March 12, 2020

We have all heard that schools in Ohio will be closed for at LEAST three weeks… so what will we do to keep our kids stimulated (and prevent all of us from going stir-crazy?!). I have put together a list of all of the great ideas that I have heard, along with what I plan to do with my kids. Make sure to bookmark this page, as I will continue to update it and “like” us on Facebook to be the first to know: at both DJ Property Team and People & Places of Cincinnati. And if you have any brilliant ideas, by all means, please share them!

Cincinnati Kids To-Do List:

Linton Music Peanut Butter & Jam Streaming Concerts - every morning (starting Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 10 am). You can tune in via their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/pbjsessions/posts/ More details: “In response to having to cancel our concerts and schools being closed, we are going to present “Musical Mornings” starting this Saturday! At 10:00am tune in to our Facebook feed for a live video.” (This Saturday, they will even teach our kids how to make an instrument!) We know what it feels like to go stir crazy when everyone is cooped up in the house. Follow our “Musical Mornings!” Monday-Saturday at 10:00 for stories, interviews with musicians, instrument making, and any other special stuff we can find to get us through this hard time.”

McHarper Manor is going to have live videos of craft instruction! Signup for these free classes by going to https://www.mcharpermanor.com/ (and scroll to the bottom to enter your email address). More details “Beginning (Monday, March 16), our studio will be going live daily with free art & craft tutorials to create at home with your kids! We'll have shopping lists (with links to the supplies you can order from Amazon) to have on-hand to complete the projects with us! We hope this helps the parents, grandparents, nannies, and in home providers to still have something fun to do with these little guys, and something exciting to look forward to during a time that can be quite overwhelming for kids. Art is therapy, friends! And if there was ever a time for it, it's now!“

Kids Online Physical Activities:

Kids Online Educational Enrichment:

Kids Podcasts / Movies:

Ideas To Do In Your Neighborhood:

  • Bike car wash

  • Yard work

  • Offer to walk your neighborhood dogs (H/T hulafrog)

  • Nature scavenger hunts

Creative Kid Ideas for at Home:

  • Help deep clean a home

  • Start a chore chart

  • Begin indoor seedlings for a spring garden.

  • Make a “restaurant” in your own home and give everyone their own a job (including being the “waiter”, creating a fun menu, cooking / preparing the food, etc.)

  • Take pretend “vacations!” Pack a suitcase and “fly” to China where you can make dumplings and fly kites. Or travel to Italy where you can play bocce and make pasta. Or how about the Middle East where you can make mosaics and do henna tattoos.  

Other Coronavirus Resources:

  • For Kids Worried About Coronavirus (anxiety etc.) -   https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus

  • For live updates on COVID-19 in Cincinnati, text cincycovid19 to 77295.

    If you live in Cincinnati and feel like you may need to be tested for Coronavirus, do NOT head to urgent care or the ER.

    (1) If you have a primary care doctor or pediatrician, CALL that doctor for advice. Do not walk into the office. CALL.

    (2) If you don’t have a primary care doctor, CALL the Ohio Department of Health at 1-833-427-5634. They will tell you what to do next.

    Since Ohio schools are shutting down for a few weeks and many Cincinnati and surrounding area kids rely on school lunches to eat throughout the day CPEN has been provided a list of locations that will remain open to provide meals. 

    Several Hamilton County Public libraries will be serving food for kids up to 18:

    •Avondale 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. and 4:45 to 5:15 p.m.

    •College Hill 2:30 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 4:30 p.m.

    •Pleasant Ridge 3:30 to 4 p.m. 4:30 to 5 p.m.

    •Price Hill 3 to 3:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 4 p.m.

    •Walnut Hills 3 to 3:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 4 p.m

    •Adams county 3:30 p.m to 4:30 p.m

    SEVERAL Food pantries in the area will be open PLEASE CALL UNITED WAY 211 (hit option 1 to speak with a live information and referral specialist) to get a list of pantries in your zip code. But here are Just a few (There are alot more): 

    •Shared harvest food bank / Fairfield 

    (5138740114)

    •New Richmond food pantry / new Richmond 

    (5135533800)

    •Sem Food pantry / Cincinnati 

    (5132311412) 

    •Open door food pantry / Hamilton 

    (5138683276) 

    •Free store food bank / Cincinnati 

    (5134824500) 

    •The food bank Inc. / Dayton 

    (5134610265)

     Christian Help Center / Batavia (513-735-9400)

    Local Church pantries that service East Hamilton and Clermont counties: 

    •Amelia united Methodist church 

    •Grace and mercy outreach Inc. 

    •Amelia inter parish ministry 

    •First Presbyterian church pantry 

    •Cornerstone baptist (Batavia) 

    •Vineyard eastgate community church (Batavia) 

    •Christian Help Center (Batavia)

    There are also local food donation drop boxes at certain schools like Holly hill elementary and Amelia elementary as well as “after school” food supplies at some YMCAs and Cincinnati recreation facilities. (H/T CPEN)

  • Pickles & Bones BBQ - “Beginning next week, Tuesday March 17 through Sat. April 11 we will offer free kids meals to any K-18 Student in Milford. No purchase necessary and no strings attached. We have to figure out all details, but it will be a pulled pork or sloppy joe sandwich and 1 side.” (HUGE shout out to the amazing Pickes & Bones BBQ family! Go show them some love!!!)  

We WILL get through this “extended spring break” together! Let me know what you try above, along with any other ideas to update this list with! And don’t forget to bookmark this page, and follow us on Facebook at DJ Property Team and People & Places of Cincinnati, so that you don’t miss any updates!

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