Self isolation ideas for children?s entertainment

[yeknomyeknom]

Find 2 free adorable printables (decorate a house and decorate a face) on this site https://www.merrileeliddiardshop.com/printables

[yeknomyeknom]

Here are some fun videos from Anna & Arji?s Art Cupboard. These guys usually do large scale interactive art but have scaled it down for ideas for families to do together at home.

https://www.alineart.co.uk/watch-make-do

[yeknomyeknom]

Today we made bath bombs. There are many online tutorials but not all ingredients were available to us, so after some research I was able to boil down what makes a successful bath bomb (Ie fizzing balls) to 2 simple ingredients. Here is what we did:

Mix 3 parts bicarbonate of soda with 1 part citric acid (very cheaply acquired or in many homes that clean naturally).

Put both in a bowl, then spray with maybe 3 or 4 squirts of water, for say a bath bomb size amount of ingredients. Until it is ?just? holding together.

Pack it into a mold (we used our semi circle measuring spoons) as tightly as you can, and miraculously they harden up very very well in about an hour. If you use too much water they will start to fizz and expand on the mold.

Now, that?s how to make fizzing balls. We made them a bit more fun with essential oils (as it?s oil it doesn?t set off the fizzing as much) and flower petals.

We didn?t have food colouring so we used a small amount of water based paint and called them sink bombs instead of bath bombs (ie didn?t bathe with them, just played with them).

Basically we winged it and it worked so just have fun experimenting. If you aren?t sure, try a mini ball using teaspoons to test it out first.

[yeknomyeknom]

If you have a garden or take a walk for exercise in nature, pick up some sticks for this popular forest school activity that is easy to recreate at home - To make a god?s eye you just need some wool (or string) and sticks, you could even use chopsticks or lollipop sticks in a bind:

[yeknomyeknom]

Little Bird have curated some of the Royal Academy of Arts best activity ideas here for you. I think the collage portrait looks like a fun one, a nice gift for those we aren?t with at the moment.

https://www.littlebird.co.uk/blog/2020/05/family-how-to-with-the-royal-academy-of-arts/?eid=6053cc11-e6d3-4815-b62b-97d9f5ed03d0&utm_source=bm23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=READ+MORE&utm_content=Sow+Clever+Flower+and+Vegetable+Growing+Kits&utm_campaign=NewWeekly_Sat9May_SowClever&_bta_tid=235016244221392253472688230061605482570535781019766047139719110793717221491041548091578557314612511747

[yeknomyeknom]

Create a new family handshake. Here is some inspiration https://www.buzzfeed.com/carlanka/awesome-handshakes-to-try-out-with-your-friends

[yeknomyeknom]

This sounds cute and informative.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/experiences/1485488?source=p2

[EDmummy101]

Home schooling link: https://www.thenational.academy/online-classroom/schedule/#schedule

[yeknomyeknom]

Here is a competition for the young writers under 16 in your family (there?s an adult one too). Canary Wharf Arts & Events have launched a short story competitions to fuel their Short Story Stations in the future. They are asking you to write a 1, 3 or 5 minute long story or poem about ?Life in Lockdown?. The deadline is 31st May.

https://canarywharf.com/arts-events/events/short-story-station-writing-competition-apr-may-2020/?instance_id=

[yeknomyeknom]

For older kids with a crafty eye towards architecture, this site includes helpful templates for anyone up for building a paper skyscraper or creating their own dream city. Try out some of these activities using simple materials found at home:

https://www.fosterandpartners.com/news/archive/2020/04/architecturefromhome/

[yeknomyeknom]

Who didn?t love making these when they were at school? I wouldn?t be surprised if your younger kids know nothing about them. Make a Cootie Catcher https://www.momsminivan.com/article-cootie-catcher.html

[yeknomyeknom]

The Chelsea Flower Show is open(online only this year) 19-23rd May for the general public. For the little ones, there will be a daily School Gardening Club complete with family friendly activities.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show

[yeknomyeknom]

The Natural History Museum has gone online with its new Dinosaurs experience. Take part in dinosaur-themed activities you can do at home, including learning how to draw a dinosaur, colouring in different dinosaurs, and reading a letter from scientist Adrian about his fossil-hunting trip to the Isle of Wight.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/events/dawnosaurs.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=1745926_Dawnosaurs%20Online%20pilot&dm_i=2XEG,11F5Y,7FHXJO,3YNZ1,1

[yeknomyeknom]

Some ingenious Lego based activities for slightly older kids:

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/campaigns/kids/lets-build-together

[FHfriend]

This is a great thread thank u!x

[yeknomyeknom]

I?m glad, thanks for saying.

FHfriend Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> This is a great thread thank u!x

[yeknomyeknom]

This is a really (really) nice and simple recipe for these hot days:

Black Forest (not) Ice Cream

This makes 2 portions, only 100cals pp and healthy to boot.

200g frozen cherries

1tbsp cocoa

Splash of maple syrup or honey (optional)

Splash of vanilla essence (optional)

Blitz in a blender or bullet. A stick blender is ideal. You might need to scrape the bowl down a few times. If it gets too stuck, a small splash of apple juice or other liquid should sort it out.

Eat immediately.

I?m off to make it now.

[yeknomyeknom]

I found this article more informative than I thought I would. It?s called How to Run a Zoom Play Date for Children.

https://medium.com/@playkx/how-to-run-a-zoom-play-date-for-children-8c6eddd20764

[yeknomyeknom]

Check out these creative packs by Heart n Soul, simple yet charming:

https://heartnsoulasks.com/docs/HeartnSoul_Creative_Pack_3.pdf

[yeknomyeknom]

Some fun and kind activities based on letter writing from the Postal Museum.

https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/letter-writing-activities-in-lockdown/?mc_cid=f5d7b95691&mc_eid=8c7e98c6df

[yeknomyeknom]

JK Rowling has released (for free) a new fairy tale, unrelated to Harry Potter. She is revealing The Ickabog 1 chapter a day on this site:

https://www.theickabog.com/home/

[yeknomyeknom]

Some really lovely and innovative ideas from Little Angel Theatre here: https://littleangeltheatre.com/schools-and-community/at-home-resources/about/

[yeknomyeknom]

The Hay Literary Festival has been on the last few weeks. Online they have not only the videos of kids authors talking about their books but activity ideas for each on this page. Why not see if one of your kids fave authors are on there?

https://www.hayfestival.com/schools/teaching-materials.aspx

[IlonaM]

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/may/14/guardian-to-stream-unicorn-theatre-anansi-saturday-family-shows

- Guardian to stream Unicorn theatre's new Saturday morning family shows

- Trio of stories about Anansi, the spider from West African and Caribbean folklore, will be available free and with

accompanying activities

- designed for ages 3-8

- first one today on Youtube channel

[yeknomyeknom]

I LOVE this one. Recreate a famous work of art using only 3 household items. Check out a Getty images who inspired this activity for ingenious photos from the public and guidance on how to go about it. Looking at other people's attempts is just as fun as trying your own!

http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/getty-artworks-recreated-with-household-items-by-creative-geniuses-the-world-over/