So turns out vacation week has been a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Without the pressure of schoolwork we quickly settled into a comfortable routine structured around Facebook Live events, coloring and crafts, bike/scooter rides and various around-the-house projects.
We revisited a few of our favorite entertainments from WEEK ONE, like making corn dog muffins and enjoying the daily behind-the-scenes peek at Mystic Aquarium (have you seen their fluffy new penguin chick yet??? Sooooo cute). And we tried our hand at DIY potholders using this easy weaving loom. I was also inspired by this blog post to bring order to our craft supplies using an inexpensive hanging shoe organizer.
After a lackluster performance with a bubble wand, the kids convinced me to invest in an automatic bubble blowing machine (okay, let’s be honest, it didn’t take much convincing!). I like that this one can operate with a cord or with batteries. So far, so fun!
We found a bag of mini marshmallows in the pantry and put them to good use making microwave s’mores (though next time maybe I’ll try this recipe for s’mores bars.) And we made our own taco seasoning for an easy nachos dinner.
In an effort to keep up with these rapidly changing times, I found this helpful DIY mask tutorial (no sewing required!). The New York Times also published a thorough sew-it-yourself tutorial if you’re up for something a little more involved. Either way, you’ll be equipped for a quick grocery store trip to restock–consider bringing along this list of pantry staples that might make it easier to stretch your haul.
If, like me, you are craving signs of spring despite the snow (!!!) in this weekend’s forecast, you could make this adorable flower pencil topper (perfect for back to e-school next week!) with things you may already have at home or can easily order online.
And what would spring be without some spring cleaning? When I get the urge to purge I find it much easier to part with my things if I know they are either going to good use somewhere else or being properly disposed of/recycled. So I was really happy to stumble upon this A-Z list of ideas for how to get rid of things in an issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine a few years ago. Fortunately, I was also able to find it online, which means I can easily share it with all of you (and also finally ditch the old magazine–win/win!). I would also recommend checking with your town to see what local recycling facilities exist (here in Glastonbury our transfer station recycles everything from electronics to scrap metal to clothing). I also like to take advantage of regular donation pickups from the Hartsprings Foundation, which accepts a wide range of used items from toys to clothes to household goods. They have temporarily suspended operations during the COVID-19 outbreak, but I’m still getting my pile ready for when they resume.
Surprisingly, after four weeks of being homebound, Mandy and I are still finding lots of new virtual and hands-on activities to keep the kids (and ourselves!) busy and engaged. We hope our latest list of discoveries helps you find a few new amusements too. And if you need more ideas, check out our Weekly Edit: Staying in with Out and About Mom from WEEK ONE, WEEK TWO, and WEEK THREE.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Fingers crossed we actually get some spring next week!
Stay well,
Online learning and entertainment:
- These Science Max videos on YouTube are really well done. They each focus on area of science and explain it in an easy to understand, fun, and entertaining way. They even explain fun experiments families can try at home!
- If your kids haven’t jumped on the Dude Perfect bandwagon, they might want to check it out. This group of college friends creates videos showing the wildest trick shots. From banking a basketball shot off the roof of a building to perfecting an amazing golf ball maze. Just be prepared that once your kids watch this, they will be attempting stunts of their own!
- Each Thursday evening at 7pm, Dolly Parton will share a bedtime story for children to enjoy in her Goodnight with Dolly series. With her engaging personality, she brings the stories to life in a fun way. Catch the first 3 episodes now!
- One of our favorite real-life classes for little kids has launched a virtual offering–it’s Music Together Online! Get more info here.
Websites with activities for kids:
- With the lack of air traffic, now is a great time to get a glimpse of the International Space Station as it zooms by. Check out NASA’s Spot the Station website for details on when it’ll be visible in our area. We were able to spot it a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t much more than a tiny and bright spot of light careening through the sky (my older son spotted it first!) but it sure was cool to watch it pass overhead and imagine the people up there looking down at us 🙂
- While you’re at, you can brush up on your constellations and find out when you’ll be able to spot them in the night sky.
- Check out these LIVE cams for the Bronx Zoo and NY Aquarium! You can also check out the virtual zoo for close (virtual) encounters with some of their animals.
- Need a laugh session? Check out these 100 silly jokes for kids! (BONUS: This site also features tons of great craft projects and ideas for things to do at home with kids.)
Crafts and things to do at (or near) home:
- The boys and I have both been making good use of my ancient set of Prismacolor pencils and enjoying some grownup coloring books like challenging color-by-number cityscapes, intricate animal scenes, delicate dragons and my personal favorite, these dessert doodles. You can find a large selection of FREE grownup coloring pages to download and print HERE. Or if you don’t have a printer, try this easy DIY with objects from around the house and create your own intricate, color-ready patterns.
- If, like me, you have a toddler at home who might not quite be ready for the colored pencils (or anything with actual color!), I highly recommend these simple Water Wow! reusable paint-with-water activity books. My 2 1/2 year old “paints” these scenes over and over again and delights in finding the hidden pictures and pointing out the different colors. It’s an easy way for her to participate in our marathon coloring sessions without me having to worry about the mess!
- Get some new family-friendly and healthy recipe ideas from one of my old standbys for kid cuisine, Weelicious, like these baked blueberry donuts and these banana oatmeal chocolate chip breakfast cookies (a great way to use up those browning bananas!).
- Over the years our dozens of LEGO sets have slowly transformed into bins filled with thousands of LEGO bricks, so it’s always fun to find new ideas for building projects, like these LEGO pets, LEGO dragons, LEGO sharks and other LEGO sea creatures.
This week in photos:
Coloring pages were a fun (and challenging!) activity for the entire family:
Mmmm…s’mores:
Frolicking in the bubbles:
Easy DIY potholders:
Showing off one of our LEGO creations:
Want to keep up with things to do with kids in Connecticut?
Check back every week as we dish up more Momsense for getting out and about staying in (for now at least!) with your kiddos. Don’t have time to check back in? Let us send you an automatic notification of new posts straight to your email inbox by signing up here. Also, you can like us on Facebook and Twitter or follow us on Instagram to keep up with the latest posts and get some extra tidbits we share only through those sites.
Interested in advertising opportunities with Out and About Mom? Get more info here.
