By Nicole Hicks, Early Years Specialist
Covid-19 has us cooped up, but that certainly doesn't mean you and your kids need to endure boredom too. The team at Imagineland have come up with 10 ways your family can thrive during this uncertain time. Get creative, get messy, have fun; all in an inexpensive way.
1. Create an online craft club with your friends – Write a list of craft projects. Create a new one each week and share it with others in a dedicated social media group.
2. Try out a science experiment – Have you ever created frozen coloured ice cubes (just water and a drop of food colouring) and watched the patterns merge together as they melt? So cool! The kids will love it.
3. Create a 'timeline box' – This is essentially like a time capsule. During this period of social distancing and self isolation, talk about all the things going on in your life right now. Focus on what you like and dislike, and what’s awesome about being at home with your family. Find or create some items that reflect this mood, perhaps some drawings, a newspaper clipping, or a list of goals for the future. Once you've filled the box, pack it all away and check it out in a few years, post-Covid, to see how you all came out the other side.
4. Cooking and baking together – Find some simple recipes and let the children pour, mix and bake for morning and afternoon teas.
5. Get into some online fitness classes – Google and check out some great options with some groovy PT’s doing their thing. Zumba, yoga, circuit training, dancing, stretching; there are endless training videos on YouTube for just about any exercise or sport. Everyone in the family can join in. Work that stress out!
6. Sign up to Imagineland for a free trial – Check out the many cool and interactive online stories that are perfect for keeping the kids occupied. The site has awesome resources that are available to extend learning in a super fun way.
7. Turn your pet into a superhero – Use your pet as a model to do some real life drawings, or take some photos and edit them into super hero statues.
8. Get mellow with paper mache craft – Nothing takes you back quite like that cold handmade glue getting lathered in strips over and over on a balloon or surface. Make some paper mache with your kids, then let it dry and perhaps create a hot air balloon wonderland. String them up and decorate your room, paint them crazy colours - it's a week-long source of entertainment.
9. Find your Zen place – Check out the internet for meditation poses, breathing techniques and mindfulness exercises. Try to set aside 30 minutes each day to put what you read into practice. We all deserve some quality relaxation time.
10. Get messy with play dough – Make it from scratch with a few simple ingredients and see hours of fun ahead of you. Create shapes, characters, faces, buildings; the opportunities for imagination are endless.
Above all, stay safe and well in this time. Home is where the heart is, and home is where you can stay healthy. Take care from all of us at the Imagineland Team.