Tag Archives: Home Activities During Corona Virus

April 3, 2020 · 8:15 am

Five Things for Today: April 3, 2020

The Stew

1. If you’ve never made Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric (aka The Stew), the oh-so-yummy concoction by Alison Roman, I recommend giving it a go. We first made it about a year ago when the recipe was all over social media and have cooked it several times since — our whole family loves it. Not only is it super tasty, the bright yellow color with pops of greens makes it a happy meal to eat. 😋 (If you can’t access the recipe on NYT Cooking, go here.) What are some of your favorite things to cook? Feel free to share recipes in the comments!

2. Love the results of this museum challenge. Perhaps it can be adapted for a fun family art adventure at home, too.

3. Sandy Spring Adventure Park has a Looking Forward sale going on. Navigating ropes courses in the trees sounds like a fantastic activity for when all of this over. (Read more about the adventure, one of our faves, here.)

4. Local theatres that enrich our lives with performing arts are among the many industries that have been hit hard by these coronavirus circumstances. TheatreWashington has an emergency relief fund to help professionals in the community who are without work right now. (You can also contribute directly to your favorite theatre — just go to the website and look for donation instructions.)

5. Another story time with a celebrity — this time with Samuel L. Jackson. (Btw, just seeing that it’s him should be warning enough that it’s not for kids. 😉)

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Five Things for Today: April 2, 2020

1. The Nats’ home opener was supposed to be today — the first game at Nationals Park since they became the World Series Champions. 😞 If your kids (and you) are also missing our home team and the start of the season, they can get a Nats fix another way: The Nationals have created content especially for young fans offering free, online educational activities for kids in grades 1-6, including STEM lessons, reading resources, and fun pages. Also, look for instructional baseball videos and cooking demos from Nationals Park Executive Chef Tim Jones soon!

2. Tonight at 7pm, tune in for Goodnight with Dolly as Dolly Parton begins a weekly series of reading bedtime stories for children. And that’s not the only wonderful thing she’s doing right now.

3. This past weekend, our family joined Watson Adventures’ Family Trivia Slam and it was a blast! It was part trivia challenge and part home scavenger hunt, as we competed virtually against other teams. It’s being offered on weekends all through April — Saturdays at 11am and 1pm, and Sundays at 1pm. Cost is $45/team (and you can join with friends in other places), and it’s recommended for ages 8 and up. I so want to reveal more about it, but I don’t want to give too much away. If you’re looking for a fun activity indoors this weekend, I highly recommend! Sign up here.

4. The COVID-19 Business Resource Center is available for small business owners who need assistance.

5. Homeschooling help from McSweeney’s!

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Five Things for Today: April 1, 2020

A socially distanced bike ride at Kingman Island

1. Biking is one of the recreational activities still permitted during the stay-at-home orders, and it’s a good one with kids, since it’s easy to maintain social distance while you do it. I recommend riding someplace with wide trails or where it’s easy to steer clear of other people. Close to home, stay in bike lanes as much as possible, so you don’t worry pedestrians on sidewalks. And be sure to stay with just your family. We recently rode at Kingman Island, Anacostia Park, and on the Anacostia River Trail — a great way to safely get outdoors and be active together. (Note: The link to the Anacostia River Trail details a bike ride to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, which is closed right now.)

2. Educational activities you can do at home from the National Zoo.

3. JK Tutoring Group has been offering one-on-one and small group tutoring sessions with experienced teachers and learning specialists throughout DC and parts of Montgomery County for five years. In the past several weeks, they have transitioned to fully virtual tutoring sessions to maximize social distancing. Parents and students have been thrilled with the results and have found it to be effective at maintaining academic progress and providing a change of pace during an otherwise monotonous quarantine day. Learn more here or by emailing jktutoringgroup@gmail.com.

4. Outside Magazine has suggestions on how to get away without leaving your house. And I’ve got one, too: YouTube videos! Before traveling to new places, we always watch them for tips on what to do, where to eat, good places to stay, etc. And along with getting recommendations, we get a good sense of what it’s like to be there — it’s an neat way to research. (We also like to watch them after a vacation and recall actually being there.) You don’t have to have a trip on the horizon to check out destinations around the world — just search for a place you’d like to see and do some armchair traveling for the fun of it!

5. I’ve decided to do something new and fun: I’m going to start hosting virtual dance parties — and I hope you’ll join! Every evening at 7pm, I’ll be live streaming, showing off all the new dances my kids teach me and busting some old-school moves, too. Get a preview here!

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