Month: April 2020

Easter activities to do with the family during COVID-19

Posted on by softwarepartner
April 8, 2020
3 minutes

Easter activities to do with the family during COVID-19

Easter activities to do with the family during COVID-19, from baking, arts and crafts to outdoor activities. Something to keep everyone happy!

Easter is fast approaching, so what will everyone be doing? Easter activities to do with the family are going to be slightly different this year due to the current situation with COVID-19. So here are some ideas to keep everyone entertained and happy!

Cooking- Easter Activities to do with the Family

Cooking is a great way to involve all the family in an activity, even the littlest ones. From simple recipes such as Easter nests or bunny pancakes to hedgehog bread rolls and chocolate chip hot cross buns. The list really is endless!

One of my favourite recipes that I have cooked with my children since they were very small and they still love it now, is Hedgehog Bread Rolls. There are only a few ingredients and the preparation time is around 20 minutes. Therefore, you should be able to keep those minds from wandering off for that length of time.

The Ingredients are as follows:

  • 500g pack of brown bread mix
  • 25g of butter
  • plain flour for dusting
  • 12 raisins
  • 6 flaked almonds

The method for how to make this bread is in the link above. Another great and super easy recipe to do with the kids is Rice pop doughnuts. The best part is that they get to decorate their own doughnut exactly as they want!

The Ingredients are as follows:

  • 200g dark, milk or white chocolate, chopped
  • 25g butter
  • 3 tbsp of golden syrup
  • 2 tbsp of milk
  • 80g rice pops cereal
  • 100g of white chocolate for decorating
  • sprinkles for decorating

As before, the method is in the link above.

Arts and Crafts

Easter collage is a great activity to involve the whole family. This task, as well as others, can be differentiated. Therefore, making them accessible to any age group. To get you started a few essentials are needed. This is just one of the many great Easter activities to do with the family.

First, you will need some printable colouring sheets. These should be Easter themed preferable. Then you will need multi-coloured paper, card or tissue paper. Also, some google eyes, felt pens, cotton wool, paintbrushes, and PVA glue.

Next, you need to cut the paper and tissue into small squares around 1cm squared. These can then be stuck on to the colouring sheets using the PVA glue to make a unique Easter egg, funky bunny rabbit or awesome Easter chick!

Another easy and fun craft to do with the family is salt dough modelling. Salt dough is super simple to make and easy to work with. Even the very youngest family members can get involved.

You can get two types of salt dough. One needs to be cooked in the oven and the other needs to be left to air dry. Air drying does take quite a long time and will test the most patient toddler. In other words, it is so slow!

Ingredients needed:

  • 1 cup of plain flour
  • 1/2 cup of table salt
  • 1/2 cup of water

The method is in the link above. All you need then is some poster paint so that you can create your masterpiece!

Outdoor Fun

Getting out and about is currently limited due to COVID-19. Those of us that are fortunate to have a garden can use this to entertain the children by having an Easter egg hunt or even an Easter scavenger hunt.

There are lots of free pintables available to help with ideas of how to set either of these events up. These are all in the links above.

For those that do not have access to a safe outdoor space, there is also an Easter egg hunt that can be done indoors. Get those teenagers involved by doing a high tech version using QR codes.

Easter And Family Time

Undoubtedly, Easter 2020 will be the strangest one that any of us has experienced. But that does not mean that it must be forgotten. For that reason, the approach just needs to be different as do many other aspects of our life now.

Our children are living in very strange and stressful times. As parents, it is our job to reassure them and try to provide as much normality as we can. With this in mind, we need to use the extra time that we have available and spend it with them. Have fun, be silly, make a mess and get creative. Let that be what they remember about Easter 2020 and not COVID-19.

#staysafe

COVID-19 lockdown Do’s and Don’t for families

Posted on by softwarepartner
April 1, 2020
3 minutes

COVID-19 lockdown Do’s and Don’t for families

COVID-19 lockdown is in progress, school is out and children are at home. So what are the do’s and don’t of this health crisis.

New Year hopes and dreams seem to be a distant memory, as we are living in very uncertain times due to COVID-19. A few months ago COVID-19 lockdown was something that we never actually believed would happen. It has separated families. Left many people stranded all over the world with no means to return home.

Parents are now faced with having to not only homeschool their children but to work from home simultaneously. Huge financial difficulties lay ahead for people.. Incomes have been lost, profits depleted and jobs paused.

COVID-19 lockdown

Our lockdown started at 8.30 pm on Monday the 23rd of March. People’s movements have been limited and people told to stay at home to help save our NHS. Many will say the Boris Johnson has not been strict enough. Many will say that he is holding back vital testing for frontline staff.

But the truth is never has a Prime Minister in our history faced the pandemic that Boris Johnson is facing. Not one person among us can honestly say they could do a better job. We are all struggling to deal with the possibilities of losing loved ones or even becoming ill ourselves.

What should we be doing – The do’s

First of all, we should all be following government guidelines on social distancing. We should also be staying at home and helping to stop the spread of this virus. But then what….well we all need to take a breath and a step back!

Consider the following DO give yourself a break. Boris Johnson is not the only one facing a pandemic for the first time. We need to allow ourselves the time to embrace our new way of life – all be it temporary.

DO sit and chat with your children about what is going on in the world. It’s better for them to hear it from you rather than the news. It will help put their minds at rest. It will also give them the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.

DO make sure you keep in contact with family. We are fortunate that we have fantastic technology, Facebook, video calling and Zoom. These help us stay in touch with the people we love even when we are separated!! this will help pass the day for not just your children but the family they can not be with at the moment.

At the end of the day pour yourself a big glass of wine and be so damn proud that you made it through the day. It may not have been perfect but who cares!

What Should We Not be Doing – The Don’t

DO NOT stress about homeschooling. You are not a teacher. There is no way on earth that you can recreate a classroom setting. I am not saying do not teach your children but there are other ways to do it.

If you have a little one who is learning numbers or letter recognition. Let them draw them in chalk, paint them or draw them in the sand. If your children are learning about animals there are some fantastic websites available. Chester Zoo now has a live link to their animals, where you can watch them being fed and learn about the individual animal.

DO NOT worry about household chores. The dishes are not done or the laundry isn’t folded as it usually is (really who does this). It is a time for reflection, to enjoy the time we have with our families.

Finally, COVID-19 lockdown lifted

And when we finally have our lives back. When COVID-19 is in the past. The first thing we should do is embrace our parents, grandparents, friends or neighbours. Enjoy a simple walk in the park when you can greet another human being with not only a smile but share a conversation where you can stand shoulder to shoulder. Where the only people needing to wear gloves and masks are Doctors, Nurses or Dentists

The human race is an amazing species. We have overcome so much in our time on this earth and I have no doubt we will overcome again. But what will be the cost? How many lives will be lost? How much debt will the country be in by the end of it?

We will never again be the same, lives have been changed, paths altered. But what I do know is that we will owe a debt of gratitude to all our amazing frontline staff from Doctors, Nurses, Shop workers, Lorry drivers and many many more!