Activities to keep minds strong while stuck at home

With the COVID-19 outbreak and now that children are home, parents and caretakers might struggle to find hands-on activities, crafts, or brain breaks to keep youths and young adults occupied.

There are important steps everyone should take recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that help prevent respiratory diseases like COVID-19. These include avoiding close contact with people who are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and disposing of it, avoid touching nose, eyes and mouth, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, staying home when you are sick, except to get medical care, and washing hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

For a lot of parents, finding the balance of working from home and trying to make sure their children are doing their school assignments can be stressful. National 4-H has created a variety of activities called “4-H Inspire Kids to Do Activity Guide” that parents can do with their kids right at home as a creative and fun break between schoolwork. You can find this guide at 4-h.org.

Each activity describes how long it will take to complete and mentions the grades of the students the activity is best suited for. Most of the activities require supplies that many of us already have at home, so social distancing can still be practiced. If there is any piece of advice, I can give you, is to not reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of resources online from Arkansas 4-H at 4h.uaex. edu and National 4-H at 4-h. org that can be implemented in the home to keep decrease screen time.

One activity that the whole family can join in on that would not only be beneficial to the child, but to your backyard birds as well, is to create a quick and easy bird feeder. Kids can learn that just like them, birds in their backyards need to eat nutritious meals.

All you need is a pinecone, peanut butter, bird seeds and a string to hang it with. First, cover the pinecone with peanut butter. Second, roll the pinecone in a dish of birdseed so it will stick to the pinecone. Lastly, attach the string to the pinecone and hang from a branch. Kids will be able to observe what kind of birds come to eat from their bird feeder between doing their homework assignments.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home if you can. This can be a scary time, but it is important to stay positive and take precautions to keep your family healthy. Soon we will be back to our regularly scheduled 4-H Club meetings, activities, and events. If you have any questions about 4-H, do not hesitate to reach out to me at cmcafee@uaex.edu.

4-H information

There are several 4-H Clubs for Garland county youths who are 5 to 19 years old. For more information on all the fun 4-H activities that are available for youths, call Carol Ann McAfee at the Extension office, 623-6841, or email cmcfee@uaex.edu.

Master Gardener information

Master Gardener meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at the Elks Lodge. They’re open to the public and guests are welcome. For more information, call the Extension office, 623-6841, or email Alex Dykes at adykes@uaex.edu.

EHC information

Are you interested in joining an existing Extension Homemakers Club? EHC is the largest volunteer organization in the state. For information on EHC, call Alison Crane, 6236841, or email acrane@uaex.edu.