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Free Printable // Quarantine Kid Art

I wanted to create a simple art project that would let children work through some of their feelings about sheltering at home. I couldn't resist the very obvious and symbolic window. I created two very basic window templates and I'm sharing them here as a free printable. Of course you can also complete this project without ever hitting print; simply draw a window frame for your child or have them create their own. 

While this project was created with children in mind, I personally found the process surprisingly helpful and would recommend it for all ages. Please note: this project is about the process, not the product. Drawing "well" is absurdly subjective and not at all required. 

 

Wondrous Window Art

 

Supplies

• Download Window Templates
• Paper (a thick weight if possible)
• Pencil
• Something to add color (markers, crayons, colored pencils, watercolor)

Instructions

1. Print the templates or draw simple window shapes on paper. 
2. Give your child a paper and pencil. Explain that you are going to make these plain windows more interesting. You are going to "wonder" and make them wondrous. Let them know that they can think of the page as one big window or several smaller ones. Assure them that they can decorate their windows however they would like. Offer these basic suggestions: you can draw what you see out of your own windows, or what someone might see if they looked in, you can draw what you think you would see if you could look in on a friend or loved one, maybe you'd like to draw a place you wish to visit, or an imaginary world. There are no wrong ways to fill your squares. If you have the time, join them in drawing.
3. Let your child draw whatever they would like in pencil. If they want the finished product to look like one large window they might wish to erase any parts of the drawing that cross over the lines. 
4. Once they are done drawing encourage them to color their creations. 
5. Ask them about their work with open questions such as "Tell me about this (pointing)" or "What were you imagining here?" You might learn something valuable about how your child is handling this new circumstance, or you might just share a giggle.
6. Finally you and/or your child might want to jot down a few notes on the back, this little piece of art can be a special record of a strange time. 

I hope you and yours find some comfort in this simple art exercise. And more importantly, I hope that you are finding ways to connect in this current state of isolation and uncertainty. Someday we will all throw open our windows and doors and meet again. For now, may you stay safe and may you stay kind. 

Searching for Silver Linings

Sleep won’t come. I can’t stop weeping for the world. Hearing the governor warn that schools will not reopen before the summer made the whole thing real in a way it hadn’t been before. I’m embarrassed at my own privilege and yet still deeply concerned for all of us. How do we all do this? How do we raise humans in this upside down world?

I finally dozed off with these and many more worries swirling in my mind. I awoke with the realization that, in order to survive this current global crisis, I was going to have search for every possible silver lining.

This is a hard and scary time to be a parent. I’m pretty sure none of you need me to enumerate all the ways in which now, perhaps more than ever in our modern memory, uncertainty and stress seem to be compounded by being a parent. In spite of it all, I have noticed several ways in which raising kids right now is its own type of blessing. I want to share some thoughts on how I deign to proclaim such a statement, not to erase or ignore the very real struggles we are all facing, but to share some hope, some light, some perspective.

5 Gifts from our Children in this Strange New Era

1. Distraction. Children are an excellent distraction. One thing I have not had the chance to be is bored. I also haven’t been able to check my phone constantly, read every single news article, or spend every moment in the what-ifs. Children are wonderful agents of the NOW. They have immediate needs. They notice, and want to share with you, the present moment. Take advantage of this when you can. If you can muster the bandwidth, take a beat and really BE with them. 

2. Purpose. Our little (or not so little) ones give us purpose. They give us a reason to get out of bed in the morning. They need us to feed them, teach them, and reassure them. Being needed is a beautiful gift. It takes us out of our own heads and gives us actionable, tangible things to do, and ways to help. Listen, I know at times like these we can feel helpless, but the truth is we are help-full. Every act of caring for a child is powerful and important and you are doing it against all odds. I know that I am so much stronger when I have someone to be strong for. Please try to find power in your purpose. 

3. Touch. With so many people truly isolated right now, parents are still giving and receiving copious amounts of physical love. Physical touch in parenthood can sometimes feel like a burden, but right now, it’s a true luxury. Soak up the snuggles. Soften into the bodies you’ve nurtured with your own. Give them all the hugs you wish you could give your grandma, your best friend, and your neighbor. 

4. Lightness. Life with children is nothing if not funny and adorable. Even if the event is only humorous in the retelling, kids are fodder for laughs. And might I suggest you take a moment to really drink in the darling? There are plenty of difficult moments, but kids really DO say and do the darndest things. It won’t be constant sparkle magic, but all this togetherness means many more opportunities for pee-your-pants laughter and heart-exploding cuteness. 

5. Hope. The gift, above all, that parenting currently offers is hope. I simply don’t dare to go without it. I have to believe that there is a chance for them to have a future that is full of simple joys. And in some ways this slowing down just might give us an opportunity to come together as a world and heal as a planet. When I ask my children about the future - whether it’s plans for tomorrow or dreams for a far-away grown-up life - they are filled with optimism, excitement, and even solutions. They are creative and loving creatures. They aren’t afraid to build a bold new world. And while I can’t promise them a life without suffering, I can offer them hope for a life blessed by love. 

I don’t assume to know what you’re going through, but my hope is that at least one of these items resonated with you, that this list offered you a moment of gratitude. Parenting is trying in the best of times, here’s to continuing to try today. 

Parenting During the Pandemic

Friends, these are troubling and stressful times for all. Some, more than others. I recognize that I am in an immense place of privilege, having a job that I can do from home and the experience of working while parenting one to three children at any given time. As so many parents attempt to brave this strange new world of social distancing, I want to offer all the help I can. I will be sharing many resources and ideas in the coming weeks on Instagram but I thought a more detailed post here might be a good idea. 

First, I'd like to say that my community has been through similar circumstances with several very tough fire years. (Click here for my past round up of Emergency Homeschooling Resources). What I witnessed in those trying times was wonderful empathy, love, and patience. We all need to do our best to heed warnings, stay in loving isolation, and look out for our community. Panic and hoarding are not helpful - love and humor are. 

I am not a homeschooler nor educational expert, but I have survived many a school break (both planned and emergency) while working, with several children underfoot, and I want to share what has worked for me in the hopes that it might help you. So here goes, a very loose and customizable list of suggestions and encouragements for the trying times we all face. I can't promise it will be easy - but you are not alone, we are in this together and we can do hard things!!

Create a rhythm (not a strict routine) that works for YOU! I'm not talking about the color-coded-models-of-stress making the rounds on the internet (unless that a helps you feel sane, in which case, please schedule every minute)! Think about your day without kids home. What do you need to accomplish (at minimum - such as chores, exercise, work) and what do you need in order to accomplish it (likely relative peace)? Try to build a daily rhythm around those needs. For me this means that I am available to help with breakfast and activities in the early morning, then I need to do chores and move my body (with "help" or without) and while the baby naps (11am-1pm) I need quiet to get my work done. The deal is, if the kids give me that time by reading or playing quietly, they get my attention from lunch until dad returns home (when I can finish up work, hopefully before dinner). Afternoons are when we try to craft, read aloud, get outside, etc. 

Cut yourself slack, seriously. You don't have to cherish this special time with your children. You don't have to prove that you can do it all. It's okay to be scared and anxious and bored and frustrated - I promise you are in good company. Do the bare minimum and know that it is enough. Give your children the gift of boredom. Hole yourself up in the bathroom with your phone and chocolate and coffee and/or wine. Call a lifeline. Be honest with a friend and share a few hilarious GIFs, you've got this. You are doing an AMAZING job.

Add fresh air/water. If you can safely head outside, please do! Breathe in the fresh air. Look for magic in nature. Do your best to be present. If outside is a no-go, fill the tub and plop in the kids. No matter what - breathe and laugh as often as possible. 

Learning can happen in simple ways. Reading, drawing, cooking, chatting, playing, gardening - these are all opportunities to teach and learn. It really doesn't have to be complicated or stressful. Follow your children's interests when possible and include them in your daily doings when possible. Throw in a few art supplies and some researched curiosity and you've successfully "emergency homeschooled". Focus more on connection than content. 

Clean up or let it all go, know thyself. I have found that I can handle some chaos - a giant art project or cardboard fort, but a disaster of a house makes me crazy. At least once a day I try to get things in relative order. I fall in the middle of the spectrum. If nagging your kids and/or trying to keep tidy makes you crazy there's no time like a pandemic to let pandemonium reign - you can clean later, or not. And if mess makes your skin crawl, build lots of clean up time into your rhythm and maybe count the items you clean and call it math? Just do what makes you feel most comfortable at home, your comfort level will set the tone. 

Remain flexible. Don't add more strict expectations on yourself or your kids. Are they playing nicely but it's "reading time"? Sneak out of the room like a ninja and enjoy the fleeting peace, reading time can wait. Are they bickering incesently? Try ignoring it, I mean it, pop in some headphones and enjoy a podcast or audiobook. Restless energy much? Skip read aloud or craft time and strike up a dance party or nature scavenger hunt. Life with kids almost always works better when we don't cling to expectations. Parenting is the constant art of learning to let go. It won't be perfect or orderly and that's okay. 

WE WILL SURVIVE!

Huge virtual germ-free hugs to all my fellow parents out there raising kids in these wild times. You are not alone. You are doing an amazing job. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay kind.