Things do with kids during lockdown/ Children's activities and free online resources
We are a family business, we have two small children, aged 2 and 6 and we operate Forage from our home in Bristol. So when the inevitable announcement came that the schools would be closing, and subsequently the nation would be required to stay indoors, we joined the rest of the country with a howl of despair!
Of course staying at home is the right thing to do, and not a moment too soon. It is vitally important that we slow the spread of coronavirus as much as we possibly can. We actually pulled our children out of school a few days before the announcement was made simply because we were able to, and recognise how vital social distancing is at this frightening time.
This, however, doesn’t change the fact that we have two, high energy wanna-be ninjas bouncing off the walls, tearing things off the shelves and causing general havoc - all while we try to stay on top of the business and make sure Forage is able to survive this uncertain time. So how do we work out things to do with kids during quarantine without resorting to this?
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and it is time to get organised!
We created a Lockdown kids time table, based on one found online , which allows for fresh air, creativity, focus, play, and we embarked on homeschool/ home office life for the foreseeable!
Thank goodness for technology! Not only are we able to, at the touch of a button see and speak with friends and family on our devices, but there is also a wealth of kids materials and online children's activities out there, to keep the whole family entertained,
Here is a list of some of my favourite lockdown activity ideas and kids resources I have found so far.
Please comment with more of your favourites too! I’d love to hear them!!
Plan C is a facebook group sharing child entertainment ideas.
This is for parents and caregivers for small people during any time of quarantine and has grown in one week to a staggering 171,000 + members
There are scores of wonderful ideas posted on here daily , and it is well worth a look
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PlanCGroup/
PE with Joe is a live 20 minute youtube workout for kids and adults of all ages and ability, without any equipment or without much space. My kids love it, and so do I. we all get our exercise in and feel ready for the day!
You can either follow the routine live via Joe’s YouTube Channel or do a workout later with the video available on the site post-broadcast.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ
Building a time capsule
This is history in the making, and will be an interesting time to look back on!
Ours will contain hand prints, a story about our family, photos, a usb stick with a video of each of us, and this week’s newspaper. It will be seased and placed in the attic, not to be opened until 2050.
Chase the rainbow
What a lovely idea! Children all over the country are painting rainbows and displaying them in their windows so other children will see them on their daily walk around the block.
Here's a very child friendly (and measured) tool for explaining COVID-19 to children, for parents who wish to do so: https://bit.ly/3b0pl5R
Make a carrot recorder - because... why wouldn’t you?
https://www.facebook.com/1737181656494507/posts/2605288136350517/?vh=e&d=n
A fun way to get outside and get creative by painting on the driveway or garden patio.
Recipe link here https://www.makeandtakes.com/sidewalk-chalk-paint
Making simple toys with household objects
Heres a collection of sweet paper toys and games you can make easily at home
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ
Free Audible stories for children
For as long as schools are closed, Audible are going to offer a brilliant collection of stories and childrens literature to stream for free, available to kids everywhere.
https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
And finally here is an expansive list of free online resources and ideas put together by a home schooling mum and shared with her permission.
Please feel free to share any of these activities with anyone you feel may need them, and comment with further suggestions! Lets keep the creativity flowing!!
- BrainPop
- Curiosity Stream
- Tynker
- Outschool
- Udemy
- iReady
- Beast Academy (Math)
- Khan Academy
- Creative Bug
- Discovery Education
YouTube Channels:
- Crash Course Kids
- Science Channel
- SciShow Kids
- National Geographic Kids
- Free School
- Geography Focus
- TheBrainScoop
- SciShow
- Kids Learning Tube
- Geeek Gurl Diaries
- Mike Likes Science
- Science Max
- SoulPancake
Lots of board games, library books (and Kindle), tinkering/upcycling with household junk, etc.
Some resources to help with kids at home:
*Scholastic has created a free learn-from-home site with 20+ days of learning and activities.
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
Pretend to travel the world..Go on a virtual tour of these 12 famous museums.
https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours
*This is the awesome free curriculum. Everything from preschool activities to 12th grade is here!
https://allinonehomeschool.com/
*List of thinking games by grade: https://allinonehomeschool.com/thinking/
Here are some more awesome free learning sites for kids of various ages and interests :
https://www.storylineonline.net/
https://www.highlightskids.com/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
https://www.coolmath4kids.com/
https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/
http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp
https://www.e-learningforkids.org/
Finally - make sure you take the pressure off yourself. This post sums it up perfectly , we do not need to homeschool. These are unprecedented times and we all just need to do what we can to say safe and stay sane. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3091241324233043&id=100000416177259
Who are we?
At Forage Design we are committed to sustainability. We participated in The Planet Mark Start programme that educates businesses about how to become more socially and environmentally friendly. We donate £1 of every product sold to charity When you purchase from us you can be sure that you are giving back to the planet and it's people .
Our charity partners, Goods for Good are delivering vital aid to homeless people and vulnerable families around the UK during the Covid-19 emergency.
Please see our blog post about the charities we support for more details
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