A mother and her two children are exchanging notes inside paper planes with their neighbours during the coronavirus pandemic.
Australians are isolating and social distancing at home due to restrictions imposed by the Federal Government in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Kathryn McMahon, 32, from Geelong in Victoria, said she and her son were shocked to walk into their garden last week and discover a badminton shuttle cock had landed on the grass with a paper plane nearby.
‘I went over to pick it up and saw a message inside, asking me to send it back across the fence,’ Kathryn told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I thought it was the cutest thing!’
A mother and her two children are exchanging paper plane notes with their neighbours during the coronavirus pandemic (one of the notes pictured)
Kathryn McMahon, 32, from Geelong in Victoria, said she and her son were shocked to walk into their garden last week and discover a badminton shuttle cock had landed on the grass with a paper plane nearby (pictured)
Realising that children must live there, the mum-of-two said she packaged the paper plane and shuttle cock back up with a ‘couple of mini chocolate bunnies taped inside’.
‘A while later, my children and I looked outside and saw another paper plane with some treats taped to it and a thank you note inside,’ Kathryn said.
‘It absolutely made my day!’
After the initial exchange, Kathryn said the two families have begun to introduce games like Noughts and Crosses and stories about themselves within the notes.
The note asked the family to fly it back over to the neighbouring family, and since then, they have started exchanging notes about themselves (pictured)
‘We didn’t actually know the family next door before all of this, but we’ve since found out they’ve got two tween girls and we’ve been learning all sorts about them including the names of their guinea pigs,’ she said.
‘It has definitely brought us closer and I’ve been so touched by their kindness.
She added: ‘It is possible to share kindness with others, whether you know them or not.’
‘We didn’t actually know the family next door before all of this, but we’ve since found out they’ve got two tween girls and we’ve been learning all sorts about them,’ Kathryn said (pictured: one of the notes)
Kathryn shared her experience with the paper planes on Facebook, where in less than 24 hours it went viral and earned more than 12,000 reactions. Many suggested she should make the notes (pictured) into a book at the end of all of this
Kathryn shared her experience with the paper planes on Facebook, where in less than 24 hours it went viral and earned more than 12,000 reactions.
‘I suggest you lamintate all of those paper planes and create a book,’ one commenter wrote.
‘This is the proof that social distancing doesn’t have to mean isolation,’ another added.
Others suggested what she should send over to the neighbours next.
‘I’ve had some really creative ideas – from earplugs to toilet rolls!’ Kathryn said.
‘As everyone deals with this sort of situation differently, we have seen the best in people and the worst in people,’ Kathryn (pictured with her family) said
But, she added, for now, they have just been enjoying the notes:
‘We’re still doing the “Get to Know Us” pages and it’s been a really interesting time,’ Kathryn said.
‘As everyone deals with this sort of situation differently, we have seen the best in people and the worst in people.
‘I just love that during a time like this it’s the smallest things that have the biggest impact.’
Many have said that they are also keen to try the idea with their own neighbours to see if they would play along.
‘This is the kind of thing that lightens my heart at a time like this,’ one person said.
‘It proves it really is the simple things.’