These families created a community art museum on the sidewalks of their California neighborhood while sheltering in place

Like many parents across the US right now, Daphne Sashin was looking for something to keep her kids occupied while her family shelters in place during the coronavirus outbreak.

Playgrounds are out of the picture. So are play dates. The Mountain View, California, mother of two can’t even interact with anyone outside of her immediate family.

“But we can go on walks and ride our bikes,” she told CNN Saturday.

That’s how she came up with the idea of asking her neighbors to use chalk to draw pictures on their sidewalks or driveways. Sashin emailed her neighborhood group and a plan was set for everyone to complete drawings by Friday at noon. The activity was intended to not only meet the requirements of social distancing, but also to be a way for neighbors to interact.

“The idea was this would be something that would brighten everyone’s day and it would bring us together as a community, even though we can’t physically be together,” Sashin said.

The result: More than 50 homes in Sashin’s Northern California neighborhood came together to create a community art museum.

“Even homes that didn’t sign up had drawings,” Sashin said. “Everybody is stuck indoors, and it’s a stressful time. This was a really nice way to end the week.”

Sashin said it would be fun if the activity became a community tradition.

“This was an extra motivation to walk around the neighborhood,” she said. “It brought people together in a safe way.”