Corona-19, ammiright?!
The kids are home. You love your kids. The 5 year old, the 10 year old. You love them so much.
But if you hear “I’m boreddddd” one more time you might give them away.
I get it. I don’t have kids, but I was the homeschooled kid who said that to my poor mother way too many times. She should have given me away, if we’re being honest.
Speaking of my mother, God rest her soul, she always found interesting ways of getting us to do our work or keeping our interest – all while ballin’ on a budget.
In her honor, I have compiled a small list of cost-effective, timeless, and not too messy activities you can do with your kids of all ages during these next 30 days.
Chalk Art
(photo credit and idea by Taylor Amerson and her kiddos!)
Grab some chalk and paint some scenes. Then have the kids take a picture with them! This is great Instagram feed content and also something cute to send to Grandma since you can’t go see her.
DIY Pizza
This is pretty self-explanatory, haha! I have found the grocery stores still have pizza crust in a can, or the ready-made crust, or you always have option of making your own!
Put pizza sauce in a squeeze bottle and let the kids add all they want. Same with the cheese. Use pepperoni and bacon strips to make smiley faces, shape the dough to look like mouse ears or snow men.
Bake, take some photos, check “Home Ec.”off your home-school list, and enjoy!
Trivia Games
My family was BIG into trivia. We had a Bible trivia book that we would do a game of almost every week for years.
Other trivia game examples are “I Spy”. My brother was particularly good at this game, because of his perfect eyesight, and would pick something blue that was the size of a bean and we would use all our 20 questions up almost every time.
“I’m thinking of an animal that starts with a...” – y’all we STILL play this game on almost every road trip we’ve taken. It is a great way to use your imagination and learn about animals!
Garden Box
This is a fun and tangible way to teach kids about horticulture and nature.
There are many different ideas for this on Pinterest, but I would recommend decorating a plastic tub and then fill it with garden dirt. You can plant herbs, flowers, or veggies!
This is a fun project that you can keep coming back to all throughout April while you’re still at home and beyond. Just don’t forget to water it!
· Some additional ideas to add to this would be to paint rocks to add on top or around your garden box.
· If you don’t like the idea of an entire garden, try painting a terracotta plant pot and starting small!
Paper Airplanes
Paper airplanes are fun for people of all ages. You can draw fun designs or add stickers, etc.
Try having a competition of who can get their plane to fly the farthest!
I’ve included a YouTube video link on the simplest way to make a paper airplane, but there are several different ways, maybe have each child try a different design to see which option flies the best.
Scavenger Hunt
Once again, this is a good time to look on pinterest for ideas. Make a list of things found in nature (birds nest, puddle, clover, ladybug, etc) and see how many you can find!
Here is a link to another blog that has some free printable resources for trivia, scavenger hunts, coloring pages, and more! https://thepurposefulnest.com/category/free-printables-resources/
Hand-made Cards
Obviously, right now we can’t go out and see all the people we love – especially the sick or elderly. However, what we CAN do is show them that we love them and are thinking about them.
This is a great project for the entire family!
Some options for this project:
· Make handmade cards and send them to the elderly members of your church.
· Make thank you cards and send them to doctors and nurses at the local hospital.
· Draw pictures and drop them off at the local nursing home facility.
Dance Videos
Need I say more? If you have an iPhone, you have several different video options like time-lapse and slow motion. These are great for dance offs, or record each other doing karaoke. There are also several apps available for iOS or Android for making videos!
Spice it up with some wild outfits or crazy hair!
Honorable Mention: Pompom Cactus
This little pom pom cactus was just too cute not to share. This might take more effort, but it will be something cute to add to your office when you go back!
https://pinchmebeautiful.blogspot.com/2015/06/fun-with-pom-poms-lets-make-cactus.html?m=1
I hope this helps you fill your days with joy and light and remember that even when it can be hard, life can also be oh so very good.
Love and stuffs,
Chelle
(Photo credit: Heather LeAnn Photography)
