So its been a week or more that most schools have closed, and you're running out of ideas to keep the kids -and you- happy and engaged. For us adults, we may use our time at home to catch up on cleaning closets, watch movies, take an online class, work from home, try new recipes or tackle that stack of unread books and magazines. But what about the kids? Suddenly, their world has been turned upside down. They can’t be at school, see their friends, have play dates or see their extended family.
Here’s some ideas that may add some creativity and fun to your days at home.
1. Go to the zoo (virtually). Our local Cape May County Park & Zoo offers a live Virtual Zoo School Monday-Friday at 11:30 AM and you can also watch it later on Facebook. Each day features a different animal live video with lessons at the end.
2. Did you know TED Talks are available for kids too? Sign up for free daily lessons tailored to specific age groups covering a variety of subjects. Stay curious!
3. Can’t get out to exercise? Watch 5 Best Kids Yoga videos on You Tube and exercise together at home. Kids usually love screen time, so make their online time healthy too!
4. Have fun in the kitchen with these kid-friendly recipes. Consider having kids prepare and serve a meal each day. It’s a good way to make those math lessons apply to real life.
5. Remember the lava lamp? Show your kids how to make one of the coolest things from your younger years. Here’s a link to kid-friendly easy science experiments guaranteed to amaze your kids, and you too!
6. Here’s a printable scavenger hunt. You can also create one for your backyard. Give out prizes too!
We hope you find these resources useful. We’re all in this together, and the more we can do to support each other in these challenging times, the more quickly we can recover and move forward.