In A Nutshell: Sharing is Caring
Supporting local CSAs during "The Big Share," plus family events in March 2025
Hi friends,
I’ve had an uptick in subscribers recently, so a warm welcome and special note to you below if you’re new! We have a bunch of upcoming events, so save the dates for March 10th, 14th, 18th, and 19th and keep reading! :)
Here’s the origin story of this monthly In A Nutshell e-leaflet, which highlights local events for families with young kids in the Madison, WI area, plus other community resources and my own musings as a toddler mom. Recently, I’ve added a second newsletter a month called On The Bookshelf, which is all about my children’s picture book journey and recommendations. Soon, I’ll be adding a third newsletter Through the Viewfinder (though probably not monthly) that will feature my digital nature photos, some of which will be turned into greeting cards available for purchase with a portion of proceeds donated to local environmental nonprofits. So, if you support nature, books, kids, and community, this Under the Drumlin Sun publication is probably the place for you! If at any time you want to change your subscription settings, you can learn how to do so here. Thanks for stopping by!
Spotlight: FairShare CSA Coalition
Have you heard about The Big Share? It’s a one-day event to support more than 70 local nonprofits that are members of the Community Shares of Wisconsin network. And it starts with a power hour from 6-7 p.m. CT tonight, March 3rd, and continues through midnight Tuesday, March 4th (set your alarm for FairShare’s power hour TRIPLE match, happening 3/4 from 7-8 p.m., when your gift goes 3x as far!) In a particularly disruptive time for many nonprofits who rely on grant funding, they really need our help to work on causes such as voting rights, healthy food systems, criminal justice reform, housing advocacy, environmental protection, and more.
This year, my organization Playful Acorns has joined others to set up a fundraising link to support FairShare CSA Coalition during The Big Share, which has a goal of raising $25,000 to support thriving farmers and fresh food for all: “FairShare recently lost critical federal funding (Cap Times article 2/28/25) to directly support small-scale farmers' ability to market their produce and connect to their communities. At the same time, fear of rising grocery prices, frozen funds for additional programs supporting local farmers, and an overwhelming sense of uncertainty as to what the future may bring means our mission to build resilient food communities is more important now than ever before.” Did you know that a $35 donation can feed a household fresh, healthy food for one week through CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is something our family has greatly enjoyed being part of over the years from various farms, and this year we are excited to try veggie shares from Winterfell Acres in Brooklyn, WI, owned by fellow Earth Mama Bethanee Wright, whose family-anchored farm is dedicated to growing nutrient-dense, organic produce (photo above from when families were invited to harvest vegetables). There’s still time to sign up for shares from other CSAs, too, which you can explore using FairShare’s handy Farm Search tool.
Will you join me in this day of giving? Anyone who donates will receive a thank you note from me (whose love for nature began on the farm and woods where I grew up) along with a free greeting card featuring one of my nature photos. Choose any nonprofit from the list (doesn’t need to be FairShare). Donate any amount (I don’t need to see it). Just screenshot your confirmation email that shows the nonprofit you selected and send it to me along with your mailing address. Then, consider spreading more kindness and sending that card to someone you’ve been meaning to reconnect with. Not in a position to donate financially? That’s OK! Please help spread the word by sharing with friends on social media and by forwarding this email.
Thank you for caring and sharing!
Sam
Playful Art, Music, Yoga, and Stories
This month we have some exciting play, art, music, yoga, and story collaborations with our friends Kaiti of 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care; Kayla with CI Pediatric Therapy Centers; Kaitlin of A Better Body Massage Therapy; Kirsten of Lagom: Music and Yoga Education; and Angie of The Wonder Studio presents Kindermusik! If the weather is nice, we can head outdoors to the adjacent parks and trails to explore after our indoor time together! Events are geared toward kids ages 0-5 and their caregivers unless otherwise noted.
12:30-2 p.m. Monday, March 10: Free Play Group with Playful Acorns, 4-C, and CI Therapies (register in advance), Belleville Public Library, Belleville (free).
3-5 p.m. Friday, March 14: Free Postcard Making Event with Playful Acorns and A Better Body (drop-in, RSVP preferred), Verona Public Library, Verona (free).
3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18: Nature-Themed Yoga, Story, and Play with Lagom and Playful Acorns (register in advance), Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, Madison ($16/family).
9:30-10:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 19: One Red Wagon-Themed Musical Playdate with The Wonder Studio and Playful Acorns (register in advance), Seven Acre Dairy, Paoli ($20/family).
We'll be releasing the spring activity and storytime guides later this month/early April!
Family Activity Map, Guides & Resources
As a reminder, I am continually updating these resources, sometimes daily, so check back often: Family Activity Map (view Google map) and corresponding pdf guides (Winter 2025 Family Activity Guides and Winter 2025 Storytime Guides and Spring/Summer 2025 Nature Camp Guides). These resources and many more are also featured on the new webpage I’ve created:
Please note that this map and corresponding guides are a work in progress, and you should always check with the event organizer on the linked websites or emails to make sure the details are accurate. I will continue to add information and photos, and new guides/layers when we change seasons.
I can’t do this work alone! If you know of another resource, class, event, or update that we should consider featuring here, or you have feedback to share, please respond to this email or contact me at sam@playfulacorns.com. I am only human, so mistakes happen. If you see one, please let me know right away so I can update the resources. Hope you enjoy!
These resources are available just for you, our email subscribers, but I’d love if you could share this publication to spread and the word! Remember, you can earn some neat rewards*!
How to participate
1. Share this publication. When you use the referral link below, or the “Share” button on any post, you'll get credit for any new subscribers. Simply send the link in a text, email, or share it on social media with friends.
2. Earn benefits. When more friends use your referral link to subscribe, you’ll receive special benefits.
Get Nature Scavenger Hunt for 1 referrals
Get Witty Wildlife Greeting Card for 10 referrals
Get Signed Copy of Waverly Book for 25 referrals
* Please keep in mind that sharing the direct Canva links for the guides or the Google map link will not count toward these benefits because they can’t be tracked. Please refer the Substack publication so that friends can sign up for emails and stay in the loop.
To learn more, check out Substack’s FAQ. Thank you for helping get the word out!!
As always, thank you for being part of a community who shares this common thread:
At Playful Acorns, we value the following be(leafs):
Nature benefits from diversity, and so does humanity.
Children learn best through play.
Everyone deserves to have fun and be respected.
Life is a journey, and we are always growing.
The world is a better place with you in it.
In gratitude,
- Sam
Are you new to Playful Acorns? Welcome! You can read our story here and most recent posts here.
Upcoming Community Events
Due to many calendar changes throughout the month (both additions and subtractions), I am experimenting with moving all upcoming events to our Canva guides that are updated as soon as I see a new event or change. So check back often! Please refer to the following resources for family-friendly events near Dane County:
As a reminder, you’re receiving this email from my new platform on Substack, which you can learn more about here. If you want to change your subscription settings and subscribe or unsubscribe from any of the newsletters, you can learn how to do so here.
