Testimonials

Bloomers Island Preschool Teacher Interviews
"I absolutely love your Bloomers Island SeedPop products. I got my children some for Easter last year and they were truly engaged for the entire duration, enjoyed caring for them and ate the veggies that grew all summer long. I was very impressed with this product and my kids had SO much fun!"
Melissa Hallingham
“I have to say I didn’t expect my students to eat any of the lettuce. I thought they would just harvest it and that would be the end of the lesson. I was in absolute shock when they not only tried the crop, they ate the whole thing; most of them even had seconds!
Jenna Elkins Imperial Elementary School, Anaheim, CA
“I have one student who is on the heavier side and has some trouble keeping up with the other kids. One of the more difficult times of day for our teachers was snack time. We always try to provide our students with healthy snacks but in the past he has refused to eat them. As a part of  the Bloomers! Schoolyard program he actually tried a carrot. Not only that but he told me that they were really good and he said that he would eat them again! It’s all about the little victories!”
Iris Artuna Bear Paw Kindercare, Irvine, CA
“I was attending a graduation at the Christian Communion Academy and after our presentation to the parents, one of the Mothers approached me and asked if I was the woman who got her son to eat a tomato. I said “yes” and was met with the biggest hug and a thank you. She let me know that after her son came home from school, she had to take him to the supermarket to get more Cherry Tomatoes!!! I was so happy and it was a changing moment for me. It made me realize that what we are doing can make a real difference.
​Cassondra Hegyes Bloomers! Team Member
“It’s amazing how much children love fruits and vegetables when they grow them themselves. This should be a part of every school’s healthy- program.”
​Lourdes Padgett Preschool Teacher
“Bloomers has provided numerous experiences and opportunities for the children enrolled in the preschool program at Long Beach City College and Learning Lab.  Their overall design has been creative and unique, and developmentally appropriate for 3-5 year old children. We continue to enjoy working with Bloomers, and plan to use them more in the future.”
​Stacey Smith-Clark Director Long Beach City College 
Child Development Center & Learning Lab.
“I wanted to thank you again for letting our school be a part of the Bloomers curriculum project.  The children are really enjoying growing the snow peas and reading the stories.  They want to read all the stories all at once instead of one a week.  The know that at the end of each story Mr Banyan hugs his tree house a little tighter and the next page says the end.  They have even started to notice the small Professor Sage picture that tells us to stop if they are not listening to the story- that was a great addition to the books.
The other reason I am writing to you both is that one of our preschoolers – Benjamin is really in love with the stories and the Bloomers.  He is a little “obsessed”- as mom calls it.  He has starting drawing amazing pictures of all the characters and tells all of our new teachers the whole story and who everyone is.  He has made his own Bloomers books at home (17 volumes right now) and wrote the stories from memory.  I was wondering if there was any way that we could get his parents a discount of the collection of printed stories.  He wants his mom and dad to print out the whole stories in color so he can read them again and again.  I would love to scan and send you some of his art work of Bloomers if you want to see it.  You may have a future employee one day here.”
Jodi Morinaka M.A Child and Family Center Director, Part Time Lecturer Child Development and Family Studies, California State University, Long Beach
“I am delighted with how the children responded to the Bloomers! Schoolyard program. It shows me the value of a curriculum framework and assistance it can provide a teacher.”
Lori Davidson Executive Director, Alpert JCC Early Childhood Development Center
"The book was entertaining, educational, and kept the children engaged with its creative characters and colorful illustrations. The author was very personable with the children. She kept them actively involved with a scavenger hunt, questioning while reading, and a hands-on experiment."

"Here are the comments from some of my students:"

'David: I liked the experiments because it shows what’s inside fruits and vegetables.
Imogen: The scavenger hunt was really fun!
Madison: I liked her story because she made her farm in the story.
Noah: The book was kid-friendly and not a chapter book.'"
Tammie W. 2nd Grade Teacher, Connoquenessing Valley Elementary School, Harmony, PA. 
"Cynthia brought wonderful energy and warmth to her story time at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. The children were clearly engaged in the story, crowding closer to her to look at the pictures and relate the book’s content to their own experiences. The seed-planting activity she facilitated to complement the Bloomers Island books fully engaged parents and children and created an opportunity for the children to take what they learned home with them."
Molly Dickerson Learning Resource Coordinator, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
"Hip Hip Hooray Cynthia Wylie for visiting the Southport School and sharing your shining new book series, Bloomers Island. Ms. Wylie's series presents a unique combination of kindness, healthy eating, gardening, and love for Mama Earth all packaged into a colorful and engaging series. My students were immediately captivated and have been begging for more Bloomers Island ever since."
Karin Bowman, Teacher, The Southport School, Southport, CT
"Thanks for joining us and sharing your love of literature with us. We enjoyed your book and discussion about how you were inspired to create this treasure. Inspiring young writers all over the world to grow their ideas and blossom into accomplished authors!" 
Jennifer Gaboury, Principal, Arundel Elementary School
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