Tips for family fun during COVID-19 time at home

Hey, hey, everyone! Long time, no see! We’re missing our daily round ups and playground profiles we’d normally be sharing with you this time of year, but you asked for some more at-home tips & tools, so here we are!

Don’t forget: you can find our original list of educational links here:

Keeping kids entertained & educated during the COVID-19 school shut down

You might also want to check out the resources now available from some provincial organizations: you can find some links from Anglophone East educators here and Nova Scotia’s neat flyer-style activities here.

And while our weekly round ups are on hold, the Pickle Planet Podcast is still recording weekly! Check out our conversation with counsellor Kerri Gaskin if you’re looking for some mental wellness support, and did you see we interviewed New York Times Best Selling author Tracey West?! Canadian parenting Ann Douglass is booked as a guest this week; be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don’t miss these great chats!

Now, on to the new fun we have to share!!

PERSONALIZED GAMES

We love this simple, easy-to-use word search generator! You decide on the words to include and how many rows of letters, allowing for you to create a puzzle perfect for your own family. For bonus ‘teaching at home’ points, assign the creation of the puzzle to an older elementary-aged child; our Grade 3 kiddo loves making these and challenging us to complete them!

Here’s a quick New Brunswick-themed word search we created; feel free to download the photo and print it off!

You can do a crossword puzzle version, too!

COLOUR CANADA

There’s a reason adult colouring books were all the rage for awhile; it can be a wonderfully calming activity, and we’ve found a great resource with lovely drawings of Canadian provinces (and some other Canadian worksheets, but the provincial colouring pages are our fave!). We’ve downloaded these pages a few times now and enjoyed family colour sessions at the kitchen table. A great way to talk about our country and calm ourselves with creative pursuits.

COMIC COLOURING

If you’re looking for more detail to colour, Moncton-born comic book artist Nick Bradshaw has released some pages in collaboration with East Coast Comic Expo. Check it out!!

SCAVENGER HUNTS

Here’s an indoor & an outdoor scavenger hunt you can use with the kids. We love to print these image-based lists off for the kids and send them on an adventure with an old phone to grab photos of the items on the lists!

COVID-19 TIME CAPSULES

If you haven’t already, take the time to download and complete the fabulous COVID-19 Time Capsule created by Natalie Long, a graphic designer and mom in Alberta.

There are several versions, including one in French, one for adults, and even one for expecting parents!

RAINBOW WEEK CHALLENGE

We stopped our weekly theme days, but if you’re looking for a little fun, why not declare a Rainbow Week Challenge!

Each day, have your family dress in as much of one colour as possible. (Don’t think you have enough clothing of each colour? Adjust! Try this with lining up books of each colour, stuffies of each colour, etc.) On Sunday,  make a rainbow collage of your photos!

FAMILY TREE

Remember when we suggested you work on your family tree with the family? Now Kings’ Landing is helping out – with an online lesson with downloaded forms! Check it out here.

MORE GAMES TO PLAY

We printed off the free family version of Cards Against Humanity. For those with tweens & teens, this can be a great family activity!

We also saved this list of at-home DIGITAL escape rooms. We haven’t tried them out yet, but they look super cool & great for older kids who can read along on their own.

And speaking of at home games to play … we’re working now on a special project for New Brunswick families! Watch for something special coming soon!!

That’s all for this update, folks! Hope you’re staying safe and healthy – and please, keep sharing our posts, tuning into our podcasts, and letting us know what you need to help you through these unusual times! (And thanks to Megan McKinley for our awesome family photo on the front porch!)