The Craft Yarn Council of America features yearly Knit Outs in cities across the nation, where knitters and crocheters gather under large tents to teach needlework to others. Organize your knit-out with specific areas for teaching adults and kids to make things run smoothly and efficiently. Recycling workshops are always popular. Consider a T-shirt donation station, where old T-shirts are recycled into yarn, or a plastic bag drop-off where grocery bags are turned into skeins suitable for knitting reusable tote bags. (See resources for tutorials on both.) Offer special-topics classes in dyeing or spinning. Those with a talent for public relations can approach manufacturers of needles and patterns for donations of give-away items, which always draw a crowd. For further community giving, provide a drop-off station for handmade hats to be donated to hospitals, homeless shelters or nursing homes.
Musicians, dancers and theater groups can practice their skills and bring culture to their communities with free performances in public parks. Consider performing a piece or two from a recital the day afterwards for those who might not have been able to afford tickets or travel to the site. Daytime performances are especially appreciated by senior citizens and parents looking for something for the kids to do on summer vacation. Give a workshop after the performance, and bring along plenty of business cards for those who might want to hire you or take lessons with you in the future. Martial artists, for instance, may find their classes filled after a public demonstration.
Consider taking the public mural one step further by repainting run-down playground equipment. Breathe new life into rusted slides and jungle gyms with leftover enamel paint in bright colors. Involve schoolchildren in the project, teaching them to paint designs on three-dimensional objects. Turn monkey bars into a rocket ship or a swing set into a four-legged creature. Talk to children about the importance of color in beautifying a community and instill in them a passion for seeing objects as more than what they appear to be. Metal sculptors can use the opportunity to explain how playground equipment is constructed and to explain styles of welding.