The Edge Looks to Stir Creative Juices for Chalkin and Virtual Books

Dayton, TN -- So much of our every day has turned upside down. For some of us, it's not just our home life that looks a bit different these days, but also our work life.

The EDGE is a healthy choices program that works with students in Rhea and surrounding counties. During the school year, we go into the schools to work with students. That’s what we do. So, when school is canceled, a big part of our program is sidelined.

With the 2019-20 school year now officially happening outside the school buildings, we had to get creative. As much as I would love to be consuming all my quarantine snacks and online shopping without a care in the world, I recognize that is not the healthiest option for me or my bank account. So I had to find something to busy my time with that would 1) benefit the community, and 2) not require me to lose weight when it’s over.

I’d like to share with you a few new innovations we’ve come up with to keep us busy while we social distance.

#ChalktheWalk – If you’ve spent any time on social media, you’ve seen the way people are getting creative with sidewalk chalk. From making stained glass looking murals, to coloring each brick of their house, people are letting their artistic sides show. If this quarantine has taught us anything, it’s that chalk isn’t just for kids. Like any good trend, we want to be a part of it too! Starting April 21, stop by The Care Center in Downtown Dayton to grab some chalk, free of charge. Then, get to work! Chalk the sidewalks through downtown with messages of encouragement and hope! Write a thank you to doctors and nurses and other first responders. Draw a picture to brighten up someone’s day. Write a note to your child’s teacher. Let you kids try their hand at abstract art. Who knows! You may have the next Pablo Picasso living under your roof. The possibilities are endless (well, until you run out of chalk, then you’re on your own). We just ask that you tag us (@theEDGE on Facebook and Instagram), or simply post them to our FB page. We want to make a compilation video of all the artwork that people can enjoy for days to come.  Edge facebook, click here.

Virtual Book Discussion – Maybe you’ve reached the end of Netflix and aren’t sure what to do. How about picking up a book? We want to host a book discussion group that will encourage parents during this time when everyone is stuck at home. It’s amazing how when sports and other activities are removed from our daily lives, we may struggle to have meaningful connections with our kids. We want to change that! We are starting an online book discussion group for parents of teens to work through The Five Love Languages of Teens. Each person feels the most loved in a certain way, and they show love in a certain way. And when we love our kids in a way other than they feel loved, it’s like we really are speaking different languages. We want to equip parents and guardians to communicate with their kids in the most effective ways possible, and that includes even in the way they show love. Out of my kids, one feels the most loved when I give him gifts, the other feels the most loved when I speak words of affirmation, and for one, she’s all about physical touch (sitting beside me is not enough. She’s got to be in my lap with her face right next to mine. If I end up with Covid-19 it’s entirely her fault). The book discussion will be entirely on Facebook and only visible to others within the group. The first ten participants will be provided the book, free of charge. We will post different discussion questions and topics from the book. It will give parents the opportunity to see and hear from others what works, what doesn’t, and just realize that we’re all in this together, and doing a good job.

Weekly Good News – We will be posting compilations of good news stories once a week. Everybody needs some good news, right? Check out our Facebook page on Mondays for good news. Got a good story? Share it with us? Got a cute video of your kid or grandkid thanking someone for a job well done? Share it!

Weekly Resources – We will also be highlighting a different resource each week. From books, to videos, to websites, we want you to feel equipped. But it can be so overwhelming to start from scratch. These posts will point you in a good direction for dealing with internet safety, the benefits of sexual risk avoidance and media messages.

We’ve got some other things up our sleeves, including a family night party pack giveaway, blog posts, and I’m sure I’ll end up on a Facebook Live video before too long. But we are a resource for you, and we want to make sure we can help in whatever ways possible. Have an idea for us? Well, pass it on! It does take a village, and right now more than ever, our villages need resources.
Email tiffany@theedgeonlife.org for more information, or checkout our Facebook page!