4 Online activities to keep your family fit, fashionable and fun
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Cardigan - equation boutique, jeans - merilou boutique, trainers - shopbop
Like many people around the world, our lives here in Minnesota just got a little smaller. Schools closed. Then shops. Then bars and restaurants. And now, we – along with around 1.5 billion other earth-dwellers – are being asked to ‘shelter in place.’ Home 24/7 does sound a little confining. And believe me, when the kids are fighting, work is pressing, homeschooling is waiting, and guilt is building, I know it can feel that way too! But there are so many things we can do to stay happy and healthy without leaving our abodes. Here are four fave online activities our family has found so far.
1. Support a neighborhood boutique - online
sUSAN SUN, OWNER OF EQUATION BOUTIQUE, DELIVERING ONLINE ORDERS CURB-SIDE (BEFORE MINNESOTANS WERE ASKED TO STAY HOME)
Many of us are deeply concerned about our friends with small businesses, and Minneapolis proprietor, Susan Sun says there are lots of ways to help. You could buy pieces online, get a gift card for a friend or “like” or send a virtual hug via social media, the owner of Equation boutique suggests. “Everyone is craving human interaction,” says Susan, “so even a message makes a difference.”
Susan has been trying to protect the personal quality of her business by hand delivering online orders and interacting with clients on Instagram. So far, it’s working. “Our neighbors want to support us because they hope we’ll be in business when this is all over. We’re also seeing a spike in people buying from other cities, like New York and San Francisco.” Plus, Susan says, the crisis is revealing something even more important. “This is the time for us to see that everything is about relationships – not just business. The human-to-human connection is more important than anything else.”
2. Get the whole family fit - no gym required
Earlier today, my seven-, five-year-old and I could be found doing warrior II aka “surfboard pose” while singing Wipeout from our yoga mats. If this sounds a bit more fun than your average sun salutation, it’s because ‘Cosmic Kids’ has figured out how to make yoga irresistible to youth. The YouTube channel uses storytelling, singing and general silliness to hold kids’ attention, but there are equivalents for older yogis too – as well as their dancer, PE enthusiast, gymnast and other friends.
There’s an explosion of online options for us grown ups too. If you want to support your local studio, see if they have live streaming or online classes – like our suburban Minneapolis neighbor, The Barre. I did one of their Instagram classes today, and wow, was it every bit as hard as the in-studio version! Alternatively, now might be the time to commit to a fully at-home workout program, like Beachbody, an exercise app or even Peloton if you can get past the cost and rather ridiculous ads!
3. Teach others, yourself, something new
If you have kids, do you feel you’re being asked to teach them topics you’re barely competent in yourself? Maths, science and coding all make me feel that way! Thank goodness the internet is here to help with homeschooling. We’re big fans of Art for Kids Hub’s ‘How to Draw’ series, which helps students use simple shapes to build realistic representations. Today’s black widow spider episode kept our youngest, oldest and me equally absorbed – and resulted in adequate arachnids all round! You can do the same with arts like language. No hablas espanol? No problem with programs like Rock ‘N Learn Spanish for Kids.
And what about you? Anything you’d like to learn while socially distanced? A new language, using an app like Babbel, Italki or Duolingo perhaps? Branding or design from a site like Canva or Skillshare? I used Skillshare to learn just enough about branding to launch this blog - then Canva to put it all into practice. For a monthly subscription, you get instruction on everything from photography to marketing to productivity – all in bite-sized classes to suit your availability or lack thereof.
4. Don’t hesitate, meditate
If ‘meditate’ has been languishing on your to do list, maybe now is the time to finally sit down and focus on your breath! Surprisingly, this is something you can do as a family – and it works. Before we had kids, I was fortunate enough to get to go on a four-day, company-sponsored mindfulness retreat and the impact was profound. I went in my usual, somewhat chaotic self and came out a whole new calm, confident and carefree person!
Obviously, retreats are not an option right now, but meditation apps are. If you can find the discipline to make meditation a habit, it can be a powerful source of peace in your life. Plus, even mainstream apps like Headspace include meditations designed for kids. You can do a three-minute ‘get to sleep’ session with your wee ones or a ten-minute kindness, empathy or happiness session for yourself. If you’re looking for a free option, try Smiling Mind or UCLA Mindful app.
I hope these ideas are helpful. And I really hope social distancing is showing its silver lining – at least from time to time. I think Susan from Equation put it well when she said, “The first week with my kids drove me crazy. But the second week was better because we realized this was going to be our lives for the next couple of months – and it brought us closer together.”
Please let us know how you’re coping with a comment – and take care of your dear selves.
