May – Kids Pandemic Activities and Resources
It’s been EIGHT WEEKS of lockdown now in most countries and I don’t know about you, but my family is definitely feeling the effects as we adjust to the idea that this is how things are going to be for the rest of this year. Motivation levels are low, sibling fights are on the rise, and everyone is cranky. We are in what will probably be our last cold spell (sub-zero) of the season. We’re looking forward to getting outdoors as much as possible before the heat and humidity strikes. Meanwhile, we are continuing to occupy our days drawing, reading and finding things to do.
Here are some more kids activities and resources that we are using regularly and can recommend to others.
There are currently three IMAX films available for free. Dinosaurs Alive, Mummies – Secrets of the Pharoahs and Wild Oceans. These 3D documentaries are normally shown in our local science centre and include clips taken from various documentary shows.
We’ve been trying out various ‘how to draw’ tutorials to do with friends over video calls. This is our favourite source of tutorials so far. The videos aren’t overly long, but the artist takes time to explain each step of what he’s doing. It’s easy to follow along.
21 Day Chick Hatching adventure with Rainbow Farm
Check in with the farm over 21 days and watch how the eggs are developing during the incubation process from newly laid eggs into brand new chickens. This is great for kids that don’t have much access to farms and wildlife.
Ask your Grandparents (or other family and friends)
There are tons of websites which have example questions that children can ask their grandparents. We’ve been living on another continent for three years now. Even if we weren’t in the middle of a global lockdown, we wouldn’t be seeing our extended family members. We had to cancel our planned first visit home this summer because of the pandemic. It will be at least four years before we can catch up in person. However, now all our family are stuck at home and are more available for video calls. Typically we have found video calls can be awkward for the kids. It can be hard to find news and topics of interest for everyone to talk about.
I’ve taken about 6-10 questions each time and wrote them out so my eldest can ask the others on the video call for their answers. It’s proving a good way to give a purpose to each call and get everyone chatting. I plan to compile some of the responses and keep them as a lovely record of our family that we wouldn’t otherwise have. There have been interesting and unexpected responses to the questions and the kids are more engaged in the conversation.
This education website is offering free access during the pandemic (currently upto June 15th) for schools and families. The family access link is right here. It features short videos and activities with Tim and Moby (the robot) explaining various concepts and ideas. This one explains ‘flattening the curve‘ and social distancing. There isn’t a particular order for watching the videos but there’s a wide range of topics to choose from and kids find them engaging.
For kids (and adults) that love documentaries. This website is not free, but is almost half-price right now for a yearly subscription. The website gathers together a huge variety of documentaries on various topics. Use the main link to check it out and sign up, or you can use my referral link if you’d like to.
Wes Tanks takes some of these favourite children’s books, and puts a whole new perspective on reading them. There are only a few there, but it’s worth a watch for Seuss fans.
You can also check our previous coronavirus schooling activities list for other ideas.