This week we have mostly been…
Isolating. Yup. I had a close contact with covid and had to isolate along with my kids. My husband was sent to a far corner of the house and the kids and I were left to Play, muddle along. Which mostly we did, quite nicely, even though “mom, when are you going to stop working?” was a frequent phrase – on the first day!
I came up with a cunning strategy. We had carpet picnics. Actually officially known as “two-course carpet picnics.” Two-course because one course was savoury and the other sweet. I had been given a lovely gift pack of goodies from some very special colleagues and so I had an on-hand supply of treats from which to make two-course carpet picnics.
The trick was buying time. I would tell them how long I would need to work and more or less what I was doing because they’re at the stage where they understand the time these things take more or less (online meeting, need to write a blog, need to finish writing these emails etc..), and then set a time for when I would be available and when the carpet picnic would start.
Mine are 11 and 10 so a little more independent at this stage. They were able to keep themselves busy with a mixture of sanctioned screen time and other play for a few hours because they knew at the appointed time I’d be stopping to picnic for a while.
First course of the two-course carpet picnic.
I would make the kids wait somewhere while I raided the kitchen and made as appealing-looking platters as I could. The added fun for our picnics was being able to skewer the food. (We can attest that pineapple, pickled onion, olives and cheese go very well together.)
The more creative and colourful you can make a two-course carpet picnic, the better. But don’t make more work for yourself. Use what you have on hand. Put it on a nice plate and call it something fancy and Voila! “There’s it!” as Suzelle would say.
This may be useful for rainy Summer holiday days. Or when you have to work and they’re at home. Or when you’re isolating. Right now a lotta people are isolating! (If that’s you, you’re not alone!)
And now, I am about to blow your mind but… you can have a carpet picnic with as many courses as you would like! You can even have a four-course carpet picnic if you like! I, however, did not want to set the bar too hard for myself because in my mind each course has to be better than the last, right?
Why am I even blogging about this?
A creative activity in the middle of the day can help to break up the day for kids into more manageable pieces, rather than feeling like one long stretched out day when they’re very aware they can’t go anywhere.
If you make a plan for a specific activity, make sure you stick to your promise as best you can. A bit of a surprise is always lovely to build some anticipation, but not all kids like surprises! If they don’t, write them a little invitation to the “event”. Again, DO NOT make work for yourself. Hand write a note and draw some flowers on it, or a picture of the intended “event”.
A bit of playful creativity in the middle of the day can bring joy and connection, even in difficult times. We might be going through adult things, but they still need to play!
If you’re in isolation, I see you. Please keep safe.
