Oh Michelle...you're not joining the kids are...come on let them join, pretty please :-)

Ok everyone, here is what I would like to do (of course open to suggestions)

List kids names, ages, M/F, favorites: color, veggie, fruit, flower (if they have one), birthdate (month/day), characters and any other information you find helpful.

All information and sign ups to me by April 30. I will match up within 3 days and post a list on this group. You will contact each other for addresses. You have 1 week to send out packages.

I will try to match them up as close as possible. It sounds like most would like individual trades but I will leave it up to you since you are paying the postage. I only have my gd Jordan but others have 3 or more kids...you can let me know privately if you only want a family box. I do have one idea though...if I were to match a family of 3 with another family of 3, one large package could be sent out with individual trades inside with each child's name and their own seeds etc.

Some suggestions for trades...
of course seeds but include at least 2 veggies and 1 fruit (if possible), coloring pages, stickers, plant markers, information on how to grow the seeds...looking for more suggestions.

Hi Kim! Great idea, but I don't think the bratlings and I are going to manage this one. I've still got my after Dark RR to finish and my wedding's in 40 days!!! And my next to oldest son's graduation is the weekend before the wedding, so much to do, and I don't want to commit unless I'm positive I can carry through :)

Just had a suggestion... maybe a journal so they can keep track of what they've planted, germination dates, growth charts, etc? Especially for the older kids this might be good. Parents might even be able to kinda sneak in a science lesson if they homeschool!

Or how about a birdhouse kit, they can usually be gotten cheaply from Dollar stores, Dollar Tree and even WalMart, or some neat instructions on making one from "garden junk". For that matter.. bird feeders, humming bird feeders, butterfly baths, etc could be done as well...

A plant my kids have always enjoyed are the brightly colored caladiums. They enjoy watching the growth and later watching them wag in the breeze like an elephant shaking it's head!

Perhaps later in the season, when things start getting ready for harvest, some simple recipes could be sent and older kids maybe learn something about cooking, canning and freezing veggies? Something my kids enjoyed a few years ago was growing, then using soapwort and learning how Native Americans use to use it for washing clothes, bodies and hair :)

Hmmm... lots of ideas, but these will do for starting suggestions :)

I would be interested in a kids garden swap. I have 3 little ones but the youngest is only 8 months so wouldn't include him.

They are Rhiannon who will be 5 in June and Peyton who will be 3 in July. They loved it when we did the kids swap last year and love it when I get a box in the mail. They usually claim half of what comes in my box. Just let me know.

Stacie

~~~~Taylor~~~~
7 years old
Girl
~~~Favorites~~~
Colors ~ pink & purple
Veggies~Corn,Pototoes & Carrots
Fruit~Apples
Characters~Tinkerbell,Hannah Montanna,& iCarly
Flowers~anything pink or purple.LOVES roses!!(her poor husband!!LOL!!)
Candy~Skittles & bubble gum
Likes ALL the girly body & hair dodads!!
******************************************************

~~~Brett~~~~
4 years old(will be 5 in July)
Boy
~~~Favorites~~~
Colors~Green & Blue
Veggies~Broccoli,Lettuce,& Cucumber
Fruit~Watermelon
Characters~Transformers,Cars,and Tom & Jerry
Flowers~anything red
Candy~Starburst& bubble gum
Loves hats & digging in the dirt!!!

Other.....Both will be doing a colored stone(the stones look like marbles cut in half) covered Bowling Ball for their own garden art soon.Stones can be found @ Dollar General,Dollar Tree & Walmart.

I think that might be enough ideas....if not just ask.
Later...April/dirt_under_my_nails

This looks like it will be such a blast! Is there a minimum/maximum on spending? I might need a limit... I love spoiling other people's kids! LOL
Okay, my kids:

Dakota - boy, 13, birthday June 18
Color: Blue or Goldtone
Veggie: Sugar Snap Peas, Corn
Fruit: Strawberries, Mandarin Oranges, Grapes, and Mango (also does not like cantelope or honeydew, but likes watermelon)
Flower/Plant: Mint (any kind)
Candy: Sugar-Free Gum (mint flavors)
Characters: Avatar (Aang, Sokka, Momo, and Appa)
Other: loves Warriors books by Erin Hunter, very much a reader, not a sports fan; likes to build things

Raven - girl, 10, birthday May 18
Color: Brown or Dark Red
Veggie: Sugar Snap Peas, Celery
Fruit: Watermelon, Bananas, Kiwi, and Pears (but does not like strawberries)
Flower/Plant: Snapdragons or any Blue or Pink flowers
Candy: Sugar-Free Gum (any flavor except Cinnamon)
Characters: Avatar (Aang, Sokka, Momo, and Appa), Jackie Chan, Spongebob
Other: loves animals of all kinds, especially cats (both wild and domestic) and reptiles. She's not a very "girly" girl, but does like some "girl stuff," like glitter, jewelry, and flowers! Likes to bake (like Mom!)

Sage - boy, 3, birthday October 11
Color: no preference that I know of!
Veggie: Sugar Snap Peas, Green Beans
Fruit: Blueberries and other smooth berries (like Wonderberries, Oregon Grapes, etc.), strawberries, and peaches (but does not like white or red grapes or raisins)
Flower/Plant: Bunny Tails and other "touchable" plants
Candy: Starburst, Skittles, or M&Ms (nuts okay)
Characters: Blue's Clues, Spongebob, and Pikachu (from Pokemon)
Other: loves to dig, likes soft balls to play with (like Nerf or beach balls), balloons, and bubbles.

All three love crafts with wood, colored stones, glass, and/or painting involved.

Thanks!
--Amy (AmyinMO)

BUMP!!!!TO THE TOP!

This sounds great! We are in! I've got 2 girls.

Jessamy-Girl, Age 6, Birthday Nov. 27
Color- Green and Brown
Veggie- Broccoli and corn
Fruit- Cantaloupe and Bananas
Flower/Plant- Daisies and Sweet gum trees
Candy- Jelly Beans and M&M's
Characters- The Muppets
Other- Exploring, digging, playing with friends(very active)

Abigail- girl, age 4, Birthday Oct. 26
Color- Red
Veggie- Tomatoes and beans
Fruit- Strawberries and apples
Flower/Plant- Rosemary and Zinnias
Candy- M&M's and peppermint sticks
Characters- Ariel and Hello Kitty
Other- Riding bikes, planting flowers, blowing bubbles

Anything goes with my girls they like to learn new things.

Thanks,
Dana A.

I forgot.....If one family gets both of my kiddos,one box with the individual trades inside will be fine.No need to send two boxes to the same place.Just put BOTH of their names on it!LOL!!!I have 3 children but I'm thinking that the 20 month old is still a bit young....
Later...April/dirt_under_my_nails

Hello, may I play too? Well, my son and daughter, at least, lol. We were in micyrey's swap last year, and my daughter Juliana LOVED it. She would be thrilled to do it again. Our son felt a bit left out, so I think he'd be pleased to be included this year.

Here's our daughter's list:

Juliana, girl, age 6, born Feb.
Color: Pinks (Hot pink/MAGENTA is her favorite, though)
Veggies: sunflowers (she loves the seeds), corn, pumpkins
Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, apples
Flowers/plants: anything pink; she's already planted zinnias and morning glories
Candy: caramels, vanilla taffy, lemon (she's mildly allergic to chocolate and the food coloring red 40; she can have the red 40 in light pink/pale orange/lavender things in moderation)
Characters: Littlest Pet Shop, Webkinz
Other: ART AND CRAFTS!! Her pet is a cat, Molly, so cat toys/treats are a good idea.

She would be happy to partner with another girl; the age isn't important.

I think our son would also enjoy being included in the swap, although he's not much into planting. He's 9 1/2, so he might make a good partner for another older boy. His name is Ian. Here's his list:

Ian, age 9 1/2, born October.
Color: BLUE
Veggies: corn, sweet potatoes (he's not a veggie guy)
Fruit: BLUEBERRIES, bananas, strawberries, apples, oranges - he loves fruit
Flowers: Honestly, he doesn't seem to have a favorite. He likes fragrant plants/herbs (like lavender and lemon balm).
Candy: Reese's Pieces, blue raspberry/cotton candy lollipops (no chocolate)
Characters: Lego Star Wars, Matchbox/Hot Wheels stuff. He has a pet guinea pig (Henry).

I hope we can be part of your swap - thanks!

Laurel

Wow! Looks like 14 sprouts so far!!!
Hey Laurel! We still have the bear you made. He lives on our mantle.
April/dirt_under_my_nails

Welcome to all the kids! Looks like it will be quite fun. Please be patient with me as this is the first time I have organized a swap...heck, I am even pretty new to all the trade business LOL.

If you are interested in joining, please post here as a lot of my GW mail goes to my spam folder. I don't always get to check everyday and then it gets erased by yahoo.

Let me tell you about my granddaughter Jordan...

Jordan, girl, is 3 1/2 years
Birthday: Nov 19
Fav color: at the present purple
Fav fruit: "grapes" which is anything small but mostly raspberries, blueberries or of course grapes, then there is "apples" anything round like oranges or apples, then there is bananas and her mostly requested fruit: watermelon
Fav veggies: broccoli "trees", corn "yellow" or beans "green" (she eats colors LOL)
Fav caracter: Dora, CARS, Curious George (most any from PBS since they don't have cable)
Loves birds, is afraid of bugs "bees" as she calls them
Loves anything to do with gardening, digging, watering, planting also loves riding bikes and playing at the park
Loves numbers and letters...is learning to read, loves BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!

(bump!)

glitter-graphics.com
later...April/dirt

Plant-one-on-me,
I sent you an email--hope it goes through! Let me know if you don't get it. :-)
--Amy

I have responded to all who have joined so far...if you have not gotten a quick your in email from me, plmk. I have been working TONS of OT this week so may be a little slow.

Looks like it is going to be fun. Kim

name-Dalton
age-5
M/F-M
favorites: color- Camo or blue
veggie-corn or cherry tomatoes
fruit-apples and strawberries and blackberries
flower-anything he can plant then pick
birthdate- may 30th
characters-transformers and dukes of hazard
any other information- very outgoing and loves being outside and playing in the dirt and his club house with his dog.loves rock music and electric guitars and tattoos

name-Eli
age-2
M/F-M
favorites: color-blue
veggie-english peas
fruit-apples ans banannas and berries
flower-anything he can smell
birthdate- july 7th
characters-transformers and monster trucks
any other information- loves outside riding bike and loves playing with cars and trucks in the dirt in to everything. loves music and tattoos as well as Dalton

I show 14 kiddos so far. Anyone else interested? I will get a list together later this week for the swaps. Here is who I show so far...

Dalton, boy, age 6
Eli, boy, age 2
Dakota, boy, age 13
Raven, girl, age 10
Sage, boy, age 3
Taylor, girl, age 7
Brett, boy, age 4
Jessamy, girl, age6
Abigail, girl, age 4
Juliana, girl, age 6
Ian, boy, age 10
Jordan, girl, age 3

Rhiannon, age 5 (need more information)
Peyton, age 3 (need more information)

Thanks everyone. Kim

Hi, Kim! My kids are on the posted list but I didn't get an e-mail from you. Did it contain any info that's not here on the board? If so, please re-send: my e-mail address is catholicrose@aol.com if you need to send it directly. Thanks! :-)

Looks like this is going to be a great swap!
--Amy (amyinmo)

Rhiannon is 4 she will be 5 on June 21st She loves all fruits and veggies, in fact that is about all she will eat, she isn't big on meats lol. She likes things to decorate her gardens, she checks her windchimes all the time. She is really girly and has a fairy garden.

Peyton is 2 and will be 3 July 14th. She loves to play in the dirt and sand and help me plant flowers or seeds. She likes carrots and loves flowers. She has already picked all of our daffodils. She also likes to pick berries, Like Rhiannon she likes to decorate her gardens with lots of shiny and pretty things.

Both of the girls are very girly in the colors that they like, but if up to them they would play outside for hours upon hours and not go inside until it was bed time. They love playing in the dirt and building things and planting things. Right now Rhiannon has 5 apple trees that are all 6 inches tall so I need to spread them out.

The girls will both be helping me out with planting in several gardens around our community. We will be planting in parks, at school, at the memorial for the veterans, and also at the cemetery. So if you would like to include extra plants or seeds for the girls to add themselves to the gardens that would be great.

Girlsingardens

Stacie Sich

PS if anyone wants to include something for the girls little brother Hayden they would appreciate being able to share , he is a little monkey who is 9 months old that is ready to crawl through the gardens.

********THIS SWAP IS NOW CLOSED****************

Sorry all. I have to close this a couple days early due to my work schedule this week. I have the buddies all parterned up so you can start contacting each other as soon as you like. I matched up boys/boys and girls/girls and tried to get the ages as close as possible. Hope everyone has a really great time trading!

Please post here after eveyone has contacted each other so I can keep track. Kim

Ian/Dakota
Dalton/Brett
Sage/Eli
Raven/Taylor
Jessamy/Juliana
Abigail/Rhiannon
Jordan/Peyton

Hmmm.......My kiddos would like to see pictures of who they are sending to. Anybody else have curious rugrats? What do you think about posting their photos? If not comfortable with that,how about enclosing one in their package?
later...April/dirt

April,

That's a cute idea! I think we'll put our pictures in the package, though, just in case there is anything "identifying" in the pictures, if you KWIM, lol.

I'm sending e-mails off to Ian and Eli in a few minutes (Taylor has already contacted us), so please be on the lookout! Thanks! :-)

--Amy in MO
and Dakota, Raven, and Sage

Jordan and Peyton have been in touch.

Hi All!
We have Raven's address. Still waiting to hear from Dalton. Would like to mail both boxes out at the same time.
later..April,Taylor& Brett.

We've sent an email to Juliana and Rhiannon. Hope to hear from you soon!
Dana, Jessamy, and Abigail

Jamie/pamperedavonchefof3,
We still need Eli's address. Did you get ours? I e-mailed you on Monday, but perhaps it didn't go through? Please e-mail me as soon as you can. Thanks! :-)
--Amy
(amyinmo)

Hope everyone had a great Saturday. We are still waiting on address for Dalton.Has anyone heard from Jamie/pamperedchefof3? Maybe she's having computer problems? I've sent 2 e-mails with no reply.Will be mailing Raven's box on Monday.REALLY would like to mail Dalton's at the same time to save on trips to the PO & gas $$$$.
later...April, Taylor & Brett

Geez.... I meant pamperedavonchefof3. Must be after my bedtime
later...April

I haven't heard from everyone yet so will send out another email to all asking them to contact their partner and me. Kim

Amy & Kim you both have e-mail.
later...April,Taylor & Brett

Rhiannon and Abigail have been in contact. We survived our first plant exchange in our community yesterday so today have been watering getting ready to plant some new plants. I have so many plants to get in the ground, but am hoping tonight I will have time to get the boxes ready. Ended up with Rhiannon in the ER yesterday morning at 5 in the morning until after 7 with strep throat and couldn't get her to drink any fluids or eat anything even popsicles.

I haven't told the girls about the swap, they will be so excited and surprised.

Stacie
girlsingardens

Morning All!
There has been a change in the sawp list. As pamperedavonchefof3 is not replying to Amy nor my emails, our sons will be sending to each other instead of hers.
Seems as she has a history of signing up for swaps but never following through with them.
later...April,Taylor,& Brett

Here is a link that might be useful: Rate & Review

Helllooooo!!!!
Just letting Raven & Sage know that packages are packed & waiting on the mail lady to pick up.Sorry it is a day later than I had planned! Should arrive by the weekend.

Raven USPS Confirmation #0103 8555 7494 8853 0874

Sage USPS Confirmation # 0103 8555 7494 7804 5111

Later....April,Taylor,& Brett

Ian and Laurel, Taylor, Brett and April,

I'm sending your packages off from the post office first thing tomorrow morning. I really apologize that our packages are going to be out so late! I've been in bed the past few days with truly awful nausea and haven't been able to get much of anything done.

On the bright side, I found out it is actually *morning sickness* (although it lasts way past the morning, lol), which means I'm PREGNANT! Woohoo! We're all very excited to have a new baby on the way. I just hope the morning sickness doesn't last too long! :-)

I'll post the DC numbers for you as soon as I get home tomorrow. Thanks so much for being patient!

--Amy in MO (and Dakota, Raven, and Sage)

Congratulations, Amy! If you're going to feel so rotten, it's good to know you'll go through it for something wonderful in the end, lol.

Dakota's package is on its way, DC# 0307 3330 0001 5127 3956. Even though I have Ian and several nephews around Dakota's age, Ian and I had a hard time deciding what to put in Dakota's box. However Ian had some good ideas, and picked a special plant for him at the last minute to add to the goodies, so I hope he likes it.

Dana, Jessamy's package is also flying, DC# 0307 3330 0001 5127 3963. I hope she likes it! It's a fun box, Juliana enjoyed putting it together. (Juliana would have filled a packing crate with goodies for Jessamy, if I let her!)

Laurel

Ian & Laurel, Oops, sorry--I forgot when I posted, that Dakota had something specific he wanted to add before we send your package off, so yours will go out on Monday.

Taylor, Brett, and April,
Your package went out Friday - DC # 0307 1790 0004 6407 0628
Your live plants will be coming via another source, since we really don't have anything growing here, yet. :-) The kids helped me sort the things and um... "pack" them... lol. Sorry it's not very organized, but we do hope you enjoy everything!

After sending that off, we got home, and it was like Christmas in May! Oh, my goodness--y'all should see how many things April can fit in a box!! It's amazing! I'll have to post everything later today, because I have to get some errands run before noon, but the kids want me to send you a huge THANK YOU! They just love their packages!

--Amy in MO

Okay,

I just wanted to check on things before mailing. I understood that this was like the other swaps I have been involved in and would send a box of goodies. So the girls and I have been picking up all sorts of gardening and other things as well as seeds and live plants. After reading some of the other posts it looks like the others have been sending and receiving boxes full of goodies.

Peyton received her package today and it was in an envelop smaller than a 8.5x11 piece of paper. I had bought and gotten ready a lot of big things and was planning on sending a big box full of goodies and I think Rhiannon will be getting a box of goodies.

Now here is my question, should I forget about the box and send a package equal to what Peyton recieved. They are gone this weekend but am afraid that she will be dissapointed when rhiannon gets her box. So what should I do?

Stacie , Rhiannon, Peyton

By the way Congrats sent out to Amy in MO, maybe we need to send a plant swap out for the little seed in her belly:)

Stacie

I must apologize up from Jordan to Peyton. As I stated in the original post that I have only been involved in 1 RR swap before and all this was new to me. I was the one who sent the envelope which Jordan made and chose all that was inside. I put as many things as I could fit in that envelope because that is what I thought I was supposed to send. I also made sure to get the package out ON TIME which was supposed to be 1 week from the dates the swappers were in contact (as stated above). I am sorry I disappointed Peyton and yes Jordan only deserves what SHE sent. Since things are now clearer to me, I have offered to resend a Box to Peyton and am waiting on a return email telling me what to do.

This will be our last trade of this type until I understand things a lot better. Kim

Just one last question? What made everyone decide to send boxes with things such as live plants? In the original post I said a few seeds, pictures, stickers etc. and a "bubble". I wanted to get this right and I guess I got it terribly wrong...the last thing I wanted to do was disappoint anyone especially a child :-(

Jordan and I did take a lot of time deciding on what to send after deciding on a butterfly theme. We looked up all the seeds we had to see if butterfiles liked them. She made a really cute butterfly to put in the package and some of her favorite stickers and trading cards and since the original poster did not include favorite foods, Jordan enclosed some of her favorite seeds for them to try.

How could I make sure in the future that there is no miscommunication and especially hard feelings??? I obviously need to learn a lot more on trading before taking on the task of hosting a RR...sorry my post above sounded harsh to myself and what I meant was I need to learn more on proper ways of doing things before getting involved in hosting.

Once again, I am sorry. Kim

BTW what is a DC?

Hello Kim;
I have not been following this since the beginning so I cannot answer all your questions but I can answer a few. As soon as people can send plants, that is the preferred swap item. Usually you get a box from the Post Office that travels priority mail for a flat rate which used to be $ 4.95 then it was $ 6.95 and now it is probably closer to $ 8.95. I am not sure what the rate is. It is called a flat rate box. there are two types, a short fat one and a long skinny one. The long skinny one usually holds more but for some items, the short fat one is the only one that works.
If you are sending plants, you try to send them barerooted (without soil). Technically it is required by law in most states. You wrap the roots in wet newspaper or paper towels and cover with plastic. The bags from the grocery stores work well.
Finally DC means delivery confirmation. If you print your postage online, it comes free with the one rate service. If you go to the Post Office, there is an extra fee.
As you can see, this can get expensive and that is why people pick and choose their swaps. I sent a note to Stacie and said I could help if she wanted, I am waiting for a reply.
Do not beat yourself up over this, it is a misunderstanding and not life threatening. It will make a great story some time in the future when you are an old hand on this site. We have all had "learning experiences". diene

Sorry for the delay. Everything is on the way. Rhiannon and Juliana should receive their boxes soon. Jessamy and Abigail had so much fun picking these out and putting them together. I hope they enjoy them.
Dana

Afternoon All! Just letting everyone know that Taylor & Brett received their box from Raven & Sage today. They couldn't get stuff out quick enough! Inside there was :
~Decorative Glass Stones
~Stickers(cats,dogs,Cars,& Tinkerbell)
~Water Balls
~Glad Bulbs
~Markers(Cars & Tinkerbell)
~Seeds(corn,cucumber,cleome,tomatoe,amaranthus,carrot,& lettuce)
~Garden Spinners(pink,purple,& yellow)
~Bubble Bath
~Bath Time Body Paints(Cotton Candy & Coconut Custard)
~Play Cell phones(green & Hannah Montanna)
~Hot Wheel Car(he hasn't put it down yet!)
~Lip Gloss(Tinkerbell ,already in her purse)
~Bracelet (pink)
Sorry if I leave anything out.Trying to rember as they already taken their stuff to their rooms.
They both send big THANKS!!!!

later....Taylor, Brett,& April

I am so sad to post that after multiple promises both Jordan and Abigail have yet to receive anything from this swap although their partners did. Kim

Kim

Abigal got her package yesterday and DH dropped Jordans off today in Rapid City ( he had a meeting up there and forgot to drop it off before he left) so should be getting an extra large envelope full of goodies

Here is the email I got from Abigal's mom

"danaakers@bellsouth.net"
Add sender to Contacts
To:
"P S"
Stacie,
Abigail received her box today. She thanks you so much. You were very generous and it is very appreciated. Have a blessed day.
Dana and Abigail

BTW in case anyone wants to know emails from Kim that aren't the nicest, I have tried to explain but she is crazy.

girlsingardens

I am pleased that Abigail received her box.

For those who may read this later...there are things much deeper going on which I will not post here as this was meant to be a fun experience for the kids.

If you have any questions as to the integrity of some people including myself I have plenty of saved emails I could forward. If indeed Stacie received any emails that are not "the nicest" then I would ask to see a FULL copy not some edited version she may put together. (Never once have I sent anything calling her names.)

Through my experience with my first round robin, I will tell you that the vast majority of the people are incredibly kind, understanding and generous...then there are a few who I would not want to deal with again.

Kim

Jordan received her swap today. Thank you.

Kim,

I haven't heard from you as to whether Jordan liked her package or not. Please post or email me if Jordan got the chance this last weekend to open her package.

Stacie
girlsingardens

Yes Jordan did get to open her envelope and as always was happy to get mail. Thank you again for completing this swap. Kim