When I was coloring a mandala from the Limitless book yesterday, the significance of the symbolism struck me, especially with the experience we are going through with the Covid-19 pandemic. Mandala symbolically represents how the whole universe is connected in many cultures. And we wonder how that could be with the world being so large and seemingly so disconnected most of the time. But this experience that the whole world is going through together shows us how deeply connected we are. This is the first time in my lifetime, where all of us are going through the same experience irrespective of where we live.
The health of the world is dependent on the health of each nation. The health of the nation is dependent on the health of the communities we live in. The health of the community is dependent on the health of each individual. Similarly, each individual is responsible for the health of their communities, nations, and the health of the world. We need to remember that our actions will have a ripple effect and affect the communities beyond ours. So it is for each of us to act responsibly by following the guidelines specified by our respective governments.
During a time like this, I am grateful that we still can connect and converse with whoever we want; We can learn anything we want from our homes. I understand how it might be distressing because of the uncertainty and fluidity of the situation, but that is not something we have control over at this point. While we do our part in helping to contain this problem, let us try to use this time to focus our energies on something productive.
Here is a list of activities (shared by a friend on Facebook) you could do with your children –
- Read, read, read!
- Teach them a new board game. Or ask grandma or grandpa to teach them over FaceTime.
- Take a walk in the woods. Alone. After all, they didn’t cancel school so that everyone would make play dates and take the kids out to run errands.
- Watch nature shows.
- Create a play. Make costumes from whatever they can find at home.
- Teach them how to write and mail letters to relatives.
- Teach them how to do chores. Kids as young as 3 & 4 can set and clear the table. They can wipe the table, sweep and mop the dining room and kitchen at the end of the night.
- Demonstrate how to research something that interests them.
- Paint, draw, create. Find some great art online and try to replicate it.
- Cook and bake together. Look up new recipes to try together.
- Camp out in the backyard.
- Look for four-leafed clovers and find shapes in the clouds.
- Teach them about photography and composition.
- Let them take apart an old hairdryer or electronic equipment. See if they can repurpose some of the parts.
- Write stories. Teach them about the setting, plot, and character development. Or show them how to research these things online
- Listen to different genres of music and have them dance out how it makes them feel.
- Learn how to sew, knit, or crochet. If you don’t know how to do this, learn together. There are plenty of YouTube videos you can watch with your kids.
- Spring clean with your kids. Help them sort through their clothes and toys and give away what they don’t need.
- Garden! Clean up the remnants of the winter and get ready for spring.
- Go for a bike ride!
And let us not forget the power of prayer. It gives us the inner strength to deal with things that are beyond our control.
Bluishmuse 