Hop, Skip & Jump-a-Thon!

On April 12 at James A. Rutherford Park in Boca Raton, FL, Sunflower Creative Arts is hosting a Hop, Skip, & a Jump-A-Thon, a crazy playful walkathon for families of all sizes and ages.

Starting at 9:30 am, families can participate in  PLAY + NATURE + ARTS 1/3 mile walk-a-thon course filled with playfully creative activities including hopscotch, music making, walking like your favorite animal, and more!

Registration is one-size-fits-all – only $35 for a family of up to six members! Once you register, asking friends and family to pledge their support will be an easy click or Facebook post away.

The money pledged will help Sunflower’s programs, but can also benefit you! We will have prize packages for our top pledge-getters: A Stay-cation package for the most money raised by a registered family, and a Family Fun package for the registered family with the highest number of pledges. Stay tuned for prize details!

We can’t wait to hop, skip and jump with you to benefit Sunflower Creative Arts.

Register & Donate:

If you are local to South Florida, register here today and join us for this awesome event on April 12th. Sponsor The Leaping Lobos! If you are not able to join us at the event, please consider supporting The Leaping Lobos  by DONATING to OUR TEAM, HERE! Every bit helps Sunflower for art supplies, tape, homemade play dough, paint, magna tiles or scholarship funds towards future Seedlings!

Learn More About Sunflower Creative Arts and Their Dedication to Play and Community Here:

How Do We Find "Our People?", Our Place, Our Community? by Susan Caruso

In Defense of a Magical Childhood by Meade Peers McCoy

The Trust Tree by Callie Bosch

Remembering Play at the US Play Coalition Conference by Susan Caruso

What Sunflower Creative Arts Is For Our Family?

If you've read our "Remember Play?" post then you know that Sunflower Creative Arts is a very special place for our family. It's where our family dynamic has evolved and often times a sanctuary for both our children and us as adults. 

The two mottos for Sunflower:

Remember Play? We do.

What if your child’s first educational experience didn’t just prepare them for kindergarten?What if​ it prepared them for life?

Please do consider supporting The Leaping Lobos by DONATING to OUR TEAM for the Hop, Skip, & a Jump-a-thon, HERE!

Forego Black Friday, Cancel Cyber Monday, Go with Giving Tuesday!

Mappy Thanksmaskuh!

It's November, possibly one of my favorite months out of the calendar year. The weather is cooler in most parts of the country (annoyingly the same in Florida), but not quite freezing. Halloween is over, the candy has all been eaten or "donated" in our case, and there's a stillness in the air. That calm before the storm so to speak, a quiet month of reflection on gratitude and all that truly matters. The sense of impending fulfillment that can only come from watching your crazy relatives do what they do best, drive each other crazy! Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday, because it was the simplest of all the holidays. No muss no fuss, just food, family and lots of love.

(*Best Holiday movie EVER!)

Well, NOT ANYMORE!

Have you strolled the aisles of any of your local chain stores lately? They barely cleared away the halloween costumes before bringing out the cheesy tchatchke's or tacky blow up Santa's you find on every lawn around the holidays. To be clear: I AM a lover of Christmas and decorating, although I've learned to streamline it over the years. Quality decorations over quantity. More hand made with love, less cluttered crap. I don't enjoy my home looking as though I cleared the X-mas clearance aisle at Walmart. I use this opportunity like any other to decorate our home with crafted items we've made while creating lasting memories, or anything passed down throughout the years that bring fond memories of holidays past.

I'm fully aware of the morbidity of what actually took place on the first Thanksgiving, and am trying to figure out ways to convey a positive message from this celebration to our boys over the years, but how when the holiday is being phased out completely?

Over the years I found it strange that some people would actually put up their Christmas tree on Turkey Day. Call me crazy but growing up in New York we would buy our X-mas tree the first days of December, you know the actual month of the very holiday we were celebrating. Nowadays I even see in some homes the tree is already up and decorated tinsel and all, in family Thanksgiving Day pictures. 

It's bad enough consumers can't wait a whole evening for the infamous "Black Friday" sale that they had to move it up to midnight the night of Thanksgiving! I find this appalling on a lot of levels.. Not only do these companies plaster their shelves with merchandise in the month of October, but they require their workers report for duty at midnight on the day of a National Holiday! How far have we come from the family unit in this country that we feel the need to rush through turkey carving, so we can hurry up and get to the matter at hand... Consumerism! How much value do we put on "family" if were constantly sending the message to our children that the "almighty sale" is more important than spending time with your loved ones. I see more  Black Friday waiting line selfies on social media than I do family portraits.

Is it ever really that serious? Do we really HAVE to have that electronic device or toy so badly that we are now willing to sacrifice the peace from one holiday in order to rush into one that comes with presents? A little respect for the bird people! A little more presence perhaps and less presents. This poor turkey gets no love! He lost his life so that you can stand in line at Target with hundreds of other people waiting for a toaster oven? Shouldn't we at least pay homage to this foul by way of a tryptophan induced semi-coma?

To make matters worse, they've added Cyber Monday! In case you didn't get enough on Friday and still have something left in your 401k, there's still time! Except it's even better, you don't have to leave home at all, you can spend your retirement right here online! Thanksgiving is now the "Cinderella" of holidays. I truly feel as though this holiday is getting the raw end of the deal, being phased out completely for its lack of oh I don't know, REVENUE??? Can't we just enjoy this holiday and all that it brings? There will be plenty of time for more holiday festivities in December, it lasts all month long! Societies are built around MORE. More of EVERYTHING. More money, more cars, homes, devices, toys, vacations, clothes and jewelry, etc... More of everything, except time. All of these easily become distractions from more important matters. Time cannot be bought, sold or replaced.

I'm relieved by a  growing trend to help offset all of this holiday madness and get back to what really matters, giving back! Giving Tuesday is the day after Cyber Monday, it is set for December 2, 2014 this year and if you haven't participated before, now is the time! Giving Tuesday is a global day dedicated to giving back to all sorts of causes that have partnered up with this movement.

You can find hundreds of your favorite organizations partnered up with Giving Tuesday and donate to the charity of your choice. Sunflower Creative Arts is one of the many on the partner list and a wonderful way to give back to a local center contributing to the future of our community, our kids!  You can find out more about #GivingTuesday here. Join today and post an #UNselfie this holiday season! Sunflower is dedicated to protecting the freedom of childhood. I invite you to give the gifts of Play + Nature + Art  on #GivingTuesday bymaking a donation to Sunflower's Operating Fund.

There are many ways you can give back. Giving of your time is one of the most rewarding of all on both ends. If you can't afford to just donate freely to all the charities that call to you, then you can make it your business to give something much more personal, your time. Sometimes the call to service is there, but we don't always know how to answer it. That's what sites like Volunteer Match are for! They partner good people with good causes. I found them while trying to volunteer at local soup kitchens with the boys last year, which was more difficult than I anticipated because most of them were fully staffed. If you are sure you would like to volunteer on some level and give some of your time, all you have to do is visit their website, they will provide a list of organizations in your area that need volunteers and even provide you with their contact information and specifications on what that particular organization is in need of. 

Whatever your traditions or holiday celebrations consist of, I hope you'll consider giving back this season in whatever way you can. Take time and enjoy company instead of credit cards, people instead of presents, and giving instead of getting. 

Happy Holidays!

Essentially Yours,

Erika

Growing Back..

We've recently acquired a plot at the Boca Raton Community Garden, a spot we waited over a year for! A great place for novice gardeners like myself looking to grow their own food. In an effort to take part in a sustainable future we have secured this plot and even planted our first seeds, anxiously awaiting our harvest. We go as a family and tend to this plot, hoping to instill some value in the process of planting a seed, caring for the garden and patiently awaiting, quite literally the fruits of our labor.

Studies show that children are ten times more likely to eat vegetables they've grown themselves. Not that we really have a problem with that, our boys are thankfully excellent eaters and will grab broccoli first on a table full of assorted foods. They have never shied away from anything green and leafy, and their snacks consist of fruits and veggies not packaged crackers or yogurt pouches chock full of sugar / preservatives/ additives, etc..

We often go after a full day of Seedlings and water the garden, we end up having a mini-picnic while discussing things like what is growing, how long it will take and why we pull the weeds from our garden. I knew we would be modeling sustainability and the natural responsibility for the food we ingest, but I wasn't prepared for the pockets of sweetness we would endure in the process. Their natural wonder for the world around them makes this experience all the more delightful and fulfilling.

Walking past all the plots and discussing what other gardeners are growing, I've learned that they can identify between parsley and basil. They can recognize when a radish is ready to be picked, and they can even tell when pests have gotten to some greens. It amazes me how quickly, when given the opportunity, children will immerse themselves so deeply, so presently in their natural surroundings that they instinctively learn and grow. I suppose it falls under our belief in immersion play, process art and natural evolution. It's one thing to read the research, feel the call to change your lifestyle, but to watch it unfold before your eyes is a glorious feeling. Akin to the feeling you get when you first saw this young life enter the world and take their first breath. Bearing witness to the unfolding of their personalities and the developing of their curiosity is  nothing short of miraculous. 

The Boca Raton Community Gardeners donate a portion of their harvest to the Boca Helping Hands, a community based organization dedicated to making a difference. They provide meals for those in need and work closely with the Boca Raton Community Garden throughout the seasons. Join us in volunteering our hearts and our time for Family Cooking Night at Boca Helping Hands, Thursday December 11th! We will be there!

"The seeds we sow today determine the kind of fruit we'll bear tomorrow."

-Unknown

Essentially Yours,

Erika

"What's Going On"

It seems there is plenty to fear at a time like this, or there always has been perhaps we are just more aware of these fears. But in times like this with a nation in turmoil, and the threat of other nations turmoil effecting human lives all over the world, I struggle. I struggle to find the hope that is needed to teach my children that love and compassion still exist, and this world strongly needs more of it. I struggle with moving forward after witnessing some of the horrific images being displayed on public and social media, especially the unkind or irresponsible images being thrust forward disregarding those whom it effects. I suppose I struggle in this world with so much lack of compassion and empathy for human lives.

Buddhists believe that worrying about the future is a waste of time, that you should always keep your mind in the present living completely "in the now". I suppose this is hard when faced with some of the heavy issues we've been dealing with as a human race. I say as a human race because sometimes I feel as though these issues are portrayed as "race" issues, or issues that are none of our business because they do not take place on American soil. These are in fact issues of the human race as a whole, what is done to one human life is done to all. I strongly believe we are all connected.

I get lots of different responses from people, some feel as though its just a cold cruel world and they almost expect these sort of tragedies to take place as some sort of "necessary evil". Or that we should raise our children to be "strong" and "hard" so that they are not eaten alive by this crazy world. These are the the cold responses that scare me the most. Yes I may be sensitive to these issues, perhaps even take them on personally. But, aren't we supposed to? Shouldn't it bother us all to the point where we feel as though we are so uncomfortable we MUST make a change of some sort? Wouldn't "training" our kids for a cold and cruel world only make it a much colder and more cruel world for their children? If hatred begets more hatred, then wouldn't love increase more love?

Perhaps the wisdom lies somewhere in between, where one day I will not succumb to the fear that comes along with these acts of hatred and violence. It's easy to react with fear or through fear, because no one could imagine having to endure some of the terrible things that go on around the world every single day. Maybe only when we can respond to pure hatred with love and compassion, can we bring light into these dark circumstances. It's difficult for sure, to abstain from anger or judgement when you see injustice and hatred running rampant. To keep from responding with more hatred or even violence in some cases. Perhaps, now more than ever we draw from our children instead of trying to have it all figured out for them. We draw from them the untainted pure love and understanding that comes free of charge, undeservingly.

It helps to talk about these thoughts and ideas, communication is the only medium to true change. Respectful open conversations reserving all judgement is healthy to creating new policies, procedures and thought patterns. I guess all in all we have to take our talk for a walk, practice what we are preaching and lead by example for our children. Modeling true kindness and compassion in ALL situations, even the hardest teaches the biggest lesson. That no matter how unjustly you are treated, your response to the situation has the capability to change the situation itself.

In other words, it all starts at home. It all starts with you... You can make a change in the world, by making the change in your life, in your relationships and in your community. Understanding that we are but a drop in a vast ocean, we must play our part by doing our part. Growing where we are planted I suppose and understanding that we are a part of something much much bigger.

"A jug fills drop by drop... Each moment of conscious intention is a raindrop that will in time turn into a stream, and then a river flowing to it's destination."

-Buddha


Essentially Yours,


Erika