THORNLEIGH locals may have noticed that a new suburb has sprouted up along the nature strip on Chilvers Road.
Spoonville, a pop-up garden which consists of a small population of wooden spoon people, has been created by the children at Chilverleigh Early Learning.
Chilverleigh Early Learning owner, Renee Passfield, came up with the idea after seeing the Spoonville craze on the internet.
Spoonville sites started popping up during the first wave of lockdown restrictions last year in the areas hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, such as Melbourne.
The activity is popular as it is a cheap, safe and engaging way children can be entertained while out for a stroll or bike ride during lockdowns.
Passfield created Spoonville to bring joy to children and “boost community engagement” during the strict lockdown imposed by the NSW Government.
“Our spoon characters have been created to brighten up our neighbourhood while offering a burst of enjoyment for children during remote learning,” a laminated sign near the garden said.
Even enrolled children who have been kept at home during the lockdown have been able to participate in the initiative. The daycare delivered packages containing a spoon, wool, googly eyes and small pieces of colourful fabric to their homes.
“We’ve had lots of children staying at home and not being part of the program so, we’ve actually done drop-offs to homes because most of our families live in the local area,” Passfield said.
Passfield said the feedback received about Spoonville, so far, has been positive. She encourages locals to add their decorated spoons to the spoon population.
Instructions for the Spoonville garden have been laminated and placed directly above the garden. Passfield said she will be adding wooden spoons to the display for the public to take home.
“They can decorate with whatever they like to and contribute on their walk or their ride on their bike,” she said. “They can pop it next to the ones that are existing.”
The Spoonville garden was officially opened on August 16.