Travel from Home: Creative Adventures during Coronavirus

We have all grown accustomed to working from home and distance learning, while keeping our families and community safe. With spring break gone and an uncertain summer approaching, people miss traveling. However, there are some innovative activities locals are participating in to simulate the getaway experience. 

Camping and Hotel Amenities

In my own home, we put a tent in our backyard for a week. Although no one made it overnight, we filled it with air mattresses and sleeping bags, and it became an extra “room” for us to hang out in or rest. We enjoyed campfire lunches including roasted hot dogs and s’mores. 

Another week, we simulated a hotel experience. I gave my family one full day of room service, where everyone got to check off their own meal choices, including an afternoon snack and a chocolate on their pillows. They are already asking when we can do that again! We also set up a five-hole golf course in the backyard alongside our baby pool. A five-star hotel it is not, but it all creates the illusion of vacation if only for a short while.

Ellery and Sascha Casell, in kindergarten and fifth grade, created a “hotel room” in their living room. They covered their couches with blankets and stuffed animals so their whole family could watch a movie in their hotel room. 

Alice Blog-Gruner loved setting up a home spa for herself and her daughter Olivia Blog, in fourth grade at Beth Yeshurun Day School. “We did manis, pedis and face masks!” Alice shared. Alice used a mud mask, while Olivia opted for a tiger printed sheet mask. It was a nice break from quarantine for both of them. 

International School

Daniela Payares, in first grade at The Shlenker School, and her mom Babette, took some time to study China. They researched topics such as pandas, the Red Beach, the Great Wall of China, and compiled it all in a poster. They did a graphing activity as well. 

"We were inspired to do this project after FaceTiming our friends that live in Abu Dhabi. They shared with us a theme calendar that they had created for every day of quarantine and my daughter loved the idea.”

Daniela came up with the idea for a Chinese Day because she had just learned how to cook stir fry, and since Babette’s stepmother lives in China, it was a meaningful choice. 

Food can be a great way to get a taste of another culture. For Isaac Plotkin, in Pre-K 3 at The Becker School, this came in the form of a virtual Israeli cooking lesson sponsored by PJ Library. Isaac, with help from his mom Aliza, created some no-bake Chocolate Balls, a popular Israeli treat. Isaac loved smashing the cookie crumbs in a bag and feeling like he was in charge of the recipe. Aliza shares that he also loved “eating sprinkles!” 

Mia Pickelner, in fourth grade, learned how to make guacamole with her class over Zoom, while learning about Mexican culture on Cinco de Mayo. Mia shares, “I like to cook and follow new recipes. It was fun to learn how to make guacamole with my teacher and classmates. It tasted really good!” This will definitely be one memorable holiday for her whole class. 

Editor’s note: For more on the experience of travel, take an “armchair trip” with the Harbison family in this month’s Travel Buzz.