Week Two: Family Connections Toolkit
Interrupting the Patterns of Daily Life
creative, observational, collaborative, playful, 3+
Materials
Instructions
creative, collaborative, playful, ages 5+
You’ll be surprised by the results of your collaborative drawing, invented by surrealist artists perfected by kids! All you’ll need are simple drawing materials and a few friends.
Advanced play could incorporate collage, bigger paper or more folds.
active, creative, playful, ages 3+
New Choice is a game that helps shake up our patterns of thinking/doing, and allow ourselves spaces for unedited choices and re-envisioning “how things are done.”
Instructions
sensory play, calm, creative, ages 3+
Use materials you have handy to make your own zen garden. The example linked uses sand, but you could use dirt or gravel.
Before you make a new arrangement, take a moment to appreciate what the person before made. You could even leave it outside overnight and see if somebody else adds their own special touch (rabbit footprints, snail slime trail…).
creative, reflective, playful, ages 4+
Imagine the world in new ways! Download the design challenge and/or offer a daily creative challenge for your kids.
Examples of a daily challenge: build a giant fort, chalk our entire walk, construct a container so a (hard-boiled) egg won’t crack when dropped from a height, design an obstacle course, invent a Lego challenge, assemble a giant puzzle, create a nature museum, build houses of cards, create a Rube Goldberg-inspired machine, build a small fairy garden, or make a movie. Check out what other kids have designed and imagined here!
creative, reflective, active, outdoors, ages 3+
In a favorite public outdoors area, work individually or with family members to (responsibly) collect elements and arrange them to make a natural sculpture.
Take a photo after you make it, then return to the site in a day or two to see how it has changed since you built it. Be inspired: Andy Goldsworthy, Bowerbirds
Being forced out of routines can provide an opportunity to marvel at our interdependence, consider what we value, and help one another cope. Download a Doing Good Together Kitchen Table Kindness Kit for free, using the code UCCKIND. This kit gives even the youngest family members fun, simple ways to help others right from home, while sparking important conversations about caring, empathy and community.
reflective, engaged, all ages
Prompts to get the family talking about how they are managing and adapting during this challenging time:
elementary +
For each prompt give yourself at least 1-2 minutes to write or draw in response to these prompts.
Tips:
✐ When you get stuck come back to the prompt to start your next sentence or drawing.
✐ Try to keep your pen moving and don’t overthink!
✐ Feel free to speak your truth or write your fictions.
Take a step out of the ordinary by reading in new places: a tent in your yard, a fort in your house, a hammock, a tree, a swing. Listen to an audio book together while you color or paint or create a sculpture with clay.
Getting Ready to Receive the Story:
Invite children to settle into a comfortable position.
Invite three deep, centering breaths.
Sharing the Story:
Read together a favorite children’s picture book or story. The book does not need to be overtly religious – one of the main goals of this practice is to help children discover the sacred and notice God’s presence amid the ordinary moments of life.
Wondering Together:
Invite wondering using some of the following questions & leave space for silence:
Blessing:
Buy these titles online at a local bookstore! Some we recommend in the Twin Cities:
Red Balloon | Magers and Quinn | Moon Palace | Black Garnet Books