Spring Break Made Simple
Your family’s guide to being online, offline, and together.
Ah, Spring. That splendid time of year when nature thaws, colors return and schools close for one week. You know what we’re talking about: Spring Break. Like Daylight Savings, Spring Break always seems to sneak-attack when we least expect it, and if we’re honest, we’re seldom prepared, especially for those of us with families. We know you’re busy being the awesome parents that you are. So, our team has created this easy-to-follow guide for helping your family navigate this non-school week.
Pick and choose what activities fit best, or do them all!
📡 Online
🌴 Offline
🙋 Solo Time
👪 Family Time
Monday (March 14)
📡 Online
Learn Something Cool.
Face it, you have an entire week off from school. Reinvent the classroom with these cool online options.
Talk the talk with a TED talk.
TED Talks rock. They pick the smartest people on the planet to unpack some of the deepest topics you can imagine. Name a subject and we’re pretty sure TED has covered it. So go ahead, search away and expand your horizons (that’s code for brain, folks).
🌴 Offline
Go. Out. Side.
That’s right. Shut off the devices, unplug the earbuds and step outside for some good ol’ fresh air. Speaking of fresh…. Pro Tip: Bake some cookies and welcome someone new to the neighborhood.
Walk On the Wild Side.
Make a day of it and go somewhere. Schedule a field trip to the zoo, aquarium, beach or National Park.
🙋 Solo
Puzzling But Good.
Puzzles are a fantastic way to zone out, problem solve and spend a quiet afternoon to yourself. Add some tunes and make it really chill. Pro Tip: Select a real mind bender that will require more than one setting.
Crack Open a Book.
Start from the front, end at the back. Pro Tip: Start reading a series.
👪 Family
Game on!
Finish dinner and crack open one of your favorite family board games. Keep a tally and crown the board game winner! Pro Tip: Make it a tournament…March Madness: The Board Game Edition.
Dish It Up.
Make a meal as a family. Assign tasks, divide up the work and don’t forget to Instagram your amazing meal plating #ourspringbreakoffline. Pro Tip: Travel to the store and learn what it takes to shop for everything.
Tuesday (March 15)
📡 Online
Learn a song.
YouTube is an awesome resource for learning music. Many videos come fully loaded with close-up camera shots and even screenshots of chords, notes, tab, etc. Pro Tip: Grab some friends and have everyone learn their part (bass, guitar, drums) so you can jam together.
Musical Deep Dive.
Next to learning songs, YouTube also offers an incredible catalog of documentaries and short videos about bands, musicians, and other artists. Ever wanted to know the history behind your favorite band, here’s your chance. Pro Tip: Visit Netflix and watch some already proven winners like 20 Feet from Stardom, The Wrecking Crew, Muscle Shoals, and Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
🌴 Offline
Farmer’s Market.
Ever been to your local farmer’s market. Chances are, there are some incredibly tasty treats just waiting for you to snatch up. Pro Tip: Buy local, cook local, share local, always enjoy.
Day Trip.
Wake up early and hit the open road. Head over to the beach, drive out to the mountains, just explore. Check out one of your area’s state parks. The adventure is up to you.
🙋 Solo
Coloring.
Remember the days when a box of crayons equaled unbridled curiosity and countless hours of fun? Return to those days with 8, 16, 64 or 96 magical colors and enjoy the silence. Pro Tip: Pick up a detailed coloring book courtesy of Powell’s Books.
Reconnect with Family.
Sounds funny, but when was the last time you contacted a family member just to chat. Not text or IM but really truly talk. Do it. We double-dog dare you. Pro Tip: Write a letter, pick up some fresh stationary.
👪 Family
Take Charades to another level.
Test your family’s knowledge of movies, songs and silly accents with this new take on Charades! Grab the Heads Up! app and you’re ready to play anywhere you go!
Camp out: Backyard. Living Room. Your Own Room.
Wherever you feel the most comfortable, pitch a tent, roll out the sleeping bags and create your own unique camping experience. Pro Tip: Make S’Mores, tell campfire stories, play some games.
Wednesday (March 16)
📡 Online
Break out the old Camcorder and make a movie!
Gather the cast (kids, action figures, dolls), select a director/filmmaker (mom & dad), storyboard the adventure and ACTION!
Revisit a classic.
Hop on YouTube or Google and hunt down a childhood favorite. Schoolhouse Rock. Donald Duck. Chip & Dale. And who can forget…Steamboat Willie!
🌴 Offline
On your mark. Get set. Clean.
Set a timer for a 30-minute, crash clean up. Focus on one room or sprint around the house and hit as much space as you can. Pro Tip: Add a handsome reward at the finish line (Ice cream, anyone?)
Enjoy the Ride.
Take public transit and see where you live from a different vantage point. Pro Tip: Make the public library a part of the adventure.
🙋 Solo
- Feel the Breeze…And burn.
Bike. Skate. Do whatever comes natural to you. - Practices makes perfect.
What’s that one thing you wish you were better at? Is it piano, photography, drawing, painting, dancing, pitching, dribbling? Whatever it is, do it. Do it now for the next 20–30 minutes and see what develops.
👪 Family
- Encore! Encore!
Build a new song or recreate a classic with the best beatboxers (or singers) in your family. Get a couple loops and you’ve got a whole song to share with family & friends! (Insert Jimmy Fallon video)
Leave it all on the battlefield.
Grab every pillow in the house (leave those dangerous tempurpedic pillows where they are), and gather the family for an epic battle of new proportions. Pro Tip: Play “O’ Fortuna” to take this epic battle to a new level.
Thursday (March 17)
📡 Online
Wiki history.
Who is Pat and how did he become a saint? And what’s up with the green theme? You’re in luck, Wikipedia is on your side. Learn how countries around the world celebrate this colorful, Irish holiday.
Poetry. Yeats. Joyce. Kavanagh. Heaney.
Know your Irish poetry, starting with these 100 great ditties…
🌴 Offline
Go to a St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Don the green, paint the face and hit the streets to catch the fun. Pro Tip: Paint your face. No, seriously. Paint it.
Thank you notes.
“A best friend is like a four leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have.” Write 4 people and tell them how luck you are to have them in your life. Pro Tip: Kick the letter off with this quote for better context.
🙋 Solo
Listen to Celtic Music.
Check out The Chieftains. You’ll thank us later.
Make a surprise.
While your parents may never discover a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, they could stumble upon a really cool handmade present at the end of their hard day. Pro Tip: Put some real thought into it and use it to bargain more screen time later.
👪 Family
Make a traditional Irish meal.
Corned beef, anyone?
Green Candied Popcorn.
Oh yes. Make your favorite treat using this online recipe.
Friday (March 18)
📡 Online
It’s Karaoke Friday!
There’s nothing better than finding just the right tune to sing at the top of your lungs. Channel your inner rockstar and record your own lip-sync music video. Pro tip: dress up and own it!
Watch a documentary.
Next to reading a book, what better way to learn about a subject than through documentary film. Now with so many great online resources at your fingertips (Netflix; Hulu; YouTube; even the public library), there’s no excuse. Pro Tip: Research Ken Burns or ESPN’s 30 for 30.
🌴 Offline
Redecorate. Reorganize. Recycle (aka Giveaway).
Need an excuse to purge all the needless things in your world? Grab a box (or an industrial trash bag) and go to town. Pro Tip: Visit Goodwill.
One-On-One Time
When’s the last time you had some quality time with a relative? Consider spending some time with a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle — even sibling! Go for a walk or go catch up with an activity.
🙋 Solo
Finish What You Started (Week in Review)
Take out a notebook or journal and reflect on your past week. What did you accomplish? What was most exiting? What did you learn about yourself, your family?
Endless Summer.
It’s never too early to start planning for the best summer of your life. What do you want to do when school lets out? Where do you want to go? Who do you want to hang out with? Write down all of your goals and dreams and begin to take action to make this summer endlessly fun!
👪 Family
Dinner + A Movie
After a long week, isn’t it time to kick back with a family favorite: both in meal and movie. Pro Tip: Make homemade pizza.
Sundae. Sundae. Sundae. (Ice Cream Party)
Who doesn’t like an ice cream party. You’ve worked hard, you’ve made things happen. You deserve the dessert of desserts. Zip to the store, stack up on your favs and make a go of it building your favorite frozen dishes. Pro Tip: Add some Disney flair to your experience.
We hope these daily tidbits will be resourceful for you and your crew. Our goal is help spark conversation around the rhythms your family creates. We want to be a company that encourages technology and doesn’t shy away from the constant tension of living between online and off.
Let’s do this together.
