Hello you,
It’s Tuesday. I spent most of yesterday thinking today was going to be Monday. Is it just me or do holidays discombobulate you too?
This week I’m updating our directory with our new troops. Troop hosts, keep an eye on your inboxes. 📪 I’m going to be emailing you individually over the next couple of weeks just to say hello.
There’s no big ask. I’d just love to get to know you a little better, if you’re up for it, beyond what we can manage here online. I’m just going to be wandering through our troop directory with a basket of gratitude.
We sprang up in the world like mushrooms after a summer rain in July. Suddenly here we were with all of you and troops popping up everywhere. It is one of the coolest, most humbling things I have ever been a part of. Your trust is a gift.
Now our pace is slower by intention as we create pathways between all our mushroom troops. And build our online clubhouse into something I hope feels a bit like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood meets a whimsical fairy troop on a scouting adventure.
PBS in the US just started releasing the entire series for free on its very own channel. 😭 They are publishing 10 episodes at a time. The kindness you feel here… I first saw it in action watching Mister Rogers growing up. It was one of the best parts of my childhood.
(You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/@MisterRogersNeighborhood)
Things I Learned from Mister Rogers
I started learning these things as a child watching Mister Rogers reruns. They have shaped the way I see and move through the world. And they are foundation stones to what I do and how I create as an adult who is in the content creation space.
You belong here because you are you. You don’t have to keep up, make a masterpiece, join in, or prove your worth. There’s a seat at this table with your name on it.
Small things are worth paying attention to. A flower growing in a sidewalk crack. Tiny gestures of kindness. Noticing ordinary things and moments with curiosity can help us find wonder everyday.
Playing is the point. Making things, wandering on walks, trying something new, exploring our creativity—these things don’t need to be “productive” to be essential to our wellbeing.
People matter more than content. Frolic isn’t about building an audience. It’s about building a community. I don’t want this to become a content machine that creates more noise. I want it to be a place where we are actual neighbors, get to know one another, gather, and create a shared history.
A good online world should make your offline world bigger and brighter. If something you find here moves you outside, gets you making, introduces you to a neighbor, sparks a conversation, or helps you notice something you’ve walked past a hundred times, then we are building in the right direction.
And speaking of taking things offline…
Here’s something I made in our MendTember project! I want to share more of your images here, but I’m going to ask you first. Permission is such an important part of building trust. I want you to feel free to share here or on my Facebook page without wondering if your photo will pop up somewhere else without your knowledge.
What’s Coming Soon
Our Make Your Own Badge Video Field Guide and our first Celebration Badge Sketchbook is coming this week.
A mushroom beret tutorial. If yours truly who has never sewn anything in her life before can do it, so can you. ETA later this week.
Some simple MAKE ideas in the Activity Library.
We'd love to see what you're making and how your troop is growing. If you have a handmade project you or your troop created, or a story, milestone, or meaningful moment from your troop that you'd like us to consider for a future Monday Mushroom, just reply to this email.
All my love,
Hi Michele, I was wondering about badge-worthy activities for the troops? Will there be guidelines for that, or are we allowed to make up our own per troop or individual? Reading the last field guide and some previous information makes me think that maybe we are going to be allowed to make up our own activities for badges and things. But I know you are working on badges also so I wanted to make sure before I started anything in my group. I wish there was a way to message you directly so I didn't have to put this on just a chat. Thank you!
Great post and right in the vein of what Mister Rogers taught! As I was reading, I could remember exact quotes that went with each bullet point. Spot on!