Mumsnet users share how they're keeping children entertained during lockdown with Equazen

[JustineBMumsnet]

Keeping children entertained and keeping their minds active can be difficult, particularly when you’re limited to your home. Spring often signals it's time to get out and about to explore, and Equazen would like to hear your tips for keeping your children entertained with home activities while we're in lockdown.

Here’s what Equazen has to say: “Keeping the mind active helps us to maintain a healthy brain.
Did you know our brains are made up of 60% Fat? These fatty acids are ‘essential’ because they cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through the diet.
Equazen offer clinically researched high-quality fish oil supplements. Unique and specific formulations of essential fatty acids Omega-3 EPA and DHA with Omega-6 GLA to help support brain function*. Perfect for those active days with the family!
Buy now on the Equazen website and receive a free puzzle cube with every purchase.
^Also look out for Equazen brain games, coming soon!
*DHA contributes to the maintenance of normal brain function. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 250mg of DHA.”

How are you planning on keeping your children entertained from home? Will you be digging out the board games to help keep their minds active? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to have a garden you’re able to get out and play in? Or do you have a child who is more than happy to activate their imagination with a good book?

However you’re keeping your children entertained, share on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Always counting whilst going up and downstairs , Lots of singing and dancing together, Not forgetting the gardening getting out in the fresh air digging up weeds whilst watching the wild life (nowt beats being outside with nature).

Tent in the garden - den in the day, sleeping out at night.

Daily walks to spot any new hatched ducklings. Long lunches! Then a mad attempt to vary activities before bed - puzzles, painting, Cosmic yoga! (Godsend YouTube channel!), books, tickle fights.

Our sand and water table in the garden has been great. Add a few Lego minifigures or toy dinosaurs and the afternoon disappears. There's a lot of free content on the Internet that we're enjoying too - Glasgow science centre, Chester zoo... The sunny weather has made it nice to be out in the garden.

We are following a structured school day. Otherwise DS (6) would sit around in pjs all day whinging about wanting to watch tv and snack. The structure means he knows when snack times, play time and TV time are, although he still constantly asks for them.

In the school day we do handwriting, reading, maths, spelling, and a subject- like countries, animals etc, games - chess, monopoly. And outdoor exercise like a 3k run or a scoot.

It's a struggle keeping DS (12) off screens at the moment, especially as pretty much his only contact with his friends is via Fortnite (preteen boys are not great at phoning for a chat!) and he's also keeping in contact with his dad by playing games online.
I'm trying to mitigate this by insisting on daily exercise, both in the garden or by walking/cycling to the park, and encouraging DS to learn some new skills. So far he's picked up making cookies and playing Backgammon.

We have had practice at isolation as DS had a serious health issue last year so although we have no garden, we have loads of colouring books, puzzles, reading books and games.
We've been baking and going out for a scoot once a day, making junk models and lots of duplo.
There is so much to do and loads of great ideas online, we are lucky.

Luckily good weather means we've been able to spend a lot of time in the garden. We've also done a lot of baking, crafting and catching up with friends and family on Face time. Back to the stress of online learning from school tomorrow.

I have been trying to have creative activities in between school work, we have also been baking biscuits which are then iced and used to make free form shapes, making easter and birthday cards, decorating easter eggs. I print off activity sheets to practice maths via colouring. we have built dens, I bought some air drying clay and we have made sculptures. I have tried a few more challenging bakes with my eldest, pasta, new york cheesecake etc. Lots of things to break up the day. We also p doughlay board games, have movie nights, play with rc toys, scalextric, veg planting, making pizza. I am also so lucky both my boys are in the Beavers and Scouts so they are still having virtual activities and badge tasks over whatsapp or youtube. We go on nature walks to we have lots of walks to explore where I live, the key is variety. I am subscribed to lots of Facebook groups which give me ideas to.

I have a 3.5 year old. We’ve found that structure is really important, so that he knows what to expect. We tend to do:

• Family breakfast, which he helps prepare.
• Something active: PE with Joe Wicks, or a toddler yoga session courtesy of Little Down Dogs Yoga (she is amazing!)
• Craft activity. Favourites have been making a papier-mâché Easter egg, Easter chicks from toilet roll tubes, sheep’s faces using paper plates and cotton wool balls. We are currently working on an Elmer the Elephant made from a plastic milk bottle.
• He then helps to cook lunch- chopping, stirring, etc. We also often make biscuits or cake as a dessert.
• A Duplo challenge- I ask him to build a dinosaur, car, lorry, etc and he does the rest! We share photos of this with his friends every day.
• Bike ride or walk, followed by making an obstacle course in the garden.

Colouring easter egg pictures hen hiding them round the garden

Playing in the garden. And dancing to Lego friends music.

Honestly feel so lucky to live in the middle of nowhere with a big garden. We are living for our daily walks. We have also done some great garden projects. Fairy garden, insect hotel and lots of mud pies.

So ive decided to give blogging a go and created one so I am able to share some of the activities we are enjoying at home. Previously worked in Early Years before the birth of my 2 children and have a degree in Education and Care. I'm hoping to capture some experiences that my 3 year old might miss out on not being at nursery and learn along the way. I will be adding the learning outcomes at the bottom of each activity. Any advice is appreciated as I've never done anything like this before. And any activities you think we might enjoy would love for you to share me.
www.learninginlockdown.wixsite.com/learninginlockdown

DS is a teenager, trying to keep him busy with a mixture of activities, with some to feed his mind, other his incessant hunger
Teaching him to bake goodies, keep a blog/diary with a photo from each day, PE everyday, from a selection of walking dog to PE with Joe, getting him to make one birthday card each week for a birthday later in the year, challenged him to build a new Lego thing from an existing model.
Then there is a two chore a day choice from a list to earn pocket money

Mine are 9 and 11, we have been in the garden, growing vegetables, making dens, paddling pool, board games, brownie badges, Lego,Joe Wicks each day, Karate

brio train layout which goes the full length of the living room and dining room, following the school worksheets practicing writing skills, reading our collection of ladybird books, PE with Joe, hopscotch on the driveway and planting broad beans and sunflowers.

We’ve been making the most of the good weather recently and spending most of the day out in the garden. He’s been riding round on his bike and we’ve done painting and playing hide and seek.
I bought a tuff tray which I’ve filled with water or he’s played with his toy animals on. He gets bored easily so I have to think of new things each day but I’m enjoying trying to be creative with cardboard and glue and making things with cornflour!

We have been doing some baking. We have also been using the trampoline when its not raining

Trying to work full time with a child at home....we’ve maintained school work during the Easter break as it gave us structure. So school work in the mornings, then after lunch I to the garden, making up dance shows, playing with toys or watching a film.

We are trying to structure the day.

Morning - indoor activities (board games, colouring, etc.)
Afternoon - spending time in the garden (weather permitting)
Evening - watching a film

We are all preparing meals and eating together which is nice.

Cooking is always good. The garden. Reading Eggs. And trying to rotate which toys are out on any given day.

I have been trying to have creative activities in between school work, we have also been baking biscuits which are then iced and used to make free form shapes, making easter and birthday cards, decorating easter eggs. I print off activity sheets to practice maths via colouring. we have built dens, I bought some air drying clay and we have made sculptures. I have tried a few more challenging bakes with my eldest, pasta, new york cheesecake etc. Lots of things to break up the day. We also p doughlay board games, have movie nights, play with rc toys, scalextric, veg planting, making pizza. I am also so lucky both my boys are in the Beavers and Scouts so they are still having virtual activities and badge tasks over whatsapp or youtube. We go on nature walks to we have lots of walks to explore where I live, the key is variety. I am subscribed to lots of Facebook groups which give me ideas to.

brio train layout which goes the full length of the living room and dining room, following the school worksheets practicing writing skills, reading our collection of ladybird [urI=www.thailandblog.nl/bezienswaardigheden/tempels/wat-chang-rob-kamphaeng-phet/]Movies123/url] books, PE with Joe, hopscotch on the driveway and planting broad beans and sunflowers.

We’ve been making the most of the good weather recently and spending most of the day out in the garden. He’s been riding round on his bike and we’ve done painting and playing hide and seek.
I bought a tuff tray which I’ve filled with water or he’s played with his toy animals on. [urI=www.thailandblog.nl/bezienswaardigheden/tempels/wat-chang-rob-kamphaeng-phet/][/url] He gets bored easily so I have to think of new things each day but I’m enjoying trying to be creative with cardboard and glue and making things with cornflour!