@@ Suggestions to make quarantine suck less

[CrazyLucky]

@@@@@@
We got a call from the school today that DD was in close contact with someone who tested positive and as a result, she has to quarantine for 14 days.  She'll miss a lot of fun things including trick-or-treating and Cub Scout camp.  She's pretty devastated.  Do you have any tips or ideas on how to make the next two weeks suck less for her?

[orval]

Recreate Cub Scouts in your back yard? Set up tent, cook on a campfire, smores, etc.

[icedcoffee]

Can you ask a few people to deliver some TOT bags to the doorstep? Like reverse TOTing. I'm sorry. That blows.

[isabel]

Easter egg style candy hunt outside?

Fun Halloween foods? I’m doing mummy dogs, an orange pepper jackolantern, and vampire apples (with marshmallow teeth and candy eyes). Frozen fruit punch ice cubes with gummy worms in them.

That blows. I’m sorry.

[CrazyLucky]

Oh, good ideas all. We can definitely set up camp outside and do fun foods. Thank you!

[freshsqueezed]

We are having the kids trick or treat on our property. I’m filling clear bags with candy/favors and glow sticks and they will look for bags of their assigned color at night instead of TOT.

[yogapants]

For Halloween this year, we're doing mostly home stuff: decorating sugar cookies in Halloween theme, watching a family-friendly Halloween movie, maybe making some "potions". Any of those are doable in quarantine.

Virtual hugs - everything sucks so much, and having to be in actual quarantine makes it suck even more.

[circa1978]

We're home today too for the same reason - except the entire school is out. It's going to be a long winter. We already weren't doing ToT but he was really excited about Riddle Day tomorrow.

[Roc A Bee]

We’ve done a lot of Halloween crafts including painting pumpkins and we will make a gingerbread haunted house on Friday. I also made the kids candy goodie bags. We will also have one of those skeletons with candy spilling out on the table ala Pinterest and some other themed snacks.

I like the idea of s’mores in the backyard!

[gardengal]

My kids LOVE camping in our backyard. If there’s cell coverage at Cub Scout camp area, maybe see if you can FaceTime for some of it?

We are much stricter than many in our area & while not completely quarantining all the time, we are getting joy in trying new restaurants (takeout for us, but you could do zero contact delivery), family game/movie nights bc we have almost no evening activities, and more video calls to friends/family. We’ve even played a board game w another family virtually

[lilac05]

How old is she?

I think working on mindset will make this much better. You’re doing this to keep other people healthy. You are possibly literally saving someone’s life by staying home for 2 weeks! We’ve done a lot of work in our house to focus on what we CAN do instead of what we can’t. It has made a huge difference for our whole family. It’s OK to be disappointed, but then move on and do exactly what you’re doing here...try to make the best of it!

The reverse ToT is a great idea! We’d be happy to do that for friends!

[Leeham Rimes]

I’m not letting my kids TOT bc there’s no safe way to do it here so I bought a chocolate fountain and they can have that with treats and movies and a picnic of appetizers. I’m also going to surprise them with gift cards for things they like. They’re pretty excited about it.

ETA: I forgot that I also bought cookie decorating kits as well. I’m more excited about that than they are though. Lol. It will not be a low calorie fat for us. Hahah

[Leeham Rimes]

Oct 29, 2020 11:23:06 GMT -5 yogapants said:

For Halloween this year, we're doing mostly home stuff: decorating sugar cookies in Halloween theme, watching a family-friendly Halloween movie, maybe making some "potions". Any of those are doable in quarantine.

Virtual hugs - everything sucks so much, and having to be in actual quarantine makes it suck even more.

I kinda like the potions idea. My kids love combining sodas (why? Why?!) maybe I’ll buy a bunch of single serve sodas & they can create a potion.

[yogapants]

Oct 29, 2020 12:57:14 GMT -5 Leeham Rimes said:

Oct 29, 2020 11:23:06 GMT -5 yogapants said:

For Halloween this year, we're doing mostly home stuff: decorating sugar cookies in Halloween theme, watching a family-friendly Halloween movie, maybe making some "potions". Any of those are doable in quarantine.

Virtual hugs - everything sucks so much, and having to be in actual quarantine makes it suck even more.

I kinda like the potions idea. My kids love combining sodas (why? Why?!) maybe I’ll buy a bunch of single serve sodas & they can create a potion.

There are some cool "potions class" DIY experiments you could try, too, if you're interested. For example:

inspirationlaboratories.com/fizzy-potions-lab/

[tacom]

I think you could do everything we are planning to celebrate the holiday -

Tonight, we are going for a “spooky drive” to check out decked out Halloween decor with festive music. Tomorrow night, we’re getting dressed up, doing pumpkin crafts at home and will participate in a distanced candy exchange with a few neighbors (you can request the porch drop off previously mentioned - I made mini ghosts with candy I’ll hide throughout my yard. I organized this exchange with six families and asked that everyone take a turn at each house, one family at a time). on Halloween, we will take our decor down and turn our lights off and stay home - building a Halloween gingerbread house from Trader Joe’s and watching a movie.

We have no reason to quarantine - just want to avoid crowds.

[georgeglass]

As someone who quarantines people, thank you for taking it seriously. Many of the suggestions here, sadly, wouldn't qualify as quarantine. We encourage people not to leave their home - no long drives, no visiting with neighbors - even at a distance. We do say that people can be somewhat around other family members, but should wear a mask even in the home if around other people. Your child should be tested 5-7 days after last known exposure. If she does test positive, she would have 10 days of isolation (more strict) and YOUR 14-day quarantine would begin at the end of her 10 days.

[eddy]

I have seen a couple families have this happen.

One person suggested a candy hunt in the house with flashlights. I thought that sounded really fun.

[tacom]

georgeglass, how would a neighborhood drive (with family members you aren’t quarantining from in the car, no stopping for bathrooms or gas etc) qualify as breaking quarantine? Minor children cannot quarantine from their caregivers, so I assume whatever parent cares for the daughter at home could also drive the car.

[noodleoo]

I'm sorry, that sucks. I'd probably let her watch more movies/screen time than normal and buy some new activities off amazon. You didn't say age, but my 5 year old loves sticker mosaics, beading, and I got a national geographic gemstone dig kit that I'm saving for when this eventually happens to us.

[CloudBee]

We're doing a candy hunt in our backyard. I'm tossing handfuls of candy into clear plastic bags along with a lit glow stick. We're also planning to bake a Halloween cake. DS is 7.5 yrs old.

Other things we've done to get through the last 8'ish months:
- ordered just about every new book DS has requested (because he's actually reading them)
- purchased quite a few new outdoor toys (driveway tennis net, foxtail ball, new basketball)
- connected DS with friends so he can chat through FB kids messenger & Nintendo
- playing TONS of family board games
- mini room renovation for DS (he was due for a bit of a change, and now has an epic reading nook)
- search Amazon for a peanut ball, DS rolls around on his ALL the freaking time
- connecting DS to fun Outschool classes and chat groups (guided Minecraft chat is fun!)
- continuing to pay for karate when it went virtual (see if any local places offer Zoom classes?)

Is there a big ticket item for outside (new scooter) or tech related (Nintendo, iPad) that you've been considering for the holidays? Can you throw some money at that item early and give it to her now? Then scale back the holidays a bit?

Nearly everything I've suggested costs money... but we're spending a lot less these days as we're not vacationing, etc. Nearly every activity we do these days is free (hiking!) so we are splurging for more tangible items than we normally do.

Good luck. We didn't leave the house at all for the first few months of this pandemic with the exception of DS going to the infusion clinic. We're now letting DS attend socially distant and masked outdoor karate, and have had some outside playdates. I'm sure being actually forced into quarantined by the department of health is even more stressful.

Hang in there!

[georgeglass]

tacom, We advise against leaving the house. We also advise against the enclosed environment that is inherent to a car. For some people, a short car ride may be fine. For others, the urge to stop may be great - bathroom emergency, car accident, even rolling the window down and speaking to a neighbor, etc. We advise against taking the risk. We encourage as much separation as possible inside the home, too, and masking at home. Super not fun, I know, and impossible with a very young child. We have a girl who is now on day 26 of quarantine because a family member was positive, so she was exposed (starting 14 day quarantine). Then another household member caught it from that family member near the end of the 14 day window, and girl's 14-day quarantine started over. In an ideal physical health world, the quarantined individual is truly quarantined, in his/her own room and bathroom with very limited interaction from household members (i.e., fewer than cumulative 15 minutes in a 24-hr period). That's often not possible and the CDC has advice for shared spaces, but that is what is ideal and would limit exposure and never-ending quarantine for household members.

[georgeglass]

One thing I want to make clear is that I'm talking about ACTUAL 14-DAY QUARANTINE due to a known exposure. I am NOT talking about people that are being cautious and risk-avoidant. I think some of these responses have the two concepts intermingling.

[pizzaandtulips]

Oct 29, 2020 14:31:36 GMT -5 tacom said:

georgeglass, how would a neighborhood drive (with family members you aren’t quarantining from in the car, no stopping for bathrooms or gas etc) qualify as breaking quarantine? Minor children cannot quarantine from their caregivers, so I assume whatever parent cares for the daughter at home could also drive the car.

I’m not who you asked, but I think it was explained to me that if something were to happen (car breaks down, accident, etc), you’d have to be around other people. At least that’s what they said during our state’s stay at home orders as to why only essential driving was allowed, so I assume it’s the same situation here.

ETA: I see we posted at the same time

[freshsqueezed]

Oct 29, 2020 11:14:50 GMT -5 isabel said:

Easter egg style candy hunt outside?

Fun Halloween foods? I’m doing mummy dogs, an orange pepper jackolantern, and vampire apples (with marshmallow teeth and candy eyes). Frozen fruit punch ice cubes with gummy worms in them.

That blows. I’m sorry.

My kids school is going to virtual tomorrow As of about an hour ago. It was supposed to be a fun Halloween day. I am making a grocery list as we speak to have the meal you put on here earlier. I’m doing it tomorrow to ease the disappointment- Thank you so much!

[isabel]

Oct 29, 2020 16:14:01 GMT -5 freshsqueezed said:

Oct 29, 2020 11:14:50 GMT -5 isabel said:

Easter egg style candy hunt outside?

Fun Halloween foods? I’m doing mummy dogs, an orange pepper jackolantern, and vampire apples (with marshmallow teeth and candy eyes). Frozen fruit punch ice cubes with gummy worms in them.

That blows. I’m sorry.

My kids school is going to virtual tomorrow As of about an hour ago. It was supposed to be a fun Halloween day. I am making a grocery list as we speak to have the meal you put on here earlier. I’m doing it tomorrow to ease the disappointment- Thank you so much!

DH was like "who are you!?" I am usually so completely the opposite of a Pinterest mom, but man, I really want to do things to brighten our days around here. It's not even a chore. At this point, I'm actively seeking out things that make me smile even if it's only because I know the boys will get a kick out of it.

I packed their lunches for tomorrow with candy eyeballs mixed into their blueberries and put a fake spider on top of their sandwiches. I also drew jackolantern faces on cuties to have for snack.

eta: Check Target for candy eyes.

[JayhawkGirl]

We are doing a candy hunt in the house. We had to do an indoor Easter Egg hunt due to snow a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. I have some target games like we would do at a class party that we will do in the basement and then we will make homemade pizza and watch a movie.

[freshsqueezed]

Oct 29, 2020 16:17:17 GMT -5 isabel said:

Oct 29, 2020 16:14:01 GMT -5 freshsqueezed said:

My kids school is going to virtual tomorrow As of about an hour ago. It was supposed to be a fun Halloween day. I am making a grocery list as we speak to have the meal you put on here earlier. I’m doing it tomorrow to ease the disappointment- Thank you so much!

DH was like "who are you!?" I am usually so completely the opposite of a Pinterest mom, but man, I really want to do things to brighten our days around here. It's not even a chore. At this point, I'm actively seeking out things that make me smile even if it's only because I know the boys will get a kick out of it.

I packed their lunches for tomorrow with candy eyeballs mixed into their blueberries and put a fake spider on top of their sandwiches. I also drew jackolantern faces on cuties to have for snack.

eta: Check Target for candy eyes.

I already have candy eyes!

[katfco]

Oct 29, 2020 14:24:20 GMT -5 eddy said:

I have seen a couple families have this happen.

One person suggested a candy hunt in the house with flashlights. I thought that sounded really fun.

This is what we're doing. We're not quarantined, but are in no way participating in a Covid Halloween. I'm going to surprise the kids with a scavenger hunt through the house with all the lights off. I might light candles to make it seem spookier. 

[dochas]

My son just did this fun spy thing on outschool.com They had to solve a little mystery and then they hunt for clues that you hide beforehand in the house. We usually host an outdoor movie before Halloween for my son's class and I was looking for some kind of thing to do. Boo'ing is a thing in my neighborhood. I actually like that, LOL, but thought this would be a unique fun thing. I bought the class as gifts for a few of his friends and then I prepped the materials for each family so all the parents had to do was have the kids get on the zoom class and hide the clues. They all really had a good time!