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Quarantined Week Six: Activities to Help Keep Our Kids Focused & Healthy

4/24/2020

As another week has passed, there’s no doubt the kids are only continuing to get antsy. When will life resume to somewhat normal? I’m not sure. But what I do know is that it’s time for our weekly list of activities to keep the young-ins busy!

Make a Time Capsule: When was the last time you heard of someone making a time capsule? With all of the technology, kids may not even know what a time capsule is, but that is what makes this such a fun project to do as a family. Everyone is extremely eager to put this time period behind them, I know I am. As I’ve talked to friends about this, the one thing they have repeatedly said is how they will tell their kids about this one day, as it is such a strange time to live in. While it’s been difficult for all, there are still many reasons for us to be grateful. Creating a time capsule that encompasses this bizarre experience might even help your kids feel a bit more thankful in the future. This can be opened in a year, two years, or however long you would like to wait. A time capsule could also be the perfect place to vent about how you have felt during all of this. Take out a box or jar or whatever it may be, have each family member contribute one or two items to it and then hide or bury it. Name it quarantine time capsule or anything you’d like. It can be a fun family project and might just be what the kids need to let out their feelings.
Arts & Crafts: Once again, it is time for your weekly dose of an arts and crafts project. This week it is a Homemade Paper Kite. Since it is important for the kids to get outside and play whenever there’s an opportunity, why not have something to fly around? This project is simple and you more than likely have all of the materials you need already! Here’s what you need: paper bags, coloring materials, a hole punch, string, and a popsicle stick. One you have all materials gathered, have the kids decorate the paper bags and color their kite however they would like. Next, you will need the hole punch to make four holes (two on each side of the opening of the bag). Then you will need two pieces of string equal in length to tie one end through and around each hole. Lastly, you will tie the two loops of each string together using a long piece of string, winding the other end of the string around a popsicle stick (the handle of your kite). Voila! Have the kids go outside on a windy day and watch their kite soar!
Have a Picnic: Looking to mix up your daily lunch routine? Host a family indoor (or outdoor if you have a yard or patio) picnic! Grab a sheet or blanket, prepare a meal, and lay out a nice picnic for the family to enjoy. The best part is you won’t be dealing with any ants or bees if you’re inside! Make this a daily lunchtime ritual where everyone takes a break from school or work and sits down together for a nice old-fashioned quarantine picnic. Spark the conversation by having your kids tell you one thing they are grateful for each day before eating! Want to play a game? Play the classic memory game “I’m going to a picnic and I’m bringing..” Everyone takes a turn and remembers in order what everyone else is bringing and then proceeds to add one thing during each turn. It’s an afternoon of family picnic fun!
Chair Hat Toss: Remember horseshoes? Chair hat toss is an indoor version of that and is a very entertaining past-time for the whole family! It is fairly easy to set up and can effectively keep the kids focused for a good amount of time. Simply turn over a kitchen chair so that its legs are sticking up. The chair legs will act as the pole in horseshoes. Then, grab a baseball hat (or any hat for that matter) lying around. Take turns having the kids throw a hat onto the legs of the chair. Boom, there you have a game of chair hat toss! Too easy? Change it up by adding a challenging element to the game. Have each leg be a different point value and color code them with a piece of tape to distinguish their value. Play to 21! If both hats land on the same leg, they cancel each other out for points that round. If the kids are having a blast and you have cardboard or rope to spare, have them make DIY rings to toss instead of the hats! This game will provide endless fun and may even spark their interest in horseshoes.
Chores Bingo: With the kids home all day, the house is bound to get a little messier than usual. You may even find it is becoming difficult to get the kids to clean up after themselves. Why not make doing chores and spring cleaning be fun! Wondering how you can do this? Look no further than a game of bingo! I have come to find that these kids absolutely love bingo. And so, I have come up with a way to combine bingo and chores in what is called ‘Chores Bingo’. It’s simple and can be done over and over again with new chores added to it, or with the same weekly ones you always do. Squares can include tasks such as “put away your clothes,” “brush your teeth,” “rinse your dish off and put it in the dishwasher,” “put your toys away,” and more. Cross of each square as they finish the chore. Once they get a bingo, let there be a prize! Maybe they get to choose the movie for family movie night, game to play, or dinner for the night. You can even task them with getting different types of bingos! For example, they have to get a blackout bingo (fill the whole board), get an X for a bingo, fill the whole border, or four corners for additional prizes. There are a plethora of possibilities for chores bingo, and this game can last even once quarantine is over!
BrainPOP: It’s always important to keep those minds active and learning. While some are back to school (virtually of course), others are still looking for more resources to help their kids learn. BrainPOP offers free access to a variety of subjects such as science, english, art, music, health, and more! In addition, they provide daily topics for tips and tricks on distance learning as well as guides for parents. BrainPOP is perfect for that curious learner in your household, or even for those who are looking to indulge in a different subject matter. Stop by to check out all they have to offer and you might just have the next scientist in your home!

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Quarantined Week Five: 6 Ways to Get Creative this Weekend!

4/17/2020

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Give yourselves a pat on the back as you made it past one month of quarantine! Have you finally found a routine that works best for your family? Or are you still finding it hard to keep the kids entertained with the same old things? Whether you’re looking to spice up your routine or an engaging activity, we may have something for you as it’s that time again for our weekly list of ideas.

Balloon Tennis: Have the kids always wanted to pick up a new sport such as tennis? Now would be the perfect time — except for the fact that public athletic courts are currently closed. However, here’s a possible solution for you! Balloon tennis is a great way to ease your child into the sport and it can be played both indoors and outdoors. This activity is a quick set up and doesn’t require many materials. To make the net, you will need two chairs set however far apart and a piece of string or tape to tie from one chair to the other. Next, blow up one balloon (but it might be best to have backups in case one pops) to use as your tennis ball. Feel free to have the kids draw on it with a sharpie to make it look more authentic. Now, there are two ways you can do rackets. First, simply have the kids use their hands — but only one! — to hit the balloon back and forth. Second, use paper plates, large popsicle sticks, and tape to make a paper plate racket. Once that is figured out, you’re all set to start your game of tennis! Have the kids begin by rallying back and forth; if the balloon hits the ground, restart. When they’re ready to start an actual game of tennis, keep score or try these other versions of balloon tennis to add a creative twist! Not only is balloon tennis a great source for physical activity, but also allows kids to exercise their gross motor skills as they jump, leap, and stretch into action during the game.
Learn Coding: This could be a good time for your child to start learning a new skill. Why not have them start a coding program? Basic coding is a vital skill for both children and adults in this day and age. Technology is only continuing to grow and develop. Coding is something I have always longed to pick up in my down time, and I wish the resources that are available to kids now were around when I was kid. There are a plethora of benefits for kids to pick up this skill. Learning to code allows children to express their creative imaginations in unique and exciting ways. Whether or not that is in the form of building simple websites or games, kids are able to enhance their design, logic, and problem-solving capabilities. Worried about cost? Don’t, as many coding programs for kids are being offered for free right now! Check out Code Monster (my personal recommendation for beginners as it gives you prompts to learn basic commands), Khan Academy, Scratch (you can build almost anything with scratch blocks; think virtual legos), and the app Swift Playgrounds. With these resources, your child will be a coder in no time and may just find a possible career path!
Arts & Crafts: Once again, here is a weekly arts and crafts project that you can do as a family or give to your kids with items you have on hand in the house. This week is DIY Toilet Paper Roll Animals. I know what you’re thinking, the mention of toilet paper is a tough topic right now. However, since you have most certainly required many toilet paper rolls during the quarantine, turn it into a fun project for the kids! Instead of recycling the rolls after the TP is gone, have the kids upcycle them into all kinds of animals. Here’s what you’ll need: toilet paper rolls, paint (if you have some), markers, colored pens/pencils, and your child’s creative imagination. Once you have all materials gathered, the kids can make any animal in any way that they can think of. Use paint, markers, or pens to design and color the body of the animal on the toilet paper roll. If you have enough TP rolls, task them with making a zoo of animals! This can be an ongoing project whenever you have an empty toilet paper roll to spare. Beware, your house might just turn into a jungle!
Have an International Dinner Night: Is there a country you’ve always wanted to visit or learn more about as a family? Although you may not be able to travel there right now, bring the culture and cuisine into your home! Once you have all decided on a country, pick a dinner that is unique to that place and prepare it at home. This is the perfect family activity to get the kids involved in preparing a meal in the kitchen. Give each family member a task: gathering ingredients, meal prep, cooking, setting the table, and cleaning. Want to make it more realistic? Try to find clothing around the house that might be worn in that country and wear it to dinner! While you’re waiting for dinner to be served, have each family member find one fact about your chosen country to share with the rest of the family at dinner time. Not sure how to go about this? For example, if my family were to choose Italy, we might make homemade gnocchi or pizza and come dressed in the colors of the Italian flag and each share a fact. In the end, you’ll have come out of a fun International family dinner night with a belly and brain full of something new!
Recreate Theme Park Rides: Were you planning to take the kids to Disneyland or Universal Studios over spring break? Then this is the perfect activity for you! Bring the magic of a Disney ride home to you by recreating them with household items. This will surely get the kids’ imaginations soaring as they think of ways to create some of their favorite theme park rides. The possibilities are endless. Like water rides? Try bringing splash mountain to the backyard with a hose, slip n slide, sprinklers, and something to act as your ‘log’. Still looking for some more inspiration? Start by checking out some rides others have recreated in their homes such as the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more! Your kids will be imagineers in no time. Share with us what rides your family recreated.
Create a Family Photo Album: Do you have an abundance of family photos lying around in the house or in your photos library on your phone from past family vacations? Yeah, me too. Have you been wanting to create a family photo album from each of your trips but haven’t found the time? Yeah, me too. Well, look no further as this is a great project for the kids to work on with the whole family! There are many options to explore when creating a photo album. You could go the old fashioned route with hard copies of photos and make a scrapbook from a special family trip or by the year (this takes time, but the outcome is worth it). Or, you could stick to digital (as most of your photos already are), and create a digital family photo album to share! Challenge the kids to get involved and reminisce about these trips or moments. Maybe your child would like to create the digital photo album of the family to surprise you! Have them share in a slideshow on the TV afterwards for the whole family to see. This can act as another ongoing project as anyone in the family can add to the photo album at any time. Either way, the finished product will be something you cherish for years to come!

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Quarantined Week Four: 6 Ideas for Endless Family Fun

4/10/2020

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As we enter week four of isolation, things might be getting more difficult for the kids. You may be thinking you’ve tried everything to keep them entertained, and nothing is working. Well, I’ve got some good news for you—there are many things you can still do to keep those young minds occupied and moving! You’ve come to the right place as it’s that time again for our weekly list of activities.

Learn a New Language: Have your kids been wanting to learn a new language or improve on one they’ve already been studying? Then Babbel is the perfect app for you. Normally a subscription free is required, but Babbel is currently a free offering for students from kindergarten to college. Featuring 14 languages, the app’s lessons take about 10-15 minutes each with an emphasis on spelling and matching phrases. In order to access the program for free, parents of students will have to sign up on Babbel with a valid school email address. The offer extends through the end of the school year — your kids will be speaking a new language in no time! Not interested in the app? Turn on your TV, mute the program, and put Spanish subtitles on.
Yoga & Mindfulness: Not only is yoga a great tool for keeping the kids physically active, but it is also a great exercise for relaxing their mind and body. Yogi brand Alo Yoga has created the program Alo Gives, which offers a variety of yoga classes and mindfulness activities for kids — free! Participating in one of their many yoga videos is a perfect activity to get the whole family involved. Alo provides different types of yoga based on what type of learning is best for your kids. From a morning mindful movement, getting focused for schoolwork, or simply just needing to move around and get the wiggles out, to many more activities, Alo has something for every kid and member of the family! There is even an option for kids to do mindfulness activity sheets. Everyone needs to practice a little zen and mindfulness; especially during these trying times.
Treasure Hunt: Are the kids becoming tireless of playing with the same toys and games everyday? Then setting up a treasure hunt is the perfect activity for you. The best thing about a treasure hunt is that they are fairly easy to do and there are endless ways to do them, meaning you can have a new treasure hunt each weekend for the kids! To set up, hide anywhere from 15-25 items either around the house or outside if available. Give the kids a list of items they are looking for with a clue for each! You can always modify it by hiding less items or limiting the hunt to a specific area of the house. Make it a specific theme! Hide only items that are related to animals or books. Maybe you choose to hide 20 different LEGOs and the kids have to build something with those pieces once found. There are endless ways to have a treasure hunt and the best part is it keeps kids busy and moving for hours! Celebrating Easter this Sunday? Have an Easter egg treasure hunt!
Arts & Crafts: Here is your weekly arts and crafts project that you can do as a family or give to your kids with items you have on hand in the house. This week’s project is Cloud Dough. If you don’t have play-dough, then cloud dough is the perfect alternative. This project is as easy as 1, 2 ingredients to make! Plus it smells better than traditional play-dough. Here’s what you’ll need: hair conditioner (any kind that is creamy), cornstarch, a bowl, a popsicle stick or spatula, and food coloring (optional). First, put equal parts hair conditioner and cornstarch in the bowl and start mixing them together with the popsicle stick/spatula. Then, slowly begin adding more cornstarch as you continue mixing. Once it starts to form, use your hands to squish It together. If it is too wet, add more cornstarch; if it is too dry, add more conditioner! Once you’re satisfied with the feel of your cloud dough, roll it into a ball. Want to make different colors of cloud dough? Add a drop of food coloring. Otherwise, if it feels just the way you want, you’re all set! Have the kids use their imagination to make shapes, letters, and other objects with it.
Indoor Bowling Game: Are the kids bummed they can’t go to the bowling alley? Bring bowling to them! To set up indoor bowling, find some empty plastic water bottles, containers, cans, or anything else you have in the house that can be used for the pins. Set up 10 pins (or however many you’d like) in a triangle against a wall or at the end of an open area, (i.e. hallway). Then, grab either a soccer ball, baseball, or tennis ball; aim and bowl! Hint, the smaller the ball, the more challenging it will be to knock the pins over. If the pins are falling over too easily, add a tad bit of water to anchor them down. Get the whole family involved by bowling 10 frames. As in regular bowling, each player gets two tries to knock down all of the pins. Record your score at the end of each frame to see who wins in the end! The kids will have fun bowling for days.
Neighborhood Window Inspiration: This one can double as an art project. As I was walking around my neighborhood, and making sure to social distance, I noticed some houses have put art in their windows or made window art to give people a reason to smile and remind us that we are not alone during this time. It was something positive. If the kids have always dreamed of hanging something up or painting on the windows, this is the time. Using painters tape, create any shape (maybe a heart, or smiley face) and section off other parts of the window surrounding it. Pull out some washable window paint or markers, and paint each section of the window. Once dry, peel off the painters tape and you will see the awesome window art the kids made! When neighbors are out on a daily walk (six feet apart of course), they will appreciate beautiful art the kids made, and it may just brighten their day! Need some inspiration? Here are a few more examples. Remember, we will all get through this together!

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Quarantined Week 3: 6 Things to Help Fight the Boredom

4/3/2020

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As another week has gone by, the quarantine has been extended. By now, the kids might be getting antsy. Wondering what more you could possibly do with them? Well you’ve come to the right place! It’s about that time again for our weekly list of activities.

Arts & Crafts: As I mentioned in last week’s post, I will provide an arts and crafts project that you can do as a family or give to your kids to do with items that you already have on hand in your home each week. This week’s project is a DIY Key Windchime. Since spring has sprung, you might have been brainstorming what sorts of projects you can do for your yard or garden. If you have some old keys lying around, this project is perfect for your family. Using old keys, paint (optional), string, and a stick from outside you can create a beautiful key Windchime for the yard in a few easy steps! First, have the kids paint each key a different color or leave them as is. Next, tie a piece of string to both ends of the stick in order to hang it up outside. Then, tie a piece of string to each key. Lastly, tie the keys to the stick making sure they are close enough to each other to chime when the wind blows them. Voila! You have yourself a fun family-made wind-chime for the yard.
Ocean First Education: While homeschooling can be tough, there are an endless amount of learning resources out there for kids of all ages. If your kids are more interested in science and the ocean, Ocean First is for you! They offer a variety of 360 degree lesson plans to go along with a perspective of life beneath the waves. Ocean First has unique lesson plans for grades K-8 that are tailored around a special 360 degree video aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Kids can discover tropical coral reefs, ancient shipwrecks, fast-moving currents, learn to save the reefs, and much more all in this combination of 360 degree virtual field trips and lesson plans. The possibilities are endless!
Flashlight Games: The weekends might consist of a few different things: the kids staying up later, more family fun and games, or even wanting to go outside once it’s dark. When the sun goes down, it doesn’t necessarily mean the fun outside is over. When I was a kid, one of the things I looked forward to the most was Friday or Saturday nights so that I could play a game of flashlight tag with my neighbors and family. Although we may not be able to play with our friends at the moment, there are still plenty of ways to play games outside in the evening with the family and all it requires is a couple of flashlights! There are many different variations of flashlight games from flashlight hide-and-seek to flashlight freeze, and even a flashlight puppet show — endless fun to be had! If you don’t have access to a yard or space nearby, you can also modify these games to be played inside! Just turn off the lights in a room and break out those flashlights.
Become A LEGO Master: While I’m sure many of your kids have already been playing with their LEGOs and building different things, I have a new challenge—build your own amusement park or theme land! Task your kids with using their imagination to create a brand new theme park; not one that already exists! The theme could be a type of Disneyland or maybe superheroes, Beyblades, Harry Potter, and princess to name a few. Have them create this new park only using LEGOs from the ground up! This challenge can be an ongoing project for your kids to come back to when they need a break. Don’t have access to LEGOs? No problem! The Brick Building Game allows kids to build anything out of LEGOs online! The game even allows you to print out and save your creations. Fair warning, if you choose to go this route, a few ads do pop up that you simply have to exit out!
Build Your Own Mini Golf Course: Have the kids been itching to go to Urban Putt? While you may not be able to go play a game of silly golf right now, you can bring it to your home! You may be wondering, “how can I bring mini golf to my home?” Just build your own mini golf course! It’s a lot easier than it sounds and kids have some of the most imaginative and creative minds around. You can use almost any household items you have to create a course of your choosing. Some common things to use in your construction are containers, toys, stuffed animals, paper towels or toilet paper rolls, empty Kleenex boxes, cups, and more! In addition to the items you use to build your course, you will need a putter and some golf balls! Get the whole family involved and have each member create their own hole for a family-owned mini golf course! If you are still looking at how to build a course, you can find more instructions here.
Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari: While there are a ton of virtual field trips for the kids to do out there, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has opted for their own take on at-home field trip— a Home Safari Facebook Live event! Everyday at 12pm PST, the whole family can tune into their Home Safari Live event on Facebook, where the zoo highlights some of their wondrous animals everyday! Before concluding, they include an activity that the kids can do from home. Wondering how you can tune in if you don’t have access to social media? The zoo has you covered! All of their videos are posted to their site and the Cincinnati Zoo Youtube channel not long after the Facebook Live event is over. This is a great opportunity for an in-depth look into some of your kids’ favorite animals until they can visit again!

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Quarantined Week Six: Activities to Help Keep Our Kids Focused & Healthy

Quarantined Week Five: 6 Ways to Get Creative this Weekend!

Quarantined Week Four: 6 Ideas for Endless Family Fun

Quarantined Week 3: 6 Things to Help Fight the Boredom

Taylor Vecchioni

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