KATHLEEN, Ga. — As COVID-19 continues to spread and schools are out, people are trying to find ways to keep kids occupied and entertained.
Neighborhoods across Central Georgia are getting kids outside and giving parents a break by offering a "Bear Hunt."
The concept is based on the children's book "We're Going On a Bear Hunt," where five children and their dog go on an adventure to catch a bear.
Throughout the story, they chant: "We're going on a bear hunt. We're going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day! We're not scared."
Colleen Pinto and her 6-year-old daughter have walked around and been on the "hunt" in their Woodlands neighborhood in Kathleen, while keeping a safe distance.
"I said, 'Look in the windows and see if you can see any teddy bears,' and at first she was like, 'I don't see anything,' and then it was really like hunting," said Pinto.
She said they saw about 30 or 40 houses in their neighborhood with bears and different stuffed animals peeking through the windows.
Her daughter is a gymnast, so they even went the extra mile and added a kids sidewalk chalk conditioning circuit to break up the monotony of the walk.
"If you’re bored--take initiative. Look up on Facebook, look up on Pinterest, just look for ideas to do," Pinto said.
Darla Hollar and her three kids have been out searching for furry friends multiple times, and she said they can't get enough.
"I think it gives the kids a really good sense of community being that they're missing their friends and teachers at school so much," said Hollar.
It's not just the Woodlands. Shirley Hills in Macon is having a safari.
Wesleyan Woods has cherry blossom bows and pink poodles.
The city of Perry created this interactive map so families can find neighborhoods that are participating.
"The joy that I've seen it's brought to my kids personally... I think it just kind of reassures them that there is still fun in the world right now," Hollar said.
She said it's important to reach out to kids, especially right now, because some of them don't understand why they aren't at school and why they can't see their friends.
This is a way to still give them that community interaction.
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