Easter Crafts for the Whole Family

April 8, 2020 by Leave a comment

easter-crafts-bunny-hats-diy-1551129783                                 Photo from GoodHousekeeping.com 

Everyone loves an Easter craft to get in the spirit. Gather the family and have some fun creating.

It’s easy and fun to make Crystal Geode Eggs. All you need are some egg shells, epsom salt, egg dye (optional) craft glue and toothpicks. Find the directions here.

Make some Easter Bunny handprint art.

Make a few bunny and chick bookmarks and get ready to read!

Wouldn’t it be fun to wear some Easter Bunny hats for dinner?

Make some Easter stick puppets and put on a show.

And for the table, make some spring daffodils.

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Take an Urban Walk

April 7, 2020 by Leave a comment

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Take a walk around Decatur using the city’s landscape as your outdoor gymnasium.

  • Warm up with an easy 5 minute stroll.
  • Increase intensity for 5 minutes.
  • Do city block intervals for the next ten minutes: Alternate between a slower pace and a faster pace on each block. You can walk up on block at a slow pace, then cross the street and walk back at the faster pace.
  • Find a flight of stairs and walk up taking two steps at a time, then walk down. Continue for one minute.
  • Repeat the city block intervals.
  • Find a tree to support you and do 16 calf raises on each leg. Or if you don’t have a tree do both feet at once and practice balance.
  • Cool down with a 5 minute stroll.
  • When you get home, so some push-ups. If these are difficult, you can do them with your knees dropped or standing and pushing off of the wall.
  • Don’t forget to stretch!

Filed under City of Decatur, Decatur Active Living, Exercise, Walking

April 6, 2020 by Leave a comment

monday

From our friends at MoveItMonday.org:

Start your week with some chair yoga! Chair yoga can reduce the strain and stress on your joints, be done at home or in the office, and is highly adjustable for all poses.

Here are 3 easy positions to get you started.

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Take a Walk in the Decatur Cemetery

April 3, 2020 by Leave a comment

unnamed (1)This is  a great time of year to wander around the Decatur Cemetery. Take a guided tour with the Walking Tour Brochure that you can download here.

The walking tour brochure provides an overview of 40 of the most interesting sites at Decatur Cemetery. Among them are the resting places of three veterans of the American Revolution, a monument standing over a field where numerous orphans are buried, and the final resting place of Dr. Thomas Holley Chivers, who abandoned his medical training for poetry and was described by Edgar Allen Poe as “one of the best and one of the worst poets in America.”

The brochure, in describing the 40 sites, provides a glimpse of Decatur’s history. The 58-acre cemetery dates to 1823 (it’s a full decade older than Atlanta) and provides an interesting overview of how the nation’s attitude about cemetery design (and death) has changed over the years.

The brochure includes a map of the cemetery, lots of color photographs, and a short collection of “cemetery manners” to ensure that the dignity of the site is not compromised.

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Visit a Museum – Virtually of course!

April 1, 2020 by Leave a comment

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Take a virtual trip to museums around the world. Learn about some new artists and have fun seeing what great art there is in the world. Maybe one of them will inspire you to plan a trip for the future to see them in person!

Mentalfloss.com has a list of 12 World-Class museums you can visit virtually.

Visit the Metropolitan Museum of New York, and explore with their 360 project.

Take a tour of the Vatican in Rome without the crowds.

Or take a trip to France to visit Versaille!

Let us know in the comments if you have some other ideas.

Stay safe Decatur!

 

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Rainy Day Fun at Home

March 31, 2020 by Leave a comment

4c82f2ca051c152fe146755e4704710e_rainy-day-monday-kel-mel-blog-clip-art-library_600-345The rain today reminds me of a skit Lily Tomlin did back in the day. It was raining out, so her character said she put the children in the car and said “Let’s play car wash!” While I am not recommending that (although it could be fun for about 5 minutes!), I found some other ideas on what to do on a rainy day.

RealSimple.com has 14 ideas of what to do on a rainy day. I like the Family Recipe Book. You could think up recipes to make with whatever you have in the pantry. Or write down your favorite family dinner recipes.

You may want to organize your own Film Festival or map out a city on paper. Try mapping Decatur and add the places your family likes to go. You can use this map to get  started.

There are also 50 more ideas on MyKidsTime.com.

Have fun and stay safe!

 

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Leaf stencils

March 31, 2020 by Leave a comment

We’re going to flash back to art class and stencil leaves. Go outside and pick up a couple leaves. Grab a sheet of paper and a pencil or charcoal. Place the leaf under the paper and then start to shade! Try adding some different colors. You can cut them out and then frame them. Have fun!

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Move It Monday: Make an Appointment for Fitness

March 30, 2020 by Leave a comment

mondayFrom our friends at MoveItMonday:

Exercise is vital to a healthy life. We all know it can be difficult to make time for it with a busy schedule. This week we share some ideas to fit fitness into your daily routine. Motivate yourself this Monday to make time for a workout – and continue throughout the rest of the week.

Try these 3 tips to make sure you don’t skip fitness this week

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Try Some New Art Techniques

March 27, 2020 by Leave a comment

money-seamless-frottage-11584015The High Museum of Atlanta has some creative activities for you to do with your family.

This one is on making colorful rubbings. Learn all about artist Max Ernst who  named this type of artwork frottage and then try to create one on your own. Hang it in your window so your neighbors can see it, or start a museum display wall at home.

Another one has you learning about artist Mary Weatherford and encourages you to do some creative movement. Check it out here.

Have fun being creative!

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Make Your Own Board Game!

March 26, 2020 by Leave a comment

What a fun way to spend some time while stuck indoors. Make your own baord game!

Here is a video from the National Museum of Australia. They mention a downloadable template, however I was not able to find it on their website.

 

 

I found these instructions on Wikipedia on how to make a board game. This one might be better suited for older children as it has a lot of planning steps.

You might want to have different members of the family make games, and then have a game night to play them all.

Most of all- be creative and have fun!

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