A few suggestions:

• 'Lunch Doodles" with Author Mo Willems every weekday at 1pm - kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems

  • Young Writer's Blueprint - creative writing by Author, Alice Kuipers - writingblueprints.com/p/writing-course-ages-6-10

How about Cooking together with a meal kit - delivered/shipped - ingredients and recipes - right to your home??

• • Blueapron.com, dinnerly.com, eatcleanbro.com, everyplate.com, gobble.com, greenchef.com, hellofresh.com, homechef.com, hungryroot.com, marleyspoon.com, purplecarrot.com, realeats.com

Break out the Games!

For Ages 3 and older:

• Boggle Junior, Ladybug game, picture sequencing, Tanagrams plus, Busytown Eye Found It!, Snug as a Bug in a Rug, Hoot Owl Hoot, Zingo 1-2-3, HiHo! Cherry-O, Robot Turtles, Coder Bunnyz, Pigs in Pants, Little Red Riding Hood Deluxe, Funny Bunny, Monopoly Jr., Blokus, Brain Freeze

For ages 6 and older:

• • Qwirkle, Zingo Sight Words, The Ungame, Animal Mastermind Towers, Dominoes, Connect 4, Uno, Bananagrams, Head Full of Numbers

For ages 8 and older:

• • Rock On! Geology Game, Clumsy Thief, Galaxy Trucker, Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters!, Boggle

For the entire family:

• • Chess, Backgammon, Yahtzee, Rummikub, Jenga, Scrabble, checkers, card games, Trouble, Clue, Memory

Outdoors....

• • Take a walk or bike ride and discuss what you see, feel and smell

  • Clean up the yard, Sweep, Mulch, Rake - jump in leaves - make giant pumpkins (orange trash bags filled with leaves and paint a pumpkin face on them)

  • Kidsgardening.org has many garden projects and craft ideas using nature and the environment

  • Chalk Draw on the sidewalks and driveway

  • Play outside - Kick a ball, throw a frisbee, hopscotch 4 square, jumprope, fly a kite

Indoors.....

• • Look at old photos and share their memories

  • Print your photos and write on the backs of them for posterity

  • Write old-fashioned letters and postcards

  • Encourage and help your kids re-do their rooms

  • Make a new play space by cleaning part of your attic or basement

  • Sort/Organize the toys

  • Find/sort/wrap coins

• Clean out your junk drawer(s) together and find family treasures

• Fingerpaint - you can use shaving cream on the walls during a bath, or use chocolate pudding (edible finger paint) on a plate or kitchen counter

The good thing about being home is that we have all slowed down and now have the time to strengthen the bonds with our children and 'Make those Memories'! They Grow up so fast, Cherish the time together! I would like to leave you with one of my favorite poems that we may all actually have the time for now............

If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again

by Diane Loomans

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.

I'd fingerpaint more, and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less and know to care more.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd model less about the love of power,

And more about the power of love.