Selina Gervais (left) shares a healthy snack with one of the participants of Little Shenanigans, a free playgroup in Shawville for children 0-5 years of age who are accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Nikki Buechler
SHAWVILLE – Despite the potential for chaos in a room where the toddlers outnumber adults, there was a relaxed atmosphere among attendees of the Little Shenanigans playgroup, held in the New Hope Fellowship Church basement on Main Street, Shawville.
Little Shenanigans is a free drop in playgroup where children and their caregivers can spend quality time playing, reading, doing crafts, art, eating snacks and socializing with each other and other members of the community. “We are here every Friday from 9:30-11:30 to give children who are below the age of five the opportunity to play and socialize. But it’s equally important for the adults,” said Selina Gervais.
The group formed in 2017 to offer a much-needed service to the community. “We have few opportunities to socialize with each other in this area. With people living so far apart from each other it can feel extremely isolating and overwhelming to be at home with a small child. We all benefit from this, so it was very difficult when COVID restrictions shut down playgroups and we had to stop meeting. It’s been such a relief to start back up again.”
The weekly play session is free, and always welcoming new faces, and children are given a safe environment to play under the supervision of a group of watchful adults. As several adults watched a toddler with an unstable gait traverse from one toy to the next, it was reassuring: a vigilant group of caregivers looking out for our youngest members of the community.
