Got the dreaded email from school

[Clarabellawilliamson]

Isolation for our 5 year old for 10 days from Friday. Shit. I'm devastated. Not sure why really because we didn't really have big plans anyway, just a coffee in the garden on Xmas day with my parents. I don't know how we will cope without being able to burn off energy outside! Top tips for isolating with little ones please!

Count your blessings you won’t have to home school and it’s only 10 days. We had a whole household out for 14 days and it was quite frankly hideous. Biggest tip would be to save the good stuff for the last few days. We got on ok on week 1 but by week 2, the nice food was running low, everyone was pissed off with each other and bored. We’d get though our best crafts and all of our ideas by then. I’ve got a feeling a just gave up and let them turn the sofa into softplay.

This is us. We got the message last night and we are shut down till boxing day. Luckily Christmas was already arriving in a van. This is the second time one of my DC has been a close contact. I'm ecv and so have my fingers well and truly crossed that it's all as uneventful as last time.

@Piwlyfbicsly

You have a garden at least! I’d feel much better if I had one. Day 10 with 2 primary school aged children in the flat with no access to outside space!

If you are in Wales and don’t have access to a garden then you can take exercise outside for one hour a day whilst in isolation. This is taken from the Wales gov website, How to Self Isolate guide.

Here's a fun idea for burning off energy:

Print or draw a basic gingerbread man template, or use a gingerbread cutter to draw around on cardboard (Amazon boxes are ideal!). Do this 5 times and cut them out. You can have your little one draw faces and stick accessories onto them for another activity. The you hide them around the house and set them to finding them. Like an Easter egg hunt, but indoors and Christmassey!

Of course it doesn't need to be gingerbread men - stars or anything Christmas themed would work, and I guess it needn't be just 5 either!

Oh that reminds me, someone sent this treasure hunt to me so could be handy