🏫 New schools are being added to our #PullYourWeeds® assembly lineup. 🤝 New community connections + collaborations are growing. 🌻 New programs are taking root for gardeners of all ages and stages. And we’re just getting started. 💛 We’re especially excited to have Gardener Anna officially working alongside the YAAG team this year. She’ll be digging into school outreach, sales, community connections, new programs, and plenty of new ideas along the way. She’ll also be sharing a behind-the-scenes look at her internship, where she goes, who she meets, what she learns, and what she’s digging into along the way. Follow her journey at @thegardeneranna 🦊 We’re Back, Gardeners! Taking a break from the #PullYourWeeds® Blog and our weekly Weeds to Seeds™ newsletter gave us the opportunity to reconnect with something we talk about here all the time: Growth doesn’t always have to be rushed. Sometimes we need a little space to reconnect with our roots, reflect on where we’ve been, and get excited about where we’re growing next. And now? It feels SO good to be back. There is a lot growing behind the scenes at You Are a Gardener®, and we can’t wait to start sharing it with you. New seeds. New connections. New possibilities. And plenty of room to grow. 🌼 We’re ready, gardeners. Let’s grow! 🦊💛 Digging Into a New Season with You Are a Gardener® as we return from summer with new growth, school assemblies, community connections, and more.

Let Go to Grow: A Simple Reset for a New Season + Free Printable : A new season has a way of shifting our energy. Summer schedules change. Routines return. Calendars fill back up. And whether we’re heading back to school, back to work, or simply settling into a different rhythm, change gives us an opportunity to pause and decide what we want to bring with us. Because moving forward isn’t only about adding more. Sometimes, we have to let go to grow. 🌱 What Are We Ready to Let Go Of? We all carry things from one season into the next. Worries. Expectations. Patterns. Routines. Even ways of thinking that may have worked for us before but don’t feel quite right anymore. A new season gives us an opportunity to ask: What am I ready to let go of? Maybe it’s overthinking. Maybe it’s an expectation we’ve placed on ourselves. Maybe it’s a pattern that isn’t helping us grow. Maybe it’s simply trying to do too much. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting what we’ve learned. It means making space for what we want to grow next. What Do We Want to Carry Forward? Not everything needs to change. There are seeds from the season behind us worth carrying forward. Maybe summer reminded us to slow down. Spend more time outside. Laugh more. Put our phones down. Connect with people we love. Try something new. Or simply leave a little more room in our days. Take a moment to think about: What worked well? What brought me joy? What do I want to keep doing? Those are the seeds worth carrying forward. 🌱 Free Let Go to Grow Printable To make this new-season reset a little easier to put into practice, we created a free Let Go to Grow printable designed for gardeners of all ages and stages. Use it at home, in the classroom, during counseling sessions, with a family, or for your own personal reflection. It offers a simple place to pause and think about what you’re ready to let go of, what worked well that you want to carry forward, and what you’d like to grow next. There’s no right or wrong way to use it. Take a few quiet minutes, dig in, and see what pops up. [DOWNLOAD THE FREE LET GO TO GROW PRINTABLE] What Do We Want to Grow Next? Here comes the fun part. 🌼 Instead of focusing on everything we should be doing this season, we can ask: What do I want more of in this next season? More time outside? A calmer morning? Better sleep? Time with friends? A creative project? More movement? A new routine? We don’t have to change everything at once. One small seed can be enough to begin. And once we know what we want to grow, we can choose one small thing we can do this week to get started. A Few Seeds to Carry With You: Mini Mantras to Let Go to Grow Carry these little seeds with you as you step into a new season. Repeat them whenever you need a reminder to pause, reset, and choose what you want to grow. 🌱 I know what to grow and what to let go. 🌱 I clear some space and grow at my pace. 🌱 New season, new seed, I choose what I need. A new season doesn’t require a whole new version of us. It simply gives us another opportunity to pause, choose, and grow with intention. Let’s grow, gardeners! 🦊 Download our Let Go to Grow Free Printable, a simple new season reset to reflect, release what no longer serves you, and choose what you want to grow next.

The sun is shining, the waves are rolling in, and even gardeners know when it's time to rest, reset, and reflect. Summer offers a gentle invitation to slow down and enjoy the moment. Whether it's a walk on the beach, an afternoon spent reading, a family adventure, or simply watching the clouds drift by, these quiet moments can be just as meaningful as the busy ones. When we pause, we create space to notice how far we've come. We give ourselves time to recharge, reconnect, and appreciate the simple joys that often get overlooked during busier seasons. This next few weeks, Gardener Foxie, Mousie, and Birdie are taking a little vacation of their own. They're spending time by the water, enjoying peaceful moments together, and practicing one of the most important gardening tools of all: rest. 🏖️ Keep scrolling for simple summer tips, gentle reminders, and resources to help your garden continue to grow. Rest Is Part of Growth In today's busy world, it can be easy to feel like we always need to be doing something. Always working. Always checking. Always scrolling. Always rushing to the next thing. But growth doesn't come from being busy every minute of the day. Sometimes growth comes from pausing. When we unplug from distractions, we give our minds and hearts a chance to breathe. Planting Seeds of Rest This Summer Try planting a few of these summer seeds: ❌ Put devices away for one hour. Enjoy a screen free hour outside, with family, or simply relaxing. 🌅 Watch a sunrise or sunset. Nature has a way of helping us slow down and appreciate the moment. 📖 Read for fun. Choose a book that makes you smile, wonder, or dream. 🚶 Take a mindful walk. Notice the sounds, colors, and textures around you. 🏖️ Create a summer memory. Build a sandcastle, draw a picture, start a journal, or simply spend time with someone you care about. 🌻 Practice gratitude. Think about three things that brought you joy today. Remember, resting isn't falling behind. Resting is preparing your garden for future growth. Summer Reminders for Gardeners 🌞 Take time to enjoy the simple moments. 🌞 Let yourself slow down without feeling rushed. 🌞 Spend more time connecting and less time scrolling. 🌞 Notice the beauty growing around you. 🌞 Celebrate small moments of joy. 🌞 Rest when you need it. 🌞 Appreciate how far you've come this year. 🌞 Remember that growth continues, even during seasons of pause. As summer unfolds, remember that every season has a purpose. Whether you're exploring, relaxing, connecting, or simply taking time to breathe, you're still planting seeds for future growth. While We're Away... As Gardener Foxie and friends enjoy a little summer reset, we still have plenty of ways to stay connected and keep planting seeds of growth together. Dig Into Free Printables Looking for fun activities this summer? Explore our collection of printable resources designed for gardeners young and grown. They're perfect for home, camp, counseling sessions, or quiet summer afternoons. → Dig Into Free Printables Weeds to Seeds Newsletter Our newsletter is taking a short summer pause and will return in July. We can't wait to share new ideas, inspiration, and resources when we return. → Join the Weeds to Seeds Newsletter Plant Seeds of Kindness Discover the book that started it all. You Are a Gardener® encourages gardeners of all ages to grow confidence, resilience, calm, connection, and positive change one seed at a time. → Explore the Book School Spotlights & Programs We're already looking ahead to fall and winter 2026. Learn more about school assemblies and programs that inspire emotional empowerment, personal growth, resilience, connection, hope, and positive change. → Explore School Spotlights & Programs As you enjoy your own summer adventures, remember that every season has a purpose. Whether you're exploring, relaxing, learning, or simply taking time to breathe, you're still growing. Happy summer, gardeners. We'll see you soon. 🌞🏖️🐚 Even gardeners need time to rest, reset and reflect. Find simple summer ideas for recharging, creating meaningful memories, and nurturing personal growth.

Bringing Emotional Empowerment to Schools : At You Are a Gardener®, we believe every student has the ability to grow with confidence, resilience, hope, and connection. Our school assemblies use the gardening metaphor to introduce simple, memorable gardening tools that help students better understand themselves, strengthen relationships, and recognize the positive impact they can have on the world around them. Through engaging stories, interactive discussions, and meaningful reflection, students discover that growth happens one seed at a time. The lessons shared during our assemblies are designed to be practical, relatable, and easy to carry beyond the school day, helping create lasting opportunities for personal growth and positive change. Benefits of a You Are a Gardener® Assembly Encourages emotional empowerment and self awareness Promotes confidence, resilience, and hope Strengthens kindness, empathy, and meaningful connections Provides practical gardening tools students can use every day Supports a positive school culture and climate Reinforces messages that continue growing long after the assembly See What Schools Are Saying: Click Here Now booking Fall 2026 school assemblies in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Contact us to learn more and bring the You Are a Gardener® message to your school community. Contact Us Today at flowers@youareagardener.com Bringing Emotional Empowerment to Schools through engaging You Are a Gardener® assemblies that inspire resilience, personal growth, hope, connection, and positive change.