How to survive isolation ideas

[Karwomannghia]

I was thinking it could be useful to share ideas for keeping busy, healthy and sane with or without kids. Try to make isolation less of a prison sentence!
A few I’ve got-
Usual stuff like board games, reading, learning a new craft.
Follow yoga for kids sessions on YouTube.
Learn a dance routine.
Ready steady cook challenge.
Do all the little jobs in the house and garden.
Grow fruit/veg.

Internet, netflix, books!

We tipped all the Lego out today. That filled 2 hours.

We picked a paint colour out for the bedroom so must make sure we have decorating supplies in.

I mean.....We will probably actually catch it and just be I'll for the duration.

Write a schedule hour by hour and stick to it. Include eating cooking cleaning bathing exercise learning gaming free time tech time etc.

Deep cleaning and sort out of cupboards, garage, attic, clean Windows, shampoo carpets.
DIY/Repair jobs.
Sort household filing.
Sort family photos storage /editing etc
Gardening
Books, crafts, films, card games board games.
Pampering

Yes I was thinking we’d definitely need a timetable as it could so easily descend into getting dressed at 2pm!
Dh started the garden today which I’m grateful we have for our 3yo and dog.
Great idea to sort cupboards and photos. I’ve got some weights neglected in the corner of my room I might try and get toned!

I'm planning to have a schedule that vaguely imitates the school day - so some literacy and numeracy in the morning, a break, then alternate things like history, science, music, art in the afternoons. Science might be making slime, music might be something like giving them chopsticks and telling them to find 10 things they can drum to make different noises, art will be something craft related. All pretty simple and basic, but a range of activities to mix up things over the week.

Also going to have activities like baking and learning skills (e.g. trying laces).

Going to have projects on the go as well, probably one a week. Something like plan and design a new town, or design your ideal bedroom (they will have to look up and price furniture, paint etc, all on a budget), or plan what you would include in a training programme for space travellers going to settle a new planet.

Some independent play as well - someone posted the 30 day Lego challenge which will keep my eldest occupied!

Some screen time as well - going to try to get some educational programmes, but they'll be allowed a bit of downtime watching their own programmes for a while also.

The key thing for us will be having a schedule so the kids know what to expect and we don't spend all day in pyjamas watching Netflix

Any tips for keeping stroppy toddlers entertained indoors gratefully received - self isolating with an 18 month old here, teeny tiny garden (grateful we have it for daylight but no space to run around), bored of his toys and and he is bouncing off the walls. Keeps getting his shoes and pointing at door help!

For the toddler, how about some messy play (paint, shaving foam) in the bath/bathroom so it's easy to wipe down.

A long bath with different bath toys (kitchen utensils or toys not usually bath toys such as happy land people)

My just turned two year old will copy Yoga moves, will yours?

Some dancing or nursery rhymes with actions.

Baking, or if you can't face that, decorating biscuits with icing sugar and sprinkles.

For adults. Reed.co.uk have loads of online courses, some are free, some are heavily discounted. I've started doing a diploma today, cost me £10. And it's recognised CPD hours.

You can do virtual tours of museums so that's going on my schedule. I have 2 small dogs so I'm including 20 minutes play time morning and afternoon

Gardening. Even cack handed rubbish gardening. Even just on the window sill gardening.
Brilliantly easy to grow, hard to kill , cut and come again:
perpetual spinach : baby leaves for salad.
Peas for pea shoots: again for the shoots.
No fancy gear needed - reuse plastic pots from things like mushrooms or yoghurt. Actually, mini brownie boxes are great because they make little greenhouses. They sit nicely in old mushroom boxes to Ensure good drainage.

Or learn about sprouting beans. No fancy gear. Big old jar. Rubber band. Bit of net curtain or fine meshed similar . Broccoli seeds are great to do.

Fffffffff

I'm planning on creating a weekly timetable, it'll include home learning, decluttering and tidying the house, regular FaceTiming sessions with friends and family, exercise (a walk if allowed or trampoline and garden games if not) cooking/baking, prayer/worship sessions, board games, tech time, films, quiet reading, gardening, art and craft sessions, putting on a play then performing to a FaceTime audience, attempting to train the cat to sit, making a meal into a restaurant session complete with flowers and music, singing and dancing sessions and long bath times.

We have just done a large order on Hobbycraft.co.uk.

Someone shared this on Facebook, I think we’ll be following something similar.

Ffs I don’t know how any of us would have survived the war if we can’t even entertain the kids for two weeks. It’s shit, it’s tough but you just need to look on the bright side. I work full time and am always of a morning thinking how nice it would be if our weekdays were like our weekends spent together. So I’m going to take advantage of the fact we do have time together and try and make it into a bit of adventure when i can. I certainly won’t be following a timetable .... blurgh they have enough of that at school.

Hi, ive got some new ones for you!

Draw your family tree

Phone all your elderly relatives and say hello, tell them you are researching your family tree and ask for interesting facts and stories (they are probably bored too)

Volunteer locally to help with people stuck in isolation. Your local community probably set up an emergency Facebook group. A lot of these groups are offering phone support to the elderly so even if you can't go out you can be of use.

With younger kids, try NHS Change4Life. Lots of Disney related activities to get your kids moving at home. You could do something every morning.
www.nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up/shake-ups

With older kids, free stuff includes:
make some new playlists/let them rummage your CD collection
Learn a dance/song/magic trick by watching YouTube
Learn how to code on the Scratch website and make a cartoon or game (there are lots of online resources, all free)

*Ffs I don’t know how any of us would have survived the war if we can’t even entertain the kids for two weeks

@Widowodiw *

Genuinely confused about why you'd be so sneery on this thread??

People are being positive and are helping one another by coming up with ideas and strategies to help. So you think you'll find it easy at home with your kids, excellent I'm really pleased for you but there's no need to look down your nose at people who feel like they want to plan a bit.

Maybe save your disapproval for the people who don't plan at all and end up letting their kids go out and about all though the lockdown.

I have an app on my phone (completely free!) called film maker pro so we make little videos. My ds5 loves it! We've made lego stories, jurrasic park, our own peppa pig episodes

@Widowodiw my intention was for this to be positive, I’m not moaning I’m asking for ideas to get the most out of this time. Having 2/3 dc with coughs means we’re in now. I do think a bit of structure will help especially with the teens whose default is watching stuff lying in bed one of whom tends to over think and become anxious. They’ll have school work which I don’t have to set up but it’s the time around that. Then there’s my dd3 who’s already asking me if we’re going on holiday several times a day because of the change of routine. Just trying to get some ideas not moaning.

@matildathehun77 of all the ridiculous things I've read on here recently, thinking you will be training your cat to sit trumps them all... you won't be training him. He will be training you to think that you have trained him for his own personal gain

today something I’m going to do is make Mother’s Day cards.
I told the teens yesterday they have to make me something now (I’m not subtle) but ds just said he’ll order something online... I’d forgotten about that! (He prob won’t get round to it)

We’re also going to try and get our dog doing tricks. Good luck with the cat!!!

Fab ideas, marking place

@matildathehun77 of all the ridiculous things I've read on here recently, thinking you will be training your cat to sit trumps them all... you won't be training him. He will be training you to think that you have trained him for his own personal gain

That is very true however ds and I have wondered aloud since they arrived whether it is possible to train a cat, now we have a golden opportunity to put it to the test!!