What to Do with the Kids When You’re Quarantined

Most States have either cancelled school for the remainder of the school year or until the middle of May. There are no tangible clues as to when this Coronavirus nightmare will end. In the meantime, you will need to keep your children occupied or you will be doing your own creative version of social distancing. For example: I may end up locking myself in my bedroom for the foreseeable future. Think my husband can hold down the fort while I bunker down?

Schoolwork should be done at a relaxed pace. Children shouldn’t be stressed, just as adults shouldn’t. We want to keep this time educational, but fun. You should go outside, exercise, be creative, etc. Below I will be listing some services, kits, and activities that several of my mom friends are offering and/or suggesting. Help me support some awesome mamas during this uncertain time and also keep you sane!

The first Mom I’ll be introducing is one of my favorite Usborne Book Ladies, Catherine Arent:

Catherine is an Usborne Book Consultant! She has been sharing a list of daily activities to do with preschool and early elementary aged kids. It’s informal and just meant to be boredom busters. Recently she shared the activity “counting matchbox cars.” This is what they did:

1. Organized cars by color.
2. Referred to the color wheel in Usborne’s “The Big Book of Colors” to line the cars up in rainbow order.
3. Then counted and practiced great one to one association.

She’s will be sharing new activities daily in her Facebook group at https://m.facebook.com/groups/captureeverysecondwithbooks . Additionally, if you’re in need of educational reading materials for your kids. She is extremely knowledgeable, and can help you find the perfect book or books for your kiddos.

The next mom and Entrepreneur I would like to introduce you to is Tasha Sprovtsof:

Tasha has created an art kit for kids.
The kit includes everything needed to make a collage. A canvas board (currently 5×7 inches, she is awaiting 8×10 inch boards) mod podge, a foam brush, and 3 unique gelli printed papers that are wrapped in tissue paper. There is a directional card included and anyone who gets one should follow her Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/sprovtsoffstudios/ for more videos and links on how to create a collage. The Quarantine kits are $20 shipped. Please check out the link for more information.

Another Mom who is creating movement through Yoga and incorporating literacy, is Jana Gunby:

When I asked Jana to describe her class to me, this was her description.

“Join us for an engaging yoga class for caregivers and their children, 18 months – 5 years. Each class is based on a children’s book with the themes of the book being woven into playful yoga postures, stories, music, breath work and relaxation techniques.” She also mentioned that a lot of older children have been joining in recently as well.

Jana has a Facebook Live at 11:30am (EST) this Friday March 27th. You can tune in and join her via her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HeartwellYoga/ . The classes are currently FREE!

Another mama friend of mine (who was also a bridesmaid in my wedding) is Kimberly Clements:

Kim is a fourth grade teacher who has three children of her own. Her focus during this time is to help her children give back to the community. Currently they are working on making goody bags and cards for Emergency Room Staff at Crozer Hospital in Pennsylvania. Kim said “Trying to bring some positivity to all of this.” I love that she is focused on the positive and giving back to those who are working extremely hard right now to keep us safe. Making cards and goody bags is a great way to teach your children to take care of the community where they live, while also keeping them occupied.

Here is a cute little thank you gift you can make and distribute to Hospital Staff. https://www.yourdailydance.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Thank-You.jpg I suggest, you drop this off to someone you know who works in the hospital so that you do not have to enter the hospital for any unnecessary reasons. Also, if anyone has any extra N-95 masks and disposable gloves; all hospital staff are currently in desperate need of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

The last mama friend I’m introducing is Ellie Spinner, she is the owner and Chief Cookie Officer of Pink Skirt Desserts:

Ellie started Pink Skirt Desserts https://www.facebook.com/pinkskirtdesserts/ a few years ago. She makes aesthetically beautiful cookies of all themes for all occasions. They not only look amazing, but they taste absolutely scrumptious too! She currently is selling Quarantine Kits for your kiddos. She is based in Doylestown, PA but she does ship throughout the United States. Here is the direct link to order her kits : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpCbDu-1TI_5De3TC2vok3amRdzsKY9Th9JMdHEqroYzsMDQ/viewform

Something else that you can do with your kids is simply just going outside! If it’s raining, put some rain boots and a rain coat on your kids and let’s them jump in the rain puddles. Something we have been doing a lot of is walking. We’ve been enjoying walks around our neighborhood. I am one of the Kid’s Event Chairpersons for our neighborhood, and we decided to have a weekly themed walk. Each week our neighbors put a new picture or cut out in their window. This week the theme is “dinosaurs.” Many of our neighbors colored dinosaur coloring pages and put them in their front windows. Then, we count how many we find on our walk. Get in contact with your neighbors and see if they would be interested in doing this too. My six year old loves counting how many pictures we can find! His one year old brother just likes the fresh air.

I hope that you found this information helpful to keep you sane while you’re stuck at home with your kiddos! We’re all in this together. Please comment below if you have any other ideas that you would like to share.