If you’re like any other parents I know, you breathed a DEEP sigh of relief when school got out today… and shortly after, you realized that now you have to figure out how to occupy your kids for three weeks. I share lots of crafts and activities over in my free exclusive Facebook group (Nanny Hacks for Busy Moms), so jump on over there to join for ideas throughout the break, but today I want to give you some ideas for creating adventures from home using free virtual experiences.
Whether you’ve already discovered the amazing opportunities for adventure that lie within virtual experiences or you have no idea what I’m talking about, by adding a few interactive elements you can make a virtual trip to the zoo almost as memorable as the real thing! Really… I promise!
**Pick and choose the parts that sound the most fun (and least stressful)… these aren’t all or nothing suggestions!**
- For a virtual trip to the zoo, make tickets for your kids to give you to get “in”. Be the zookeeper and lead your kids to the living room to see the elephants on the TV, then walk them over to the dining room for the monkeys on your computer, then on to their bedroom for the koalas, and the bathroom for penguins. Obviously, if you don’t have access to multiple devices, this would be a little trickier to set up in advance, but you can still have the same effect by walking around your house and back to your single device to show the next exhibit. Make it extra fun by setting up a picnic (inside or outside, depending on the weather). For an extended adventure after lunch, throw in a craft of making paper plate animal masks and have your kids pretend to be the animals as you walk around the zoo. You can even “feed the animals” in the exhibit with a fun, healthy snack. Be sure to take pictures of your “day” at the zoo so your kids can remember all the fun later!
- For a trip to the aquarium, I’d either start or end in the bathtub to have a “swimming with the fish” experience. Then I’d take a “walk” around the aquarium by visiting a few of the different video exhibits (many aquariums have live video feeds of the animals) and I’d end up at a “tidepool”… in a bin at the kitchen table. If you have sand, great! Put some at the bottom of your bin, if not, great! Skip it. Either way, fill the bin about ½ way with water and add some pretend creatures to it. For coral, you could put in some chunks of cauliflower. To make a sea cucumber, fill a long balloon with water and sand. Get creative with what you have and use toys that can get wet, too! YOU could even use a bundle of glow bracelets to represent a different variety of coral. At the end of the experience, pull out the play dough and let your kids make models of their favorite sea creatures. (If you want an easy play dough recipe, just search my Facebook group.)
- Take a trip around the world to visit The Great Wall of China! Personally, I’d make this one educational AND an adventure. A few interesting facts to share with your kiddos…
- The Great Wall of China is over 2,300 years old.
- It was built to protect China from its enemies.
- Soldiers guarded the wall and looked for enemies who were coming.
- The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built.
- If you wanted to walk the length of the whole wall, it would take over 30 million steps.
Take a walk outside and see how many steps you can count together. When you get back, enjoy your virtual Great Wall experience! After you’ve explored all you’re going to explore, have a little competition to see who can build the tallest or longest structure… probably with blocks, but you could also use pillows if you want. :)
- For a virtual art museum: For this one, I’d start with the actual virtual tour. As you make your way through the tour, be sure to engage with your kids about what they think about the art. After you’ve seen a variety, have painting clothes and art supplies set up with as many options as you have (or are willing to put out at once). Suggested art supplies: crayons/markers, watercolors, paper, acrylics, canvas, tissue paper, scissors, glue, stickers, playdough, straws, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, and anything else you want! Leave this activity completely open-ended. Let their imaginations run wild and see what they create!
- For a virtual day at the farm: Start with a pot, some soil, and a few veggie seeds. Help your kids plant their seeds so you can watch them grow over the next few weeks/months. As with the other experiences, I’m a big fan of getting some movement in, so in addition to walking around the house to see the different animal homes at the farm, you could add in a couple music/dance breaks (like The Chicken Dance or Old MacDonald Had a Farm). Help your kids “milk a cow” by using a new rubber glove and poking hole (using a TINY needle) in one or two of the fingers, fill it about 1/3 of the way with milk, tie the top, hold it over a bowl and have your kids squeeze the fingers to get the semi-cow milking experience. For a craft, give your kids popsicle sticks, cardstock, glue, and crayons (or markers) and have them create a farm scene for the fridge!
As you can see, there are SO many options for making virtual outings extra special. Even just adding a single craft OR activity can make a HUGE difference in your children’s experience. :)
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