Parents use creativity to take kids on driveway adventures

In March, parents across the country began hunkering down at home with kids of all ages. Stay-at-home orders going into effect across states at different times left many juggling both parenting and teaching, and trying to find a way forward.

As temperatures across the nation heat up, parents have taken to driveways and sidewalks to ease that at-home blues for their kids, letting creativity take the lead with sidewalk chalk designs.

For Abbey Tucker, a mom of four girls ages 3, 7, 11 and 13, the creativity began with her oldest child.

"My oldest daughter drew some balloons at the start of quarantine," the Atlanta-area mom told We Are The Mighty.

---

"I took a photo of my 3 year old with them and loved it so we decided to try some more and it took off from there. The ideas come from lots of places - the internet, favorite Disney films or just things we would love to do that we can't do right now."

Heather Gibb, a central Pennsylvania mom of three, can relate.

"It all started with Ella asking me to draw her a princess carriage to sit in," Gibb said, referencing her 5 year-old daughter. "So I Googled it because I actually am terrible at drawing unless I have a picture."

Gibb said that the princess carriage led to her son, Rhett, wanting a crocodile.

"And that led to me getting 100 other ideas from Pinterest," she shared.

When Heather Tenneson of Madison, Alabama had to cancel a much-anticipated family trip to Disney World, she took her daughters using chalk (and a little bit of imagination) in the driveway.

Tucker, Gibb and Tenneson are just three examples of parents taking their creativity outdoors.

When We Are the Mighty asked parents to share how they were getting creative with their kids outside, they delivered. Messages of hope and inspiration, Disney characters, stained-glass inspired works of art, learning tools and games came tumbling into our inbox from every corner of the country.

(Amber — California)

(Austin — Pennsylvania)

(Austin — California)

(Calvin — Sugar Hill, Georgia)

(Courtney — Kansas City)

(Declan — Honolulu, Hawaii)

(Jordan — Pennsylvania)

(Kayden — Harrisburg, PA)

(Kayden Willa — Harrisburg, PA)

(Lauren son Maddox, pictured — Littleton, CO)

(Max — Honolulu)

(Nicole — Las Vegas)

(Rachel — Oxford, MS)

(Rachel — Oxford, MS)

(Rachel — Oxford, MS)

(Robyn — Houston, Texas)

(Robyn — Houston, Texas)

(Robyn — Houston, Texas)

(Robyn — Houston, Texas)

(Robyn — Houston, Texas)

(Robyn — Houston, Texas)

Whether parents are encouraging creativity through art, looking for a family-friendly outdoor activity, or simply seeking another way to entertain kids at home, sidewalk chalk delivers.