In the days following the July 4th flood, our community looked different in every possible way. Not only did the landscape change overnight, but so did the hearts of the people living within it. We experienced the unimaginable grief that comes with losing so much. Precious lives were lost, homes and familiar places disappeared beneath water, and entire parts of our community were left unrecognizable.
Roads washed away. Parks and gathering spaces were destroyed. Hundreds of massive Cypress trees that families once gathered beneath, climbed beside, and swam under just days before the flood swept in were uprooted entirely, bent at impossible angles, or tangled in debris for miles along the riverbanks. It was unimaginable and hard to describe what we were experiencing.
Families faced the heartbreaking task of sorting through loss while trying to create some sense of stability for their children in the middle of overwhelming uncertainty. Everywhere you looked, there were signs of devastation.
At the time, Kerr Kids was a simple idea I had to help children, including my own, escape the heavy reality surrounding them, even if only for a little while. While so many focused on the essential work of physical recovery, I felt called to begin focusing on emotional healing too. And almost immediately, something remarkable began to emerge: a resilient community of children and families blossomed.
At Kerr Kids, one thing became clear very quickly: Even after a disaster, children still instinctively reach for play.
They built forts from anything they could find. They marveled over bubbles and simple things like sidewalk chalk or painting rocks. They laughed together, shared stories, built obstacle courses, and imaginary worlds in spaces that only days before had felt consumed by fear and grief. Watching this unfold became a powerful reminder that play is not simply entertainment for children. It is how they process, adapt, connect, and heal.
That is why our collaboration with Imagination Playground became so meaningful during this season of rebuilding and continues to do-so everyday.
Open-ended play materials offer something uniquely important after natural devastation: freedom. With or without instructions, rules, or expectations, children are invited to create entirely on their own terms. A foam block can become a bridge, a castle, a stepping stone, or a safe place. Loose parts can transform into entire worlds fueled by imagination, collaboration, movement, and creativity.
And in moments where so much feels out of control, that freedom matters deeply.
We watched children work together to build towers and imaginative structures. We watched shy children slowly begin engaging again. We watched siblings laugh together after difficult days. We watched parents pause long enough to join their children in play, even if only for a few moments.
What emerged was more than activity. It was restoration happening in real time.
After disaster, communities understandably focus first on physical rebuilding. Homes, roads, schools, and infrastructure all require immediate attention. But emotional rebuilding matters too, especially for children that often get overlooked during these tragic events. They need opportunities to move their bodies, express emotions safely, solve problems creatively, and reconnect with a sense of joy and normalcy.
Play creates that opportunity naturally.
Research consistently shows that open-ended play supports emotional regulation, resilience, social connection, and problem-solving. But beyond the research, we witnessed its impact firsthand. We saw how imaginative play created moments of lightness in the middle of hardship. We saw how children used creativity to regain confidence, independence, and connection with one another. We are not experts, we are simply parents that witnessed play work wonders on our children.
There is something especially meaningful about loose-parts play during seasons of recovery. The materials themselves are constantly transformed and rebuilt, much like the community surrounding them. Piece by piece, children create something new from what is in front of them.
As our community continues healing from the flood, we are reminded that resilience is not always loud. Sometimes it looks like children stacking blocks into towers on a table just to knock them down and do it again. Sometimes it sounds like laughter returning to a space that had grown quiet. Sometimes it is simply just being together again.
Play does not erase loss, but it helps make room for hope.
We are deeply grateful to Imagination Playground for partnering with us to provide opportunities for creativity, connection, and healing during a time our community needed it most.
Because even after the storm, imagination continues to rise.
Hi, I’m Alyssa Chavez, founder of Kerr Kids!
I love all things colorful and creative. I have a degree in Digital Media, but most of my creativity and experience comes from outside the classroom. I love creating random art projects from scraps and teaching myself new techniques just because they look fun. I’m also a mom to two amazing kids: a curious 3-year-old boy and a fearless 7-year-old daughter. At home, life is a little chaotic and a lot of fun thanks to Lilly the donkey, a flock of chickens, and three dogs running around.
Kerr Kids is deeply important to me because I believe every child deserves space to explore, create, build, imagine, and sometimes fail before trying again. Play is so much more than entertainment. It’s how children build confidence, solve problems, and discover who they are. That mission feels even more important after everything our community has been through. When disaster struck, it reminded me how much children need places where they can feel safe, find joy, and simply be kids. My hope is that Kerr Kids continues to be a place where families find community, children discover their potential, and imagination helps us build something brighter together.
Learn More Here: https://www.kerrkids.