Organizer Mom!

Connecting with your Neighbors in Social Isolation

Today I wanted to share all of the positive and creative ways that I am seeing my community come together.  There are so many ways to interact and entertain our kids without physically being near each other.  I especially want to shout to all of the amazing young families on my street who have created so many great activities for our neighborhood to participate.

Whether your a young family trying to keep things moving with your kids throughout the day or an elderly resident trying to distance yourself from your younger members of your family we have ideas for you.  Just think what more creative minds will come up with in the coming weeks!

Ideas to stay connected:

• Write Messages in Neighbors Driveways:  Families in our neighborhood have been walking around and leaving notes in chalk to each other on their driveways.  The kids love it!
• Make an obstacle course: One of our neighbors made an obstacle course in their yard so that all the families can come use it one at a time
• Make a Mud Kitchen:  Many families in our neighborhood used scrap wood that they have at their house (pallets work great) to make wooden counters for a mud kitchen.  Fill a tub with water for a sink and use old metal bake ware, spoons, spatulas, or even sand toys to make mud creations the kids can serve.  Our kids use this for long stretches of time.
  

  Our Mud Kitchen

• Put Our Random Holiday Decorations:  One of my neighbors is changing holiday decorations every few days to entertain the kids as they ride bikes or walk by their house everyday.  I have also seen some other people around the country putting their Christmas lights out again to cheer people up at night.
• Make a neighborhood scavenger hunt: One of our neighbors created a Bingo PDF of objects kids could find on a walk in our neighborhood or around their house to fill their cards.
• Have a Friend/Relative Be a Mystery Reader:  My first grader has mystery readers come to their school once a month to read a story.  The Mystery Reader must provide five hints beforehand for the kids to guess who it could be.  We have been having one Mystery Reader each day Face Time us to read a story.  It is a great way for kids to practice their reading with each other or have a Grandparent participate in their grand kids daily activities.
• Have a Guest Teacher:  Each of our kids’ grandmothers, who are social distancing at home, have been guest lecturing via Face Time.  We set a theme for the day at our home school.  Yesterday was Camping, today is Princess and Castles.  The Grandmas think of something they can share or do with the kids related to that theme.
• Set a Theme for The Day:  For the parents of younger kids, setting a theme for the day can be fun.  You would be amazed how many books, games, toys and resources you can pull together from your own home.  It changes the toys that kids focus on playing with each day, gives us a focus for worksheets and activities we might want to download and even a theme for the movie we might need to put on at the end of the day to give us all a break!
• Create a Town-wide Scavenger Hunt:  A member of our town organized a Shamrock hunt.  Everyone had to place Shamrocks in their windows around town so people could drive or walk around their neighborhoods to look for them. They are talking about doing a town-wide Easter Egg hunt the same way.  Such an easy way for everyone to participate.
• Kindness Rock Hunt:  Our family lives across the street from a town hiking trail.  We are going to go hunt for rocks today, paint them with pictures and words, take pictures of them and go hide them in the trail.  Then we are going to post a PDF of the rock pictures so anyone in town can go hike the trail and look for the rocks.

It is important now more than ever to come together as a community.  I love all of the positive and creative ways people are working to help each other and entertain us as we all slow down.  Please post or email me (kristin@livablesolutions.com) what your family has been doing to stay connected.  I would love to keep sharing ideas.