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YYC Weekly activities & positivity
March 26 - April 2
Happy Thursday!
Calgary's Child Magazine wants to support you and encourage you in these extremely challenging times. We want to bring you stories of joy, fun projects to pass the time and resources and activities to keep everyone busy, happy and engaged.

We're changing our monthly newsletter format to a weekly one! Each week we will do a roundup of great resources and activities we have found or been provided, this unique situation seems to have brought out creativeness and generosity. Please check in each week to see what kind of boredom-busting gold we’ve uncovered!
Feeling a Little Worn Down?
by Allison Percival, Assistant Publisher

It's been a tough week for all of us. There have been a lot of big changes in a short period of time and it's been a real challenge to get into a flow! Are you struggling, or are you finding a system which works?

Here are a few suggestions we've heard from some of our readers this week which we really like:

  • Set Daily Goals or Make a Schedule

The word "schedule" scares a lot of parents. If it doesn't work for your family to have a task allocated every fifteen minutes, don't do it! If you find that your days are slipping away from you, though, it's a good idea to consider scheduling in a few key things which are getting missed. Pick a specific time each day to do chores as a family, get schoolwork done, make breakfast or even have a conversation and you're less likely to let those things slide.

Schedules not your thing? A list of daily goals - walk the dog, eat a vegetable, have a shower, get dressed, do 30 minutes of exercise - can go a long way to providing some much-needed structure. Remember to make them 'SMART' - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound!

  • Give Everyone a "Quiet Corner"

If you don't have a lot of living room, personal space can feel like a luxury - especially when shared bedrooms and offices are a factor! You don't need a lot of room to make this work, though; all you need is enough space for a cozy 'nook' for each kid to go when they're overwhelmed. Here are some ideas.

This can be a literal corner of a room, a storage closet or even underneath a table! Let them decorate it with pictures, drape it with sheets and fill it with cozy cushions if they like. Fill it with sensory toys, lights, calming activities or headphones for listening to music. Make it a house rule that you're not allowed to disturb someone in their quiet space unless it's an emergency.

  • Have Regular Family Meetings and Share Responsibilities

If you have older kids, now is a great time to teach them how to take care of some responsibilities around the house. Can they take the garbage to the bin? Look after the dog? Make their own bed? Sort laundry? Plan a menu or make a grocery list? You'd be surprised how capable kids are when they're allowed to take over a chore - and with so much extra time at home, this is a good opportunity for them to learn and make mistakes.

Do you feel resentment simmering? Make a point of having a family meeting at least once a week, if not more often. Talk about how you're feeling in honest terms. Let everyone share their thoughts about how things are going and what they'd like to see more of or less of. This can be hard with young kids, but just having a set time to air concerns can be beneficial for even little ones. Don't forget to have a follow-up meeting with your partner or any other live-in adults; focus on task allocation, "mental labor" (like being in charge of making lists, checking pantry stocks and remembering chores), and pet responsibilities. Choose a time when everyone is calm and ready to listen.
Weekly Idea - DIY Obstacle Course Activities & Backyard Playgrounds!
by Trista Arney, Parent Reporter

Water balloon Pinatas - On a warmer day you can fill water balloons and suspend them overhead. Let your child hit them like a pinata using a bat until they burst.

Water fill - Using a cup or scoop transfer water from one source to another. This activity is great because you can use anything that can hold water. To increase or decrease difficulty switch up how large the cup used to transfer water is, for a big challenge use a cup with a small hole, a ladle, or a sponge.

Target practice - Hang coffee filters or paper targets up and have kids aim for them using a water gun / water spray toy. Another fully adaptable activity. You can use a NERF blaster, suction darts, origami ninja stars, or a ball instead of the water gun. Or switch up the targets try stacked cups, empty cans, or even small toys!

Set up a "tire run" - use hoola hoops, diving rings, or draw circles on the ground with sidewalk chalk or paint. Line up your "tires" in a zigzag pattern that the children must navigate, one foot per ring. This activity can be altered to different movements as well, hop or jump from ring to ring. Use buckets or other obstacles to practice weaving and hopping!

Crawling obstacles - Hang balloons that are inflated or filled part way with water suspended under a table, challenge children to army crawl underneath the obstacle. If you have a play tunnel, set it up as part of the course to crawl through. Or set up pool noodles in the grass like croquet wickets to crawl under. You can even use chairs to create a "tunnel" to crawl through. If the kids get bored of the obstacle, repurpose it and have them instead try to kick balls through the tunnels.

Laser maze - This one is easier/meant to be played indoors. Create a laser maze but stringing up yarn or streamers and having children crawl/climb through the path. For an outdoor version use sticks or camping stakes to set the course area and string yarn or streamers around them. Children can army crawl underneath or step over the course.

Create a ladder run - Draw the ladder with sidewalk chalk or create a physical ladder run out of yarn, sticks, pool noodles or other materials. The object is to run through the ladder without tripping/stepping on the lines of the ladder.

Homemade tightrope - String 2 lengths of rope between two trees, fence posts, or deck rails. 

Bucket and a rope - All you need is a bucket, a rope, and a tree. Tie the rope to the bucket and throw the other end of the rope over a tree and create a simple pulley system for open ended play. Incorporate it into an obstacle course by requiring the child to fill and then raise the bucket before moving to the next obstacle.

Newspaper walk - Kids are handed three sheets of newspaper and must place one beneath every step they take. This is the perfect event to place at a tricky turn in the course. You can use any paper or even small hand towels.

Balance beam - You can make an impromptu balance beam using a pool noodle, or if you have wood available you can build a beam by attaching a 4x4 to smaller pieces using wood screws to ensure the beam is level and not overly wobbly for kids.
Spread Cheer
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