Over the last week, the entire world has been turned upside down. The CDC officially categorized COVID-19 as a pandemic. As a result, I officially started working from home last Friday. The kids’ daycare has officially closed. Public schools, bars, restaurants, malls, etc. have been shuttered. Everyone is doing their part to FLATTEN THE CURVE. Working from home with two toddlers is HARD. We basically move from one distraction to the next, with snacks in between.
Thankfully, I had an inkling early last week that this might happen, so I ordered ALL OF THE THINGS on Amazon and Target. No. I wasn’t stockpiling toilet paper or hand sanitizer. I was ordering all sorts of activities for the kiddos to do while I am working!
Scroll down to check out the activities that, I HOPE, will keep us all sane over the next few weeks (or months).
Color Sorting
Nathan is learning ALL about the rainbow in school, so I thought it would be fun to reinforce that knowledge with a color sorting activity at home. I bought these rainbow farm animals and matching rainbow bowls on Amazon. Nathan has really enjoyed it! We sing the rainbow song and, as we pick out the different animals, he has to say the color out loud and then find the matching bowl. It occupies about 30 minutes of his time, which is great!
Build a Fort
Fort building is an ART, and I am an ARTIST. I LOVE building forts. It is so much fun! A little over a year ago, I bought the Nugget for Nathan. The Nugget had been living in our playroom until this weekend. Downstairs, it was mostly used as a “mini sofa.” This weekend was the first time that we actually built a fort with it. Nathan and Nora had THE BEST TIME jumping and crawling all over it. If you have been thinking about buying a Nugget for your kiddos, DO IT NOW!
Lots of Puzzles
Nathan and Nora have been loving puzzles lately. Thankfully, we already had a stockpile of them here at the house. Our favorites are these from Melissa and Doug.
Make Your Own Playdough via The Mama Notes
Fellow blogger and mama, Caitlin Kruse, developed this DIY play dough recipe. I have been wanting to try it for a while now. No time like the present!
Indoor Car Races
This Batmobile has been a HIT at our house since I first bought it two years ago. Nathan and Nora love sitting on it and racing down the hallway.
Build Kinetic Sand Castles
Everyone RAVES about Kinetic Sand. So when I thought they might cancel daycare, I made sure to order a bag to try. It JUST arrived yesterday. I can’t wait for Nathan to try it tomorrow!
Plant Seeds or Seedlings
Last year, Nathan LOVED growing strawberries. Each day, when he came home from daycare/camp, he would RUN to the deck to check on them. I picked up some strawberry seedlings this weekend at our local nursery, and we planted them. Every day we are home, we go out to check on them and water them. I love showing Nathan and Nora how we grow our own food! I just bought Nathan this watering can, and it arrives tomorrow. I can’t wait to watch him use it!
Go For A Walk/Play Outside
Fresh air is good for EVERYONE! We are going to try to take a walk around our block every morning for about 30 minutes. Nathan also likes running around in the backyard. Yesterday, he played soccer by himself for a bit, while Nora and I hung out on a blanket. It was so relaxing and really refreshing!
Play Dress Up
We have a bin filled with old costumes, sunglasses, and hats. Nathan really loves to get dressed up in his fireman costume and/or Paw Patrol Marshall sweatshirt. Nora is OBSESSED with Frozen at the moment. I dressed her up as Elsa for Purim last week, and she looked so cute!
Bake Something Together
A few weekends ago, Nathan and I baked hamantaschen, for Purim, with my brother. It was a lot of fun (and really messy). I am going to attempt to make bread and chocolate chip cookies with him this week. Fingers crossed for me!
When all else fails….there is ALWAYS Disney+
It is no secret that my kids LOVE Disney movies. We watch at least one a day. Nathan has been on an Incredibles binge lately, and Nora cannot stop watching Frozen. Thankfully, Disney released Frozen 2 on Disney+ a few months early. We are only 1 day into our “social distancing,” and we have already watched Frozen 2 AT LEAST 3 times.
