Bring Camp Fun To Your Home
As camp directors, one of our areas of expertise is setting schedules and pivoting quickly because of weather or other variables that cause us to make changes. Here are some of our best tips for planning your days at home so you and your kids keep your sanity and enjoy your time together.
BE PATIENT: This is uncharted territory for everyone – schools, camps, your office and clients, parents, friends, neighbors. Remind yourself that everyone is figuring things out on the fly. Be ready for the mishaps that are to come and embrace the opportunity to pivot.
SET A SCHEDULE: Every home is going to get crowded with schools closed and increased working from home. Your WIFI speed won’t be able to keep up and everyone will wan’t something different at any given moment. Having a schedule helps everyone stay on track with school work and keep the nagging (and screen-time) in check. Schedules work when they have built in transitions and predictability that kids can relate to. Let your kids help create the schedule, so they feel more in control of the situation.
GET YOUR SILLYS OUT: Classic pre-school trick. Be ready to pivot with a quick physical activity, impromptu family sing-a-long or epic Tik-Tok dance marathon.
FOCUS ON SCHOOLWORK IN REASONABLE TIMEFRAMES: We all need a break. Account for the socializing, enrichment activities and downtime that is factored into the school day. Even though you may still be scared by middle school Dodgeball, there is a reason why PE is mandatory. We all learn in different ways – online learning and moving at their own pace is going to be difficult for many and a welcome change for others.
GET CREATIVE: Almost anything in your home can be turned into an art project or activity. Extra boxes from ordering toilet paper? I see a race car in your future. Old t-shirts? Start tie-dying.
BE CONNECTED: Sounds funny coming from the land of unplugged. Don’t let social distancing turn into social isolation. We all need human contact. And your kids are no different. Plan group chats with their friends’ parents, coordinate activities and share projects on video. Rethink your social media rules as this situation unfolds. The joy of ‘no school’ will wear off quickly as boredom sets in.
GET OUTSIDE: Find a hiking trail, clean-up your yard, plant some flowers. Sunshine often cures all.
SHOW SOME GRACE: Relax your standards. Cut your kids some slack. Bend the rules (more screen-time may be necessary). This isn’t going to work perfectly. Things may be messier (or perhaps nesting will be at an all-time high) and meals may be more basic. It’s all good.
