Community Socials

Ready to turn your trash into treasure? Art made from up-cycled materials teaches children (and adults) so many lessons. In an age where we are polluting the planet in detrimental ways, creating beauty out of discarded (but still useful) scraps is a creative way to teach children valuable life and environmental lessons. Encourage creative use of materials in your community with this fun trash to treasure craft event! With this recycled art project, there are a few things to consider… Gathering materials Collect together all kinds of clean and recyclable trash and scraps from both local businesses and/or residents. These beautiful flowers were created using old plastic bottles! Image credit: Pixabay Ideas of things to...

Who can forget some of the best games Nintendo games of our youth? When I think back on all the hours I spent playing Super Mario I have nothing but fond memories of pipes and mushrooms, secret passages and special powers. The iconic video game is considered to be the best-selling game of all time. The characters are also easily some of the most recognized in the world. Since the plumber Mario was first featured as Jumpman (who was originally a carpenter, not a plumber) in the 1981 game Donkey Kong, he’s made appearances or been featured in over 200 video games, television shows, and comics! Super Mario Day is March 10th and there’s a bunch of fun ways to celebrate this iconic game. March 10 was the day chosen by fans because of the date....

Looking for a creative way to share your love for books with others? Want a fun way to celebrate World Book Day on March 1? Are you book piles getting a little out of control? via GIPHY If you answered “yes” to any of those questions (or think your residents might say yes as well) think about hosting a book swap! Give new life to all your books by holding a book swap in your community to encourage sharing and learning. Oftentimes when we're finished reading a book it sits on our shelf. At best it’s occasionally loaned out to friends. Book swapping is the answer to both stretched thin budgets and lonely books! What's a book swap? ...

Get your community pumped! Host an open mic night in your community, or organize a powerful slam poetry competition. Your community is going to have a blast! Here are some great tips your event a super success. Organizing the event Register poets and schedule them in advance so that you can prepare your sets to keep the competition moving throughout. Divide duties a host and MC. Make sure they share responsibilities to keep the event moving in between sets. In between poets, you can also have a DJ for music as artists and announcers are coming on and off stage. This guide gives more great ideas for how to organize a slam poetry event and delegate tasks. Additionally, ensure that you have the right sound equipment and set up for your venue and...

If you’re looking for a spring cleaning activity for residents, there are a few great ways to encourage it in your community! We’ve previously mentioned holding a community yard sale to turn resident clutter into cash, but there are other ways to get residents purging as well. Consider encouraging a swap shop where residents can either give away unused items and/or swap them for those they need. It’s a great way to upcycle and repurpose unwanted items that other residents may be able to use for their families. What is a swap shop? A swap shop is a cashless event where people exchange unwanted items for something they do want and need. Things like preloved sports equipment, toys, kids clothes, and other good condition home items are great ideas of things to bring to such...