Category: Family

Why We're Using Habit Trackers

3/27/2020

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With everyone trying to social distance themselves and, in our case, with my husband working from home, everyday can feel like a Saturday. This makes it difficult to keep a routine or even remember what day it is. To help my kids out I decided to make them a daily chart that they can mark off everyday to help them keep track of their days and prevent us from going stir crazy inside.

If you subscribe to our email list you can get this printable for free! Plus any of our other subscriber only printables.

To use our chart I filled in ten things they should do everyday, not chores necessarily but good habits I’d like them to get into doing everyday, like making the bed, brushing teeth, and playing outside. Then I put the chart in sheet protectors and taped them up where the kids can reach them. Whenever they finish something they can use a whiteboard marker to 'x' off what they've done. My son was really excited about the chart when I gave it to him. We'll see how his excitement continues from this point on.

One thing I like about the chart is the kids can choose the order they want to do everything. This will help build autonomy and help them to understand how to prioritize their time eventually. For instance, when my son found it was too early to be playing outside, he turned to the chart to find something else he could do until playing outside was an option. The chart also allows for the kids to feel a sense of accomplishment as they mark off each thing everyday.

But the chart doesn’t have to just be for kids, I tried to design it in a way that it’s pretty enough to be used by adults too to track their habits/goals.

I hope this will help you guys during this time. It’s good to keep a sense of normalcy when things are a bit off kilter in the world. We’re thinking and praying for you all.

Remember if you want a copy of the chart, subscribe to our email list.

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Indoor Find and Do Scavenger Hunt

3/24/2020

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This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support

On Pinterest, there are some pretty cool Scavenger Hunts for kids to do during these stay at home times. A couple of the outdoor ones are like pieces of art! Look at this one! I could frame it! she suggested twig pencils to complete this hunt. I found somehere! This one is simple yet also beautiful. The kids could make the binoculars we talked about on this post and go out and do their hunt!

But, what if you are on rainy day schedule? We've had a lot of rain this year here in Phoenix. How about you? Some of you still are in the midst of very cold weather! When I taught school, we always had to have things to do indoors during rainy days. Not only that, when I had school aged children at home, the house became cluttered quickly! That can be a real mood buster when everyone is stuck at home together. And finally, whether you are doing school work together or just having screen time and being bored, sometimes you just need a mental or physical break! So, because of all of that, I decided to come up with an Indoor Scavenger Hunt that would incorporate fun, learning, food, activity and clutter-busting all in one! I call it the Indoor Find and Do Scavenger Hunt.

I had some of my grandchildren try the Scavenger Hunt out for me. It was fun to get the pictures of them doing something that grandma sent them to do. I sure do miss being with them! If you are a grandma missing your grandkids, It is really a blessing to have the ability to talk to them and do things with them over social media. Sending them a simple activity like this scavenger hunt is a gift they will remember.

Directions:

This isn't necessarily the kind of Scavenger Hunt that you would do all in one day and it isn't a race.

It would be best if your children took their time to complete each task completely and well to get the most out of the activities. I mean, some will be faster than others. Like picking up dirty socks, but, they should spend some time on the drawing and the reading or the geography.
Tell them that instead of a race, this is an exercise in doing things well.
Older children can help younger ones read the directions.
At the beginning of the week, you could give them the sheet and tell them to try to do 2 or 3 things on it per day. Then, you could assign some type of reward when the entire page is filled and they have done all of the things WELL! I'm thinking of a reward such as making cookies together or playing a favorite game. You know what your kids will like.

By the time the chart is completed, your kids will have cleaned up some clutter, read 2 books and had some fun. Then, perhaps you can come up with some of your own ideas to add to the list the next time! Your house, your clutter, your needs, your kids! But I hope I've given you a new idea to help you out. Just click the pdf button to print the sheet. Look at the faces of my grandchildren! I'm sure that your children enjoy it!

Indoor Find and Do Scaventer Hunt

Here you can shop for some of the things you've seen in this post:

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How to Survive a Corona Virus Quarantine

3/15/2020

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If you don't get this reference, get on Disney+ and watch Tangled!

How is everyone doing out there? Do you all have enough toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and soap? What is your food supply looking like?
I don't have rolls of toilet paper to give away, but while you're camping out at home for the next couple of weeks with kids who have been pulled out of school, I wanted to give you a list of ideas to keep yourself sane, and not feel guilty about any sort of academic schedule.

So I'm breaking this down into outside activities and inside activities. It's all fun and, often times, it will be educational without your kids even knowing it!

Outdoor activities:
I don't know what the weather is like near you. We had rain all week so the temps are nice and cool, but the sun has come back. If you live in a more temperate climate like us (no snow) then here are a few fun outdoor activities:

sidewalk chalk: this one is a huge favorite with my daughter. We don't even necessarily always draw on the side walk. Our cinder block fence is another great spot to get out those creative, artistic ideas trapped up in your kids' heads.
bubbles: whether a simple wand or a machine, bubbles entrance small children every single time! The last time I went to Wal-Mart there was a line for toilet paper, but the toy section was still full of toys, and there were all kinds of bubble machines to choose from! Choose a couple and start a bubble fight!
outdoor games: Red Rover, Mother May I. Or get more structured with some type of ring toss or corn hole board. If you have a bigger backyard you could even do croquet! Structured games with rules are more educational than you think, so don't rule them out!
sports: do your kids have a soccer ball? A jump rope? A skateboard? A t-ball set? Hone in on those sportsing skills and practice some cool new moves. There are all kinds of videos out there that can give you ideas of new tricks to try!
Scavenger Hunt: depending on the size of your backyard you could set up a scavenger hunt and provide kids with clues to find a treasure at the end!
Obstacle Course: going along in that same vein is creating an obstacle course. It can be as simple or complex as your kids and your backyard allow. It'll be great exercise and a lot of fun to see them work out creating the course and succeeding at it!

Indoor activities:
If it's too cold outside for you, or you just want a change of pace, here are a few fun ideas to keep you and your kids occupied indoors

water color: My daughter always tells me she wants to paint. Water colors are fun without all the paint clean up afterwards. Its creative and you can make it even more constructive by giving your kids a story and having them come up with a painting of what it would look like!
Kinetic sand: I have been told that kinetic sand is less messy than play-doh, which I am all for. You can let your kids tell a story with whatever they create. This will pass the time for hours!
board games: Games give your kids structure, and can be educational. Especially if you play games like Scrabble (help with spelling and vocabulary.) Another one that is fun and simple with kids is Spot it. You can also check out this post where we list some fun board games to play with the family.
write a play and act it out: This is a great way to get in some creative thinking and writing, and get your kids immersed in the arts! Come up with an idea and have your kids write the script and put the show together! You've even got a few days for rehearsals and costuming. Make it an event! Film it and share it with friends and family online!
baking: this is fun where science can get involved. Bake something together as a family. You'll teach your kids how to cook, and work on fractions and measuring, as well as the science of how different chemicals come together to make such delicious things as cookies and bread! You can even do home made pizza night and let the kids choose their own toppings. Making anything with yeast is fun and fascinating for kids, and then you can have a little science lesson on why the dough is rising!
reading: This really seems like a no brainer. This is a great time to encourage your kids to read something new! We have countless posts on book ideas that range from the youngest reader to the oldest. Search with your family for a new book! Maybe you can even choose one to read together as a family!
make a movie theater: put up dark curtains, pick out a movie (Hey Disney started streaming Frozen II early for everyone, wasn't that nice?) Pop some popcorn and give everyone their own bowl. It's a fun way to mix up just watching a movie at home. Make it seem like you're still at the theater by making the room extra dark! (For bonus points you could crank up the A/C so you'll all be freezing, but you don't have to!)
YouTube a new skill: is there something you always wanted to learn how to do? YouTube a how to video and get started! Origami is a great one for all the kids!

I hope this list really helps get you started and if you come up with ideas of your own, share them! We're all in this together, let's make it as fun as possible and take advantage of time to really reconnect with our kids!

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