Lemonade out of Lemons - COVID-19

O.K. This pandemic thing is for the birds. Well, wait a minute, birds aren’t at all affected and can still fly wherever they want. But for us humans, the myriad adjustments we’re having to make in our everyday lives is the stuff of science fiction…yet here we are. And when times get tough and the curve balls are incoming, well, folks can either panic or work to make lemonade out of the lemons. Me? I’m firmly of the latter. And even if it ever did become the veritable “last night on the Titanic” (with the chances of this somewhere around 1 in 10 trillion), I’d remain the same. There’s just too much to celebrate and too many around us that need a level head. Of course we are far from “there,” yet our normal, everyday lives have indeed been firmly interrupted. In the spirit of staying busy and entertained in this time of mandated social distancing and recommended “sheltering-in-place,” I’m excited to share some of what I’ve been doing to keep my kids happy and my wife and I upbeat.

This beautiful weather has made for some nice walks with just the family (keeping at least 6’ or more away from others). My two girls (and dog down the trail) are pictured here. Image Courtesy: Dan Meyers

First, if you are lucky enough to have children around it’s vitally important to keep your cool and remain positive. This is especially true if you have young children as these are their formative years. They won’t likely remember a lot about the Coronavirus itself, but they will remember how we all acted about it. These impressions will have lasting effects on who they become, what they think is normal and how they might react in a future situation, possibly with their own kids someday (and your grandkids)! So, let’s stay smart, fun, positive (as much as possible) and impress upon the little ones around us that while we do indeed need to wash our hands frequently, avoid gathering together in groups, avoid playing with friends, etc. etc. (here’s a link for all the important protocols), the world will continue to turn and there is a strong light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s continue to raise up self-starters and foster positivity, hard work and resilience. Plus, these social distancing restrictions aren’t entirely “all bad” as they do indeed create some uniquely special family opportunities.

Family Time

With many of us working from home right now, family time has been given a major shot of adrenaline. We are getting quality time together like no other as this self-isolation order/recommendation (depending on where live) has been given. And for me? This is tremendous. I will soak up the family time as much as I can. That’s always been the case for me, but for many others, it’s a truly special moment. Our little ones are only little for a while, so this extra family time is like a childhood extender. Let them play, play with them, get them going on fun projects that combine art, math and reading…there is suddenly time for all. Turn their lack of school into an opportunity for them to learn through play. Here are a few ideas (with more to come as the weeks roll by):

Toy Hide N’ Seek: Yesterday I let the kids pick 5 small toys each. We took the toys into our backyard and I hid them. The kids then searched for the toys like a treasure hunt. Then the kids took turns hiding the toys for each other. This went on for 2 and a half hours. Much fun! Not much learning here, but hey, schools out!

Making Hiking Maps: We are lucky enough to have some trails within close walking distance to our house. Thus, yesterday, I took my two girls and our dog on a “lost forest hike,” complete with backpacks and picnic food. With only a few fingers of the trail system trod, we intend to explore and map it all, meanwhile having zero contact with other people and touching. This activity combines in art, reading and math with the need to talk about directions, north/south, elevation, creek flow rates, etc. etc.

Backyard Golf: I haven’t tried this just yet, but it’s on my list. Of course, you can’t hit a real golf ball in your backyard (unless you have acreage), but you can make a tiny golf course complete with small flags, bunched up towels for sand traps, and small buckets for holes. You then “tee off” before each hole by throwing your “ball,” which could be a small whiffle ball, pine cone, or, well, just about anything other than a rock (don’t throw rocks, unless in the pond!). Keep track of your tracks. Have candy or cookies as prizes. Heck, this can even be challenging for adults.

Weather is Changing

I see that the weather is about to get rainy. Heck, it might even be raining now as you are reading this. Don’t despair, the above activities still work in the rain, as well as indoors (just not the hiking). Yet there are many great indoor activities to stay busy with as well. I’ll be highlighting some of those in the next post. So stay tuned!