Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus we’ve all had to stay home, self-isolate, and social distance. It feels as if it happened over night, and no one could have prepared for the sudden lifestyle change.
Many feel isolated, lonesome, and are missing their friends and family.
With no way to be certain of how long this will last, many stir-crazy people are finding unique ways to pass the time, and bring people together without physically being together.
Emily Nelson, who lives in South Bend, Indiana, has found an engaging way to bring her community in the Sunnymede neighborhood together with a giant game of “I Spy”.
She posted the game to Facebook on the neighborhood association’s page, in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
She called on her neighbors to create paper shamrocks to hang in their front windows, or draw them in chalk outside their homes. Anything that would be reasonably visible to passersby.
And voilà, a community-wide scavenger hunt was born! Emily calls it Walking Eye Spy.
Neighbors of any age could keep track of how many they spied when they went out for some fresh air, and post their total to the Facebook group.
The community loved it. It gave the kids something to do, in both preparing the shamrocks and going for discovery walks, and gave an uplifting reason for everyone to stay in touch.
Emily Nelson was so pleased with the overwhelming response from her neighbors, that she put together a calendar for the month of April. Each game of “I Spy” had a theme, including Disney characters, Mario, hearts for health workers, dinosaurs, and a bunny hunt for Easter.
The community took it a step further, and got into the full spirit of the theme by dressing in costume for their outings.
Of course, not everyone had objects and decorations to fit each theme, so the community really came together to help each other out. One resident put together packets to drop off to other neighbors who didn’t have enough supplies for that specific theme.
The turnout for Emily’s scavenger hunts has been amazing.
She and her family counted over 28 Disney characters on March 21st, including various dolls and a King Louie from the Jungle Book.
One resident said that even the mailman noticed the sudden disappearance of Disney princesses in every window, and asked about what was going on.
One of Emily’s neighbors, Carolyn Evans, loved the activity and wrote to her through the Facebook page to express her thanks.
“We had a blast looking for characters today! What a fun thing for all of us to do! THANK YOU for putting this in motion and THANK YOU to all of our neighbors who are participating!”
This neighborhood already had a strong sense of community before the COVID-19 outbreak. Families would spend time together playing spontaneous sports games, visiting, and chatting on front porches.
But since the beginning of the “I Spy” scavenger hunt, the community finds itself feeling even more connected.
People need this kind of socialization more than ever before!
Luckily, through channels like social media there are more ways to stay connected in isolation. Social-distancing doesn’t mean you have to stay emotionally isolated.
Kudos to people like Emily Nelson who are using their creativity to keep up morale in these tough times!
Any creative ideas to keep in touch with your communities, friends, family, and especially those who you know are feeling particularly lonely, will go a long way.
Stay home, stay safe, and stay connected!
For another feel good story during these uncertain times, check out this anonymous woman has taken this time to help other community members in need.
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