Bloomers! Schoolyard, Sept. 15

Come plant seeds with the Bloomers!

They’re offering a free gardening activity in the spirit of the Bloomers! Schoolyard program this Sunday at the Green Tent.

Participants will prepare zip lock baggies that they can decorate with Bloomers! stickers and then tape to a sunlit window once they get home to watch their seeds sprout. There will also be Bloomers! sheets for children to color at the booth  or take home to color. The coloring sheets are about the parts of a seed and the parts of a plant.

Every participant will also get a subscription code for Bloomers! Island, an online world that rewards players for going outside. The subscription code is good for a free 6 month membership to the Island and gives them access to the full Bloomers! virtual world."

The Bloomers! mission is to encourage the healthiest people and healthiest planet possible by engaging children in the magical world of gardening and nature. The organization’s education branch, Bloomers! Schoolyard, is a hands-on gardening and healthy eating program designed specifically for early learners.

Research shows...

• Eating habits are formed at an early age
• Children who eat healthy are much more likely to grow into adults who eat healthy
• When children grow their own food, they will eat it!
• Rising cognitive and behavioral issues are linked to lack of time outside and in nature
• Children who spend time in and interacting with nature tend to be more environmentally minded and make environmentally friendly choices
• Environmentally conscious adults are most likely to stem from environmentally conscious children
• Children’s participation in nature-based activities (such as gardening) is positively correlated with participation in nature-based activities in adulthood

Dirt's not a dirty word! Soil contains a special bacterium “Mycobacterium vaccae” that triggers the release of serotonin in the brain. “We want kids to go back outside and get their hands dirty!” is at the core of Bloomers! mission".

Since piloting a handful of programs in 2011, Bloomers! Schoolyard has grown immensely with 58 current programs throughout Los Angeles and Orange County.

Visit the Bloomers! team to learn more and to enjoy a free gardening activity for children.