32 newyork| march30–april12, 2020
12 T STILL KEEP YOUR KIDS
1.
Learn Howan
Astronaut Bathes
StewartandhersonAdric,7, inBaysidelove
checkingnasa’s sitefora livestreamfrom
theISS.Youcanalsolearnhowastronauts
cookinspaceandge t a bathroomtouron
theEuropeanSpaceAgency’sYouTube
channel.(Adricrecommendspayingspecial
at tentiontotheastronauts’weightlesshair.)2.
CheckIn on
the Animals
Livestreamsat zoosandaquariumsgive
animalfansofallagesa quickpick-me-up.
ShimaandherdaughterRhys,10,inMorris
Heightsenjoythecreature-filledopen-sea
camattheMontereyBay Aquarium—
especiallyduringfeedingtime.KateofForest
Hillssaysherkids,Marley,7, andAdeline,10,
reallylike theInstagramvideosoftheShedd
Aquariumpenguins,who’vebeenallowedto
waddleamokoutsidetheirenclosure.And
ErinofWindsorTerracesayshersonAbram,
6,is sointotheCincinnatiZoo’slivestream
“hestartedjottingdownnotesthat heshares
duringourclosingcircleat theendoftheday.”3.
Hide in Frida
Kahlo’s House
Unlike most virtualtoursofmuseums,which
simplyletyoulookat art, La CasaAzulgivesyou
accesstoevery part ofthebuilding.Andmore.
MelissaofWashingtonHeightssaysherkids,
Lila,7, andSebastian,5, asked,“ ‘Cananyoneseeusthere?!’Theyfeellike they’resneakingaround
thehouse.”Theycanevenexplorethegarden
andsurroundingCiudaddeMéxicostreets.4.
DisplayYour Art
for Neighbors
LikethoseBrooklynfamilieswhocreateda
rainbowtrail(seep.63),StewartandAdricuse
arttouplift theirneighborhoodbytapingeach
day’s creationstotheirfrontdoor. “I like to
thinkpeoplewalkingtheirdogarelookingover
andsaying‘Lookat that door!’andsmiling,”
Adricsays.“’Causesomepeopleare notso
happy,butthedoorcouldmake themhappy.”5.
Hanga Playground
Fr omYour Doorway
Theywon’t missoutdoorplaygroundswhen
theyhaveoneinside.Twofamiliesraved
aboutGym1’sDeluxe IndoorPlayground,
affectionatelyknownas“theGorillaGym.” “It
hangsina doorway andhasa swing,ropeclimb,
rings,andotherat tachmentsthat keepanactive
guymoving,”saysStewart.AllisonofWindsor
Terrace,motherofMax,9,agrees:“Weliveinan
apartment,andthislets usdophysicalstuffthat
doesn’t drivethedownstairsneighborscrazy.”6.
Order Many, Many
Magna-Tiles
Threedifferentparentswithsixkidsamong
themgushedabouttheclassicopen-ended
buildingtoyandthe(hoursof )creativity
it inspired.“Theykeepprovingthemselvesas indispensable,” says Lauren of Carroll
Gardens, mom to twins Pia and Maewyn, 6.7.
Check Out
the Other Babies
on Zoom
A lot of parents of young kids may still be taking
music and other classes online. Erin of Astoria
has a fun way of keeping her son, Xavier, 1,
engaged despite the lack of physical proximity:
Instead of keeping the video of the instructor
pinned to the screen, rotate among the other
families during class. “He loves seeing the
other babies in the Zoom windows,” she says.8.
Build Your Own
Pinball Machine
Hope of Sunset Park and her son Dash, 8,
own a treasure trove of make-your-own kits,
but their favorite is the PinBox 3000, a DIY
cardboard pinball machine. “You can customize
the pinball board and add your own little
obstacles and such,” Hope says. “It was just
the right amount of challenge for an 8-year-
old. He actually got impatient and finished
it without me. And it works really well.”9.
Turn Math Into Dessert
Two lessons in one: Darren of Chelsea
says his husband mixes cooking and
computations for their daughter Melina,
10, having her pick recipes and prepare the
measurements for a smaller serving size. “Just
a little math and we all had lemon bars.”10.
Watch Mo Willems
With Everyone Else
Five families with kids ages 6 to 10 count
the award-winning children’s author-
illustrator’s 1 p.m. doodle tutorials as a
must-watch livestream. Jody of Harlem
says the sessions are fun for her 6-year
old, Polly, and “oddly soothing for me. He
brings a very Mister Rogers quality to it,”
and the sessions are perfectly timed to
allow parents to prepare lunch in peace.11.
But Don’t Forget LeVar
Rachel of Forest Hills is revisiting her youth by
LeVar Burton on Reading Rainbow. showing her daughters Aimee, 2, and Sabrina, 6, PHOTOGRAPH: JOHN TEN/YOUTUBE