GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — With families around the world abiding by social distancing guidelines to curb the further spread of coronavirus, one Gwinnett County neighborhood is getting creative to connect with their community.
Taking a page from Michael Rosen’s 1989 children’s book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, members of the neighborhood began placing bears in the windows, porches, and driveways of their home last week. While taking walks, families are encouraged to keep an eye out for the bears to create a sort of scavenger hunt.
Neighbors hunt for bears
Over the weekend, neighbors took it one step further by creating a workout written in chalk along the sidewalks. Nicole DeBel, a resident in the neighborhood said she took part in the workout on Saturday with her husband.
"There were stations at each cuddle sac throughout the neighborhood with an exercise and set, and then you had to run to the next one. It was actually a really great workout because it was one of our warmest days yet," says DeBel.
Sidewalks turn into workouts
In addition to the sidewalk workout and bear hunt, some residents are starting to put Christmas decorations and create chalk mosaics to spread some neighborhood cheer.
"My husband loves that he had an excuse to put out his Star Wars themed Christmas blow-up decorations," says DeBel.
Homes add chalk art and decorations to spread cheer
And according to DeBel, up next is driveway math.
"We're going to have each resident write a number in their driveway in chalk and then children can go around with their parents and do different math problems," explains DeBel.
The mother of a 5-year-old said she learned of the various activities in her neighborhood’s private Facebook group. Now, she says kids are roaming the neighborhood (while social distancing), parents are getting their workout in, and they're connecting with one another in a whole new way.
“There's people I've never seen in our neighborhood that I'm meeting (from across the street). We've got people being more intentional about finding ways to connect with one another while social distancing, and at the same time showing that we're all in this together."
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