Schools across the country are closed for at least the next two weeks. If you’re scrambling to find things to do with your kids while they’re out of school, we have a few suggestions! This is the first of what we hope will be several posts with suggestions for inexpensive, fun activities you can do with your kids. Most of these activities are appropriate for kids in K-8.
In this post, we’ll look at robots, animation, and slime!
(Please note that some of the links are to sites where we will receive a commission if you purchase.)
Build a Robot
We used Kamigami Robots at our robotics camps last summer, and the kids absolutely loved them. Not only did they get to build their own robots, but the kids were also able to control and program the robots with a free app. There were lots of robot dance-offs and battles!
You can buy these robots from Amazon, and get them within a day or two if you use Prime. Plus they are all under $20 each, so you won’t spend a fortune on a fun STEM toy that your kids will love.
Create an Animation
Our YouTube Stars students love making stop motion animations! They’re easy to make with objects from around the house. You don’t need any fancy equipment. Just use the (very inexpensive) Stop Motion Studio app on your smartphone or tablet. If you do have a camera, you can even hook that up to your computer, and purchase the desktop version of the software. Note: there is a free version of Stop Motion Studio available, but you can’t export your movies with it, and part of the fun of making animations is sharing them!
We will be offering a virtual stop motion studio workshop while schools are closed! Follow us on Facebook for more info.
Make Some Slime
I know, I know… Slime can be messy, but kids do love to make it. Plus it requires simple ingredients you probably already have around the house. Our favorite slime, which we make at our birthday parties and the Girl Scout Brownie Home Scientist badge workshop, is fluffy slime. It’s so squishy and fun to make, plus clean-up is generally pretty easy.
Check out or free “How to Make Slime” course, to watch how it’s made.
Added bonus: it’s supposed to be nice outside while schools are closed, so you can just set up out there!
Need to get some glue to make slime? You might as well buy it in bulk, and get a great price from Amazon! We prefer Elmer’s School Glue for fluffy slime.