Spring is here but with many of us in self-isolation, we will only get to experience the warmer weather and see the plants begin to sprout on the rare occasion we step outside.

1. Walking Bingo

Thankfully, Toronto resident Feanna Drake came through to help us all make the most of every precious fresh air break when she posted a series of neighbourhood bingo sheets to the Leaside Community Facebook group.

This Neighborhood Bingo set includes nine unique bingo sheets ranging from common items to themes, numbers, and letters! Have fun, get outside, and practice number and letter recognition! Plus, kiddos always love bingo dabbers! This NEIGHBORHOOD BINGO SET includes: 3 unique neighborhood items sheets; 2 letter bingo sheets. Neighborhood Bingo Cards - Set of 12 with sticker sheets $5.00 Description; Details For a fun way of getting to know your neighbors and neighborhood better, try playing a game of Neighborhood Bingo. This game features dozens of questions and activities designed to help you naturally get to know you neighbors better. Neighborhood Bingo Lincolnwood Parks and Recreation from Village of Lincolnwood 25 Mar. What a gorgeous day! Enjoy this beautiful day by taking a family walk outside. Print off this Neighborhood BINGO card and take it with you for a fun scavenger hunt along the way. How fast can you get one BINGO? Neighborhood Walk Bingo Sheet (attached) Marker. Participants: This activity is intended for adult/child interaction. Directions: Step 1: Keeping all current safety guidelines in mind, take a walk around your backyard or neighborhood to see if you can find the items listed on the bingo sheet. Step 2: Make a mark with your marker.

A Toronto couple made these awesome neighbourhood bingo cards families can use when going for a walk outdoors #Torontopic.twitter.com/D0laqf23bd

— blogTO (@blogTO) March 20, 2020

'Hi friends,' she wrote in the post. 'Lou's made these Bingo sheets to share. If you are still going for family walks (avoiding others of course) please have some fun playing neighbourhood bingo.'

'There are 4 versions so you can compete for 1 line, x, 2 lines, etc. or you can print 1 version and try to fill the whole card as a family (could take a few walks). Enjoy. *Note: he made the cards but not the graphics.'

Drake said she and her husband Lou were looking for for a fun activity they could do with their kids over the next few weeks while easing some of the anxiety surrounding the coronavirus news cycle.

'Everyone is is in the same boat, cooped up, needing distraction so we thought why not share the cards in our Leaside community group?' Drake told me via Facebook.

They sourced graphics from the web of things like a pine cone, dog, red door and Little Free Library to make up the cards and added their own topics. Simple, everyday objects that seem all the more significant at a time when nearly everyone in the city is inside.

While health officials are urging everyone to practice responsible social distancing as a way to mitigate the rick of spreading COVID-19, if you do go outside, they recommend keeping a distance of a least two metres apart from others and wash your hands when you get home.

'We're just hoping it helps people have a bit of fun in this otherwise heavy time,' said Drake.

WORSHIP

Sundays

10:30am Holy Eucharist Rite II In-Person

Neighborhood Bingo Card Download

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

Jesus was not only speaking about our physical neighbors, but anyone who God puts around us regularly. These could be our co-workers, our family and friends, and those with whom we share spaces. Specifically lifted up in our sacred stories are those most vulnerable in society: the foreigner, the immigrant, the oppressed, the poor, the widow, and the orphan. We are invited to care about them even if we never meet them. Jesus made clear in his story of the Good Samaritan that “neighbor” even applies to strangers along the road.

It can be easy to become overwhelmed with what it would mean to love all of our neighbors well – this is why a focus on our geographical neighbors can be a good start in taking tangible steps toward Jesus’ command. And it can start simply. For instance, even just learning our neighbors’ names means we are one step closer to being able to love them well.

Our increased time at home this year has given us the opportunity to get to know our neighbors better. As the weather cools and the snow begins to fall, we Minnesotans can easily retreat into the warmth of our homes and forget we even have neighbors. You are invited to play Neighborhood Bingo as a way to get out and get to know some of your neighbors in a safe physically distanced way. The hope is we can grow in relationship and trust – this is how we earn the opportunity to hear their stories and perhaps share ours.

Here is your Bingo Card!

Neighborhood Bingo Card Download

Please follow safety protocols and distancing guidelines, of course, and enjoy seeing your neighbors and neighborhood through the eyes of Jesus. If you complete the entire Bingo Card before the first Sunday of Advent (November 29), we will give you a gift card for a pint of ice cream from Sebastian Joe’s! Let us know here. You can also click the button below.

Walking Bingo

Neighborhood Bingo inspired by the book and resource site, The Art Of Neighboring and Mill City Church, Minneapolis.