New England Good Life
  • Home
  • Store
    • Nautical-Themed Serving Trays
    • Nautical-themed Coasters
    • Coastal Cribbage Boards
    • Hand-Painted Beach Signs
    • Unique Beach-Themed Wall Art
    • More Good Stuff
  • Custom Projects
  • Chats In The Barn
  • Home
  • Store
    • Nautical-Themed Serving Trays
    • Nautical-themed Coasters
    • Coastal Cribbage Boards
    • Hand-Painted Beach Signs
    • Unique Beach-Themed Wall Art
    • More Good Stuff
  • Custom Projects
  • Chats In The Barn

Safe Activities During Covid-19 

Covid-19 Idea: Landscaping Project

5/10/2020

0 Comments

 

Jay Bell

Turning Homeschooling Into Home Equity with My Kids

Picture
Clearing a space, leveling it, building a fire pit, and installing a patio was a multi-day effort that gives us a new space to enjoy.
The beauty of a landscaping project is that it’s physical, it’s outdoors, and it transforms a space. Physicians sometimes literally write prescriptions for time outdoors.

​The physical nature of this sort of effort relieves stress and improves sleep. There’s a constructive channeling of a person’s focus, creativity, and energy. It can involve research, spatial relations, math, or science. Adults are no different than kids: accomplishing a goal and having a tangible finished product feels great. Nowadays, it’s also a small part of the world that you can actually control.
Picture
This project progressed at its own pace, allowing time for a break, a snack, and time to admire the progress.
Those living in a place they don’t own might feel this can’t apply to them. But there are smaller options, such as creating a colorful scene through planting a variety of flowers in various sized containers. Or you can start a vegetable garden in flower pots in lieu of a raised bed. You might line the back patio with tiki torches.
​There’s a vastly increased ability to order what you need and have curbside pickup or delivery these days. There may even be a chance to re-purpose materials you already have, such as using that old pile of flagstones or bricks for a small side patio; or splitting some plants to have free shrubs; or transplanting some ground cover or flowers that have been spreading. The mental challenge of reusing materials can be interesting, budget-friendly, and safe.
Picture
The finished product allowed for the kids to have a socially distant evening with their grandmother.
Again, the project can work within any constraints you have. But the many aspects of completing it will pay visual dividends for your space and invisible ones for you.
0 Comments

Covid-19 Idea: Kindness Rocks

5/10/2020

0 Comments

 

Jay Bell

Finding a way for a small act of kindness to touch a stranger.

Picture
With all the stresses of Covid-19, finding a message of support from a stranger can lift someone's spirits.
​Many people feel the heavy stress and negativity arising from the countless effects created by Covid-19, along with the inability for most people to have a broader impact. One way to make a difference is to focus more on the opportunities to positively affect even one person. 

The Kindness Rocks Project existed before this virus, but may be meaningful now as much as ever. Our family has been fortunate to find a few. We’ve been meandering along a beach and randomly discovered a rock with words on it that were general enough to apply to almost anyone, yet specific enough to feel like it’s the perfect positive message at a time when you needed it. We’ve passed these along to someone who would be touched, as a way to pay it forward.
Picture
Making a kindness rock is easy, and also an act of support and empathy. With kids, it's also an opportunity for discussion and growth.
This can be a really easy project. All you need is some rocks with a suitable surface to write on, some paint and pens that will survive the outdoors, and some empathy. It’s an art project with a touch of humanity that can capture people’s attention for a little while, and leave them thinking about how to lift someone else’s spirits.
Picture
The second part is to journey safely to a beach, river, park, or any other place where people will wander along and discover the rock. Look for that place that's easily found but that won't be quickly washed away or driven over, and make a wish for the person who finds it.
0 Comments

Covid-19 Idea: Silly Debates

5/9/2020

0 Comments

 

Jay Bell

I bet the founding fathers didn't debate if a circle has sides to it.

​People will often be happy to debate plenty of topics. These days, there’s an added edge to some debates. But let’s turn debates into a fun activity. As long as there are three, or even two of you, you can have debates. Zoom or FaceTime offers the same opportunity for someone who’s single. We won’t have normal debates this time around. These topics are based on comical, zany premises. They aren’t serious but do require thought, and can involve discussion afterwards to keep the fun going
Picture
Debating crazy topics such as, "why feet are just hands at the end of your legs" can help you forget about the pandemic for a little while and just focus on your friends or family.
Topics might include debating whether white is a color; why tacos vs. hot dogs are sandwiches; if cereal is actually a breakfast soup; whether or not eating a mermaid makes you a cannibal; and why plants are a kind of meat. But brainstorming is as fun as the debate itself!

Some simple rules (which you can adjust):
  • You have two minutes for any research you want to do on your Phone.
  • You each get two minutes to make your points.
  • You each get 30 seconds for follow-up rebuttals.
  • One person can be the judge, or you can rotate the judge. This person awards up to five points for the quality of each person's arguments.
  • You can either play however many rounds you want, or you can play to a certain amount of points, such as 25​
Kids benefit from the critical thinking skills of researching, presenting, and thinking on their feet, and will enjoy coming up with topics. Grown-ups will shake off their seriousness, and can enjoy this with a couple of drinks on FaceTime or Zoom. After a couple of rounds, you’ll also see improvements, despite the nonsensical topics. You might even have people making laughable assertions that becomes a memorable story with your friends! ​
0 Comments

Covid-19 Idea: Organizing Your Space

5/9/2020

0 Comments

 

Jay Bell

My kids just did a big chore, helped me out, and liked it?!?! Wow.

​Covid-19 has created challenges around food and left us spending much more time at home. Perhaps you’ve accumulated more nonperishable food to survive the ups and downs of the food supply that’s not well stored. Or perhaps there’s the occasional messy area that becomes more of an eyesore when you’re home so much. Organizing an area can be an opportunity to feel better about your little corner of the world
Picture
Before Covid-19, we had nonperishables stored in the garage, alongside paint and, well... junk.
Picture
My kids organized our nonperishables, and more of the garage, maximizing space and being clear what we do - and don't - need to buy.
If you have kids, then giving them some guidelines and allowing them to 
organize can offer several benefits: it’s a way for them to genuinely contribute to the family; ​for them to do something casually physical; it’s an exercise in spatial relations, so has an intellectual value; it gives them input into their world, through their decisions; and the project-based activity helps them focus and have an accomplishment at the end. Having them show and explain what they did further engages them and offers opportunity for pride at achieving a goal.

If you don’t have kids, this can still be helpful. If it’s food organization, it helps you figure out what you do (and don’t) need. For nonperishable items that you might stock up more on in order to reduce grocery store trips, it lets you see how much space you have. But even if it’s a closet and dressers, since maybe your wardrobe will change if you’re working from home, or if it’s an attic cleanout, it still helps you sort through and assess things.
​Everyone has that project that they talk about getting to but never tackle. Now may be the perfect time!
0 Comments

    Note:

    Since your households may include different combinations and ages of people, and may be houses or apartments, we’re listing safe and low-cost ideas that can be broadly applicable, even if a little Yankee ingenuity is needed to tweak something to best fit your circumstance.

    Archives

    July 2020
    May 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Store
    • Nautical-Themed Serving Trays
    • Nautical-themed Coasters
    • Coastal Cribbage Boards
    • Hand-Painted Beach Signs
    • Unique Beach-Themed Wall Art
    • More Good Stuff
  • Custom Projects
  • Chats In The Barn