Fun Things to do While Social Distancing

  For many of us this new social distancing, stay-at-home lifestyle may be overwhelming. If you have kids and are also trying to balance working from home, “overwhelming” is probably an understatement. We get it! That’s why we put together this list to inspire you on what to do while social distancing at home.

For the Kids:

Parents are all too familiar with the book order forms that come home with our kids every so often. The same company has provided free online resources also. Check out the curriculum sponsored by Scholastic that includes “day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing” These projects are broken down by age group and covers ages pre-K thru 9.

Mo Willems, author of the Elephant and Piggie Series books is offering free “Lunch Doodles.” These are video’s about 20 minutes long and include a step by step drawing session with your kids.  It is calming and relaxing and educational.  The best part? He is dropping a new episode daily at 1 pm eastern. Your kids will need paper, a pencil, and markers.

KiwiCo has some great DIYs for the kids using things you most likely have at home. Some are just for fun but most incorporate learning through science or physics. Your kids will love it (and you probably will too!)

If you are in desperate need of a little quiet time, send the kids off with your Alexa and explore its reading aloud features with Bamboo.

Learning and Entertainment for the Whole Family:

If your adventurous heart is crying because of all the social distancing time happening, why not a virtual tour? Check out the exciting sights you can see all over the world!

How about the San Diego Zoo? Pick an animal and learn all you can about it, draw pictures of it and act it out around the house with your kids.

Check out Yellow Stone National Park’s Virtual Tour and explore our nation from your couch.

Still not far enough from home? How about a trip to Mars via NASA with real images from their space rover!

For Working at Home:

So many of us have created new offices at home to navigate our remote workplace. Change is hard and We love these tips from NPR that include making sure your technology is in order and you have everything you need, getting in the right mindset for work even though you are at home, and making sure to relax and have “social time with your coworkers” through gifs and funny memes.

Many of you have exhausted your cooking skills since social distancing went into effect. Check out this article from the ChronicleHerald that pulls together great recipes from around the web. They included a link to Delish’s Instagram Profile that includes a Kids + Parents Cooking Class on Instagram live daily.  Recipes include cookie pops, eggs s’mores, cheesy hot dogs in a blanket and mason jar ice cream. 

Digital Entertainment:

TV Guide shared a wonderful article on what to watch during social isolation. They break it down by platform and month and even shared a list of helpful programs to watch if you are feeling nervous about the virus that don’t involve horrible doomsday scenarios!

NBCUniversal made their releases “The Hunt,” “Emma” and “The Invisible Man” available for rent at home. Enjoy “Trolls: World Tour” (starting April 10) with the kids. Disney Plus released “Frozen II” and “Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker” early also.

Sling TV is offering news and other shows for free. They want to keep everyone as up to date on national news via reputable sources. You will see ads for upgrades but there is no need to sign up. Sling offers a variety of older shows, comedy standup specials and kids content for free.

Keep Calm While Social Distancing

Remember this too shall pass. One day we will be back to our normal routines and wishing for some time at home again. Take things one day at a time. If you find yourself dreaming of a new home or considering refinancing your current home during this downtime, (remember interest rates are low!) our local lending professionals are a phone call, email, or text away. Let our team at Method Mortgage lead you to the smartest way home.