Author Archives: madunn

Shadow Shows

July 19

You don’t need anything more than hands and a light source to create a magnificent theatrical production. Don’t believe it? Watch this video.

Now that you’ve got the idea, see what you can do.

Get started with some easy hand puppets that are not any less amazing for their simplicity.

Below are two videos that are more complex, including a panther, which you can use to make your own Pink Panther video.

This is just a beginning. Enter “hand shadow puppets” in your search engine, for more shows and tutorials. With no money and a cast of one, you can put on a fantastic show.

Drive Through Enrichment

Just Passing Through.

Virginia is opening up, but the number of new infections keeps increasing. If you’d rather stay in your car, you can still enjoy some fun summer activities.

Virginia Safari Park has always been a drive through experience. Although there are opportunities to get out of the car, they are by no means essential to having a great experience at a park where the animals roam outside your vehicle. You can buy a bucket of feed to offer the creatures through your window, but don’t come in a brand new car! You WILL get feed all over everything. Bring hand-wipes and plenty of coins for the nearest car vacuum. During the pandemic, tickets must be purchased online.

An Abbreviated African-American History tour in Alexandria may leave you eager to come back when more is open, but according to The Washington Post, there are some stops of the current tour that “are moving sites to be seen and history to be discovered, even if you’re just looking at explanatory markers outside the public library where a sit-in took place in 1939. What the driving tour and the guide do well is recount another side of the city’s story, which has so often been centered on names like Lee and Carlyle.” –Washington Post, July 9.

There’s virtually no limit to the number of scenic drives in Virginia. Enjoy the coast, the mountains, or historic battlegrounds and countryside. Or if you want to try something more random, type “Random Location” in your app store to find apps that will route you to a random location. On your app you can designate how far you are willing to drive.

Bicycling in and Around Charlottesville

July 5-15

This post covers a longer than usual span, because Mary Anna will be on vacation after Independence Day.

Charlottesville Parks and Recreation recently launched a free rental bike-rental program, and Charlottesville Community Bikes offers free and affordable refurbished bikes, so this seems like a great time to post some ideas for bicycling.

Of course, you can’t ride a bike if you don’t know how. Because one of my children had significant gross motor and motor planning challenges, his physical therapist recommended a no training wheels method of learning to ride. We ended up using this method with both children because it was so easy. I’ve posted two videos showing this approach. Although it is not mentioned here, we found trying this on a surface with a very slight incline allowed them to coast further without peddles, using that time to focus on just learning to steer.

There’s a lot more to riding a bike than just knowing how. Everyone, no matter how long they’ve been riding, could use an occasional review of bicycle safety.

Now you just need a place to ride. Virginia Bike Trails offers statewide suggestions, including several in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area.

But what if bicycling isn’t so much about going some place as it is about doing stuff? Here are some interesting things kids can do on bike’s without going far from home. Some of these activities might stand just a little tweaking for social distancing.

4th of July During Covid-19

July 1-July 4

A Virtual Pot Luck! Share a meal with friends and family, even when you can’t be together. Pick a few families you want to celebrate with by way of phone or video platform. Before the fourth, each family can share one simple recipe so that everyone can enjoy one another’s contributions together. Since each family will have to prepare all the dishes in this virtual pot luck, keep it simple.

Social Distance Picnics. Or follow CDC guidelines and these ideas, if you are feeling ready to join a small group for an outdoors picnic.

Awesome 4th of July Sidewalk Art. Create a spectacular Independence Day Sidewalk Art Exhibition. Put on a chalk art fireworks show. Shoot yourself out of a cannon. Fly away on an eagle. With art, you can do anything.

Have a 4th of July parade on your street. Dress in red, white, and blue. Fill the holes of swim noodles with streamers and other decorations. You can march with them like a drum major’s baton, plus they have the added benefit of being useful to measure out social distance. (They’re short a few inches of 6 feet, so give’em a little allowance), Keeping that social distance, include some decorated bikes and trikes in your parade. Come up with your own ideas, serious or fun, for a social distance parade down your street. And don’t forget the dog!

The Museum of the American Revolution’s Virtual Tour not only offers tours of their galleries, but also links you to other sites of special historic significance as we celebrate Independence Day and explore our ever evolving understanding of equality.

There will be a virtual celebration at Monticello on Saturday, from 11:00 – 11:45.

Charlottesville/Albemarle Fireworks will be held in the county this year, and will be visible in the direction of Monticello and Carter’s Mountains. Viewers are asked to watch from their cars.

ESCAPE ROOMS DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING

Escape in Place. June 27-30

Ready to escape? Aren’t we all? You can escape in place by creating your own Escape Room. It can be as simple or complicated as you want. If you have never been to an Escape Room, it could be helpful to view a few videos of live Escape Rooms to get the general idea. The video below is a bit long, so you may want to scroll through.

Virtual Escape Rooms

Here is a simple, but creative homemade Escape Room to give you some ideas. Unlike some DIY Escape Rooms, it is not themed.

Locks aren’t the only material used in Escape Rooms, but they are heavily relied on.This mom delighted her kids with fancy new locks, which might not always work for families on budgets. Consider putting the word out to friends that you would like to borrow locks, or look on eBay. Puzzles are also essential. Puzzles and plans are available at several sites, including Lock Paper Scissors and Big Escape Rooms. Using a pre-made plan is recommended as a good way to get started on creating home Escape Rooms.

When you are are ready to jump into design, you can get guidance from escape-kit. Engaging your children in designing Escape Rooms for each other, or virtual Escape Rooms for friends, will not only be enormous fun, but also a great way to develop creative and critical thinking skills. Not to mentioned the content knowledge that can be worked into the creation of your room.

When the time is right for you to visit live Escape Rooms, there are two facilities in the Charlottesville. Check their sites for information on COVID-19 opening plans.

https://www.cvilleescaperoom.com/ Unlocked History Escape Room

Drama Activities for Children During Social Distancing

A Play’s the Thing. June 24-27.

Add some drama to your life. We’ve found a few resources you can use to create a play or puppet show in your house.

You’ll need a script.You can find free scripts for kids thought.com and a2z homeschooling. Drama Notebook offers 50 scripts; there is a $10.00 subscription fee.

Maybe you want to write your own script. Pen and Pad has guidelines for adults working with children on writing simple plays.

So, how do you put on a play and social distance? One possibility would be to create and film a puppet show. That way all the characters can be played by people living under the same roof. Film your puppet show and share it on your favorite platform. Below are some links with ideas for creating puppets and puppet theaters.

Maybe you’d rather act the play out yourself. You still can.

One way would be to do outdoors theater, keeping your characters 6 feet apart. Masks have been traditionally worn in drama throughout the world. Try some of these theater masks, but be sure to add two layers of fabric following CDC guidelines.

Or have a blast with technology. You can put on a play with friends with the most amazing scenery imaginable by sharing the backgrounds that come with the platform or loading your own. In your search engine, enter “zoom free virtual backgrounds” or simply the type of scene you want, such as “spaceship” or “medieval castle”.

Want to dig further into theater? Virtual theater classes are being offered throughout the country. Locally, Live Arts is offering classes. Enter “virtual theater classes” in your search engine for more ideas.

Family Staycations, Part Three

June 13-16 Virtual Tours and Activities In and Around Charlottesville

To give a little glimpse of what you can look forward, here are some COVID-19 posts from local attractions. To make this a true vacation, you’ll want:

A Gift Shop.

  • Buy some blank post cards and draw a picture of the sites you visited. Send them to a friend.
  • Make some small models of objects you saw on your visit.
  • Create some books. Gift shops typically have not only books about the site you visited, but also non-fiction and fiction related to the site.
  • Get some fabric markers and make tee-shirts, hats, and tote-bags with images from your visit.

A Snack Bar

Be sure to include a few selections related to the site you are visiting. For example, maybe serve some watercress or other Maori foods.

A Hands-on Learning Section

Some of these sites already have an activity section, but here are a few more:

  • Create a costume room. Look at some old clothes, clothes, and accessories in your closets and WITH PERMISSION :), the closets of people bigger than you. Can you transform some of these into period clothes or clothes from another part of the world?
  • Set out some materials to try out crafts or music related to the site.
  • Put out some construction materials, such as Lego’s, Plus Tubes, and Lincoln Logs to make models of the place you visit.

Now Enjoy Your Tour.

These are a few local attractions I found with online offerings. I’m sure to have missed some great ones. Message us on Facebook or write to mail@enrichmentalliance.org if you have additions.

Enjoy your staycation. Send us a card!

Gifts Kids Can Make at Home, Part Two

June 10-13

Some of these ideas feature Dads, but they would really make great gifts for any important adult in your life, male or female. Make a gift for an adult who means the world you you.

Calm key chaos with a beautiful cardboard key holder.

Transform an Altoids Tin. Love this. Take any tin box, it doesn’t have to be an Altoids box really, and turn it into…. a case for something small that needs organizing, a game, a work of art, just a few ideas offered on this website and you’ll probably think of more cool ideas.

Mustache Mugs are easy and trendy. Just don’t paint someone’s favorite mug without asking 🙂

Homemade Cards can be truly awesome. This link provides instructions for cards that go WAY beyond your classic folded piece of paper with a drawing in crayon.

Family Staycations, Part Two

Beyond your own backyard. June 6-9

This is the second of two parts. Last weekend’s post focused on transforming your home and yard into a destination. This weekend’s post shared information about potential destinations in the Charlottesville area, or close enough for day trips. The situation is very fluid, so rather than listing open destinations, we are providing links. Check these links often for updates.

Whether you have decided dining out is a safe choice for your family or are looking for the carryout for the beautiful restaurant you created in your home (see last weekend’s post), find out what local restaurants are currently offering. Staunton has closed four blocks of city streets to enable more outside dining.

During Phase Two more attractions will be opening up, but please weigh the risks carefully before deciding what is safe for your family and your community. Social distancing, hand-washing, masks, and other measures recommended by the CDC are still critical, and staying home remains the safest choice.

For information on a few local and regional parks and natural areas that are at least partially open:

Albemarle County Parks and Recreation.

Augusta County Parks and Recreation.

Blue Ridge Parkway.

Charlottesville Parks and Recreation.

Claudius Crozet Park.

Greene County Parks and Recreation

Ivy Creek Natural Area.

Nelson County Parks and Recreation

Shenandoah National Park.

Wildrock Park.

Other destinations and activities that are partially open include:

Brooks Family YMCA.

Carter Mountain/Chiles Family Orchards.

James Madison’s Montpelier.

Check out this interactive map to get some ideas for day trips in Virginia. But please don’t let down your guard. The virus is still out there. Most popular tourist destinations in Virginia have virtual tours, downloadables, and online activities, and we’ll be sharing some of those next week-end for Part Three of Family Staycations.

Enrichment During Shutdowns. Rowling’s World.

June 3-June 5.

Did you know that Jk Rowling is releasing a new children’s fantasy novel, one chapter at time, at no charge as a gift to us all during social distancing? New chapters of The Ickabog are posted daily, but you can start at the beginning, not matter when you first access her website.

It gets even more exciting, because for each chapter, Rowling provides suggestions for illustrations. Children between the ages of seven and twelve can enter their drawings in a competition to have their illustrations included in the book when it is published in November!!! All royalties of of the book will go to people impacted by COVID-19.

So let’s load you up with some great tools for illustrating a child’s fantasy tale. We’re picking a few links on drawing fantasy beasts, followed by a few general links to some of the items listed in her suggestions. These links are deliberately selected for children of all abilities, so if one looks too hard or too easy, just check out a different link.

Rowling’s new book is not a part of the Harry Potter world, however it does feature a legendary beast. Some videos on drawing fantastic beasts might help get those creative ideas rolling (pun intended).To get some more basics on monster drawing, visit this wikihow.

Drawing dragons is always a useful skill, is it not? And some say the Ickabog is like a dragon. Try a simple step-by-step dragon, perfect for any age. Or, if you are up for a challenge, create a more intricate dragon, using the same techniques professionals employ.

Now, let’s look at just a few of the specific items Rowling lists in her suggestions.

Royalty, Simple.

King, Moderate Difficulty.

Cheese, Very Simple.

French Pastries, advanced. (Don’t do this on an empty stomach).

Peacock, Simple. Peacock, Moderate Difficulty. Peacock, Advanced. Dog, Simple. Bush, simple.

For more ideas to get you going, enter “how to draw” plus the name of the item, and you are likely to get a useful hit. These are tutorials: just a place to get you started. Try them out. Master some skills. Then start having fun by changing things up. This is YOUR art, not anyone else’s. Now that you have learned how one person draws a king, what’s your own very unique way?