Durham Parks and Recreation: Play More!

By: Shannon Mallery, Mature Adults Master Program Specialist We're continuing our Play With Me: Purposeful Series and the next activity will be Scrubbing. If you haven't read our previous blog post featuring Part 1 of this series, make sure to take a look back before continuing with these activities. We have also prepared a  document of Tips for Virtual Communication  that you can review, specifically related to this Play With Me series. If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact Shannon Mallery at Shannon.Mallery@DurhamNC.Gov. Scrubbing Activity Please note there is a possibility that the child may spill water in this activity so it is best to be done where that will not be a problem, maybe outside on the porch or on the counter with a large towel near by. It might even be a good idea to cover the computer keyboard with plastic and a towel.  Please note there is a possibility that water may spill during this activity. It might even be a good idea to c

By: Hillary Harrison, Recreation Specialist What did you have for breakfast this morning? I had avocado toast with a side of strawberries and blueberries and a hot cup of coffee. This is a typical breakfast for me and one of my favorite parts of my day. Every once in a while, I remember to take a moment and thank the amazing pollinators of our world for providing me with this breakfast. If it wasn’t for pollinators like bees, bats, beetles, and butterflies, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my favorite foods because they just wouldn’t exist. Pollinators are extremely important in our world. It is estimated that about ⅓ of the world’s food and beverages would not exist if not for these amazing creatures. In the United States alone, pollinators help produce $20 billion worth of food every year. The week of June 22-28, 2020 is National Pollinator Week. This week the nation is celebrating the vast array of animals on Earth who contribute so much to our world and our health. We invite you t

By: Shannon Mallery, Program Assistant Sr.- Mature Adults COVID-19 has brought many challenges with it, but it has also given us time to reflect and to reach out to those we value in our lives. Right now, we want to keep up with loved ones more than ever, but it can also be more challenging than ever! While many people may be familiar with using technology to find out information, shop, or even stay connected to friends and family, they might not be used to relying on technology to have meaningful interactions with loved ones. Connecting on a personal level over technology can be challenging with any age group but can be especially challenging with young children. So how can you stay connected and grow your relationships with the young ones in your life during periods of social distancing? Durham Parks and Recreation (DPR) has developed a series called Play With Me that will teach you activities that you can do with young children ages two to five over technology that will prov

By:  Caitlin Avinger, Recreation Coordinator of Heritage Programs Wash your hands! Sound familiar? This is a lesson we learn from an early age. Scrub thoroughly with soap for at least 20 seconds regularly to keep clean and healthy. This lesson feels particularly relevant now in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soap is generally a ubiquitous part of our day and many of us likely use it without a second thought. Perhaps we have taken soap for granted in the past as it was easily found in every grocery store in almost any variety. This was not the case for much of American history. Wait a minute….why are we talking about soap? Well, before the pandemic reached our community, we were planning an interactive Hands-on-History program all about soap! While we cannot gather together to discover how awesome soap is at this time, we can still share the fun through this blog post! Here’s a little bit about how folks made soap in the past. We’ve also included soap-making tutorials, recipes, a