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Audio books on the swing, many sensory bins (rice, oats, kinetic sand, water beads), messy play space outside (mud, shaving cream, vinegar and baking soda, colored water, bubble foam), sprinkler plus music, obstacle course, dot sticker matching, window markers...
If you're on insta or want to read blogs with ideas try days with grey, busy toddler, and the workspace for children

My kids (4 and 6) have gotten really into drawing, so I bought some how-to books. The little guy gets frustrated easily but the older one will literally draw/trace Pokémon out of the how to draw Pokémon book for hours. They also build a lot of forts. I froze some little figures into a sheet pan of ice and gave them a hammer to be “archeologists” but it only lasted about 4 minutes.

We're spending mornings on a playground with sprinklers. There's a group of unfortunates who also have nowhere to go, so at least the kids have someone to play with. Then we have a schedule of classes - just one a day. Some of them are a fail because I don't have much time to plan, but some are going well. I don't know why I bother, because our authorities will be setting every kid in the school system back by years... maybe it's better for them not to go into next year prepared. They'll be bored silly. But I can't help wanting to do something fun with them to make up for those horrible "online learning" months we had.

I'm very stingy with screen time. They had way too much last spring, and will again come September. It means they're very bored sometimes, and sometimes I lose it because I'm tired of entertaining. So I don't know if I'm doing that right. But there are too many people in my family who are screen addicts (literally) so I'm more scared of that.

We started a small veggie garden. The kids got involved a little too. Unfortunately it's not at our house and now I can't go there because my car's been vandalized and has been in the shop for almost two weeks. All that work, and now the kids don't get to enjoy the harvest. That's going to be the story of our life, I guess.

Legos are definitely a hit. The older two lock themselves in their room and build stuff. The toddler isn't allowed because she's been trying to eat the Legos.

Trying to read more, but the library is closed, so...

Also all three have online classes that used to be live before March (the toddler's class is just PT). It's more of a PITA than a good thing for me - I have to give up my computer so I lose work hours - but I guess it gives them something to work at.

My 7 year old still loves "science experiments" of his own design (in addition to actual ones with me). We have a kids set of plastic test tubes and beakers, plus eye droppers and various old jars. I give him a pitcher of water and some cheap generic dried herbs and spices. He can keep himself busy for a long time making different combinations.

@charlotte: We live in an apartment, no back yard. So we go out 1-2 times a day to public parks, splash pads, or we drive further and go to the beach or to go hiking (about an hour). We probably do beach 1x a week, hiking 1x a week, and stay in town the other days and rotate public parks/spray grounds.

In between that, my kids have both taken up chess (obviously super beginner level since they are 4 and newly 7), but they know what all the pieces are allowed to do, so we play a “family tournament” every day (the kids vs each other; winner vs me; winner of that vs Dad). I also let them watch training chess videos or play the computer on chess kids for about 30 min a day. They also have started helping me with chores, so we are pretty busy with folding/Hanging laundry, cleaning up, loading/unloading dishwasher, using the Dustbuster as needed.

And then 7 year old has an online exam coming up in the next 2 weeks, so I try to get her to spend 10-15 minutes a day working on Math skills for that. She just finally finished learning her times tables up to 12 (still needs practice though) and we just started division. We started the basics of easy fractions and percentages, using real-life visuals, like an actual pizza that we cut or I use M&Ms or mini marshmallows to show what 1/4 is, what 25% is, etc. I keep this really short though because she’s not motivated. So I’ll show her 16 mini marshmallows and 16 m&ms, and I’ll ask her to split the M&ms into eighths, and then show me 25% of the marshmallows. Then tell me which one is bigger. Then she gets to pick one pile to eat.

They also get 1 22-minute show in the morning, and 1 in the evening. And they have lots of free play time. So beteeen all those things, it feels like we are pretty busy, although it is monotonous since we are still somewhat limiting social interactions with other people (like we’ve done about 1 outdoor play date a week with a friend).

@Jess1483: What do you teach / what have your kids taken lately on outschool? We did a cursive class for my oldest and she has taken a ton of polymer clay art classes.

We have watched Annie so.many.times. Like every day. Maybe far away, or maybe real nearby, or maybe EVERY SINGLE EFFING DAY IN MY LIVING ROOM.

Ahem.

@bhbee: I teach phonics and a few other reading courses. I’m brand new, so mostly focusing on more “academic” classes for fall rather than the super fun summer ones. My guys have taken some on shapes and colors and multiplication. I have my oldest signed up for a few escape room courses coming up, too. There’s some really great stuff! I’m going to teach a homeschool pod with neighbors this year, and my oldest will need some supplementation, so I’m going to look for a good science course and writing course he might like. And probably some anti-racist ones.

@ElbieKay: I was in that show when I was younger. I laughed at your post

DD is 5.5 and I have a 2 month old. I so need this thread!

-Started watching the old school Full House series. DD walks around talking about Danny Tanner and Uncle Jesse
-I make DD a checklist everyday, includes basic tasks (get dressed, eat breakfast, etc.) but also: call nana, vaccuum, pick up bedroom, read 5 books and more. The checklist motivates her.
-Girl loves her workbooks, practicing words and math on the whiteboard.
-Sometimes when I'm annoyed and need a minute to think, I act very concerned that one of her baby dolls is crying and needs a bottle or diaper change. Often she'll go check on the baby and proceed to play with them.
-I give her a spray bottle of diluted Murphy's Oil Soap and a rag and ask her to find all the spots on our wood floor. I also have her dust, vaccuum, pair up clean socks, fold wash cloths and sort dirty clothes.
-Fingerpaint in the dry bathtub. Ice cubes in a bath. Glow sticks in the bath. Basically, whatever will keep her in the bath playing she can have
-I gave her some old bowls, kitchen serving utensils and measuring cups and she basically has a mud kitchen and will pick flowers, rocks, etc. to make soup for quite a long time.
-She rides at least 2 miles on her bike when DH gets home. She comes home a hot, sweaty mess and has Gatorade and a popsicle.
-We recently decided that we will have dessert every Saturday night. So, we take the week to decide what to make and make learning experience out of it, reading, fractions/numbers, ordering groceries, etc.
-I often entice her to build something out if Legos/Duplos/magnatiles/lincoln logs etc. "to surprise Daddy with."
-Send postcards to friends. You can buy plain ones online from USPS for cheap and the kids can decorate and write a note.
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@SweetCaroline: you are a great mom!

@Miss Ariel: Oh I totally hear you on the perler bead mess! I am constantly finding random beads everywhere. And the worst is when the whole bucket gets knocked over!

So to be honest, we got them as a Christmas gift and I thought there was no way the girls were old enough to enjoy them. I was completely wrong! They have spent hours with them, and our neighbors have kids who are 6 and 4 and they likewise gravitate toward them when they come to our place to play (safely of course, they are our COVID "pod" family)

@Anagram: That is very cool that they’ve learned chess in quarantine!!

@Anagram: Is it fun / rewarding? I don’t know the first thing about it.

@Anagram: @wrkbrk: my boys (5 and 7) absolutely love chess. My 7 year old started just before he turned 6 and did tournaments and things. I can’t beat him. I checkmated him once when he had the flu. But he tells me I’m getting better It’s been super good for both of my boys, both the actual strategy and game play, as well as chess etiquette. Of course, the etiquette piece isn’t as big during quarantine.

We’ve pretty much stuck to a schedule since May with my 4yr old and it helps so much. He knows what to expect schedule wise and

8am Breakfast
8:30am - Homeschool (I read aloud 2-3 books, 10min math, 10min phonics and some crafts)
9:30 - 11:30 Free Play
11:30 lunch
Noon - 2 - Screentime
2-4 - Quiet Time
4-6 - Free Play
6pm - Dinner
6:30-7:40 Family Lego Building
7:30 - Bath & Bed

In Free Play he ors:
Puzzles
Board games
Lego
Magnatiles
Marble run
Color
Cut & paste
Play Chef in his play kitchen
Play racetrack with hit wheels
Make bead bracelets
Paint or draw

For Free Play, sometimes I’ll set out an invitation to play the night before like making something out of Magnatiles or setting a scene with his castle and knights. He’ll see it all set up and is immediately drawn to it and will play with a toy that would otherwise be sitting on the shelf.