Betterment and Praxis Wigglet • Now • 100%

Monthly Personal Betterment Thread

I saw a lot of interest in personal growth and betterment so this is the place to tell us what you're proud of and hype up other community members 💚

Betterment and Praxis Wigglet • Now • 100%

Who here has made, stocked or utilised a free food pantry?

www.wikihow.com

One of the things I'd like to include in thr community garden I'm working on establishing is a [food pantry](https://www.patakai.co.nz/). I'd love to have a place with recycled containers to take home garden goodies, residents to leave extra dry goods, and things like care products/toiletries. I've seen pictures of them online and read articles about them but the closest thing we have here is honesty boxes. Has anyone made one or used one? Do you have any tips? I'd love to hear some recommendations on practical designs work best or what products you wish yours had more/less of.

Betterment and Praxis Wigglet • Now • 100%

Now that we're midway through the season, is there one small thing you can do before the end of your Summer/Winter?

Now is a good time to think about a small way you can help, even it it's just making an effort to pick up some rubbish on a walk. For me, it's winter and I start to feel a bit down from the lack of sunlight hours so i like to give myself a very small and achievable goal that can give me a little boost of serotonin. Between winter bugs, storms, and work things, I haven't been getting outside enough. I want to make an effort to go walk the local reserves at least once next month and pick up rubbish. It's small but it leaves me room to do even more if I'm feeling up to it without feeling guilty if I only have one good day of energy. What small things are you wanting to do?

Technology Wigglet • Now • 100%

Beehaw technology can you help explain like I'm five, 5g vs 4g?

I kinda understand it has to do with frequencies and the speed they can send information but I don't know enough to have a productive conversation with those that think it's mind altering cancer rays. Thats also what i keep running into online when I'm trying to find a dummy version for how it all works. I know I'll probably never be able to have a truly productive conversation with those types but i would like to have a better understanding myself. It would be helpful to explain and frame it with radio and public broadcasting as well. to me, these are all happy information rays that send me thing i like but i don't full understand the technology behind it. Thanks everyone this has been super helpful! Might try and make an info graph for to hang in my post box since I've gotten some crazy anti 5g flyers recently

Betterment and Praxis Wigglet • Now • 100%

Do you like parks and rec? Go to your local community council meetings!

After giving my first presentation at our local community council meeting I've come to the conclusion that the show is a real documentary. While my presentation went great (who doesn't love a conveniently located garden and free food?!?), there was heckling of other presenters for having the audacity to get university educations on the topics they were presenting and an attempted coup on the council board by a frighteningly large group of anti 5g truthers. Ironically, making and consuming videos over their 4g. My favourite part was the community theatre group rehearsing in the next room, giving the meeting a dramatic soundtrack. My partner has had to do meetings through work and said he has had similar experiences. It was all a lot funnier when I was watching it on a screen and not real people in my community but at least I can try to make some changes i guess 😅 Communities can only thrive when a representative group of it's members are pushing for change, don't let it just be fringe groups! In times with amplified hate, its crucial for those of us who have the time and energy to go to the monthly meetings to fight for the rights of those who can't. You don't need to be overly involved or start any projects, you just need to sign up, attend some meetings and vote!

Betterment and Praxis Wigglet • Now • 100%

Beehaw, what is your favourite thing about your town?

Is it a favourite park or walking track? The library? Do you have a really fun festival that your community is known for? Tells us about it!

Creative Wigglet • Now • 100%

peppermint wraptop, patchwork marius froufrou shorts, and a matching bag

The top is linen and made with the (free) peppermint wraptop pattern and the shorts are made from a damaged quilt I found at a charity shop. I was also able to make a bag, pair of dungarees, and a hat from this quilt! I did add pockets to the shorts but these patterns didn't really need any altering. The bag is self drafted, just a slouchy backpack with a fron pocket and drink bottle holders. 

Betterment and Praxis Wigglet • Now • 100%

Toy libraries, why your community needs one and some help on getting started

[Every city should have a toy library.](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/every-city-should-have-toy-library/575272/) With limited space and limited income our toy library has been essential to my daughters playtime happiness. It's sustainable, teaches responsible toy care, allows her to try out new things and access the flash toys we wouldn't be able to otherwise. It also creates a sense of community from a young age. She sees her friends playing with the same truck she borrowed the week before and gets excited about taking home the castle toy she's seen. The anticipation of waiting for the next toy she's been eyeing brings Christmas-morning like joy all year round without adding to over consumption of new products that end up neglected. Our toy library has things like dressups, large outdoor toys, play sets, baby activity centres, boardgames, and pretty much everything in between. It's been an equaliser for lower income families as their kids can have access to those motorised cars, the fancy pickler triangle/climbing sets, and name brand toys without actually having to buy them. [a quick intro on how to get started](https://fairplayforkids.org/pf/how-to-start-a-toy-lending-library/)

Betterment and Praxis Wigglet • Now • 100%

time banking, a concept based on everyone's time having equal value and something I would like to start in my community

www.nzherald.co.nz

It's such a neat concept that can make certain expensive services like lawyers or therapists more accessible. I could trade a few hours gardening, sewing, cleaning, or baking, for someone else to give me a hand building a larger project. It's a beautiful way to connect a community through acts of service 🥰

Betterment and Praxis Wigglet • Now • 100%

kia ora koutou! welcome everyone 🐝

So happy so many of you are also interested in finding, sharing, and discussing new ways to better our communities! I hope everyone finds inspiration here and we all get to brighten up our little corners of the world. I would love to hear from people about what is working in your community. What does your community have or do that you think is going well? (Maybe its a neat festival. Maybe it's a community centre like a workshop or garden. Share the ideas!) What small things have you done that you would like to do more of? (Cleaned up rubbish on the beach? Planted some trees? Helped with a fundraiser or event? Good on you, we're all proud! Tell us so we can all get motivated to go out and do the same) What are you wanting for your community? (Maybe its helping with food insecurity, maybe its cleaning up parks or planting trees, maybe it's better public transport) No task is too big or too small to share, this is a place of positivity and celebration ✨️ [Here's an article](https://www.shareable.net/how-to-start-a-tool-library/) with links to resources on starting your own library of things. It's US centric but still has good ideas I've been stealing for getting ours organised

Creative Wigglet • Now • 100%

I made this moss rug with a punch needle last summer

It took me ages and I hated the process but I absolutely love it. It's very dense. The base fabric was a peice of curtain. The yarns are a mix of what ever I could find. I bought some new and found some 2nd hand or was given them. It took a looooooot of yarn. I want to make more but I'll have to invest in a rug gun first 🙃

Creative Wigglet • Now • 100%

one of my favourite outfits I've made. Ladybug dungarees and a strawberry milkmaid blouse

This is probably my favourite outfit at the moment. I do have a lady bug caplet in the works but I haven't come across the perfect lining yet. Self drafted the dungarees based on a vintage Busybodies pattern I found at the dump for some shorts. Added pockets, a bib, ruffles, straps, adjusted sizing, changed the waistband and essentially just looked at the front of the envelope for inspiration on the shorts shape. For the blouse, I altered the milkmaid dress pattern from Lydia Naomi, adjusting fit and changing it from a side zipper to a back corset closure with inbuilt back pannel. All the fabrics and notions are 2nd hand. The lace, strawberry fabric, blouse lining, dungaree lining and gingham fabric are from the dump. The eyelets for the corset and ribbon are from a garage sale and the ladybug denim was gifted to me by my best friend who found it at a charity shop.

Animals and Pets Wigglet • Now • 100%

This is Marbles

She is both the cuddliest kitty and the sharpest kitty I have ever met

Chat Wigglet • Now • 100%

new community idea for a space we can share little ways we're looking to better our real life communities

Kia ora Beehaw 🐝 I would love to see a Community Betterment group where we can post about ways we are trying to better our own communities through things like volunteering, action, or clubs and share how people are going about either organising or participating in things like tree plantings, toy libraries, tool libraries, community workshops, community gardens, pushing for cycleways and better public transport and just generally making their corners of the world a little better. I think even though every area will have it's own legal system and regulations to navigate, hearing how people are putting together their proposals and grant applications, swapping tips on how projects are managed, fun ways of attracting new community members, and general do-goodery will encourage others to give it a go. Even if it's just growing a little bit extra in the garden for the local food bank, picking up rubbish on the side of the road, or just making an effort to use the bus, having a supportive community encouraging you makes those little choices a bit easier. Maybe you've always wanted to do a little bit more for your community but don't know where to start. Maybe you already do some of these things and want to help others get started. Maybe you're just really proud of how something is done in your community. We might not be able to solve all the problems but we can at least try to make a few small things a little bit nicer. It would just be so nice to build up a little slice of the Beehaw hive with some real honest community goodness. Put any naturally competitive nature you might have to best use, out shine us all by making the happiest corner of the world!

Do It Yourself Wigglet • Now • 100%

I found this old diy cellphone microscope tutorial and thought I'd share it

www.instructables.com

I've been wanting to get a proper microscope so I can do my own spore examinations to identify local fungi but it's been out of budget. This looks like a much more affordable option so now off to find some plexiglass and laser pointers at the dump.

Nature and Gardening Wigglet • Now • 100%

my tunnel house mostly made from recycled materials and rubbish

My partner and I made this wee tunnel house out of dumped hothouse plastic, old vineyard netting, polypipe we found in the forest, and old fence posts. We had to buy some timber for the framing and zip ties to hold the materials together but we got to make use of so many dumped materials. It's built to hold all my seedtrays, cuttings, seedlings, and saplings for my garden. I still need to build some shelves inside to help organise the space, tidy up thr edges, and add a door but I'm happy with it for now. Ignore the pile of logs, they are going in the alleyway to the left and behind the tunnel house as mushroom logs.

Creative Wigglet • Now • 100%

I made this froggy coat out of old woollen blankets that i dyed green and a sheet for the lining

Sorry I don't want to come off as spammy but I also want us to have lots of fun content so more people feel encouraged to share 🥰 I could look at garden and crafty posts all day. I wanted to give this coat a slouchy old plushtoy feel so i undersised the lining and edged it in a blanket stitch. I'm really happy with it and I wear it all the time ****noooo the cursed horizontal formatting is back! The pictures are vertical in my phone. I resaved them and double checked **** okay i resaved them all with a 3rd party app. This is the way. Someone pleSe fix how jerboa reads photo orientation.  

Creative Wigglet • Now • 100%

I am in patchwork hell but I think the finished garment will be worth it

I've been saving the scraps from everything I make and have finally gotten around to sorting and quilting them up. I think I'm going to make a dress but I might have to make bellbottoms and a bomber jacket. I'm undecided. I have some time to think on it as I have a heap of scraps to sew

Nature and Gardening Wigglet • Now • 100%

my late autumn herb garden

Like any good garden it's all still a work in progress but I've had the central herb bed a few years now and I've been working on establishing some wind breaks and hedges before planting out the rest of the beds with more sensitive herbs and dye plants. **idk why the pictures aren't showing up? I lowered the res and they show up as loaded on preview?