wellness begins with wonder
Chispa Park creates educational content to empower families to establish sustainable home routines which cultivate wellness and longevity.
Chispa Parks’ first project is Basics for Early Birds, a series of 9 toddler books that creates a foundation for wellness through colorful impressions and narratives. Currently, 3 out of 9 books in the series are complete.
why these stories matter
When we are born, we are immersed in a sensory world, filled with changing elements and stimuli as our bodies adapt to our environment. Linking the organic wonder of toddlers with these basic concepts establishes their awareness that they are a part of the natural world. Basics for Early Birds is a series of simple concepts that fit together like a puzzle. As toddlers grow and put these pieces together, they develop cognitive function, awareness, and adaptability.
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By the year 2030, 50% of adults in the US are estimated to be overweight and at risk for obesity-related disorders and diseases. Obesity is a lifestyle disease, which means it is preventable through simple changes. While changing habits can be difficult, developing new habits is what childhood development is all about. Establishing awareness of vitality in early childhood gives tremendous advantages to children for life. Basics for Early Birds is like a puzzle made of concepts that underscore this natural awareness as a value in young children. Each book is simple and colorful, introducing themes related to senses, environment, breath, movement, and qualities in nature. These books offer a direct invitation to slow down and remember what it means to be filled with wonder and appreciation—for little ones and grown-ups alike.
Thank you to our supporters!
In 2023, your support (over $15,000!) made it possible for me to
Print first editions of two toddler book titles in cloth
Print first editions in Spanish
Engage a seamstress for the cloth books
Teach three Ayurveda workshops in Spanish
Engage a writing coach for a new children’s wellness primer
Provide ongoing support for development of next projects (stay tuned!)
SUPPORTED BY
Maria Trimbell
Juana Maloof
Aaron Zweig
Steve Sprinkel
Rosa Maribel Hernandez
Courtney Kinder
Carol Nicholson
Vina Lustado
Adi Fravel
Meet Alicia!
Hola! I’m Alicia and I’m the creator of Chispa Park. I love to create and to help solve problems. I am also a massage therapist with a focus on lymphatic health. In my practice, I am surprised that many people have challenges that can be easily remedied by making small changes. Unfortunately, changing habits can be very difficult for busy folks.
When I began my practice, there was little discussion about lymphatic health, and how to support the system as a whole. On the other hand, Ayurveda (an ancient science of longevity from India) acknowledged the lymphatic system as the first tissue layer of the body, and had many practices and holistic treatments to maintain it.
I eventually studied Ayurveda because it addressed wellness in ways that included the mind, the body, as well as individual uniqueness. Having experienced a health crisis years before, I often found myself wishing I had been introduced to these concepts as an elective course in high school. I began to recognize that many of the components of Ayurveda were familiar, basic and already within early childhood curriculum models, but they are not being seen as integral components of wellness and mind-body awareness development.
Chispa Park is a “continuous wellness education concept” because health needs to be taught and cultivated consistently, just as language arts or mathematics. It is designed to present basic concepts that work together not just to create healthy habits, but to also cultivate the self.
Thank you for your interest Chispa Park, may all who enter deepen in the wonder of being.
Support Chispa Park
Support Chispa Park
As a majority of child-onset obesity and related diseases affect BIPOC communities, Chispa Park is committed to serving these communities with educational outreach programs. You can support our impact below, or by spreading the word in your own community.
