Growing Kids Educational Garden Class To Visit Bear Creek Farm

Register now for the July classes at the Growing Kids Educational Garden which includes a visit to meet the pigs and cows at Bear Creek Farm. Classes at the Growing Kids garden give children a fun way to learn more about where food comes from; why fresh veggies can help them to be healthy and strong and how their garden can actually benefit the environment. Classes are free and designed for kids from kindergarten through 4th grade. 

Class size is limited.

Get more info and register for classes now!

Thanks to Lisa Tidwell of The Franklin Farmers Market Educational Foundation for sharing the Growing Kids information with us!

Barnes & Noble Cool Springs Launches Second Annual Get Pop-Cultured™ Celebration

A Month-Long Series of Events You Won’t Want to Miss Starting July 1, 2015

Barnes & Noble is launching the second annual Get Pop-Cultured with Barnes & Noble celebration on July 1, a month-long series of events you won’t want to miss. Get Pop-Cultured with Barnes & Noble was first established in 2014 to bring to life customers’ favorite books, characters, movies, artists, illustrators and pop-culture icons with themed events, author signings, panel discussions, contests, exclusive content, giveaways and prizes, sneak peeks, activities, and more. This year it continues and features an even more expansive lineup of events, appearances, giveaways and more, including weekly Throwback Thursdays celebrating a different decade every week from the 50s through the 90s, a To Kill a Mockingbird Read-A-Thon, a Minions Fun event, Manga Mania, Fan Girl Friday, Vinyl Day, James Patterson Day a Dr. Seuss Spectacular and many more unique events and promotions all throughout July.

Local Anti-Trafficking Organization Freedom's Promise by Susan Powell

There is no question that human trafficking has been a recurring headline in recent years as people become more aware of the scope and magnitude of this industry, both domestically and abroad. When we face statistics such as 21 million lives held in captivity and a $32 billion industry that is thriving, our common response is to feel numb and helpless.

One local organization, Freedom’s Promise, is challenging us to recognize that we aren’t helpless by inviting us to join in the fight against child

Have you considered homeschooling? By Jennifer Smeltser

When parents choose to homeschool their children, a lot of thought usually goes into the process before making the decision. Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart, but that does not mean you should not consider the challenge if you are feeling led to take the lead role in your child’s education. With the growing number of families seeking alternatives to public school, many common questions arise. If you have considered homeschooling as an option, the answers to the following questions may help you in making your decision.

Is homeschooling legal?

Using The Books of the Gardener in the Classroom by Lauren Brandenburg

What started out as a novel about an ordinary boy growing up in a small Kentucky town, quickly escalated into a ten book series about a world hidden below the earth—a place where goodness grows in unique garden communities, and evil fights to walk among them. I wanted to provide a clean read with spiritual allegory that was not only appropriate for tweens, but also exciting, relevant, and an alternative to some of the more popular contemporary titles. It shouldn’t have surprised me when I received the following from a parent in Nebraska:  Lauren, my family loved your first book, and are looking forward to the second! We are a homeschooling family and chose to use it as a read aloud.