Happy Vernal Equinox!

Sharing some of my favorite shots from these amazing young gardeners and their school gardens on this first day of SPRING! 

Give a Kid a Garden

I’d like to share something wonderful with you in the midst of feeling unsettled after last week. So many of us are feeling very separated from our country, but please, I encourage you to now find a stronger connection to your community. I did just that this year. I met some amazing kids and teachers here in Boston and I want to tell you a tiny bit about them. 

I’ll begin with this one student, maybe around my son's age (9), who was telling me about the garden he loved, a garden CitySprouts brought to his school. This shy little boy suddenly became animated and full of gardening advice. I was immediately inspired. He told me about what he has grown, what new things he’s eaten, how he takes care of the soil… and so much more. I couldn’t write it all down, I could barely keep up with his joy. I asked him what he liked most about the garden at his school and he told me, very softly, “I just like how it makes me feel.” 

I met another student who told me all about her CitySprouts school garden with so much pride and love I thought she was going to burst. One thing she said to me that I will never forget was, “I didn’t even know I liked science.” I also met children who had never seen broccoli until they were twelve. And guess what, one of them told me how much he likes broccoli and that he even makes his mom cook it for him at home now. 

Right here in my neighborhood and all over Boston, there are lots of kids who have no connection to nature. The garden at their school is all the nature they have, that is, if they’re lucky enough to have a school garden. Some students spend their entire summer babysitting their younger siblings every day without ever leaving their apartments. Think about that.

So you want to change something after last week’s election, then begin here — empower our children. Give a kid a garden and not only does that one child change forever, their community changes! I’ve seen it. I’m lucky to have met some of those children. I’ve met the parents who are also changed. And I’ve met the teachers who are there in the gardens with their students, growing alongside them. 

Begin here, with CitySprouts. Watch this video I shot this year and recently edited with Chris Santo of Element. 
http://vimeo.com/191152616

Or better yet, please donate:
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/citysprouts

#schoolgarden #kidsinthegarden #gardeningwithkids #edibleschoolyard #kids #students #boston #innercitykids #cambridge #massachusetts #dogood

Earth Day | 2016

Let's be aware of what we're growing. On this day, Earth Day, let's begin to choose our steps carefully. Let's be present. Whether it's with recycling, with waste, or with starting a garden.
   
Sow a seed—any seed. Just plant something. One teeny, tiny seed will change your life and in turn, will change the life of our planet. Don't think about the reasons why not. One tiny seed makes you feel like you are a part of something big—that you are a part of helping Mother Earth grow. Choose to strengthen this beautiful planet, not weaken her. 
   
Sow a seed like this six year old, like this thirteen year old. These two boys live very different lives, in two very different countries. One is a six year old boy living in a big city in the United States and the other is a 13 year old boy, living deep in the countryside of Haiti. They are both gardeners. And these are their seedlings.
   
We are all gardeners. And we get to decide what we grow. How incredible is that?! 
   
What will you grow today?
   
More from this six year old gardener on this blog and in the latest Family Fun magazine "A Boy and his Garden."

A Boy and His Garden

"I put seeds in the soil. And then we get babies. Not like a baby in your belly but a baby flower." -Oliver, Age 6, on gardening 

Check out the April issue of the always amazing FamilyFun Magazine. "A Boy and his Garden" was written beautifully by Catherine Newman — who takes you in to the little green world of a six year old boy, Ollie. All the gardening was done by my son, Oliver. I had the easy part, the taking pictures part. 

Happy Spring!

In honor of Earth Day today, we're announcing our 2nd annual seedling sale-fundraiser to raise money for nature + gardening programs at our Boston public school. Please save the date! Purchase your tomatoes, basil, cucumbers and flowers from us. Organized by really amazing second graders and "kinder-gardeners" of Philbrick Elementary. We have over 300 seedlings already started — phew! 

More info to come later. 

    

Yay! Spring!

Take a HAPPY break on this first day of Spring and enjoy these “GARDENING TIPS FROM A 3 YEAR OLD."
http://vimeo.com/channels/gardeningwithkids 
   
As I watched my youngest son decapitate the dahlias in my garden with a tennis racquet, it occurred to me: this kid just sees the world differently than me. To him a pumpkin is a soccer ball. Freshly picked tomatoes deserve applause and celebratory dances. And it’s okay to fill your pockets with worms to give them a better home in a nicer part of the garden. So I decided to style, shoot and edit a video series of my 3 year old son trashing and celebrating my garden. All I had to do was grow this beautiful space, a little hidden oasis on a busy Boston street, and then let Ollie tear into it.
   
Be sure to take a look. And if you need any content shot, edited or both — give me a shout. If you need someone to spit on your weeds, mow your pool or relocate your worms, please call my son.

   

HAPPY Spring!

Take a HAPPY break

Behind the promotional series "Take a happy break!"
   
HOW IT STARTED: 
Many people over the past few years have told me "I feel so happy when I visit your website. It makes me feel good." Immediately I thought how nice that I can give them a little 'happy break' in their crazy day. I was in the advertising world for a decade—sitting in an office all day and a lot of nights and even on weekends. Sitting in meetings after meetings. It's tough! Really tough! It's one crazy day after another with so few breaks. I get it. So the "Take a HAPPY break." series began last year. 
   
Take a HAPPY break. Blow bubbles.
Firstly, I mailed out and hand-delivered bubbles to approximately 50 specific creatives in and around Boston and NYC. The bubbles were to promote a new gallery of bubbles imagery I had recently shot. Click here to view this work: http://www.kimlowe.com/KIMLOWEPHOTO_buuubbbbllles.pdf
   
Take a HAPPY break. Plant something.
Then came the tomato seedlings which was to draw attention to my new video series "Gardening Tips from a 3 Year Old." I grew these seedlings in my cellar with the help of my 3 year old son, the star of the videos and then delivered them around Boston. And sometimes I had him deliver them with me -- up the cute factor. Click here to view this series: http://vimeo.com/channels/gardeningwithkids
   
Take a HAPPY break. Eat something sweet.
And then, a couple months ago, I hand-delivered crates of Cuties clementines to very specific creatives and agencies to promote my new photography and tv spots for Cuties clementines. To view the tv spots, follow this link: http://www.kimlowe.com/#/motion   
   
And it's still on. I've got a couple more "happy breaks" to share. Watch your desk. 
   

One little seed.

We live in Boston and my children go to a Boston public school. We truly love this city so we'd like to live here as long as we can. The schools have not always been great but we're very lucky — my children got into (via a lottery, yes a lottery) one of Boston's best schools.  
  
A couple months ago we learned that our little school would need to cut a significant amount of money off the already tight budget. Our amazing little school, undeterred and strong, stood up and began thinking of ways to fundraise and alter the budget to make the school successful still next year. And I decided to do a little fundraiser on the side, too, with my sons. I let them know that we needed to raise some money to pay for some really fun field trips next year. They were totally game after I said field trips!  
  
So we put together a small seedling sale — selling plants we started in our basement. My two sons, ages 4 and 6, helped with every step. Their favorite step was the dirt, of course. Even in their pajamas my two little guys would mix compost into the potting soil and then fill every pot for us to sow seeds in. We're talking about hundreds of pots — little ones to start the seeds and then larger ones to transplant those seedlings into. They didn't see it as a chore. They were accomplishing something — something bigger than themselves, so they were excited. 
  
They helped water and tend to the seedlings for two months. Two months! Then they helped advertise and sell our wonderful seedlings. They even decided, on their own, to have a lemonade stand. And we had a kids table where kids could make their own plant tags out of old recyclable blinds. 

In total — we raised $500 for our little school. Just the three of us. I didn't even realize what I was teaching them when we started this project a couple months ago, until my 6 year old started making plans for his next fundraiser. 
  
It's amazing what one little seed can do.
   

Ollie's garden!

So you didn't think you had to watch Ollie's 'Gardening Tips' series huh. You might want to rethink that. THIS is the lettuce he grew in his garden. It's twice the size of mine. And yours too probably.  

http://vimeo.com/72064493

Welcome Spring!

My two sons and I are going to sell our very own vegetable and flower seedlings in a couple weeks to raise money for their Boston public school. The four year old helped me sow the seeds, throw dirt at the cat, and sing to the seeds and my six year old is in charge of advertising - here's his first poster. 

   

Worms, ladybugs and pumpkins as soccer balls.

All 7 chapters of 'GARDENING TIPS from a three year old' are now up on my site, click here. No worms, ladybugs or kitty cats were harmed in the making of these videos. I can't say the same for the tulips, pumpkins and tomatoes. 
   

Ch 7: HARVESTING

'Play with your harvest.' Just one more of Ollie's insightful gardening tips from the series "Gardening Tips from a Three Year Old." • The final chapter, CH 7: HARVESTING, is now up on vimeo and on kimlowe.com. 
    
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 
   

Chapter 6: TENDING THE GARDEN

Someday I'll have to stop taking pictures of my son's bum. But today is not that day! Ch. 6 of the video series "Gardening Tips from a Three Year Old" is now up. Watch it on vimeo in HD or visit kimlowe.com. Have a great weekend!

   

Chapter 5: WATERING

In case you need some advice from a three year old on what to water in your garden, Chapter 5 is now up. On vimeo. Or my website. 
    

Chapter 4: PLANTING

Take a happy break! Plant something. Anything. But first watch these easy tips from a three year old. Chapter 4 in my new video series is also up on vimeo in HD.     

Windowsill

It's harvesting time! Heirloom tomatoes will fill this windowsill completely in no time.  

Chapter 3: GARDEN FRIENDS

The slimy snail footage didn't make the cut (you're welcome) but the worms did (sorry) — and I apologize if this cute little video ruins your dinner but even the worms are friends of Ollie's.  
   
WATCH IN HD BY CLICKING HERE 
   

Chapter 2: PICKING

Here's Chapter 2 of my video series 'Gardening Tips from a Three Year Old.' Hope  you find something wonderful and unexpected to pick in your garden this weekend. 

   

Chapter 2: PICKING

   

View in HD on vimeo here.

   

Spit

Here it is, the first chapter of 'GARDENING TIPS from a three year old.' You'll find very useful tips like 'Spit on your weeds.' Enjoy! 
   
Chapter 1: SEEDS
   
Or click here to watch it full-size on vimeo  
   

Fireworks.

Flowers are beautiful at every stage — in my opinion.