Decatur Parks & Recreation

Mayor Garrett Issues Public Parks Reminder

March 24, 2020 by saraeholmes Leave a comment

Mayor Patti Garrett Issues Public Parks Reminder

Public Parks in the City of Decatur remain open. Adherence to the following guidelines is imperative to protect the safety and health of our community during this public health emergency:

If you are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19, stay home, and avoid public parks and other public spaces.
Adhere to social distancing requirements and remain 6 feet away from others or you may be asked to leave the park.
Do not engage in contact sports or games, such as playground soccer, basketball, etc.
Bring hand sanitizer as bathrooms may be closed.
Bring water as water fountains are temporarily unavailable.
The playgrounds are closed.

Exercise provides much needed stress relief. Walking, running, skateboarding or cycling can be done while still maintaining a safe 6-feet of distance from others. Thank you for continuing to do your part in ensuring our community remains as safe as possible during this time.

Filed under City of Decatur Tagged with COVID-19, Mayor Patti Garrett

Family Activity: Plan a Trip for the Future

March 24, 2020 by saraeholmes Leave a comment

plan-your-trip-now-round-line-concept-vector-summer-vacation-planning-map-place-pointer-route-beach-icons-palm-90021785 Looking to take a trip in the future when all of this is over? Start doing your research now and have something fun to look forward to.

Start by selecting a place you want to go and gather all the information you can. Have members of the family find places they want to visit in your selected destination. Let the children make a schedule, find the prices of things they want to see, and create a budget.

Good for learning to read maps, honing up the research and math skills, and it’s fun! You could even have the family draw pictures of what they would like to explore.

My Travel Obsession and Pack More Into Life have some tips for trip planning.

Filed under City of Decatur Tagged with travel, trip planning, what to do while stuck at home.

Baking!

March 24, 2020 by Leave a comment

I know a lot of us have some browning fruit we might want to use, or some extra zucchini lying around. Let’s get in the kitchen! Try a couple new recipes or stick with the tried & true. There are so many things just waiting to be made: apple muffins, zucchini brownies, my personal favorite…banana bread, as well as so many others. So get creative!

Baking set. Hand-drawn cartoon utensils and ingridients. Doodle drawing. Vector illustration.

Filed under Decatur Parks & Recreation

Practice Your Talents

March 23, 2020 by Leave a comment

Let’s all take the time today to work on something that we consider ourselves good at. We all have some sort of hidden talent or something we just really like to do, but the hustle and bustle of everyday life has caused us to loose track of it. Take some time to practice that instrument in the back of your closet, pull out your sketch pad…whatever you enjoy doing, DO IT!!!

Filed under Decatur Parks & Recreation

Learn a New Language!

March 23, 2020 by saraeholmes Leave a comment

adios-multiple-languages-clipart-9

Stuck at home? Whether you are isolating alone or with your family, this could be a good time to learn a new language.

Duolingo is a free ap that has a variety of languages and is appropriate for all ages. You can do this on your phone or your computer. You and your family can learn together and practice over meals. I have used this ap before traveling abroad and it was very helpful.

Here is an article from PCmag.com that lists the best free language learning aps.

Filed under City of Decatur Tagged with what to do when stuck at home

Clear Your Head with Meditation

March 23, 2020 by saraeholmes Leave a comment

destress

From our friends at The Monday Campaigns:

This Monday, take a moment to destress with a one-minute meditation. Just one minute can help you calm your mind and clear your head!

Try one of our downloadable meditations today and start feeling more relaxed.

Filed under City of Decatur, Healthy Monday, Monday Campaigns Tagged with Meditation

Karaoke

March 23, 2020 by Leave a comment

It’s time for a childhood favorite. Pull up the song you desire to sing with lyrics and go for it! Your family is a perfect audience. I know I’ll be starting tonight’s karaoke with a High School Musical sound track.

Filed under Decatur Parks & Recreation

Twister with a twist!

March 20, 2020 by 2 Comments

Do you ever just want to get messy? This is the perfect activity for that!

Get a poster board/butcher paper/an old sheet. Apply globs of paint where each of the circles should be and get to twisting! You can get some great pictures, lots of laughs and a work of art at the end of it that you can date, sign and save.

UPDATE: Please just do this activity with your family!

Filed under Decatur Parks & Recreation

Puzzled Over What to Do? Try a Puzzle!

March 19, 2020 by saraeholmes Leave a comment

2a0050e764adfd5d07ed6bc0d7779a36_free-crossword-cliparts-cliparts-download-free-clip-art-free-_731-738 Crossword puzzles are not only fun, but educational. Try doing one yourself or make it a family activity.

Here are some free puzzles that I found:

USA Today has a free online crossword puzzle. You can even select regular or expert. Keep doing these and soon you will be an expert! There are also links on the page for other games and puzzles.
JigsawPuzzles.com has a variety of free online jigsaw puzzles, as well as an activity for making your own puzzle. You do have to sign up to access this feature.
Care for a game of Mahjong? Crazy Games has it, along with a variety of other puzzles and games.
Google free puzzles and you will find a plethora of sites available.

Other Ideas:

Bust out the Scrabble game and play with the family. No scrabble at home? Make your giant version using index cards or other paper you have around the house. You can even take this outside and draw the game board on the driveway with chalk. Use something heavier for the letter tiles so they won’t blow away.
Consider signing up for the PBS KIDS Dailynewsletter for ideas and activities.

Continue smiling and stay safe!

Filed under City of Decatur Tagged with crossword puzzles, puzzles, things to do while stuck at home

Reusing Plastic Water Bottles

March 19, 2020 by Leave a comment

There are many ways to reuse plastic bottles. We can start our own seedling green house! We’ll start by cutting the bottles in half, filling them with soil, and adding a couple seeds just barely covered by the soil. Make sure the soil is nice and moist, but not soaked. Put the top back on the bottle and place it under some sunlight. You’ll notice condensation forming in the bottle. That is your own miniature green house!