COVID 2020 - keeping sane on the home front: food, activities, etc.

This will be a more practical thread for maintaining sanity and productivity while we and ours are encouraged (or required) to shelter in place.
Recipes, exercise advice, child activities, etc.

I’ll start with a few.
We’ve got 3 kids in K/Pre-K, both parents working from home, and an au pair who’ll be bumping up against her weekly hour limit given the lack of school. So we’re trying to manage this in a few ways.
- 8am family workout: Cosmic Yoga (on Amazon app) for the kids, and rower/bike for the parents
- I’m blocking out noon-1pm as often as possible while I’m home to have lunch with the kids and walk the dog

Activities for shut-in kids:
- Mo Willems, who writes pretty funny kids books, and is a current artist in residence at the Kennedy Center, is giving daily doodle lessons each day via YouTube. https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/
- Cincinnati Zoo is closed by apparently they’re livestreaming tours of the zoo every day on Facebook Live (I’m not inclined to link to FB at this time, but you can find it.)
- List of virtual museum tours 12 Museums From Around the World That You Can Visit Virtually | Travel + Leisure | Travel + Leisure
- Have them write cards/notes to folks in a nearby nursing home or senior housing community. These facilities are generally not allowing visitors right now, so would be well received.

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Originally Posted by robin3mj

- Have them write cards/notes to folks in a nearby nursing home or senior housing community. These facilities are generally not allowing visitors right now, so would be well received.

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That would be HUGE. That certainly would touch the hearts of older folks in assisted living facilities.

I also agree on art projects as you mentioned. Kids love to draw dogs & cats, perhaps a little contest in that area.

Good for you folks! Love to see parents who don't place kids in front of the video game console for days.

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Originally Posted by Corso

That would be HUGE. That certainly would touch the hearts of older folks in assisted living facilities.

I also agree on art projects as you mentioned. Kids love to draw dogs & cats, perhaps a little contest in that area.

Good for you folks! Love to see parents who don't place kids in front of the video game console for days.

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AMAZING idea. I'm going to offer this to some neighbors with kids. Love it.

Matt, when we are bored poor eating habits creep in. I'm banging out a large tray of cornbread now. On the exercise front, it's no so bad outside and I'm still of the mind that it is ok to do my thing solo...on bicycle. Also, I've got about a 1 hrs. 15 mins. Ashtanga Primary routine I'll do every morning.

The rest of the day involves walking the dog a billion times and bottling NFS until the Post Office decides to shutter.

I'd been putting in a lot of time daily at the local county park while working on prepping the mountain bike trails for opening. That came to a screeching halt this afternoon. County is keeping the park gates closed for awhile. I get it as they have staff and facilities to deal with. Plenty of other outside options so it's time for Plan B. Baking grandma's recipe cookies. Dangerous!

Note about what looks like overkill: two previous bridges have been lifted up and exited stage right into the river. Most of the year that dip only has a foot of water in it.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/RQO4wJ.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...924/twhzTq.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/BK1cVE.jpg

I'm still working. We make a product that goes to home improvement stores and builders so until we have word from the county to shut down, we're operating. I'm the chief engineer so I've taken charge of sanitization so I have teams out all day wiping handrails, door knobs, cleaning bathrooms, and at night, moving ozone generators from office to office. A workspace that smells faintly of bleach is a happy place, or a murder scene. If we're closed for some period of time, I'll use the downtime to get a few weeks ahead on my online MA program. I'll probably still go to work during the day because of all the equipment that is down.

Otherwise I'm a hermit, I go grocery shopping at odd hours, stay at home, have a bike set up on the Wahoo KICKR, and a Zwift account. I'm heading to PHX this weekend to do my 80 year old father's taxes so I'm avoiding people as much as possible so I don't take anything with me.

I have a 26" BMX cruiser that I've left out back and handy at all times.

I've set up shop for teleworking in the basement and will jokingly come up and tell my wife it's time for my "smoke break" (I don't smoke) and go out and cruise around the neighborhood for 15-20 minutes. I plan on doing this at least 2 times a day. I'm going to try to take as many different routes as possible.

‘Nother one.
Smithsonia online curriculum. Sortable by age etc.

Explore our Curriculum & Resources | Page 2 | Smithsonian Science Education Center

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Originally Posted by robin3mj

Have them write cards/notes to folks in a nearby nursing home or senior housing community. These facilities are generally not allowing visitors right now, so would be well received.

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My Dad has Alzheimer's and usually goes a day program at the local facility. It's been locked down for a week.

Serious question, how long can coronavirus live on paper? Somebody should address that potential transmission vector.

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Originally Posted by thollandpe

My Dad has Alzheimer's and usually goes a day program at the local facility. It's been locked down for a week.

Serious question, how long can coronavirus live on paper? Somebody should address that potential transmission vector.

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If it's the same as cardboard the number I read recently was 6 or 8 hrs.

Starting tonight at 7:30PM, the Metropolitan Opera will be streaming replays of past performances. Each night will be a different opera. The streaming will be switched on at 7:30 and then you can watch anytime over the next 20 hours. Guarantee streaming "liquidity" improves after 9PM. Tonight is a performance of Carmen from 2010. Tomorrow night is La Boheme from 2008. More at the link below.

https://www.metopera.org/about/press...virus-closure/

Put it on the big screen and crank the sound.

Oh and there is an AppleTV app for the Metropolitan Opera.

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Originally Posted by CJones

I have a 26" BMX cruiser that I've left out back and handy at all times.

I've set up shop for teleworking in the basement and will jokingly come up and tell my wife it's time for my "smoke break" (I don't smoke) and go out and cruise around the neighborhood for 15-20 minutes. I plan on doing this at least 2 times a day. I'm going to try to take as many different routes as possible.

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I think I’m gonna do this tomorrow and maybe learn a few ninja routes in my new area. It seems like a hopeless cycling area but creative people always find places to ride.

I wish I had a trial bike to play on my terrasse.

Just got sent this looooong list:

Online resources:
- BrainPop
- Curiosity Stream
- Tynker
- Outschool
- Udemy
- iReady
- Beast Academy (Math)
- Khan Academy
- Creative Bug
- Discovery Education

YouTube Channels:
- Crash Course Kids
- Science Channel
- SciShow Kids
- National Geographic Kids
- Free School
- Geography Focus
- TheBrainScoop
- SciShow
- Kids Learning Tube
- Geeek Gurl Diaries
- Mike Likes Science
- Science Max
- SoulPancake

Lots of board games, library books (and Kindle), tinkering/upcycling with household junk, etc.

Scholastic has created a free learn-from-home site with 20+ days of learning and activities: Access Denied

Go on a virtual tour of these 12 famous museums: 12 Museums From Around the World That You Can Visit Virtually | Travel + Leisure | Travel + Leisure

Free curriculum - everything from preschool activities to 12th grade is here: Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool – A complete, free online Christian homeschool curriculum for your family and mine

List of thinking games by grade: Thinking – Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool

Free learning websites:

Starfall: Learn to Read with Phonics, Learn Mathematics
https://www.abcya.com/
https://www.funbrain.com/
https://www.splashlearn.com/
https://www.storylineonline.net/
https://pbskids.org/
https://www.highlightskids.com/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
https://www.coolmath4kids.com/
http://www.mathgametime.com/
https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/
http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/
https://www.switchzoo.com/
https://www.seussville.com/
https://www.turtlediary.com
https://www.e-learningforkids.org/

However, remember, life skills are equally important! So, encouraging them to help you with everyday chores will not only make them independent but they’ll learn how much is done everyday - do it without them earning a cent and they learn to respect non-materialistic lifestyle too.

I start working from home as of today. Tonight, the adult daughter (26 yr old) flies back because her school shut down. We will have her till her residency starts July 1 in Toronto and readjusting to have a kid at home will likely pose some difficulty for her, wife and me (that’s an understatement). I’m thinking about regular cooking adventures to pass the time. I’m also thinking about reading those books that I am supposed to have read but never got around to: Brief History of Time, Name of the Rose, Moby Dick, Heroditus Histories...

I have been on "vacation" since the 9th and don't go back till the 26. Human contact has been limited. Luckily I had only planned this as a staycation and have been getting lots of work done around the house. Mostly in the basement on my woodshop/tool area that has never been very organized. But we also gutted the 2nd floor apartment's bathroom and work should begin tomorrow. Normally I would buy things (toilet, tub) as we need them but I'm afraid of the stores closing so will be making a lot of trips today.

Not going to the gym sucks but I can get a decent workout at home.

My wife is working from home and has had a lot of cancellations. She seems less stressed today now that she made the decision to try and do everything over video conference but this will not be easy for us.

I must admit I love cooking and spending time at the kitchen but these days of confinement with a much lower physical activities I tend to avoid the kitchen as much as the coronavirus.

I'm assembling my freshly repainted dirt-road bike. The paint turned out well and some carpentry tools make a fine system for adjusting saddle setback (12" SpeedSquare + 4' Sand's Level + Chalkline/Plumb-bob + table).

It's got the New! 1x5 drivetrain but before the repaint I added front dérailleur support accoutrements; new cable stops and a pulley boss.

It's waiting a few more days for new cantis to arrive.

Attachment 114852

OK kids, pull up a chair for story time and mail bag with Uncle Lew!

https://youtu.be/_JUjVJx7zO4

I can totally relate to his relationship with his Apple device that starts at 14:28

I'm way ahead on my schoolwork because I go nowhere in the afternoon and evening. I've kept my routine of getting up at 0400 and spending 30-40 minutes spinning then doing body weight stuff and stretching. I still go to work, for now. There are currently no reported cases in Mohave County and it's a ginormous county but for the most part, sparsely populated.

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Originally Posted by jclay

I'm assembling my freshly repainted dirt-road bike. The paint turned out well and some carpentry tools make a fine system for adjusting saddle setback (12" SpeedSquare + 4' Sand's Level + Chalkline/Plumb-bob + table).

It's got the New! 1x5 drivetrain but before the repaint I added front dérailleur support accoutrements; new cable stops and a pulley boss.

It's waiting a few more days for new cantis to arrive.

Attachment 114852

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John, I'm shocked!

I figured you would have painted it BLUE instead of RED!

There's hope for you yet...




I'm joking of course, looks sweet!

Turbomatic: I still ride one!