Helping children cope with fears will be the subject of a three-month series of Brown Bag lunches to be
offered at Asherah’s Garden, a holistic boutique at 315 N. Grove St.
The Brown Bags will run from noon until 1 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month, beginning this
Wednesday with "Monsters Under the Bed: Alleviating the Fears of Children."
The sessions are free and open to the public.
Leading each of the hour-long mini-workshops will be Lia Ricci, shop owner and clinical holistic health
practitioner, assisted by Melanie Stinson, Bowling Green artist and children’s author.
Stinson will lead the March 19 workshop entitled "Artistry at Play," taking participants
through a mini session in a way similar to how she works with children.
Ricci will lead a session on "Allergies and Other Sensitivities" on April 16.
Each offering will provide parents and caregivers with practical solutions to everyday problems,
information on non-GMO and chemical-free alternatives, as well as ideas to inspire and empower the
caregiver to better understand the child and what she is going through.
The brown bags are also intended to spark discussion and questions will be encouraged.
The lunches also serve as an introduction to services available at Asherah’s Garden, including learning
to relax with herbal teas, aromatherapy, reflexology, and other ways to carve out time for respite care
for the whole family.
"There’s nothing worse than coming from a place of fear where you may feel helpless or like you
can’t take care of the child in your care," Ricci said. The co-founder of an urban learning center
and former child caregiver, Ricci has worked 15 years with youth. She has degrees from Bowling Green
State University in psychology and child and family community services, as well as her holistic
certifications.