spring 2014
SAPLINGS 1
10 76
24 Spring 2014/contents 4_ Contributors 6_ Note from the Editor 8_ Spring Finds 10_ Flower Child 22_ Earth Day
23_ DIY Twig Frame 24_ Her secret is nature 34_ Lord of the flies 44_ Neve/Hawk interview 58_ Floatlike a butterfly
2 SAPLINGS
73_ Send a postcard 74_ Whimsical charm 84_ Flowers + Children 94_ Greenpath Baby 98_ Tommy goes camping 100_ Lexisworks 110_ Rainbowcake 112_ Importance of family reading 114_ Into the wild 127_ Fun activities for Spring 128_ Nordic dreams
84
SAPLINGS 3
44 94
contributors
Contributors Amy Sweatt Angela Compton Brooke Logue Helen Rodriguez Jennifer Olson Julie A Martin Kelly Roper La Petite Peach Leslie Schor Lexis Krieg Lila Purdy Melanie Gabrielle Marjolaine Richards-Deviq Nicole Stracek Oona Kira Cruger Randi Vaughn Rebecca Flansburg Samantha Scott Shannon Sewell Stephanie Hanna Cover image by Melanie Gabrielle.
4 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 5
6 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 7
by La Petite Peach
8 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 9
FLOWER CHILD
Photography: Brooke Logue Photography Concept and creative direction: Leslie Schor Wardrobe: Clothing provided by Little Trendsetter and styled by Leslie Schor and Brooke Logue Florals and wreath: Helen Rodriguez of Ever After Event & Floral Design Hair: TessMarie Hair Salon & Hair Extension Studio Prop styling: Angela Compton of Amazing Grace Vintage Rentals Feather Head Pieces: Paradise Gypsies Peacock chair: Refinery Vintage Models: Ava, Elise and Maren 10 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 11
12 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 13
14 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 15
16 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 17
18 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 19
20 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 21
Earth Day Growing young minds, Helping hands work together, and take action.
E
arth Day is no longer just a day that is celebrated by those who are considered “green” or eco-conscious. Celebrating Mother Earth has become a movement and by teaching children the importance of reducing waste, reusing and recycling it can have a huge impact on their futures. For ideas on how to encourage a year round change consider these tips below. Spending Earth Day creating fun and exciting art projects is a perfect way to both educate and engage growing young minds on the importance of Earth Day. Surfing Pinterest is an excellent place to start when searching for creative art projects for children. You can find everything from Earth mosaics to homemade terrariums that teach children how to celebrate and create new things from the old and to cherish Mother Earth. Another great way to celebrate Earth Day is working with your city’s environmental department to come up with ways on how to engage children in the community by connecting with the environment. Find out if your city has an invasive species that is threatening the eco system or find out if there is a section of the city that could use a little help by cleaning up litter. Teaching children to both reuse, reduce, and recycle waste is an excellent way to perpetuate a more eco friendly environment for everyone. The goal of celebrating is not only to educate our children and connect with their environment but to inspire change on a large scale. Promote sustainability and environmental conservation by taking action. Join or create a tree project in your community and beautify the environment by planting flowers and other plants to encourage children to understand the power of working together and find beauty in everyday things.
by Nicole Stracek
* Earth day is April 22, 2014 22 SAPLINGS
DIY Twig frame Materials wooden frame twigs paint foam brush hot glue gun and glue stick polymer clay Instructions The frame can be bought at dollar tree for one dollar or your local craft store. The twigs were picked from out side. 1. Paint the frame and let dry 2. Start gluing twigs on the frame 3. Use the polymer to make small eggs. 4. You can print a quote for the frame or add a photo of your child. *adult supervision is required for this project.
SAPLINGS 23
24 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 25
26 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 27
28 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 29
30 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 31
32 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 33
34 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 35
36 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 37
38 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 39
40 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 41
42 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 43
neve / hawk Interview by Leslie Schor Images by Kelly Roper
Kris and Bob Galmarini are the creatives behind the playful children’s line neve / hawk. Inspired by their two kids, Neve and Shep, the neve / hawk line aims to provide children with playful and comfortable clothing that inspire creativity. Priding themselves in manufacturing items in a conscious manner in the United States, a new upcycled line, REBIRTH, will debut this year to further promote social and ecological consciousness. The Spring/Summer line features whimsical illustrations, convertible pieces, and hand dip dyed dresses.
44 SAPLINGS
The pieces in the neve / hawk line are imaginative and versatile. What is your goal when creating each piece? Can you walk us through your creative process? My creative process usually begins with something I wish my kids had in their closet (or something I wish I had). I then draw it out and keep revising until I have what I want. After this initial stage, we make a sample in muslin. This helps me see the movement of the piece. From there, the garment starts to come to life. My goal is to create pieces that are versatile if possible. I am constantly asking myself “Could you wear this more than one way?,” “How could this grow with the child?” “What could I change to make this better for a child.” Sometimes, the piece isn’t fully designed until the fabric is picked, anything could change until that happens. How much or how little are your children involved in the design process? They are completely intertwined with our design and brand. Every piece I design and make is centered around their comfort and likes. Neve loves our bustle dresses or anything that can be worn multiple ways. Shep’s only concern is his comfort. They play a huge roll. So, there is that. Neve is also always drawing and trying to add on to my actual design choices. She drew a pair of AMAZING pants the other day. So amazing that I took that drawing and am going to design pants based on it. It is hanging in my studio. Love that she had the concept and hope that, though the years, we can have a great design relationship :-) You have recently relocated from Charleston, South Carolina to San Francisco. What prompted this journey? How do you think it will influence or affect your brand or designs? Our move to San Francisco was pretty spontaneous. We loved our little lives in Charleston and were not looking to move. Have you ever been to Charleston? It is dreamy. Just spectacular. But, my husband was approached about a job and we decided to take a look. Moving meant being closer to production for me and less worry financially for me to truly focus on our brand. Being in a big city opens many doors as far as the flow of our production schedule, etc. How is neve / hawk ecologically and socially conscious? We think about this in every area of our business. We make everything in the USA to help boost the industry and work with 100% legal sewing facilities to ensure a good quality of work life for their employees. Many people think that “Made In The USA” means it is automatically that way. There are many, many shady factories in the US. We interview every one and even talk to the employees to see what it is really like. We also try to use USA made or organic fabrics and print with natural inks. One thing we are super excited about is the launch of our neve / hawk REBIRTH line, which focuses turning old garments into something new, giving them a new life. That is coming this year.
SAPLINGS 45
46 SAPLINGS
In what ways has social media affected the children’s fashion market? I think social media has made it possible for many people to go after their dream. It has wiped out this ambiguous area of the business that was present before. Things are more transparent and people can now figure out how to get a customer base and how to produce what they want. How awesome is that? The downside is that the children’s market is saturated, with many people stealing ideas or designs, resulting in numerous designers all resembling one another. Everything almost starts to morph into one in a way. Trying to stay outside of that is the challenge. How do you balance family life and running a business? I truly don’t think a balance is possible. At least not one where you feel great about every aspect. At the moment, we have realized that our business needs to be put on the back burner a little bit because our family needs the attention and nurture with this move. In a few months, it will be the opposite. We try to focus on the kids 100% when we are all home and wait until they are in bed or at school to get cranking on neve / hawk. This leads to a ton of late nights but it works best for us. What advice would you give mothers who try to juggle creativity and motherhood? Oh man. Take deep breaths? When we lived in Charleston SC, I had a studio and alone time to create and work. Since our move to San Francisco, this has changed and I work with Shepard (3) at my feet the majority of the time. It has been the biggest challenge of the move but has also helped me a great deal. I set aside exact times to immerse myself in him and then set a timer so he knows that I have to go take a break to “work”. The hardest part is getting it all done. No, actually the hardest part is that your creativity doesn’t stop even though you have to for a bit. So, many times I am drawing on napkins at the park and stashing them for the next break for me to “work”. He helps me stash them and then I include him in organizing it all when we get back home. Sigh. The balance is hard. The biggest lesson I could share is that we all need to cut ourselves some slack. We need to love ourselves more and not be so hard on ourselves regarding either. If you had to pick a single piece from your Spring/Summer 2014 line that best embodies the inspiration of “childish joy,” which would it be and why? Hmm. I would say any of our pieces with a little hidden illustration. Maybe our “x” jacket? We designed the print to be fun and funky and added a hidden “Don’t forget to be awesome” patch. The combination of the playful pattern and hidden patch on a more structured and adult like jacket really works and makes the piece super fun.
SAPLINGS 47
48 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 49
50 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 51
52 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 53
54 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 55
56 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 57
58 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 59
60 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 61
62 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 63
64 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 65
66 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 67
68 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 69
70 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 71
72 SAPLINGS
Making someone smile one postcard at a time
http://www.sendkidstheworld.com
Have your little ones reach out to children with life threatening illnesses and injuries by sending postcards or letters and brightening their days.
SAPLINGS 73
Whimsical Charm
Photography: Isla Charm Photography Set and prop styling: Isla Charm Photography Wardrobe: Tutudumonde Hair: Stephanie Hanna of Inspired Styling
74 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 75
76 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 77
78 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 79
80 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 81
82 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 83
Hand crafting flower arrangements with your children at home. This can be a great joy if you approach this activity with an open heart and creative mindset. Florals by: Helen Rodriguez of Ever After Event & Floral Design Photos by: Melanie Gabrielle Venue: Estancia Culinaria Wardrobe: Fleur and Dot
Flowers + 84 SAPLINGS
Children SAPLINGS 85
86 SAPLINGS
The first step is gathering your flowers and supplies. When picking out flowers make sure you get a variety of colors and textures. The more options you give your little one more creative they can be with their design. Next your going to do your floral mise en place, basically you are going to lay out all of your supplies. Picking out a vase or container can be lots of fun; all you need is something that will hold water. You’ll need floral shears, gardening shears or even a sharp pair of kitchen scissors will do. I suggest you do all the cutting for your children and leave the arranging to them.
SAPLINGS 87
Now the fun part, arranging. Let them choose which greens they want to use, have them arrange those first in the vase. As you go along keep in mind, it’s important to cut each stem long enough to reach the level of the water in your container. This will give them a good foundation for their main blooms. Next let them create layers with their flowers until they feel their masterpiece is done. Remember to have fun with your flowers. Each arrangement will reflect how unique your child is.
88 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 89
90 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 91
92 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 93
Interview by Leslie
Schor
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your family? My name is Vanessa Tomchik, I am a mommy of two wonderful, energetic, boys ages 5 and 2. My husband and I have been married for 12 years, we started dating when we were 15! We have been best friends since high school and we have enjoyed many different chapters in our lives. The mom and dad role is by far the most challenging and most exciting chapter though, everyday we run into new struggles and new victories as parents. We try to enjoy and live in the moment one day at a time. How did the idea for GreenPath Baby come about? My cloth diaper journey really began in Houston, TX when I was pregnant with my first child. There was a green baby store near our house, and I loved visiting it and seeing all of the interesting and innovative products available. When we moved to Florida, my older son was about 5 months old and he had a rash that just would not go away. I decided to try and cloth diaper him in order to get rid of that horrible rash and with 24 hours it went away completely! It worked fantastically. The problem was, that the closest place to get cloth diapers at the time was 60 miles away! Fast forward to my second child, I decided I would go cloth full time, and again I could not find a store anywhere near us, so I had a crazy idea! Necessity is the mother of invention, and within 2 months GreenPath Baby was officially open for business in Jupiter, FL! Do you run GreenPath Baby on your own or do you have help? I run greenpathbaby.com from my home-based office. We are a work-at-home mom business 100%, when I need help, I hire other cloth diapering moms from our community. That is a big part of our business model. We are a company run by moms for moms and babies.
94 SAPLINGS
Can you tell us about the items and services offered by GreenPath Baby? When we started, we literally had a few boxes of cloth diapers in stock and that was it. My neighbor was my first customer and when I think of how much we’ve grown in the past 2 years it really makes my proud. We now carry more than 8 different brands of cloth diapers, all-natural creams for mama and baby, Baltic Amber Necklaces, Woven Wraps, all-natural laundry products, earth-friendly cosmetics and nail polishes, as well as natural feminine hygiene products. We see green-living as a lifestyle choice that can be applied to every area of our lives. GreenPath Baby also offers Cloth Diapering 101 Classes every month to provide new and expectant mothers with the information to make a wiser choice for themselves and their families. We have expanded our business to two retail locations (in addition to the Jupiter location), one in Palm Beach Gardens at Oh Baby Ultrasound on Northlake Blvd., and the other at The Palms Birth House in Delray Beach.
What is your goal as a business owner? My goal as a business owner is to educate and create a sense of community. We have several groups that we’ve started to connect green-minded moms in this area. We are about fun, fellowship, and helping one another out. GreenPath Baby hosts playdates as well as moms night outs to help us connect with one another as women first, then as mothers, friends, and beyond. The idea was never so much to have a business/client relationship as much as a friend-to-friend, or mom to mom interaction.
How do you balance being the owner of a business and being a mother of two? This is perhaps the most difficult area of the business day-to-day life. The balancing act is completely precarious; it’s about making choices. Sometimes those choices mean that emails don’t get answered right away, or sometimes inventory doesn’t get updated as often as it should or needs to be, but that’s ok. I choose to take the kids to the playground. I choose to cook dinner. I choose to talk to them. It is also very common to find mommy up at all hours of the night catching up on orders or finishing up business for the day. I am not as efficient as I would like to be, but I think I am as efficient and I CAN be for this chapter in my life.
SAPLINGS 95
What do you see GreenPath Baby evolving into? I would love to see GreenPath Baby continue to expand and continue to be a trusted source of green parenting in our community. I would like to see this community come together and embrace many different aspects of green parenting from diapering to babywearing, breastfeeding and beyond. What if all of the moms in Jupiter were able to successfully cloth diaper their babies? What would the impact of that look like not only personally (no rashes, no last-minute frantic trips to the grocery store, no chemicals on their bum), but environmentally as well? My proudest moment is when a mom comes back to me and says: “cloth diapering was so much easier than I thought, I don’t know why it took me so long to do it”. I would love to hear more of that! What are your favorite green products? By far, of course cloth diapers, the BumGenius Freetime as my favorite All-In-One diaper, and Lalabye Baby (also made by a Florida mom). I also love woven wraps, it’s amazing to be able to wear your baby and go on about your day hands free! I have traveled from Palm Beach to Chicago by plane without once removing my child from my wrap. It was amazing. My third favorite is my wool-dryer balls, I use it with every load of laundry that goes in the dryer. Wool-dryer balls reduce drying time (thus saving energy) and fluffs up clothes without the chemical fragrance smell that fabric softener sheets leave on your clothes.
96 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 97
Tommy goes camping It was a beautiful Saturday morning in spring and Tommy was ready to go on his first camping trip with his father. He always heard amazing stories from his older brothers who had gone on camping trips with his dad and now it was his turn, his turn to experience . Tom was already packed and dressed and he took his camping bag downstairs where he found his father packing the van. He put his bag in, had some breakfast and they both were off on their journey. After 3 hours of driving they pulled up to a sign that read “Acadia National Park”. They took their bags out of the car and started up the trail to find a good spot to pitch their tent. The weather was warm and the air was still. The trees were really tall and big, the biggest Tommy has ever seen and the birds chirped as they danced in the air. Finally they found a spot and started to set up their tent. After a long warm day night came and instantly the forest became chilly and dark. There was a lot of noise now coming from the bushes. It seemed as if all the animals were awake now. The animals croaked, howled, roared and screeched. Tommy was convinced that they were in a different forest all together. “Dad I’m scared!” Tommy said. “Don’t be scared, those noise that you hear are just animals.” Tommy’ dad trying to comfort him. “Animals can be scary, they sound mean and scary.” Tommy said trembling. “There’s nothing to be afraid. I am here.” He said as he hugged Tommy. “Let’s just get some rest and then we can go fishing tomorrow.” “Ok good idea dad” Tommy tried so hard to sleep but he couldn’t. How could he with all that noise happening outside of his tent? He looked over to his father who was fast asleep beside him. He tried sleeping again when a growl came from outside his tent. He jumped up and looked over to his dad but he was still sleeping. Growl! The growl became louder and louder as if the animal was coming closer and closer to the tent. “Dad! Dad! Something is outside and it’s going to eat us” Tommy screamed. Tommy’s dad woke up putting his fingers on his lips, telling Tommy to be quiet. He placed his hand behind his ears and started to listen but there was no sound. He then took up a flash light and a bat and went outside to look around. “Stay here.” He said and he crawled out the tent. Five minutes later Tommy’s dad returned. “There’s nothing out there Tommy. You must have been having a nightmare and thought it was real.” He said. “But … I thought… I guess so” Tommy said confusingly. He knew he heard a sound. Tommy tried sleeping again and eventually he did. The sun was out again. Tommy was just glad that the night was over. “Tommy!”
98 SAPLINGS
“Yes dad?” “Come over here and take a look at this.” He said. Tommy went over to where his dad was. He was stooping and pointing to something in the ground. “You were right, there was an animal outside our tent last night. Here’s their tracks.” “What kind of animal was it dad?” “I’m not sure but we can find out. Get my bag, we’re going to follow the tracks.” First they took a closer look at the track in the dirt with a magnifying glass. “Is it a bear’s print?” Tommy asked. “No it’s way too small to be a bear’s print” He said as examined the print. “Let’s follow the tracks and see what animal it is “ They began following the tracks. The tracks lead them far into the forest. Finally the tracks came to an end as they approached a small rocky cave right by the river. Growl! “That’s the growl I heard last night dad!” “Stand behind me let’s not get too close.” They hid behind the trees and watched as the animal tried to come out of his cave. It was a ring-tailed cat. It seemed as if he was hurt as he limped and then dropped to the ground. Tommy and his dad went over to help. There was a stick caught in his hind leg which cause him to limp and growl in pain. Tommy’s dad helped the ring-tailed cat by removing the stick from his leg. “Dad, I am enjoying my camping trip.” Tommy said. “I’m glad you are, now let’s go fishing!” This was a camping trip that Tommy would never forget, his first camping trip.
SAPLINGS 99
by Lila Purdy Images by Jennifer Olson
LexisWorks
Lexisworks encourages us to live the authentic life that we have imagined for ourselves.
When and how did you first become interested in drawing/painting? Really, my interest in drawing and painting, in the more traditional sense, is rather recent. But my interest in art is innate. I’ve created my entire life: making art at home, collecting paper for collages, and taking every art class I could in high school. When it came time to choose my college degree, I clearly wanted to peruse something art related. My practical mother encouraged a graphic design degree. This meant I was still in the art department, but I really shied away from painting, and quite frankly dreaded my drawing classes. These mediums felt scary to me, places that I could fail and never want to return. In the confines of my collage bedroom, I satisfied my own creative hand urges with art journals filled with text, clippings and smears of paint. I fell in love with graphic design and left the “real” art to “artists.”
100 SAPLINGS
As my graphic design career moved in an unplanned direction, I began to focus on my own collage work after hours. I attended craft fairs selling reproductions of my layered collages and gained confidence in my work. I started incorporating simple illustrations and became really interested in pattern and line work. It was in 2012, that I was finally able to call myself an artist and believe that I was worthy of the title. Since then, my career as an artist has been on the upslope. I took an online painting class with Flora Bowley and learned in a safe, encouraging environment that painting was fun, not scary! Months later, I got asked to paint a holiday storefront window; this was the first time my illustration skills were truly showcased. I was able to further develop my illustration and painting skills at Boulder’s The Makerie art retreat last spring under the direction of Jennifer Mercede and since then I’ve embraced the new title of illustrator. With each new project I am commissioned to do, my creativity and skill set expands because of the vision that other people have for my art. It’s been a great way to grow. What inspires you to create? I find much inspiration and solace in nature – I love the smell of the sun and the pine needles. There’s something so simple and honest about exploring Mother Nature that connects me with my authentic self. This allows me to bring out the raw, the honest and the truthful messages that I feel we can all relate to. With each new piece I reveal an honest expression to be shared and a new story to be told. The authenticity of the raw, natural state of the outdoors combined with the vintage bits and snippets bring my art to life and inspire me to create genuinely honest works to be explored.
SAPLINGS 101
102 SAPLINGS
Is there an art piece you are most proud of? Why? I don’t keep much of my art, but “Let the beauty we love be what we do” is an exception. This piece hangs in our dining room with art by other artists that inspire me. I created this piece last summer after my time at The Makerie, and it is one of several that feature the patterned evergreen forest with the mountains above. I had wanted to paint the mountains that inspire me daily for so long, but I didn’t know how. After The Makerie, I become more in tune with my drawing abilities and was finally able to bring to life what was in my head. This piece started with a layer of random paint and bits of paper glued down. It had sat for a while since I hadn’t known where to go next. Inspired by a vintage photo, I got my pen out and drew the mountains and the tiled evergreen trees. It felt a bit like “painting by numbers” to color all the evergreens. With the painting complete, the Rumi quote seemed to fit perfectly with the landscape I had developed. I love the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and nature. It is this beauty that partly inspired me to create. I’m proud of this painting because I had longed to create this painting for so long, without even realizing what the final outcome would be. How would you describe your work in 3 words? Joyful, colorful, inspiring How do you stay inspired? I’m in love with days gone by; a past that was full of pens not keyboards, a time I never existed in --a time of stillness. I gather artifacts from personal journeys, thrift stores, estate sales and the outdoors. The textures and images from vintage pieces are infinitely more interesting than anything I can buy new. I often wander estate sales just to look at old things, but only purchase the items which inspire me the most: vintage children’s books and books about nature, sewing notions, suitcases and maps. I recently purchased a stack of 1960s craft magazines and I just love the colors! I also follow other artists that I admire on Instagram. I love seeing what they are creating and what inspires them. I have several boards on Pinterest devoted to inspiring patterns, illustrations and paintings. When I’m really stuck, I browse through these boards or print off a few images to hang in my studio. I try to keep a sketchbook with me, but my active use of it comes in fits and spurts. I have saved every sketchbook I’ve ever used though and occasionally flip through old ones for inspiration. Where can your work be found? My website: www.LexisworksArt.com My work is available in several boutiques around Denver: Nest, Willow, Bella Calla, Jolly Goods, I Heart Denver. I’m often a vendor at craft fairs such as Sugar Plum Bazaar (April 26 & 27), the Firefly Handmade Market & Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market.
SAPLINGS 103
104 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 105
106 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 107
108 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 109
by Amy Sweatt
110 SAPLINGS
This is by far one of the easiest and fastest way to make an individual fun looking cake.
What you need 1 Box cake mix (White) (3) 1 pint Mason jars Food coloring Deep baking tray mixing bowls Frosting Rainbow sprinkles (optional) The cake in the jar on the left was made with a gluten free box cake mix. You can use a non gluten free box cake mix. Steps (Make sure to preheat your oven) 1. Follow the instructions on the box for the cake batter. 2. Once that is complete divide the batter in 4 individual bowls. 3. Use food coloring ( about 10 drops per bowl) to color the cake batter. 4. Fill the jar about 60% full by putting in 3 tablespoons of batter per color. 5. Fill the deep baking tray with 1/4 inch of water. 6. Put the 3 jar in the baking tray and put in the oven. Bake for 40 mins. Check the middle and that is done. 7. add frosting and sprinkles
SAPLINGS 111
Importance of Family Reading Time by Rebecca Flansburg
Reading to our kids is a natural act that mirrors our own childhood memories of being huddled around mom or and dad and being mesmerized by the twists and turns of a delightful tale. It’s common knowledge that reading to our kids is a great way to create memories, a chance to take a break from the hectic pace of life and simply a special way to spend quality time with our children. But did you know there are deeper benefits as well? Studies have shown that, the earlier you start reading to children, the greater the benefits will be. These benefits include earlier word comprehension, advanced fluency and vocabulary and even the bonus of creating book lovers at an early age. Many kids “learn by doing” and reading books out loud, while also creating activities from the storyline of the book, helps young ones identify with stories, lessons and characters to help them develop a love of literature.
Tips for Raising Young Readers. Pick a time every night to read as a family: It all starts with a habit and reading is a chance to create a new healthy habit that benefits all involved. Picking a set time every night to read will become something your kids look forward and can count on. Encourage Retelling: Some parents get irritated when their wee ones interrupt during a story read, but by encouraging the asking of questions helps to create discussions about the story and is another valuable learning tool. Being inquisitive and engaged in the story by asking questions also encourages learning instead of just being entertained. Unplug and Unwind: After a busy day of school, games, biking riding and computer fun, reading books is a great way for kids to decompress and unwind from a fastpaced day. Make a point to turn off televisions, power down computer and mute phones for some technology free down-time. Reading to your kids at the end of the day will help them to relax, and is beneficial for mom and dad too! Pick Age Appropriate Books: Nothing will bore your young reader faster than books that are either above their grade level, or below it. Make the book picking process a group affair and try to settle on stories that everyone will love and listen to. What books will you be reading as a family tonight?
112 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 113
114 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 115
116 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 117
118 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 119
120 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 121
122 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 123
124 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 125
Presented by _________ Nastershum Creator Stephanie _Marcelle _____
B.Y.O.M. & materials
SewiUpcycling ng Workshop
$100
B.Y.O.M. or materials
(I provide one or the other)
Hosted By
MasterPeace Yoga 111 E. Broadway Ave. Maryville TN 37804
$125 Let me Provide
$150
Sat. April 26, 2014 12 NOON until 6 PM This one day workshop is the first of its kind
Nastershum is a small clothing line All designed & created in home by A mother of 2 It has been featured Globally in Fashion Magazines & on the Worlds Top Fashion Blogs join For A Day to have Stephanie All to yourselves ____________________________________________________ Like Nastershum on Facebook & Join the Event or contact Stephanie personally at Nastershum@gmail.com
answer a few questions about your sewing experience & items that you are interested in creating ________________________________________________________ Enjoy a
Catered Lunch and SWAG bags Along with this unique group sewing workshop
We will Work on some sewing techniques targeted to each student
new & old
repurposed materials
As everyone executes their own unique creation from
126 SAPLINGS
Fun activities for Spring
Fly kites
Play Hopscotch
Sidewalk chalk drawing
Go camping
Go hiking
Fishing
Play Softball/Baseball
Play soccer
Have a picnic at the park
Visit the local zoo
Plant some flowers
Blow bubbles outdoors
Feed the ducks at the pond
Make Mother’s Day cards
Plant a veggie garden
Go to a baseball game
Make flower arrangements
Play in the rain
Build a tree house
Go on a scavenger hunt
Play a game of “Tag”
Play Frisbee
Make wishes and blow dandelions
Visit a drive in theater
Take the camera out and go photograph nature SAPLINGS 127
128 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 129
130 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 131
132 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 133
134 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 135
136 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 137
138 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 139
140 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 141
142 SAPLINGS
SAPLINGS 143
144 SAPLINGS