Category Archives: COVID-19 children’s enrichment activities

Rock On! April 4.

Art and Literature

What could be a better time than to dig into the Harry Potter series, whether for the first time, the second, or the 30th? This series is especially suitable for older readers. For younger readers, see below.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is perfect for today’s theme, and can be downloaded at Jefferson Madison Regional Library. Remember, you can download a temporary library card, too.

An audible download is available for people who read by listening.

Here’s a guide to finding your own rock, but don’t stop with one. You’ll need two: one to keep and one to share in the next activity.

Movement

Painted Rocks Hunt. Join the painted rocks craze. Paint a rock (if you celebrate Easter, it could be fun to paint it like an Easter Egg.)

Now hide your rock somewhere in the community, and post a clue on Cville Rocks. If you don’t live in Cville, you might have a similar group in your community. While you’re on the page, look for posts about other hidden rocks, and see if you can find them. PLEASE, DURING THIS TIME OF SOCIAL DISTANCING, TAKE PICTURES BUT DON’T TOUCH THE ROCKS YOU FIND! And when you take the pictures, don’t forget to tag enrichmentalliance on Instagram.

Science and Math

Make your own rock. Even after you find your own rocks, it’ll still be fun to make one yourself. Don’t forget to tag us at enrichmentalliance.

First Friday Gallery Crawl. April 3.

Art and Literature

Access Arts Virtual Art Show. It was a huge disappointment to miss the annual opening of the Access Arts Show at Carver Recreation Center. This show features the works of artist with differing abilities, and is one of the highlights of our year. View the show remotely through our link, but come back as soon as Carver reopens and see these beautiful works in person.

Art Apart. Take part in a collaboration by the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative and Charlottesville Safe Routes to School, by creating a work of art and displaying it in your window. The link on your left will tell you how to get your work on a map so others can find it. Try some of yesterday’s activities to create your work, or see the cool science ideas below.

Science and Math

The Beauty of Science. Among these intriguing science experiments are several that would actually make gorgeous works of art. Maybe you have a place you can display them outside your house for the Art Apart exhibit. Or take pictures of your experiments and share the pictures.

Movement

Gallery At A Distance. Now go back to to the Art Apart page and you will find a map showing all the art work entered in the exhibit. Take a walk to enjoy the beautiful spring day and the beautiful creations. Take pictures and tag enrichmentalliance on Instagram.

Spoken Word Poetry. Shape Art. April 2.

It’s National Poetry Month! Many of our posts this month will begin with poems or poem prompts and continue with themes suggested by the poems or prompts.

Art and Literature

This young poet presents a delightful poem, but we wanted to give math a chance to answer back, so his lament to mathematics is followed up with some awesome activities around a geometric theme. Spoken word poetry is heavily influenced by hip hop and rap and is much more likely to have rhymes and strong meter than most contemporary poems. Watch this video and try reading a poem aloud. It can be your own poem or a poem you’ve read.

Movement

So, maybe the poet doesn’t know just how cool geometry actually can be. This guy does.

Science and Math

Now that you have PROOF that geometry is cool, see what you can do with geometric shapes.

Geometric Art Pinterest Board. This board will provide lots of inspiration for artists who like to get a few ideas and then let their own imaginations run.

Geometric Sunburst. (Adapted activity) But some people prefer to watch someone model drawing before they draw. If that’s you, this very soothing video will show you how to create a sunburst. Check out some of their other videos too, It may be helpful to pause the video, copy their action, and then start the video again, continuing until you complete your work.

April 1. And you know what that means!!!

Today’s activities are all about tricks.

Math and Science

Our director, MaryAnna, learned this mind-blowing card trick from her mother as a child and reports that no one she knows has ever been able to figure out how it works. It will work every time, but YOU MUST COUNT CAREFULLY. Practice counting smoothly, too, so that your friend won’t understand how you got to your answer. You can try this at home with your family, or use a phone app. Look up card tricks and mathematical card trips for more jaw dropping tricks.

Movement

Magic tricks using a any pen you have on hand. (Until you don’t). As they say, it’s all a slight of hand. Practice these tricks in front of a mirror, or video tape yourself. Then put on a magic show.

Art and Literature

Older children and teens, download a trickster tale in the library and record or illustrate it for a young friend or sibling. If you don’t have a library card, you can download a temporary one. If you want to share your story publicly, you will need to to retell it in your own words or you may get into copy right issues. Here’s a link to the JMRL catalog, filtered by “trickster tales ebooks.” Look for books with “J” in the call number.

Here are two traditional trickster tales read aloud. One of them is signed in a combination of American and British Sign Language. The stories are suitable as stand-alones for younger children.

Zomo The Rabbit.

Hare and Hyena.

Signed in British and American ASL.

Games for One. The Real Story. March 31

Movement

Seven Up

Seven-up is just one of the games you can play alone on the Very Well Family website. Make up some games of your own and share them with us..

Science and Math

Solitaire Games You Probably Don’t Know

5 Single Player Card Games. Getting tired of the same old solitaire game? Here are some intriguing, and challenging games you might not know.

Art and Literature

The Real Story.

Retell a fairy tale. There’s always more than one side to every story. This website gives you some great ideas on how to write different versions of favorite fairy and folk tales. If you loved Ella Enchanted, you’ll love this activity.

Story baskets. Adapted. If you are the kind of person who likes props and visuals, fill a basket with action figures, plastic houses, and dragon puppets, whatever you can find that belongs in a fairy tale and use it to retell a favorite story. Share your pictures with your friends and be sure to tag #enrichmentalliance.

MARCH 30 FIELD TRIPS AT HOME

Science and Math

Make your own science museum. Fill boxes, baskets, bins, whatever you have on hand, with hands-on science materials. This link will give you some ideas. You are not likely to have the slick looking materials in their images lying around the house, but see what you can do instead. Can you find a measuring tape? A magnet? Share pictures of YOUR science kit with us on Instagram: enrichmentalliance.

Movement

Make your own fitness center. If you have cardboard, tape, socks, etc, you have a fitness center. This link is full of suggestions on how to put it all together and turn a corner of your home into your own gym. Post pictures of your equipment and share them with enrichmentalliance.

Art and Literature

Make your own library. The link on the left shares a few ideas for creating your own reading nook. Once you look at these ideas, you’ll probably have more ideas of your own. Make a reading nook and please, send us a picture at enrichmentalliance on Instagram. Now all you need are some books, right? That’s easier than you might know.

The Library of Congress has books available online.

Adaptive Reading Choices. Want an interesting story, but light reading? Try downloading some high/low readers.

MOVIE NIGHT

MARCH 29

Instead of our usual breakdown by subject, today we are listing two sets of short films and one recommendation for online classes.

Children’s Shorts. A collection of short films for children, curated by a father.
Sprout Film Festival. The Sprout Film Festival is a profoundly beautiful, honest, and thought provoking set of short films featuring people with developmental disabilities. The appeal this will have to children and youth may vary. Be My Brother might be a good start for older children through adults.

Online Film Classes.

Inspired to make your own films? Charlottesville’s Lighthouse Studio is currently offering “pay what you can” online film making classes. This very generous offer will turn time at home into an opportunity to develop talents and document an historic episode of children’s lives.

Share your creations as you go. Tag enrichmentalliance on Instagram or post on our Facebook Page, Enrichment Alliance of Virginia.

WHAT’S OUT THERE?

MARCH 27

Movement

Look up at any window. You might see a bear. Or if our idea takes off, maybe favorite gaming images instead. Communities around the country are taking the children’s rhyme “Going on a bear hunt” and turned it into a game for the COVID-19 quarantine. The link on the left tells you about the game in Augusta County. Take a walk around Augusta towns and see for yourself.

This sounds like so much fun, we think you could be excused for stealing the idea and giving it your own twist.

Network with your friends to pick a favorite gaming character from any video game. Have everyone print pictures of the character and put them in their windows. You might have figurines or stuffed toys you can put out also.

Use social networking to get the word out to get friends and neighbors. And friends of friends. And neighbors of neighbors. Ad infinitum. In addition to the apps you usually use, neighborhood apps and neighborhood list serves might be especially helpful. Once you get the word out, take a walk every day to to see if the character you suggested is showing up in any windows.

Remember, this will only happen if you get the word out to lots of people.

Art and Literature

Sidewalk Art. Do you remember the sidewalk art scene in Mary Poppins? How the sidewalk came alive with the work of a street artist? Bring your sidewalk alive with sidewalk art ideas. Or draw a gaming character from the activity above, or a bird from the activity below, and encourage walkers to come find your masterpiece.  

Science and Math

Birdzilla. Download this bird bingo game, and mark the spot when you see a matching bird.

Bird Bingo Adapted. If listening works better than looking, familiarize yourself with these birdsongs. Each player picks five birds to listen for. Who will hear all five of their birds first?

GAME NIGHT IDEAS DURING HOME QUARANTINE

March 27

Get Ready for Game Night

Art and Literature

Make your own board game.  This video by the National Museum of Australia is full of great ideas for creating board games using readily available materials.  The museum has additional videos and activities.

Movement

Movement and Music Games. Yesterday we posted a link to a rock podcast.  Use the podcast to play some music and movement games, like musical hide and seek.

Science and Math

Brainteasers. How quickly can you do the penny triangle challenge? This and other brain challenges use materials you should be able to find around the house, but if not, just improvise, sticks for toothpicks, buttons for pennies.

Adapting Games

Making Games Work…. This article has outstanding suggestions for making board games frequently played at home accessible at all levels.

After-School Online March 26

Subscriptions and Podcasts

Science and Math

But Why This semi-weekly NPR “Kids and Family” podcast digs into life’s pressing questions, like “How Do People Fall Asleep?” and “Do Animals Get Married?” This podcast does cover some topical issues, such as the COVID-19, so some parents might want to pre-screen or discuss the podcasts. Technically, these aren’t all Science and Math podcasts, but … close enough.

Movement

Rock Podcast.  Spare the Rock is a weekly radio show out of  KUTX 98.9, Austin.  This web link takes you to their blog, where if you scroll down you will find their most recent playlist.  Now, we put this under movement for a reason, so grab your phone, connect with your friends, and throw a virtual dance party.

Art and Literature

Today’s reading subscriptions will appeal to younger children. To make this suitable for older readers, consider having them create their own read-aloud recordings to share with younger children. They should think about how they will introduce and conclude their reading, and how they will use vocal tone to make it interesting.

Story Podcast Circleround is a weekly podcast from WBUR 90.9 Boston.  The website includes links to coloring books and soundtracks. 

Kids’ Books Read Aloud. If listening to read-alouds doesn’t work for you, this YouTube series features read-along books.