We were recently invited together with a group of families by Scooby-Doo and generationOn to #DooGood, they are on a mission to get kids, parents, and fans involved in helping our communities. I was very, very excited because this is actually something I had been wondering about for a while: How to help the community as a family?
THE DAY STARTED WITH A MYSTERY
Just as it always starts for Scooby-Doo and the Gang, a Mystery to solve! So, we all road the Mystery Machine to an “unknown” place which ended up being a school in Mid City L.A. There we actually got to meet Scooby-Doo and learn about our project! I don’t know if I was more excited or the kids!! I grew up watching Scooby-Doo and kept making my own Scooby-Doo voices all day, lol!
OUR MISSION FOR THE DAY: TO PLANT AN EDIBLE GARDEN FOR THE SCHOOL
The organization that was there to help us was EnrichLA, they separated us into groups and showed us step-by-step what to do.
We first weeded, added compost and then we added the soil. Then, the most exciting part!! Planting! We were taught to give them love before you plant them, they are beings too and they need love to live and grow. I knew about talking to plants and all that but I’ve never actually hugged and kissed one before planting it!
Our group was in charge of planting tomatoes and peppers. After that, we also planted orange trees! Those were a little harder because you have to dig a bigger hole, but the kids just went for it; Adrian kept shoveling and shoveling and then helped bring the little tree and plant it.
TEACHING BY DOING
While we were doing all this together I was very alert and noticed the kids’ attitudes, expressions, and conversations; oh my goodness, they made me so proud!! Adrian kept saying: Mami, this is really fun! Look Mami, this is the one I planted and asked me to take a picture with it.
We not only learned about planting but we learned about teamwork. When the kids see us, parents, mixing the dirt, weeding, shoveling, they imitate us and feel encouraged and reassured. We also got to decorate our own planter and plant some herbs! I helped decorate a little and then the kids planted some basil and chives, we have at home and Maya has been in charge of watering it. We hope to cook with it pretty soon!
I really want more of this, it feels so good to Doo Good as a family!
HAVING FUN WHILE HELPING
I think that one of the key points for volunteering as a family is to make it fun! Oh, and in our case, lots of snacks too. Keeps the kids happy and in a great mood!
Our day was super special and entertaining because lots of other families were there and of course Scooby-Doo! He was so fun, he kept trying to eat our food while we were having lunch!!
HOW TO START
At the end of the day, helping our community is not hard, you just have to start somewhere, no matter how small.
You can visit ScoobyDooGood where you will find a fun toolkit to start with, it has several project ideas that you can do with your family in your own community, there are also badges for kids to collect after they do each project, I find it very fun and engaging. Maya already asked me to start one of the projects, a vertical garden!
I like how Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. Gang are leading the charge in taking the ‘mystery’ out of helping the environment! The only one piece of the puzzle missing is you! Join the Gang in helping solve the world’s environmental challenges with some local volunteering!
GIVEAWAY
Thank you to Warner Bros. and Boomerang for providing these products. Giveaway open to adults 18+ based in the United States. Limited to one submission per person.
How exciting! Warner Bros. and Boomerang are offering five (5) one-year complimentary subscriptions to Boomerang! Boomerang is an app where you can enjoy family-friendly cartoons at home or on-the-go. Explore a massive library of favorite shows & new, original series. You can participate in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.
I was selected by Warner Bros. to participate in the Doo Good Campaign. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
-ESPAÑOL-
COMO AYUDAR A LA COMUNIDAD EN FAMILIA
Hace poquito fuimos invitados por Scooby-Doo y generationOn a participar con un grupo de familias para hacer bien (#DooGood). Ellos tienen la misión de lograr que los niños, padres y fans participen en ayudar a nuestras comunidades. Yo estaba super emocionada porque esto es realmente algo que siempre me he estado preguntando: ¿cómo ayudar a la comunidad en familia?
EL DÍA EMPEZÓ CON UN MISTERIO
¡Así como siempre comienza para Scooby-Doo y la pandilla, había que resolver un misterio! Así que, nos llevaron a todos en una Máquina del Misterio a un lugar “desconocido” que terminó siendo una escuela en Mid City L.A. ¡Allí nos encontramos a Scooby-Doo y conocimos nuestro proyecto! ¡No sé si estaba más emocionada yo o los niños! Yo me crié viendo a Scooby-Doo y durante el día me la pasé haciendo mis propias voces de Scooby-Doo, ¡jaja!
NUESTRA MISIÓN DEL DÍA: SEMBRAR UN JARDÍN COMESTIBLE PARA EL COLEGIO
La organización que estuvo allí para ayudarnos se llama EnrichLA, y ellos nos dividieron en grupos y nos mostraron paso a paso qué hacer.
Primero arrancamos las hierbas malas, añadimos abono y luego agregamos la tierra. Después vino la parte más emocionante: ¡todos a sembrar! Nos enseñaron a darle amor a las semillas y las plantas antes de sembrarlas, ya que también son seres y necesitan amor para vivir y crecer. Yo sabía lo de hablarle a las matas y todo eso, ¡pero nunca había abrazado ni besado a una matica antes de sembrarla!
Nuestro grupo estuvo a cargo de sembrar tomates y pimentones. Después de eso, también sembramos naranjos. Esos fueron un poco más difíciles porque hay que cavar un hoyo más grande, pero los niños lo hicieron, Adrian seguía cavando y dándole a la pala y luego ayudó a traer el arbolito y sembrarlo.
APRENDER AL HACER
Mientras hacíamos todo esto juntos, estaba muy alerta y noté las actitudes, las expresiones y conversaciones de los niños; ¡Que belleza, me hicieron sentir tan orgullosa! Adrián me decía a cada rato: ¡Mami, esto es bien divertido! Mira Mami, esta es la mata que sembré yo (y me pedía que que le tomara una foto con ella).
No solo aprendimos sobre la siembra sino que también aprendimos sobre el trabajo en equipo. Cuando los niños nos ven a nosotros los padres, mezclando la tierra, desherbando y cavando, nos imitan y se sienten motivados y tranquilos. ¡También tuvimos la oportunidad de decorar nuestro propio macetero y sembrar algunas hierbas! Yo ayudé a decorar un poquito y después los niños sembraron albahaca y cebollín, lo tenemos en la casa y Mayita ha estado a cargo de regarlo. ¡Esperamos cocinar con esto muy pronto!
Realmente quiero más experiencias como esta, ¡uno se siente tan chévere ayudando en familia!
DIVIRTIÉNDONOS MIENTRAS AYUDAMOS
Creo que uno de los puntos claves para el voluntariado en familia es hacerlo divertido. Ah, y en nuestro caso, muchas meriendas también, esto mantiene a los niños felices y de buen humor!
Nuestro día fue súper especial y entretenido porque muchas otras familias estaban allí y, por supuesto, Scooby! Tener a Scooby fue muy divertido, se trataba de comer nuestra comida mientras estábamos almorzando!
CÓMO EMPEZAR
A la final, ayudar a nuestra comunidad no es nada difícil, solo hay que empezar en algún lado, sin importar cuán pequeño sea lo que uno hace.
Pueden visitar ScoobyDooGood donde encontrarán un kit de herramientas divertido para empezar, incluye varias ideas de proyectos que pueden hacer con sus familias en su propia comunidad, también hay insignias que los niños pueden coleccionar después de hacer cada proyecto, me parece muy divertido y atractivo. Maya ya me pidió que comenzara uno de los proyectos, ¡un jardín vertical!
¡Me gusta la idea de cómo Scooby-Doo está a cargo de eliminar el “misterio” de ayudar al medio ambiente! ¡La única pieza del rompecabezas faltante eres tú! ¡Únete a la pandilla para ayudar a resolver los desafíos ambientales del mundo con un poco de voluntariado local!
SORTEO
Gracias a Warner Bros. y a Boomerang por proveer estos productos. El sorteo está abierto a adultos mayores de 18 años que vivan en los EEUU. Limitado a una entrada por persona.
¡Que emoción! Warner Bros. y Boomerang están ofreciendo cinco (5) suscripciones gratuitas de un año para Boomerang. Boomerang es una aplicación en la que pueden disfrutar de dibujos animados para toda la familia en la casa o el móvil. Explora una biblioteca enorme de programas favoritos y series nuevas y originales. Pueden participar aquí abajo en el Rafflecopter.
Fui seleccionada por Warner Bros. para participar en la Campaña Doo Good. El contenido y las opiniones expresadas aquí son todas mías.
25 Comments
Mary Cloud
May 2, 2018 at 2:03 pmWe live way out in the country so there’s not many opportunities for community activities but I like the idea of a shared community garden.
Fredrick Pauly
May 3, 2018 at 7:45 amWe have helped with community trash pickups which helps the community.
kimberly burnett
May 3, 2018 at 7:49 amOne way we help our community is by picking up litter on invigorate the town day!
meghan
May 3, 2018 at 8:51 amI love doing community picnics and events, getting to you neighbors!
Heather Cranmer
May 3, 2018 at 2:20 pmI live in the country, but we have things like support your local fire department. It’s in the next town over since ours is so small. We try and buy barbecue tickets from them and things from their bake sale when we can.
Kelly D
May 3, 2018 at 7:11 pmWe can(and have) help clean the park.
Tabathia B
May 3, 2018 at 8:50 pmTo have a fundraiser and/or petition for our HOA to build a small park in our neigborhood
Dan Hill
May 5, 2018 at 12:47 pmWe pick up trash in the area
Yvonne Delgado
May 5, 2018 at 2:57 pmAs a family we can serve at a local charity called Love INC by donating items to them or helping them deliver household items to families in need. Also we can help by picking up trash at a local park
angela smith
May 6, 2018 at 11:07 pmWe always go out 1 time a month and help out with picking up trash at the local parks in our neighboorhoods and down at the lake front
Tim
May 7, 2018 at 5:53 amWe just relocated to Texas, so we don’t really have a footprint here yet. When we were in Nebraska the community got together and cleaned up the local zoo. Our kids really enjoyed that, primarily so they see the animals.
Laurie Emerson
May 7, 2018 at 7:17 pmWe are planning a community garden this year and so far have 20 families signed up.
Kayla Klontz
May 7, 2018 at 8:33 pmWe help by helping pick up trash around the neighborhood, we recycle those items along with ours.
Jennifer S.
May 8, 2018 at 5:51 amWe have a program in my city where volunteers go to houses and help with yard work and other small projects for people that aren’t able to do it themselves. We try to do this at least once a month.
Jody Arbogast
May 8, 2018 at 8:01 amBy keeping liter and cans in trash cans.
cyndi br
May 8, 2018 at 11:43 amwe plant flowers in the park and collect clothing donations
Sharon Schoepe
May 8, 2018 at 11:46 amWe help our community by picking up trash on our daily walks
Kelly Freeman
May 8, 2018 at 12:41 pmWhen we go for our nightly walks, we can take a sack to pick up trash!
Breanne
May 8, 2018 at 3:59 pmWe pick up trash around the neighborhood.
Cliff Plummer
May 8, 2018 at 7:32 pmWe’ve been working on a community garden!
Sand
May 8, 2018 at 8:36 pmWe donate to the food pantry frequently, donate books to our local library and clothes to those in need of our community.
Jenny Ham
May 8, 2018 at 9:04 pmPicking up trash around town
Anita
May 8, 2018 at 9:10 pmdonate clothes and food to the shelters
Cassandra D
May 8, 2018 at 9:22 pmGetting together and helping those in need.
Ae Minx
May 8, 2018 at 10:13 pmWE pick up trash and “droppings” around our park and sidewalks. I’m amazed at how many people don’t clean up after themselves or their pets