Children

Silly Sidewalk Obstacle Course

Jul 30, 2020

Free

🆓

Byline

Rebecca Campbell, Library Director, Tavares (Fla.) Public Library

The goal of the Silly Sidewalk Obstacle Course is to provide a sense of liberation and fun while emphasizing the importance of wellness during these unprecedented COVID-19 times.

Upon completion of the course, patrons can enter the library and salute the librarians to be entered in a raffle for a silly prize. Our obstacle course has proven to be popular among all age groups in the community.

Advanced Planning

Due to the pandemic, all library programs are either canceled, postponed or held virtually. Virtual programming and curbside materials distribution have been successful, but patrons have expressed how much they missed the in-person interactions and brick-and-mortar library experiences. The library staff put their creative minds to the task of finding a solution to combat the social isolation our patrons are experiencing.

The consensus was to create self-directed outdoor programs. Marli Lopez, our reference librarian, designed a 126-foot course outside the library consisting of bunny hops, singing and skipping.

The course is laid out using duct tape rather than sidewalk chalk because of rain and epic Florida thunderstorms. The duct tape is surviving both the weather and the wear and tear of many happy feet. To this day, the course looks fresh.

Marketing

The obstacle course was promoted on both our Facebook and Instagram pages. The first promotional video received over 700 engagements.

The feedback on social media is overwhelmingly positive. A library from Indiana contacted us via Facebook Messenger for advice on creating an obstacle course for their library. Let’s Move in Libraries also shared our original Facebook promotional video to their Facebook page.

Budgeting

No budget. The course was designed using supplies already on hand and repurposed materials, such as a repurposed 2019 summer reading yard sign. Duct tape is a must-have, and most libraries probably have a lot on hand already.

Day-of-event Activity

At the beginning of each day, library staff places signage next to the sidewalk encouraging patrons to complete the course.

Program Execution

Patrons are making special trips to the Tavares Public Library just for the sidewalk course. It's bringing much happiness to our little town, and we have been getting some great feedback.

We track the number of participants who enter the raffle upon completion of the course so we have a rough estimate of how many people have interacted with it.

Advice

We have found that off-brand duct tape does not work as well as Duck Tape brand tape on city sidewalks; the adhesive does not adhere to the sidewalk as well.

Making letters is not as simple as one would think, and scissors gum up and become unusable after only a few snips, so it’s better to tear the tape by hand or use a box cutter.

We also learned that ants are very curious. They were investigating the tape and had to constantly be brushed out of the way while creating the course.