ENHANCE HOME-BASED PROGRAMMING

 

Some may not feel comfortable joining in outdoor group programs for quite a while, or until there is a vaccine available. Is there a way to enhance the virtual programs that are already happening? For example, the Garden Discovery Walks program typically combines social activity + physical activity + nature engagement. In its virtual form, we have chosen to focus on the nature engagement goal, through a video. However, there’s no social or physical element. Can we enhance the experience?

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• Can we add a social element? Can people post photos of their nature-based activity to a group Facebook page? Can they have a “GDW buddy” who they write a weekly postcard to about the favorite tree or plant they can see in their yard or on a walk down the block? Can the naturebased activity itself have a social element – creating a bouquet for a neighbor, for example?

 

Conversely, we’ve seen the rise of a lot of purely social virtual groups – Zoom-based support groups and Memory Cafes, for example. The Memory Loss Zoo Walk here in Seattle is having weekly coffee chats on Zoom.

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• Is there a way to infuse more nature, or physical activity, into these groups? Can we encourage people to join the Zoom call from their front porch while they sit in the sun? Can we all do a walk down the block before the call, and then “share” a photo of a beautiful plant or tree that we discovered?

 

Lastly, some people have been doing virtual exercise programs from home, like chair exercise or Zumba. Is there a way to make that happen safely outside – in the yard or park? Can videos be made the show incorporating natural elements into the workout – stretching by leaning against a tree, for example? Doing arm dips on a park bench (with reminders about hand washing afterward)?