Our youth ambassador Myles has come up with these useful ideas below of activities to do while in isolation:-
Hey friends, with everything that’s happening in the world at the moment, I thought I’d compile a list of websites and activities that you could try with your young people to keep them entertained!
I’ve joined a group on Facebook called ‘Surviving Self-isolation with SEN kids’. This has a lot of different ideas and website links that may help you; for example there is a link to a website called BoredPanda –
https://www.boredpanda.com/famous-museums-offering-virtual-tours/?utm_source=accessmyles&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=organic
This has 12 famous virtual tours of museums worldwide that you can access from the comfort of your own sofa!
If your kids are into animals and the zoo, here are a few links for you to try! These websites will show you virtual tours around the zoo and you will get the opportunity to watch the animals at feeding times all around the world!
https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos
https://koala.net/webcams
https://www.houstonzoo.org/explore/webcams/
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams
https://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/explore/webcams
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams
Here is a full list of zoos with webcams – https://zoocamerasaroundtheworld.com/list-of-zoos-with-webcams/
If your young person enjoys David Walliams’ stories, this website is amazing! David reads you his stories so your little/big one can sit and listen.
Elevenses with The World of David Walliams
If you want a bit of time away from a screen, I’ve come up with some ideas below that may keep you and your child entertained without the need of an internet connection!
- Plan and lay out a treasure hunt, with hints and clues for your children to scavenger hunt around the house. This can work outside too if you have a garden.
- Make a cosy corner / den. To do this all you need are blankets or table cloths and something to throw them over; for example chair arms and the back of your sofa! Once you have made your cosy corner/ den, make full use of it by allowing your imagination to run free! Your den could be the rabbit hole from Peter Rabbit and you have to stay away from Mr Todd so he doesn’t get you! Or your den could be the inside of your space ship as you zoom to outer space to explore new planets, watch out for the aliens!!!
- Use any old recycling items that you can find to make ‘scrap people’. You can use whatever you find in your house to cut out and stick together to make a body, arms, legs, feet, head etc. Once you’ve made your scrap person, why not decorate them and hang them in a window for anyone to see.
- Make some homemade skittles. All you need is empty bottles and some kind of weight, this could be a bit of water or sand in the bottom of the bottles, just to give them a bit of gravity. Then grab a ball and play away!
- Have a paper aeroplane competition. Make different sizes and designs and see which plane flies the furthest.
- Try your hand at baking. If you have the ingredients, why not try making some cupcakes or cookies.
- Find out an old jigsaw puzzle and try to complete it in one day!
- Hold a fashion show. Place towels on the floor to make a runway, each person will create their most extravagant outfit and as they ‘walk the catwalk’ they can be introduced and their outfit described as best as possible.
If you have an outdoor area that you can access safely, here are a few more ideas for you to do outside –
- Set up some outdoor games like croquet, skittles or boules. If you don’t have these games, why not try making them from scratch with items you find around your house.
- Draw on the driveway with chalk. Leave a ‘Thank you’ message for your postman/ woman and delivery people to brighten their day or make a road on your driveway for your younger ones to drive their toy cars on.
- Get into the garden and go on a mini-beast hunt! Create your own fact sheet about the bugs living in your garden, this could include ladybirds, spiders, caterpillars, butterflies, ants, slugs, snails, worms, centipedes and bumble bees! Don’t forget to look high and low, behind plant pots and under stones!
- Make natural art. Instead of going straight for the crayons and paints, why not try collecting some fallen leaves, petals and twigs to make a beautiful nature picture or sculpture.
- Have a picnic in the garden. Make up your favourite picnic foods like sandwiches, crisps, strawberries, melon, raspberries and treats and pack them up in your picnic basket and take them to your favourite spot in the garden for a relaxed day out. Make sure you take a picnic blanket or something to sit on so you don’t get a dirty bottom!
- If you have a sensible adult with you at home, why not try making your own campfire to toast marshmallows on. Make sure you stay a safe distance from the fire and always follow instructions carefully. We don’t want any hospital visits!
If your young person is into Harry Potter, here’s a website you may enjoy!
https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/harry-potter-at-home
On the link above you can bring Hogwarts to you! There are fun and interactive puzzles and quizzes, there’s even a guide how to draw a Niffler!
If you need something more educational, there is a website called –
http://www.brainpop.com
On here you can get free access to help your young people stay informed and on-track during school closures. You will need to create a single login for use at home to access this resource.
If you just need a break and your young person wants something different to watch, try searching for ‘Owen’s Troopers’ on Facebook. They post short videos of their characters at home!
https://www.facebook.com/OWENSTROOPERS/
If you have any other suggestions on how to keep your children entertained during lockdown, please email us. I would also love to see your photos so share them on social media and make sure you tag me in them!
Don’t forget friends, STAY HOME, STAY SAFE!
Love, Myles
