what your kids MUST know about plants (hint: they're a big deal)

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by BLOOM! to spread the word about its Educational Resource Toolkit. All opinions and stories are my own.

Did you know that:

half of the top 100 most prescribed medicines come from plants?
spinach is being used to replicate human organs?
simply looking at flowers and nature can improve your mood?
39% of the annual horticultural job openings are unfilled due to lack of qualified applicants?

Guess what, friends? Plants are super important. Muy importante.

Plants are so important that there’s a movement to celebrate plants’ awesomeness.

Did you know that BLOOM! is the movement created to improve the world through the power of plants? It is. BLOOM! is inspiring today’s youth to appreciate the potential in the power of nature, to introduce them to a lifelong passion.

Don’t you just love this? I do.

But there’s even more. In fact, there are three crazy-cool things you want to know about BLOOM!, and I’ve got them right here for you.

I’m thrilled to work with BLOOM! and help them get the word out about plant power.

Here’s the skinny. . .

**What Your Kids MUST Know About Plants (Hint: Plants Are a Pretty Big Deal)**

Take a minute and learn a bit about BLOOM!

Number one thing kids MUST know about plants: Plants can change the world.

Plants are powerful.

Plants help solve some of the biggest problems our world faces, including hunger, climate change, and clean water.

Did you know that we all have our own Plant Power, too? We do.

Our good friends at BLOOM! have helped us figure out our individual Plant Powers, and they also help us determine what to do with that power.

Check it out: (Your kids will love this–I know mine did!)

Are you:

the Health Nut?
the Mastermind?
the Guardian?
the Artist?
the Foodie?
the Trendsetter?
the Guru?
the Challenger?

Take the Plant Power Quiz and let me know! And then see how you compare to your kids!

Number two thing kids MUST know about plants: Horticulturists (people who work with and research plants) are rock-stars.

With more than 100 different careers in the industry, horticulture — the art, science, technology and business of plants — has something to offer everyone. There are more careers in horticulture than most people know, and those people who know how to harness plant power are rock-stars.

Their jobs are powerful. They are powerful.

Horticulturists impact everything from the air we breathe to the fruits and veggies that we eat, to the beautiful landscapes and floral arrangements we enjoy.

Horticulturists are:

plant scientists
landscape architects
arborists
urban farmers
drone engineers
irrigation specialists
grounds keepers
horticultural therapists
geneticists
olericulturists
entomologists
food scientists and more!

Don’t stress if you have to google a few of these jobs, friend. I did, too. Who knew there were so many plant-centered jobs?

Kids are naturally curious about plants. So it’s time for parents to realize that the world of plants is wide open as far as careers in horticulture are concerned.

Let them start exploring now!

Number three thing kids MUST know about plants: Learning about plants is super fun.

We, as parents and teachers, can support our curious students at home and school now thanks to the incredible resources from BLOOM!

BLOOM! has a game that you print out and play at home.

BLOOM! has a boatload of cool lessons for the classroom.

BLOOM! has a very cool magazine you can print out and read with your kids.

Check it out. You’ll find yourself lost in the eye-catching, interesting resources. I know it.

What do you think? I’d love to hear how you think you could use the BLOOM! information at home or in the classroom.

And if you want to connect with the folks at BLOOM! here’s how:

BLOOM! website: weareBLOOM.org
instagram: @weareBLOOM_
facebook: We-Are-BLOOM
youtube: WeAreBLOOM

fyi: This post was written as part of a partnership with BLOOM!, but as always, my opinions are all my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator.