1.17.21 - Joy status: Making friends with sidewalk chalk

Yesterday we took the kids to the park. There were a lot of families there probably because the weather was nice. Clara was interested in playing with the other children, and so was Jane but Jane is very shy. Neither could quite figure out how to engage and instead they ended up playing in the sand of an empty volleyball area. Calvin wanted me to get out the sidewalk chalk that we finally remembered to bring.

Not long after I got out the chalk, various children, all of whom looked like they were age seven or younger, walked up to us and stopped 10 ft or so short and just stared at me. I started asking them if they wanted to use the chalk and they were all very excited to do so. Soon my own girls came back to do the same, and they all covered the picnic area sidewalks in their art. In the process Clara and Jane formed little temporary alliances and played delightedly and closely with the other kids for the remaining hour and a half that we were there. When we finally had to leave, we left all the small worn out or broken pieces of chalk for the other kids to keep playing with after we were gone.

It was pretty fantastic. I've already ordered a new set of sidewalk chalk to use as social glue next time we go.