School is out, thanks to COVID-19. And while families adjust to home lessons and extra hours together, they’re also searching for creative ways to pass the time.
Play dates with friends next door aren’t an option right now, while strict social distancing measures are still in place. But as part of WPLN’s series “Dispatches from Quarantine,” Elise Burns tells us how her neighborhood in Brentwood is keeping kids occupied — and connected.
A clever mom in our neighborhood organized a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt for all the families. She assigned different families letters, and we all wrote our letters on a piece of paper and then taped it on our front door or in a window. After all the letters were up, the families ran around the neighborhood, trying to find the different letters. As soon as you had all 13, you got to go home and unscramble your letters to reveal a message. We had the letter “T” posted on our front door, and my favorite part was sitting in the window and watching kids run by, spot it and then gleefully jump up and down before they jotted down a T in their notebook. This activity was so simple, it allowed us to remain socially distant, but it built a great sense of community and togetherness during this hard time. And we all had so much fun.
This story is from our series, Dispatches From Quarantine. We want to hear from you about your unique experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. Record a voice memo and email it to [email protected] or go on our app and leave a voice memo there.
Samantha Max is a Report for America corps member.
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