Quarantined Week Eight: Six Activities to Take You Outdoors

Although the stay-at-home order has been extended through the month of May, the weather has been looking up to allow us to enjoy the outdoors — at a distance of course. It’s that time for your weekly list of fun activities to keep your family entertained!

1. Take a Shape Walk: Hooray! It’s time for our daily walk. I don’t know about you, but walking is something I look forward to the most each and every day. I have always loved walking, but value that time now more than ever. There really never is a bad time to get up and go outside; especially as the forecast continues to show the sun shining. Last week, I talked about changing up your daily family walk with a dice walk. This week, I would like to introduce you to another twist, a shape walk. What exactly is a shape walk? It takes more of a ‘mission’ approach to walking and it can last for either days or weeks. For instance, you might start off with a mission of circles. As you go on a walk around your neighborhood, have the kids borrow your phone (with your permission) to photograph everything you spot that is circular (car tires, flower pots, windows, signs, etc.). After your walk, look over your photos to see how many things you found for that shape! Then, create either a photo slideshow or a Shutterfly photo book with your findings. On your next walk, try having a mission of squares. Repeat the same process as you did with circles, and continue to add to your slideshow or photo book after each walk. As you embark on your walks, see how many different shapes and photos you can add to your photo book! It will be a great memory to look back on as a family. 
   
2. Melt-An-Ice Cube Game: Are the days getting warmer with the sun burning through the fog? That calls for some ice cold beverages! While you sit back and enjoy a nice glass of lemonade or cold water, introduce the kids to a fun new game — melting an ice cube! It seems rather simple, but there’s an actual method behind this game. You will need dice and some ice cubes. Each player will get an ice cube and take turns rolling a die. Everyone must follow the rule for melting the ice cube based on the number they roll on the die. If you roll one, you must hold it in your hands for 10 seconds. For a two, drop it down your shirt. With a three, blow on the ice for 10 seconds. If the die shows a four, put 10 shakes of salt on it. Rolled a five? Drop it. Lastly, if you roll a six, float it in water for 10 seconds. The objective is simple, the first one to melt their ice cube wins! Have fun playing multiple rounds. Want to make it a little more challenging? Task the kids with getting creative by adding a second die to the game and making up new rules for rolling each additional number! 
   
3. Hidden Trails: Although the stay-at-home order continues, some restrictions have been eased. Thankfully, one of those is being able to venture to outdoor spaces and hike! Still, some may be cautious of this because of the amount of people who will likely be crowding the parks and outdoor spaces. However, there are plenty of lesser-known trails to go and explore! In this time of social distancing, these trails are the perfect place to go with the family and have the kids run around without having to worry so much about avoiding others. The one caveat is that there may not be any amenities at these places (or the restrooms might be closed), so it is best to go to the bathroom beforehand, bring hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and water with you! Just over the Bay Bridge lies the elusive secret treasure of the East Bay Regional Parks. Check out Briones Regional Park, Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, Pleasanton Ridge, Crockett Hills, and Leona Canyon the next time the kids are begging to go on a hike and you want to distance yourself from others as much as possible. In accordance with park safety, it is suggested to bring face masks and take all of your trash home with you. 
   
4. Arts & Crafts: Once again, it is time for 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 one is Bottle Cap Garden Art. It is the perfect craft to add some color to your garden, plant holders, or even the yard made with love from your kids! One of the best things about this project is reusing bottle caps; so not only are we making a fun project, but we are also aiding in saving the planet by not throwing out the bottle caps! Ready to get started? Here’s what you’ll need: 7 metal bottle caps (per flower), 1 wooden skewer or something to hold the flower in place (per flower), paints, paint brushes, newspaper, and a hot glue gun. First, you will need to arrange the bottle caps in the shape of a flower: one in the middle with six in the outer ring and place them upside down on a piece of newspaper (to help reduce the mess). Then, hot glue all of the bottle camps together twice so that it’s sturdy and hot glue the skewer or stem on the back of the flower. Once dried, paint your flower as desired or leave unpainted for a rustic look. There you have it. A simple, yet colorful addition to your garden in minutes that you don’t even have to remember to water! You don’t have to be a gardener to enjoy this project.
   
5. Mother’s Day Journal: As we are days away from celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10th, many are wondering how to make the day extra special for mom during these unique times. A wonderful gift the kids can give is a keepsake journal that is personalized for their mom! Using a notebook, they can add different prompts per page. Some examples could be questions about her life, memories from her childhood, her favorite memories and moments with the kids, hopes and dreams, and many more! Kids can add their own personalized touch as a gift to mom on Mother’s Day. Once gifted, it can be a special moment for them to sit with her while she fills out some pages and they can talk about their favorite memories together. There’s nothing quite like a homemade gift that the whole family can enjoy for years to come. Who knows, bringing the journal out each year to fill out another page or read through ones already done might become the family’s new Mother’s Day tradition. 
   
6. Switch Zoo Animal Games: Do you have an avid animal lover in your family? Then Switch Zoo is perfect for you! This fun animal site allows kids to create new animals, build habitats, play games, solve puzzles and so much more. They will learn all there is to know about some of their favorite animals and hopefully some new ones. Switch Zoo even offers virtual field trips. Take a guided tour of how to make and name your new animals. Once you have done that, go on a  creative writing adventure where kids can use their imagination to write stories or poems about their animals. Want more? Listen to music created using animals’ voices and even discover how to create music by turning recorded sounds into instruments! The possibilities are endless with Switch Zoo and you may even find the next zoologist in your family.