photo by photostock at www.freedigitalphotos.net
The days are getting longer and the nights warmer. Barbeque season is in the air and it is the perfect time to get together with your neighbors and build a greater sense of community. Get your children involved in creating flyers to hand out around your neighborhood. Make sure to include the date, time, place, RSVP and what you want them to bring. For example:
Date: June 21, 2011
Time: 5:00pm
Place: 4005 33rd Street (or have it at a local or neighborhood park)
Please bring one potluck dish enough to share with 8-10 adults.
RSVP: 555-778-4038
Make sure to connect with at least a few families to be sure you will have some in attendance.
Delegate families to bring or supply activities to keep the kids happy. You could have bubbles, hula hoops, street hockey, badminton or volleyball, a pinata, or scavenger hunt. Get creative and get your children involved in planning and carrying out activities too. If you have your potluck in a kid friendly environment everyone is sure to have a wonderful time!
Here is a great article on how to throw a great Neighborhood Block Party.
OneTwib is a great resource to connect with those in your community. It provides a resource to communicate and share events with others in your area.
Making connections and really knowing those around you is the first step in creating change. You have to know others in order to assist or help them. We recently had a fire in the neighborhood and the community really rallied around the affected family and provided them with so many items to be able to rebuild their lives again. This happened because of caring neighbors who knew there was a need and stepped up to help.
When we come together we build friendships and create a supportive environment for our children. Our kids will learn in a very real sense what it means to be a part of a community and how important it is to include others, to support one another and to be there for them when it is needed.
Make a difference and have a great time doing it too with your Neighborhood Block Party.
We would love to hear about your experiences this month or past of getting together with neighbors to build lasting friendships and a supportive network of individuals who look out for one another when the need arises.
4 comments
Lisa says:
Jun 4, 2011
Great idea! We usually do one around the 4th of July but, why wait?
Nisha says:
Jun 5, 2011
We have a block party at least once every year and typically when it’s SO hot outside, so this year, I took the initiative to host it early. We just had it last week. I simplified by creating a FB event rather than taking flyers around. Everyone posted on the event wall what they were bringing, so we made sure we had a variety. I love your idea to put some families in charge of bringing entertainment for the kids!!!
I provided a huge cooler full of lemonade and we had a ton extra, so my daughter used the leftovers for a lemonade stand. Great way to double up efforts!
Chantelle Adams says:
Jun 5, 2011
That is a great idea, Facebook is such a great tool for connecting and keeping in touch too! Also great way of knowing what everyone is bringing. Love that you were able to double up the efforts with a lemonade stand, great ideas. Thank you so much for sharing. It is definitely worth the effort, so glad to hear you guys are already taking the initiative to host a block party, great job ladies!!!
Emily Ballard says:
Jun 6, 2011
My neighborhood’s 3rd annual block party was Saturday night. We close off the road and set up tables right down the middle of the street. It has turned into a huge event with neighbors, former neighbors, and friends who wish they were our neighbors. (Great to be so inclusive, but it can make it more difficult to meet all of the actual neighbors.) We hold it the first Saturday in June, so everyone knows when it is coming each year. My kids think it is the official mark of the beginning of summer!
I really do have a great group of neighbors looking out for me- I had countless (sincere) offers to help me with my kids, as well as plenty of help at the actual BBQ itself (my husband was unable to attend). I didn’t take any pictures this year, but this link shows our inaugural gathering: http://mleballard.blogspot.com/2009/06/jefferson-avenue.html