Hello Gardeners! We are starting a new segment on the #PullYourWeeds blog called #SELatHome. This segment is aimed to help parents continue the social and emotional learning at home through activities and crafts, while also helping to encourage those important gardening conversations! Playing a board game with you friends or family is such a fun way to spend an evening in. It gives everyone a chance to pull away from television, homework, iPads, work stress, and just be present and enjoy each other. But board games also are a great way to sneak in a little social and emotional learning at home. Different games target different learning opportunities. Jenga helps players work on impulse control and self-monitoring. Since the object of the game is to prevent the tower from toppling over, this helps both kids and adults work on awareness and carefulness of movements. Rock Me Archimedes is a two player game that requires players to take risks and plan ahead. Many times children will be afraid to reach for something due to a fear of losing. By practicing this through games, kids can build a healthy relationship with winning and losing. Bananagrams is not only a great game to help kids practice forming and spelling words, but it also is a great game to help kids settle down. Spelling requires focus - pull this game out when everyone needs to calm down a bit! Operation is a classic! This game is a great way to help kids practice patience. Like Jenga, there is a certain amount of awareness one needs to be successful in this game. Also, Operation helps teach us to learn from our mistakes and continue to try new approaches! If your family is more of a get-up-and-move type family or if you are hosting a big sleepover, scavenger hunts are the perfect activity! Whether you have you hunt inside or outside, they are a great way to get kids up and moving, communicating, and problem solving, while strengthening their observation skills! Give it a try! Pick a night this week, pull out your favorite board game or try one of the games mentioned above, and have fun! What are your favorite board games? Let us know in the comments below 👇👇👇 As always gardeners, #PullYourWeeds!

Hello Gardeners! About a month ago, our author, Shanna Truffini, had the pleasure of speaking with HipNJ's, Maria Falzo. Hip New Jersey (HipNJ) is a lifestyle program featuring New Jersey businesses, organizations, events, entertainment, and so much more. Their #HipTV segments are aired on HomeTowne Television (HTTV) and NJ On Air. HipNJ's main goal is to spread the word about community events and NJ entrepreneurs, so we were thrilled to meet the team and spread our seeds to their loyal viewers! #OnSet 🎬 with #HipNJ! What a fun studio! You can watch the interview here, in case you missed it! Our goal from the beginning was to spread seeds of positivity to as many gardeners as possible. That's why opportunities like this are so exciting! If you know a teacher, director of an after-school program, or bookstore owner that could help us spread our seeds or benefit from our program - send them our way! Making connections with educators and local businesses is so important to us. And remember, the best way to keep you garden healthy and growing is to #PullYourWeeds!

Hello Gardeners! Nighttime can be a really stressful time for some gardeners. When we finally slow down and try to relax, we are left with racing thoughts, anxiety, and fear. Other times, it's what we experience when we're asleep that makes us nervous about bedtime. Nightmares, anxiety dreams, punishment dreams, post-trauma dreams, and night terrors - there is a whole world of weeds that can pop up when we are asleep. What happens when we find ourselves scared awake from one of these dreams? How do we handle it? Try a grounding technique Often what makes nightmares so impactful, is how easily they can disorient us and make us unsure about if the terrible event we experienced was a dream or reality. Next time this happens to you, sit up on the edge of your bed, plant your feet firmly on the ground, maybe wiggle your toes a little. Feel yourself in your body, in your room, in your house. Do a body scan Laying in bed, start at your toes, wiggle them around, focus on just that part of your body, then move up to your ankle and do the same. Do this with every part of your body moving all the way up to your head. After you complete this scan, you should not only feel more relaxed, but fully in your body. This is a great technique to try before sleep too! Listen to relaxing music If you find yourself not able to shake the images, sounds, and feelings of a nightmare or dream, try focusing on someone else's voice or the instruments in a composition. This can help distract you from the thoughts swirling around your head and help you fall back to sleep. Read a chapter of a book The act of turning on the light and seeing yourself in your bed and not in your dream's environment helps bring you back to the present. Reading, similar to listening to music, will help distract you from the dream and can help you fall back to sleep. Get a nightlight Nightlights can function as orienting devices. When you wake up from a nightmare, look for the glow of your nightlight - when you see it, you know you are safe! Try this craft for a DIY Tin Can Firefly Lamp! Finally, if you are experiencing disturbing and terrifying dreams fairly often, talk to your parents or guardians! Sleep is so important to keeping our gardens healthy and talking with someone about the kind of stressful dreams you are having can help locate a larger issue. Thanks for reading along, gardeners! Remember you can always reach out with your flowers and weeds. Email flowers@youareagardner.com or tag @youareagardener. We really love hearing about how the book and the gardener mentality has helped you #PullYourWeeds!

Hello Gardeners! Being able to recognize what you are feeling and why you are feeling it can be sometimes be a challenge. Having the ability to stop and figure out what you need in a particular moment is something that takes being honest with yourself, patience and trial & error. To find out what works best for you, is to try out various coping strategies. For example, when you find yourself stressed and have some 'weeds' popping up, try taking a walk, doing a quick breathing technique, or playing a game with a friend or family member. Keep track of what works to help you take your mind off your 'weeds' (your negative thoughts) and focus on your 'flowers' (your positive thoughts) but also take note of what doesn't help! Sometimes, we just need some alternate activities to disrupt those weeds from growing. That's why today in this #PullYourWeeds Blog post we are making "Self-Regulation Flower Pinwheels" which is 'positive distraction' tool to help you get out of the weeds and focus on your flowers! This flower themed pinwheel can help when you or your children are feeling sad, scared overwhelmed, or mad. Just spin the wheel and see what calming or relieving action you can take to help you try and redirect your thoughts. It's also a wonderful way to introduce new coping strategies at home or in the classroom! What you'll need: Cut a small circle out of one of the paper plates, a slightly larger circle from the second, and cut flower petals from the third. From the scraps cut out a very small circle, poke two holes in the center, and thread through your twist tie. Poke one hole in the center of each of your paper plates. Paint the plate with the petals like you would a flower and the two other plates colors of your choice. Attach all three layers - small circle, larger circle, circle with petals - by poking the twist tie strands through and securing. Then, cut out a square on the small circle and write "I feel..." above the cut out. On the second layer, write some of the difficult feelings you experience - stress, anxiety, sadness, frustration, impatience, etc. Then on the outer layer, write some enjoyable activities or techniques that help disrupt negative feelings and emotions - take a walk, read a book, listen to music, drink cold water, do a craft, talk to someone you trust, 5 minutes of deep breathing, take a bath, play a game... When you feel some of those difficult feelings coming on, spin your wheel of petals and give that coping strategy a try! Did you do this activity with you students or with you kids? Send us pictures of your pinwheels! This craft is a wonderful example of how to incorporate SEL art projects into your classroom and at home. Thanks for reading along and remember gardeners.... #PullYourWeeds!

Hello Gardeners! It's when a small flower bud decides to open up, face the sun, and show it's beautiful colors. That's when you see the magic of a flower in full bloom. Why is blossoming important? If you think about it, blossoming flowers take in more - more sunshine, more rain, more appreciation, more love. When our flower buds are kept so tightly closed, its hard for us to give them the appreciation they deserve. Our ability to be open allows us to experience happiness, accept help, appreciate change, experience new things, and build new friendships. For some of us, it's difficult to be open - being open means putting yourself out there, being vulnerable and trusting that you will be accepted. But when we take that leap, we realize that we can connect with others more deeply, step outside of our comfort zones, and allow ourselves to fully experience our emotions. Practice these 5 methods below and you will surely see your flowers blossom! 🌸 🌸 🌸 Be honest. Being more honest with yourself and the people around you is an effective way of sharing more and being vulnerable with others. Listen without judgement. When we allow others to be open with us without the fear of judgement, they typically show us the same respect. Try new things. Even if an activity is out of your comfort zone, give it a try! Trying new things leads you to new people, new hobbies, and new experienced emotions. Be receptive to other perspectives. Even just the act of trying to understand and see another person's point of view is a helpful exercise in becoming more open. It helps us work on the big E, empathy. Try to speak beyond, "I don't know." If someone asks you how you feel, try to go beyond "I don't know". That often means "I don't want to think about this anymore." Before you say "I don't know" - take a minute to think about how you actually feel. Try your absolute hardest to explain your feelings even if you don't necessarily understand them. Open yourself up to more beauty and love - and don't forget to #PullYourWeeds!

Hello Gardeners! Have you ever heard the expression, "treat others the way you want to be treated" For so many of us though, WE don't treat OURSELVES the way we want to be treated. Because we are the most real, unhinged, and open with ourselves, we tend to say things to ourselves that we would never say to another person! Think about it. Imagine an experience where you either made a mistake, failed to complete a task, disappointed someone, or maybe embarrassed yourself in front of your classmates. Think about how you "consoled" yourself. Did you say things like: It's okay, you'll do better next time. I'm proud of you for trying! Don't worry about it, it will pass. Mistakes happen! Bravo for those of you that did, but I'm guessing most of us said things that were a little more harsh. The next time you find yourself in this situation, think about what you would say to a friend in your situation. Write a letter to yourself. Recognize and praise all that you have done well this week, no matter how small the victories. Console yourself for the mistakes, embarrassing moments, and the upsets. Remind yourself of the support you have and then sign your letter with love. We are going to leave you with this quote: "You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head. Be kind to yourself" - Author unknown Be kind to yourselves, gardeners! #TheFutureIsBright

Hello Gardeners! The Gardening Team is always saying: When we say this, that doesn't mean be happy all of the time. No one is happy all of the time! What we mean is, the way you frame your outlook on life is a choice. You can choose to ignore your flowers and water your weeds OR you can be grateful for every single seed planted and every flower that's bloomed. Think of it this way, when you look at a field of dandelions, you can choose to see a field of weeds or a field of seeds waiting to be flowers. Let's say, for example, you failed a test at school. There are a handful of negative things we could say about ourselves and about the situation: I'm so stupid. I hate school! Why bother trying, I'll never get it. I feel so dumb for not studying more. My teacher is so mean. That test was unfair! Part of choosing positivity is being able to accept your mistakes, let go of anger or shame surrounding the situation, and come up with productive ways to improve. Yes, you can always study more, instead of feeling ashamed about that, use it as fuel to prepare for the next test! Instead of giving up and saying you will never understand the subject, ask for help - show interest in improving. Instead of placing blame on unfair questions and mean teachers, accept responsibility and make a promise to yourself you will try a little harder next time! Living your life through the lens of negativity doesn't help you or the people around you do any better - in fact, it brings people trying their best to stay positive down! That's why we say, CHOOSE positivity! Positivity helps you #WaterYourFlowers and #PullYourWeeds!

Hello Gardeners! Every gardener with a growing & blooming garden needs a toolbox. Something that holds everything they need to control and pull their weeds, keep their flowers healthy, and prevent any invasive overgrowth. Take a minute to think about your personal toolbox - what helps YOU pull YOUR weeds? Maybe you find you can let go of a lot of stress & anxiety when you play team sports or are exercising. Maybe you feel your happiest when you are reading and exploring new worlds through books. Each and every one of us has a toolbox full of innate and learned strategies that help us balance the good and the bad. As gardeners, we are always looking for new and effective ways to keep our gardens healthy. Meditation is maybe one of the best tools you can have in your toolbox. People assume meditation means sitting still for hours and associate it with boredom. At the end of the day, meditation is just about focusing your mind for a period of time, and the goal is to get you out of your head and come back into the present moment. Try our 5-minute Meditation that focuses on the breath! If you lose count or you can't count past a certain number, don't worry! Just start back at 1. After the 5 minutes is up, you breath should be regulated, mind clear, and body relaxed. Make a list of your flowers - the things that make you feel the most you or the things you are looking forward to in the next week Make a list of HOW you pull your weeds - what are some of the things you do or think about when you aren't feeling your best? Really think about this one! Maybe you wear a special necklace, doodle in a sketchbook, or talk to an invisible friend when you are scared. We all cope differently! Now, make a list of the weeds you are struggling to pull. Include all of them! Some are harder to pull than others. Once you've finished, look at this list. Ask yourself: Do I need more tools in my toolbox? Which tools work the best for me? Are any of my tools not helping? Can I do a little more to control my weeds & water my flowers? This is just another great way to check-in with yourself! Adjust the way you #PullYourWeeds so that it works for you!

Hello Gardeners! Have you ever heard about invasive plants? In nature, invasive plants are plants that aren't native to the area and spread lots of seeds as a way to try to take over the native plants. If you are an experienced gardener, you know you are always checking your garden for these fast growing plants, just so you can pull them out! Well, what if we thought of #anxiety as an invasive plant. Anxiety is an overwhelming sense of distress that often leads to fear and behaves differently in each an every one of us. Some of us experience anxiety occasionally - like those of us who are afraid of thunderstorms - and others experience anxiety every single day! If we look at the invasive plant analogy, those weeds spread so quickly because so many seeds are spread in such a short amount of time. Anxiety functions similarly - one bad thought feeds another and another and another, and soon your garden is loaded with weeds! We LOVE this illustration from @journey_to_wellness Always remember, no matter how overgrown your garden is, you can always roll up your sleeves and clean it up. To our gardener friends who do struggle with anxiety, ask for help! Pulling out those weeds alone is exhausting, and remember what #GardenerAnna & #GardenerAidan always say, The best way to pull a weed is by talking about it! What helps alleviate anxiety? LOTS of things! So often anxious thoughts hog all of our brain space and take us out of the present moment. A great way to touch back down and come back into your body is by doing a grounding technique or mindfulness technique. Check out our #HelloGardeners episode on Grounding! Journaling is great way to help manage anxiety! In our Spring Cleaning post, we asked you to think of your journal as a really good friend. When anxious moments pop up, take a few minutes to write down what you're feeling - it not only helps you notice that feeling, but gives you a second to focus and breathe. We've got a great craft for a handmade journal, take a look below or head to our Setting Intentions post to see the full instructions! Talk to your parents or guardians! The people who care for you may be able to see that something is bothering you, but they can't read your thoughts. Talk to them about how you are feeling and how it's impacting you. They may have some suggestions for managing your anxiety or they may have you meet with a Gardening Assistant - most importantly they'll know that this is how you feel. Don't ever be afraid to email US with your weeds, seeds, and flowers! Each and every one of us is managing our gardens and our weeds, but we can all afford to lend a hand to help others pull their weeds and notice their flowers. #TheFutureIsBright

Hello Gardeners! We've all heard it: "Don't eat too much sugar or you're going to crash!" We know sugar isn't good for us, but did you know that eating too much sugar can impact your ability to regulate your emotions, decrease energy levels, aggravate anxiety, and decrease your ability to learn and remember (Everhealth). Now, of course, that doesn't mean we can't have a little cake on our birthdays or some candy during Halloween, but indulging in too much sugar actually gives strength and energy to our weeds rather than to our flowers. At some point in our lives, you will probably experience a "sugar rush" - your heart starts racing, you are overcome with insane amounts of energy, your mind moves a million times a minute, and then CRASH! Our bodies burn through that sugar and then we are left feeling tired, cranky, sad, and overall just "blah". During this down period, we're vulnerable to all sorts of weeds that can pop up out of nowhere! If you've had a little too much sugar and are experiencing these quick-fire emotions, take a moment to come back to Earth and just remember "STRAW": S it down T ake a drink of water R ecognize this will pass A llow yourself to breath W ait until you are calm Need a sweet & healthy snack that won't cause #SugarWeeds? Here is a quick & easy Open-Faced Apple Sandwich! What you'll need: Apple Sharp knife (Definitely have an adult help you cut your apple!) Toppings of your choice - peanut butter, sun butter, yogurt, granola, chia seeds, raisins, nuts, cheese, etc. Cut your apple into circular slices and be sure to take out the core! Now just load on your toppings! Our top 2 favorites were cheddar cheese OR peanut butter with raisins & chia seeds. Alright gardeners, thanks for stopping by today! If you have a weed, a seed, or a flower you'd like to share with us, PLEASE reach out! (: We love hearing from each and every one of you :) #PullYourWeeds

Hello Gardeners! We can all strive to be a little more empathetic, a little more helpful, and a little more ✨KIND✨. When people are kind to us, we feel strong and supported - we feel less alone. It's so important to spread that feeling of love and support as far as we can reach! #SpreadSeedsOfKindness Recently, the Gardening Team came across this news segment of two NJ towns that came together to inspire kindness in every member of their communities. Watch the segment below! These days, we tend to focus on what divides us, rather than what brings us together. We can ALL be kind, respectful, and accepting! How do you choose to spread kindness? Do you include your classmates in games and at recess? Are you respectful of your teachers and coaches? Do you speak nicely of others, even when they're not around? Are you willing to lend a hand when help is needed? Do you give back to your community? There are so many ways we can #PayItForward and #SpreadKindness. See if your school has Kindness Week - if it doesn't, work with a parent or teacher to make it happen in your school! If you REALLY want to take it to the next level, consider becoming a RAKtivist® (Random Acts of Kindness Activist) with the Random Acts of Kindness organization. This is a place for people to inspire and help others with their words and actions. We need more kindness ambassadors in the world! Click here to learn more. And remember to #PullYourWeeds and help others pull theirs! Inspire others to take interest and ownership over their emotional wellness!!

Hello Gardeners! Yesterday, we aired the 4th episode of season 2, where #GardenerAnna and #GardenerAidan talked about the history of art, mentioned some notable artists, and then created small paintings using natural materials with #GardenerDevin, the co-founder of Piece. - an online art gallery. Devin showed them various ways to use items from nature to create an image. These paintings can be found on findyourpiece.net or click the images below! When you purchase one of their paintings, 100% of the proceeds go to a charity of the gardeners' choice! We love #GardenerAnna's use of color & texture! And we love #GardenerAidan's unique lines! If you'd like to do this craft at your school or at home, click the image to see how it's done! It was so fun watching the gardeners get creative and express themselves, and we are so proud that they are taking this opportunity to donate to their favorite charities. #GardenerAnna will be donating to Heartworks and #GardenerAidan will be donating to St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center. Check out these awesome organizations and then head to Piece. to purchase these one-of-a-kind paintings! Did you miss episode 4? Watch below! Thanks for tuning in, gardeners! And as always, remember to #PullYourWeeds!