If you’ve been watching our page, you’ve probably noticed that we are posting pandemic-appropriate activities and virtual experiences and events as fast as we can. Hopefully, even though you’re stuck at home, you’re healthy and can find a silver lining in all this. We have round-ups and individual posts to hopefully help you find some ways to make positive memories!
Keep reading to find links to our round-ups. If you’re looking to browse individual posts, head to the COVID-19 category, where you can find everything in one place.
Mother’s Day Calgary
Mother’s Day 2020 brings unique celebration challenges, even though we might be getting used to a new “normal.” But some things never change, right?! Flowers, chocolate, and chubby little arms wrapped around your neck are always wonderful on Mother’s Day (or any day). With special gifts, delicious foods, and fun activities, you can make Mother’s Day special for the moms and grandmas in your life and enjoy a special family day – because we might as well!
Read more about it here.
Mini Staycations
One of the best ways to break out of a mundane week and make some memories is to plan a staycation. A staycation is a little mini-vacation, right in your own home. It can be a whole weekend or just a few hours – it just needs to be a planned break from the normal routines. The benefits of any vacation are found in rest and play. So how can we bring these principles into the home and create a staycation? I’ve got a few ideas. Read more about it here.
Grandparents, Share Your Skills!
Getting the grandparents involved helps ensure a connection with the grandkids – even when they can’t see them face to face. The grandparents have also voiced how much they enjoy having a routine and an activity that interests them each day. If you are looking for ways to connect your kids with their grandparents (and free up a little time for you to get work done) why not try one of these ideas.
Read more about it here.
I Have Nothing to Read!
My kids love to read, especially the youngest one. She once saw a mug that said, “A day without reading is like . . . just kidding, I have no idea!” It’s pretty much her life motto. One month into the COVID crisis: the youngest has completely run out of physical books and has started re-reading her personal library and getting e-books from the library where possible. As the library shows no signs of reopening in time to meet this child’s insatiable need for stories, we are turning, of course, to the internet.
Read more about it here.
Disney Magic at Home
Life is stressful and incredibly uncertain right now. Yes, I realize that’s an understatement. I don’t know about you, but it seems like the perfect time for a dose of Disney Magic! While the Disney Parks around the world are closed, the Disney Parks Blog has stepped up with a daily dose of virtual pixie dust to bring us moments of the happiest place on earth. Create little moments of your own Disney Magic at Home whenever you need to escape.
Read more about it here.
Digital Escape Rooms
Well, I’ve tried in-person escape rooms, but now that we’re staying home, escape rooms have gone virtual! Thanks to multiple creative people, you can try an escape room this weekend, without leaving the house. Complete as an individual or as a team!
Read more about it here.
Five Areas For Frugal Living
You know how the grown-ups in Charlie Brown sound? Well, at the risk of sounding like a boring old grown-up, I feel like I need to remind myself how to live frugally. Pack your lunch! Shop used! Turn out the lights! Make do and mend!
Read more about it here.
Family Fun Calgary 2020 Easter Guide
Easter of 2020 looks like nothing we’ve ever seen before. With travel off the table, events cancelled, and families in isolation or quarantine, we can’t expect this to be a “normal” Easter long weekend. With stress and anxiety at peak levels around the world, this is not the year to worry about creating that perfect holiday magic! This is the year to remember that Easter and Passover (which begins the evening of April 8) began in the hard circumstances of fear and death and were transformed into stories of hope, life, and renewal. Read more about it here.
Easter Egg Hunts at Home
Many of us have created Easter traditions with our family and for many people, that includes taking the kids to a big community or family Easter Egg hunt. Things will be different this year but we can still keep the Easter Egg Hunt tradition going and even create some new traditions of our own! Here are 5 different Easter Egg Hunts that you can enjoy either inside or in your backyard. Read more about it here.
Where to Get Your Easter Chocolate
It will soon be time for Easter fun and even though Easter 2020 looks very different, there’s no reason to give up on Easter chocolate! You might not be getting together for a community egg hunt or a big family dinner, but you can still splurge on the best chocolate in the country, without having to worry about heading out in public. The Easter Bunny is on his way, thanks to these chocolatiers.
Read more about it here.
Date Night: In-House
I thought it was hard to spend valuable time together in regular life, from needy little kids and sleepless nights to needy big kids wanting a ride somewhere, not to mention work, chores, and general chaos. Now that I work from home and my husband (and kids) are schooling from home, it’s a whole difficult, I mean different, story. So, enough! I bring you Date Night Ideas During COVID-19: Stay home! Stay safe! Don’t lose your ever-lovin’ mind!
Read more about it here.
Easter Crafts and Activities
Family dinners and special services might be off the table for Easter this year, but there are still Easter egg hunts and chocolate and coloured Easter grass! Our Family Fun Edmonton site has this great article on alternative egg decorating, simple crafts, and fun games. Keep reading and celebrate a wonderful Easter, in spite of everything!
Read more about it here.
Easy (and Fun!) Lunches and Snacks
They want to eat. ALL. THE. TIME. I clean up breakfast and they ask for a snack. They stand in front of an open fridge, dig through the pantry, and leave counters strewn with their debris. I’m going to padlock the kitchen pretty soon (oh, right, open concept house design …. ). Have mercy. We found some easy snacks or lunches that kids can make, giving you a brief break from the kitchen. My eleven-year-old says she loves these options because they’re easy to make and fun to eat.
Read more about it here.
Start Your Own Home Garden
Spring has sprung! Let’s celebrate the start of the new season by planting our own home garden – March and April are the perfect months to start your indoor seedlings. If you’ve never had much of a green thumb, now is the time to bring the great outdoors inside with seedlings, succulents, and house plants.
Read more about it here.
Boredom Bingo
“The days are long, but the years are short,” is how the saying goes. Well, the days are really, really long when you’re isolating at home during a pandemic. The days are made even longer still when you have kids telling you how bored they are every 15 minutes. Sure you can just tell them to go read a book or find something to do, but the reality is, that kids are very visual and motivated by goals. Enter, Boredom BINGO! An easy-to-see, easy-to-use system for managing their boredom independently.
Read more about it here.
Podcasts for the Family
I’ll admit it – I’m not techy. I try to avoid dealing with apps. I don’t know how to use a streaming service. Heck, I can barely change the clock in my car! But there’s one thing I do love – podcasts. I listen to them all the time – and on car trips, I’ve started playing them for my kids (mostly to avoid letting them figure out that there actually is a DVD player in our vehicle). Check out these podcasts your whole family will love!
Read more about it here.
Invitations to Play
Let’s face it, parents, right now, stress, for many of us, is at an all-time high. But at the same time, in a strange way, life has been simplified. The usual rush, rush, rush is gone – and with no school, lessons or outings, your kids are probably getting bored. And while we’re all willing to let the usual screen time rules slide a little bit, there are great ways to avoid your kids slipping into all-out couch potato mode. Try these 8 exciting, imaginative and EASY invitations to play using things you probably already have around the house. Read more about it here.
101 Things to do at Home
As we all adjust to our ‘new normal’, with children at home – many of whom are too young to understand much of what’s happening – we all strive to find normalcy in our daily routine. We have compiled our ‘101 Things To Do at Home’ – a list of simple ideas for activities to enjoy at home with your family as we all try to survive this epidemic with the hopes of maintaining both our physical and just as importantly – our mental health.
Read more about it here.
Promote Positive Mental Health
Cancellations and closures. School’s out and you might be working from home (if you’re lucky enough to still have a job). The kids are upset and you’re stressed (to say the least!). You might think of all the times you said, “The world has been turned upside-down!” and now you really know what that means. You don’t know anyone who has the COVID-19 virus. Yet. Amidst concerns for physical health, don’t forget to take care of your mental health. Your body, mind, and soul all play a significant role for a day in the life of your overall well-being!
Read more about it here.
Virtual Experiences
Screen Time – it’s that double-edged sword we parents lament on a daily basis. We’ve all heard the expert rules on limiting screens, but let’s face it – with school cancelled, most parents just really, really need a break! We’ll take it one step further – why not enjoy a mini-getaway with these 9 Can’t-Miss Virtual Experiences Parents and Kids can enjoy together! It might be the best part of your day!
Read more about it here.
Simple Fun at Home
We love all the wonderful events and venues that Calgary has to offer! But no matter how adventurous and hardy you are, there are times in Calgary when it’s best to stay home. Whether it’s a snow day or a downpour, a mental health day or even a pandemic like the coronavirus, staying home can be necessary or prudent.
Read more about it here.
Family-Friendly Board and Card Games
It truly would be too big of a task to share with you all of the great, family-friendly games out there today . . . because it is plentiful and exhaustive. So, I’ll only pass on a few personal favourites that our own family has enjoyed over the years. Our kids are currently in kindergarten, grade 2, and grade 3 – but we have been playing games consistently with them for years.
Read more about it here.
Educational Websites
School is cancelled, perhaps for the duration, and suddenly the prospect of many weeks to fill with no activities is looming large. We have strict rules about screentime in our house, but in light of recent events, I think it’s time to revisit these rules. There are lots of educational websites out there, so this is only a tiny sampling of fun options that might also promote a little learning as a bonus!
Read more about it here.
COVID-19 Cancellations and Closures
Family Fun Calgary has been a resource for family-friendly events in Calgary for many years. In an effort to continue to provide event-based, family-friendly information to our readers, we have created this article to share updates on the cancellation of Calgary events due to COVID-19. Please note we will update this list as quickly as possible. Family Fun Calgary does not organize any events, as such we aren’t responsible for the cancellation of any events, but we will do our utmost to keep our readers informed.
Read more about it here.
Looking for more tips on how to keep your kids occupied during the COVID-19 crisis? Find our best ideas, activities and inspiration here!
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