Let's be honest, school, life...nothing's been going well. So here are some of the things the children and I HAVE been doing copious amounts of recently!
YouTube/Video Games/Online Comics - Our internet/computer rules are s.t.r.i.c.t. You can only use a device with permission, Dad or Mom have to know what you're looking at, you must use the device in a room with an adult, you may not hide the screen from view, you may not navigate away from your page...so, you know, the computer isn't a free for all. But the kids still enjoy stuff! Here are some of the creators we love:
Mr. Maker - do you remember this guy from ages ago? He's just the right level of craftiness for the soon-to-be-six year old, but the eight year old is so artistic that she does all of the crafts, too.
Simon's Cat - A funny little cat cartoon for my cat-loving 10yo. Many of them are 'shorts' of under 10 minutes, but there are a fewer longer full-length cartoons.
Half-Asleep Chris - We like this guy's cat videos as well! Now, he also has other videos on various topics, and while I can't picture him discussing anything inappropriate I haven't actually watched all of them so, preview if it matters to you. But he's very family friendly.
Breaking Cat News - a really funny online comic. Cats are big around here these days. If you haven't noticed.
Prodigy Math - I've talked about this before! My children love the online Prodigy Math Game. It's free to play, although there are upgrades, which we don't bother paying for. Children are little good wizards who solve math problems to progress through levels and fight bad guys. There's no gore or unpleasantness at all.
TVOKids.com - Ontario's public broadcasting children's network. You can play educational games online at a preschool or school age level (Really, nothing above maybe grade 6 level). There are no ads.
Jacquie Lawson English Garden - If you've liked her e-cards, and you've taken my advice to buy her Advent Calendar, then you might like this game, as well. She has an interactive English Garden one, and also a Curio Shop one! Each game slowly unfolds over twelve days, and then is available forever for you to play. The girls especially enjoy planting gardens and cleaning the greenhouse and what have you.
America's Test Kitchen - Let's Get Cooking. Very popular DS game with the 8yo mini-chef, let me tell you. She made maple glazed pork chops for us from the instructions on here.
Puzzles, of course. At the beginning of quarantine we did essentially every single puzzle in our house. So we were a little puzzled out. But we just picked up a new one so I have a feeling we're about to ramp up puzzle time again.
And speaking of puzzles, adult-level paint-by-numbers are a thing! I thought I wouldn't like them because I couldn't stand adult colouring books but surprisingly I LOVE THEM. Here's the one I'm doing right now:
They take quite a while, obviously. But I think the reason I'm enjoying it so much is that unlike colouring pages, these require absolutely no thinking. I just put the numbered colour in the numbered square. Sometimes you need mindless.
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