Day 6: Get your kids to MOVE IT (and stop taking it out on the walls)!

~Our 19 DAY JOURNEY of inspiration, activities, and resources continues!~

MAYDAY! Our kids are cooped up inside until May, or longer!? If cabin fever is driving us (the adults) nuts, I can’t imagine what the kids are feeling right about now. Actually, I can imagine it! Most days, I can even see and hear it! And I’m guessing you can too. If your kids are bouncing off the walls and you’re not sure you (or the walls) can take any more of it, join me in setting up two constructive “burn zones” for the kids to use all that extra, cooped-up energy.

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1.) SET UP A HOME “GYM”:

Home “gym” may sound intimidating, but all you need is a little time, a little space, a few pieces of “equipment”, and maybe some tunes, and your kids will be getting “swole” (or at least taking it out on the walls less) in no time. A garage, sunroom, part of the living room, or formal dining room that hasn’t seen a gathering in a while can all work wonderfully.

Ideas to stock your Home “Gym”:

• jump rope
• medicine ball
• weights, weight bands, dumbbells, or some jars of Ragu
• kitchen or bathroom stool for step-ups
• objects for an obstacle course
• balance beam
• masking tape for hurdles

Or try Yoga with Adriene (my favorite online yoga instructor) FOR KIDS AND TEENS!

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2.) MUSIC AND MOVEMENT TIME (links below!)

When things start spiraling out of control, Music & Movement Time is my secret weapon. I silently turn on a favorite playlist or CD and suggestively slide a box of musical instruments out into the middle of the room. Suddenly my kids’ crazy play channels into the music instruments and centers closely to wherever the music is playing from. That’s when I quietly slip away.

I also love playing musical audio-dramas or silly symphonies for my kids during Music & Movement Time. The stories keep them engaged, and the music keeps them moving! Add a box of music instruments, dress up box, or basket of scarves for even more fun! I’ve included links below for all our favorite Music & Movement pieces! (For older kids, maybe let them have a dance party or jam session…. somewhere where you can close the door!)

In addition, there are some great (albeit annoying) educational music-makers on YouTube. Your kids can learn almost anything from their ABCs, to their parts of speech, to their multiplication tables, to the 50 states and capitals! We call them “school songs” and I pretend to LOVE them. If you have little kids, they may love songs like this! Older kids will probably smell the cheese.

HERE ARE LINKS TO ALL OUR FAVORITES FOR MUSIC & MOVEMENT TIME:

Our Favorite Fast-Paced Classical Music Pieces:

• William Tell Overture, click here: YouTube link
• Rhapsody in Blue, click here: YouTube link
• Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, click here: YouTube link
• Bolero, click here: YouTube link

Our Favorite Silly Symphonies & Musical Audio-Dramas (these are videos, but I just play the audio):

• The Little Red Hen, click here: Youtube link
• The Three Little Pigs (warning: has some gun content, but no little piggies (or wolves) were killed in the making of this record), click here: YouTube link
• Winnie the Pooh & Tigger, click here: YouTube link
• Winnie the Pooh & the Honey Tree, click here: YouTube link
• Winnie the Pooh & the Heffalumps, click here: YouTube link
• The Aristocats, click here: YouTube link
• The Story of the Country Cousin, click here: YouTube link
• Mickey & the Beanstalk, click here: YouTube link

Our Favorite Silly Singers (these are videos, but I just play the audio):

• Jack Hartmann (hundreds of educational videos ranging from preschool to middle school), click here: YouTube link
• Raffi (fun songs for the littles), click here: YouTube link
• Veggie Tales Sunday School Songs (fun Christian Sunday School songs), click here: YouTube link

Missed a post or three? Click here: Our 19 DAY JOURNEY Archive

Have fun shaking those sillies out!

Please, SHARE THIS POST WITH ANOTHER STIR-CRAZY FAMILY!

 

Love,  ~Our Holistic Homeschool~