For kids

With the stay-at-home order in effect in the St. Louis region, families are valiantly coping with the new normal. A toast to all of you multi-tasking all day, every day. Parents are now home schooling while working from home, entertaining the troops, planning meals, figuring out the grocery shopping, cooking, disinfecting, washing hands and making sure the kids do the same,  and then disinfecting some more. I so admire all who are (hopefully) keeping your spirits up and holding things together as you and yours are physically separated from grandparents, siblings, and many friends.

I recognize the level of privilege that most of us in this neighborhood enjoy.  Families here have enough computers and internet access for home schooling, enough food, and time to carve out to spend with your kids. That isn’t the case everywhere, so I hope what follows doesn’t seem cavalier. It’s just a look at what’s visible from the outside in this neighborhood, not the reality of what many are facing elsewhere in our dear city.

Out on my walks—equipped with DIY mask—I have seen families gathered on front porches and signs of activity in unusual places. Since we can only wave and loudly say ‘how are you?,” it would be wonderful to hear how your day is structured and how things are going. I’d love to post some of these ideas, anonymously if you’d like, so we might learn from each other. (nickisbuzz@gmail.com).

Kennedy Park, above, like all city playgrounds, is closed, which means that the CWE Families & Friends organization’s annual spring clean-up and Easter Egg Hunt have been cancelled. Perhaps a photo from last year’s event, below, will remind you what it was like when we could gather together when the only concern was how many jelly beans  your kids were devouring.

Teddy bears are peering out from windows all around the neighborhood,  as seen in the photos taken recently on Pershing Place. A recent post from Amanda Kracen on CWE Families Facebook Page mentions spotting lots of teddy bears (and spring blossoms too) on the 5000/5200 blocks of Westminster Place. Read more about “teddy bear hunts” in both the international arena here or the local effort here.

Maryland Avenue sidewalks have become blank canvases for artists of all ages to create chalk art and deliver public safety messages, above right, for the enjoyment of pedestrians out for a stroll.

And inspiration and creative ideas from a CWE parent, Suzanne Miller:

Photo courtesy of Ladue News

At the end of March Suzanne Miller posted an interesting message on Facebook: “Hey hey hey! I’m on day 15 of isolation. As I watched events unfold, I wondered what small thing I could do to bring a little distraction to everyone in lockdown or to those who are feeling anxious and cooped up. I got out all my books on creativity and began to write, and write some more. I would tune into the news, freak out, and then turn to my books and computer and write some more. The result? I’ve created a 10 Day Creativity Challenge for anyone who would like to participate. It’s completely free.”

“Several of these activities can be done as a family, in fact, one activity was a game changer in calming one of my kids down on a particularly trying day. Sign up here.” 

You don’t have to be a young parent or have kids at all to enjoy this challenge. It has been a wonderful gift to open each morning.

Following on the success of the 10 Day Creativity Challenge, and in response to all of the bad news we’re experiencing, Miller followed up with “the Creative Courant, a newsletter that will capture journalistic stories from credible news sources that recount powerful creativity and innovation for the greater good. All you need to do is sign up with your name and e-mail address and you’ll receive several stories each week about the power of the human spirit and creativity.”

Stay healthy and stay strong. We’ll get through this.