Garden Play Project
As the last dredges of holiday festivities linger, colorful cards hang from the mantle and some lights still sparkle ‘round the neighbourhood. We bravely celebrated, despite the pandemic. Our routines, traditions, conventional sentiments, all altered in some way, carried us through. We witnessed moments of joy, while we navigated this different and difficult time with hope and generosity. The Resiliency Bags Project is a reflection of this collective strength, as your donations allowed us to deliver robust bags of produce and pantry items to families in need.
This project has maintained our garden programs’ connection to the people and neighborhoods we’ve partnered with for more than a decade. The holiday bags of fresh vegetables, cooking oil, cornmeal, spices, and herbs also contained directions and materials to create a salt dough ornament. This nature-inspired holiday craft kept a small piece of what we do in the gardens growing, while we continue to shelter in place. Our Resiliency Bags will continue to provide activities and crafts for children and families into the new year, with a special emphasis on growing together. This playful exploration, affectionately named The Garden Play Project, will build on insights and themes designed to spark joy and connection. While we know access to food is essential, we also know that our children, families, and communities do not survive on bread alone (or vegetables for that matter). Resilience requires connection to each other and to the natural world around us.
To learn more about how to explore and connect, follow The Garden Play Project @TheForgeGarden
Additional resources: My Bright Ideas Nature Craft