The County of Brant Recreation and Community Development Division is excited to offer REC at Home to our community to help support families and encourage physical activity during this time.
We are moving a number of our registered programs to online.
Registration is open for Winter 2021 programs.
Visit www.brant.ca/virtualprograms for more information!
Expand the areas below for fun ways to stay active at home!
- Check back for new activities!
| Weekend Ideas |
Weekend ActivitiesSOCKer Ball, learn how to make your own SOCKer Ball with Canada Scores: https://www.canadascores.org/scores-at-home
Static Electricity Butterfly Craft/Experiment: https://iheartcraftythings.com/static-electricity-butterfly-experiment.html
Spell Your Name Children Workout Activities: https://www.730sagestreet.com/spell-your-name-workout
Games to Play / Get MovingPhysical literacy activity backpacks Encouraging physical activity as well as literacy all in one bag (includes balls, a frisbee, a skipping rope, and book)!
Outdoor nature backpacks: includes gardening, fishing, hiking, insect, letterboxing, snowshoeing, and stargazing
Bean Bag Toss Using cardboard boxes cut a hole in the middle of the box. These will be your targets
Marshmallow Toss Set up buckets about a foot or so apart from each other. Give each bucket a different point value.
Flashlight Tag This game is played best at dusk. The tagger gets a flashlight while everyone else hides outside in the dark. If the tagger shines the flashlight on you, you have been caught!
Rainbow Bubble Snakes Only a few items are needed to make these rainbow bubble snakes. Follow along here: http://www.housingaforest.com/rainbow-bubble-snakes/
Flashlight Dance Party Make sure everyone has a flashlight, crank up the tunes and DANCE!
Crafts / Gardening and more!Star Gazing: Check out an Outdoor Nature Backpack from the County of Brant Public Library – Stargazing backpack (includes a telescope, binoculars, and more)
Check out gardening tools from the County of Brant Public Library for all ages and abilities:
Children’s gardening tools (forks, trowels, weeder for little hands) Ergonomic hand gardening tools (ergonomic cultivator, trowel, and transplanter) Seed Library: Choose from over 80 varieties of seeds, grow them in your garden, and then return your saved seeds to the County of Brant Public Library in the fall.
Follow the County of Brant Public Library on Social Media for Craft ideas and more!
Fireworks Salt Painting Items Needed:
Using your white school glue draw out firework shapes on your cardstock
Build a Bird Feeder Learn how to make a bird feeder from recycled materials you have at home: Make a Bird Feeder
Other cool links to check out:
County of Brant Public Library Offering free online programs for all ages year-round. Also take-home activities, gear and gadgets, and more.
Follow the County of Brant Public Library on Social Media for Craft ideas and more! Facebook.com/brantlibrary/ (current link does not work on COB website) https://www.brantlibrary.ca (current link does not work on COB website)
30 days of daily adventures – or Quests – that will help you understand and celebrate our natural world, while learning about how dependent we are on our planet.
Take the Online Recreation Programs Survey Let us know if you, or your family are interested in participating in registered online programs. Please fill out the survey in the link below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/programsonline
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| Indoor Activities |
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Games and puzzles: Borrow games and puzzles from the County of Brant Public Library (video games, jigsaw puzzles, fossil and geology kits) Tumblebooks for kids: Access audiobooks, read-along e-books, electronic graphic novels, National Geographic videos, games, and puzzles for elementary and middle school kids online
Bath and Water Friendly Play Dough Recipe
1/4 cup Bubble Bath – I like to use a more natural product with no additional scents (we add essential oils to create our own scents), but you can use your favourite bubble bath. Just pick one that makes lots of bubbles! 1/2 – 3/4 cup Corn Starch (varies slightly based on your bubble bath type) 1 tsp Coconut Oil – You can substitute sweet almond oil or grape oil, but we always have coconut oil in the house, so that’s the easiest for us. You can also leave out the oil if you wish, and simply increase the bubble bath a bit. It is so dry where we live, the oil really helps my son’s skin. It also gives the play dough a much smoother, silkier feel. Essential Oils – optional, it depends if your bubble bath is scented already Colouring – optional, but fun!
In a bowl mix together the bubble bath, essential oils and add the colouring (if you want uniform colour or leave it until later for a marble effect). Melt the coconut oil in the microwave if it’s solid, then add that to the bowl.
Finally, add the corn starch. Start with 1/2 cup and mix it in, if it doesn’t pull together add another 1/4 cup of corn starch and continue mixing. As you mix it will pull together into a nice, solid ball. Start kneading with your hands to really mix it all in. This is a great activity for the kids to do.
There may be some extra corn starch left in the bowl, that is fine. Simply discard it.
If you wanted the marble effect, add the colouring now to your bubble bath play dough, or leave it creamy white for a beautiful, natural finish.
Store in an air tight container and use within a week. We found it started to dry out and pull apart after a a few days. Of course, once you are in the bath and getting it wet, you don’t notice that anymore.
How To Use Homemade Bubble Bath For Kids To use simply give your child about a tablespoon sized ball of the playdough bubble bath to play with in the bath. Holding it under the water will help create more bubbles.
You can also use it in sensory play, as part of a water table, for your kids to use when cleaning toys like Lego or figurines.
The making of this DIY playdough is also a fantastic sensory experience and fine motor strengthening activity. |
Recreation Activities
| Physical Activities |
Walking Trails Be sure to check out various walking/biking trails throughout the County of Brant this fall! For more information including our Outdoor Adventures Map please visit www.brant.ca/trails
Storybook Walks in the Park: Take the family outside and enjoy and picture book as you stroll. Visit the Green Lane Sports Complex (8 Green Lane, Paris) or the Mt. Pleasant Nature Park (755 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Mt. Pleasant). Sign out a FitBit from the County of Brant Public Library – FitBit One activity trackers: monitor how many steps you take FitBit wristband trackers: online tracking of your steps, heart rate, and more
Visit an Ontario Provincial Park with a day pass from the County of Brant Public Library. Day pass includes unlimited daily entries for one vehicle to over 100 provincial parks
Easy & Moderate Walking/Biking Trails TH & B Rail Trail LE & N Rail Trail SC Johnson (Brantford to Paris) Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail Brantford to Hamilton Rail Trail (Cainsville to Jerseyville) Lions Way
Vigorous Walking/Biking Trails Barker’s Bush Grand Valley Trail Jacob’s Woods
Brant Pedalers and Paddlers Check out the web page for Brant Pedalers and Paddlers. They offer multiple organized walks every week for active adults visit http://brantpandp.yolasite.com for more information.
Try out these fun ways to get moving at home!Penguin Waddle Relay Set up an area either inside or outside of your home to complete your relay. Place an object in between your legs and waddle through the course. Use a bucket or mark an area for items to be dropped into. Concentration Ball Standing in a circle all players must underhand toss the ball to another player. Pick a theme such as animals, colours, fruits, etc.
The Floor is Lava This game can be played either inside or outside. Use objects (couch cushions, pillows, sheets of paper, books etc.) to make your way from one end to the other without touching the floor. See how creative and how far you can get.
Beans on Toast Choose 1 person to be the leader; they are going to call out different types of beans. Each bean will have an action associated with it. When the bean is called out the group does that action. The goal of the game is to see how quickly each action can be completed without any mistakes. String Bean- stand up straight with your hands above your head
Design your own obstacle course What kind of obstacle course can you create in the backyard? Raining? No problem! Move your course indoors throughout your home
Family Fun Exercises Nothing beats a little exercise, so why not do it all together? 20 Squats 15 crunches Hop like a bunny around your living room Frog Races
Play a game of Popcorn! How to play? Find anything you can toss in the air. Throw it as high as you can and see how many times you can clap your hands before catching it again.
Freeze Dance Put on some music and bust out your favourite dance moves. When the music stops don’t forget to freeze! Challenge family and friends over Facetime/Zoom
Keep Up Using a balloon see how many times you can hit it before it hits the ground
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Stretch! Challenge someone in your household to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Stretch! The goal of the game is to stay balanced without falling over. Start out by facing your partner and play a round of Rock Paper Scissors. Each time you win a game stay where you are and don’t move your feet! If you lose a game, stretch out by one foot length. Keep playing and stretching out after each round! The game is played until one of the players loses their balance. |
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Youth Activities |
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Registered kids programs are available for free through the County of Brant Public Library. Check out After School Celebrations or Friday Winter Fun for some children and youth programming.
Forts
Build a boat out of tin foil and see how many pennies it can hold before it sinks. Build a boat on your own or compete with your family members and see who can build the strongest boat!
Build a bridge and see how much it will hold
Show and tell with family/ who's the best dancer or singer.
Create your own Obstacle course – see who can complete it the fastest in your family
Bowling with plastic cups- All you need is plastic cups and a soft small ball.
Long jump/ Run and Jump/ Jump backwards – tape lines on the ground so people can see how far they jumped.
High jump onto bed – hold a broom stick up while the children jump over the broom onto bed
Balloon Blow race – Set up a “course” and see if your child can blow a balloon all the way to the finish line. They’ll have to do lots of army crawls working their upper body and core strength along the way.
Sticky Spider Web: Use painter’s tape to make a web-like design on a doorway opening. Give your kids some newspaper to scrunch up and throw up at the web. Or get creative and use other light-weight objects like balloons. Have them count how many objects stick versus how many don’t for extra learning points.
Balloon or cup race tic tac toe
Hallway Laser Maze - Use tape to create a laser maze
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Family Activities |
Get the whole family involved in these fun at home activities!
EarlyON EarlyON is offering both virtual and in person programming. Check out their website for programming details:
County of Brant Public Library Offering free online programs for all ages year-round. Also take-home activities, gear and gadgets, and more.
Colour Scavenger Hunt Set a timer, pick a colour and see how many household items you can find that is the same colour. The person who finds the most can pick the colour for the next round.
Marble Painting Items Needed: A cookie sheet or container big enough to hold your paper Directions: Minute to Win It Challenges!Cookie Face Stack Attack Johnny Applestack Noodling Around Cereal Scramble Go Fish!
More fun ideas for at home!Family Movie Night: Borrow the latest movies and TV shows from the County of Brant Public Library. Bring your own snacks! Get creative and check out a maker kit from the County of Brant Public Library. Kit types include paper punches, rubber stamp kits, spinning wheel kit, stamp mats, wood burning kits, and more!
Paper Airplane Races Have everyone make their own paper airplane and choose a designated start and stop line. See who’s airplane can go the farthest, the highest, who’s has the best crash landing etc.
Fort Building Contest What kind of fort can you build in 30 min? Challenge your families and friends to a fort building contest. Once the timer is up share your pictures with your competition to determine a winner.
Family Movie Night Pretend you’re at the theatres. Create tickets and have someone collect before the movie begins. Don’t forget to purchase your snacks from the Snack Bar Attendant!
Backyard Bird Watching What kinds of birds can you see and hear from your backyard? Hawaiian Beach Party Throw on some Hawaiian music and dress in your best beach wear for an at-home beach party. Try out a game of limbo and learn to do the hula dance.
Family Talent Show Organize a family talent show where everyone can show off their hidden talent. Create posters, set the stage and get ready to perform!
Lego Colour Stack Challenge What can you build using only one colour of Lego? Have everyone choose a different colour of Lego and see what kind of structure they can design.
Lego Sky Scraper See who can design the tallest Lego structure without falling down.
Around the World Trip We may not be able to travel right now but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring their cultures to us. Explore new countries and what makes them unique. Print off a world map to colour in with each new country you’ve visited.
Family Camp Out Plan a camp out in your living room. Set up your tent (or build a fort) and roll out your sleeping bags. Take turns telling spooky stories and singing campfire songs. |
| DIY Activities |
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How creative can you be? Try these DIY at home activities!
The County of Brant Public Library offers tools and other gadgets like a power drill & accessories, multimeters, a toolbox (includes basics like hammers, screwdrivers, and more), digital radon detector, sewing machines, soldering iron kits (includes soldering iron, holder, solder) and more.
View, print, or download repair information for your vehicle with the County of Brant Public Library’s Automate DIY Auto Repair online research page.
Design your own Maze Have lots of sticks in your backyard? Create your own maze and challenge others in your home to make their way through
Fort Building Contest What kind of fort can you build in 30 min? Challenge your families and friends to a fort building contest. Once the timer is up share your pictures with your competition to determine a winner.
Family Kitchen Challenge How creative can you be? Use ONLY ingredients you currently have in your kitchen that are not essentials (think sprinkles, jello, etc) create a fun treat! Set a time limit and GO!
Build your own structure What kind of structure can you create using only recycled materials?
Design your own Puzzle Draw a picture on a piece of paper making sure to cover the whole area (cereal boxes work great too!) Stencil out your puzzle pieces and cut along the lines to create your puzzle pieces.
Cardboard Boat Challenge Using supplies you already have in your home create a cardboard boat that can float! Test it out in your bathtub or sink.
Fluffy Cloud Dough This fluffy cloud dough is easy to make and only requires 2 ingredients! Ingredients: 2 heaping cups cornstarch 1 cup conditioner Food Colouring (optional) Add corn starch and conditioner to a bowl. Begin stirring it with a spoon until it gets too tough to stir. Begin kneading with hands until completely mixed together, if using food colouring add it now (don’t forget gloves)
Rock Painting Look for rocks in your backyard for a fun art project. Create your own Rock Monsters or garden markers for your vegetable garden.
DIY Calm Kits for Kids https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2016/09/homemade-calm-down-kits-for-kids.html |
| Virtual Tours |
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Visit the websites below top take a virtual tour - all from the comfort of your home!
Parks Canada 360 lets you explore Canada’s national parks and hidden gems.
Check out the live Shark camera from the Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto
Farm Food 360
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| Sensory Activities |
Click on the links below!Action Songs:
Sensory Activities:Check out an acoustic guitar or a soprano ukulele and teach yourself to play a musical instruments or register for the County of Brant Public Library’s ukulele program Listen to music from the County of Brant Public Library’s catalogue to find musicals and concerts on DVD or download or stream music for free from Hoopla and Freegal. Borrow a SADD Light Therapy Lamp from the County of Brant Public Library to boost your health and wellness this season Check out the County of Brant Public Library’s Technology kits to learn computer coding, develop logic and knowledge with fun games (basic starter kits, Code-a-Pillar, Makey Makey kits, Osmo kits, Ozobot) or have fun with a GoPro Hero kit or a Launchpad Sensory Crafts:Coming soon!
Outdoor Sensory Motor Scavenger Hunthttps://theinspiredtreehouse.com/activities-for-kids-sensory-motor-scavenger-hunt/
What you’ll need: -Outdoor Sensory Motor Scavenger Hunt Printable (fill out the form below with your first name and email address) -pencils or crayons
What to do: Print the scavenger hunt list, round up your little ones, and head outside! Give everyone a pencil or crayon to bring along so they can mark off the things they have found. The kids will notice right away that this isn’t just any old scavenger hunt. Rather than just finding and collecting items on a list, they’ll have to find the listed objects and perform a variety of gross motor tasks. They’ll use all of their senses, looking, touching, and maybe even getting a little messy along the way. Who will be the first one to find everything on the list?
How to change it up: -Make it a photo scavenger hunt! Take a picture of your child performing each activity and pictures of each of the items they found to complete the list. -Make it a team effort – have two groups competing against each other to find everything on the list!
DIY Calm Kits for Kidshttps://www.andnextcomesl.com/2016/09/homemade-calm-down-kits-for-kids.html |
Physical Fitness - links, classes and more
| Physical Fitness - online links - including seniors |
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Let's get physical! Check out the links below:
10 exercises for a great parent and kid workout from ActiveKids
Get moving with Disney Family and the Incredibles with their super hero inspired workout
Join a challenge individually, as a family or a team challenge. Visit Participaction website for more details. Cosmic Kid’s Yoga teaches Yoga and Mindfulness to Kids—while keeping it fun! Cosmic Kid’s offers a variety of different videos for a variety of ages and skill levels. www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga
Alphabet Fitness https://www.canadascores.org/scores-at-home
Seniors SectionHealthy Aging Without Walls Program – City of Brantford / Brant County Health Unit / Adult Rec and Therapy Centre https://www.brantford.ca/en/living-here/healthy-aging-without-walls.aspx#
Safe Zone https://www.safezonebrant.ca/exercise-videos.html
Brant Pedalers and Paddlers Check out the web page for Brant Pedalers and Paddlers. They offer multiple organized walks every week for active adults. Please visit http://brantpandp.yolasite.com for more information. Grand River Council on Aging presents Community at Home Workshops Wednesday January 20 Join Fitness Instructor Jan Norris of S.A.F.E Zone, to participate in chair exercises you can do daily in the comfort of your home. Jan will discuss the benefits of chair based exercise to develop your cardio fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility. Staying Mentally Healthy During COVID *NEW Wednesday February 3 With the challenges we’re currently faced with, our mental health is being affected. Join Lill Petrella, Team Lead of the Mental Health Promotion Program at CMHA, to learn what we can do to help keep ourselves mentally healthy while we wait out this pandemic.
Registration info: Please email Linda Moyer at admin@grcoa.ca or call 519-754-0777 ext. 439 and leave a message. All workshops will be presented online. Registrants will receive a ZOOM access link through email the day before the scheduled workshop.
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| Fitness Classes (printable, online links and resources) | ||||||||
The County of Brant is offering Zoom fitness classes for winter 2021. To view available programs visit our virtual programs page for more information. Register through C.O.B Connect.
Check out the following online links to fitness classes:
Yoga With Cassie - Free online yoga classes - Check on Facebook for dates and times
CORE Dance Studio - Offering virtual workout classes
https://shop.lululemon.com/story/yoga-videos
https://ymca360.org/on-demand#/category/85
https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos
View a comprehensive guide on how to build your own workout routines on our sister site, Sport Fitness Advisor. Visit https://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/workout-routines.html
Try out the following at home exercises using minimal equipment:
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| Fitness/Exercise Apps |
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Check out the following Free* workout apps! Download where ever you get your apps!
Nike Training App
Sworkit App *Some in-app purchases may apply
Fit App *some in-app purchases may apply
My Fitness Pal
Fitbit App |
Lending Programs
The resources* listed in the sections below are being offered to County of Brant residents.
*Items may be requested per child/person. All items must be returned following the pandemic response currently in place for public health and safety. Staff will be in contact to confirm lending items and arrangements will be made to deliver the items, noting that physical distancing is required. Please understand that quantities are limited and items will be distributed in order of requests received.
If you’re interested please send an email to lisa.koekoek@brant.ca with what equipment you’re interested in borrowing. Please note that all iPads are currently booked.
| Fitness Equipment |
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Check back for updates! |
| Recreation Equipment |
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Check back for updates! |
| Electronics |
| Check back for updates! |
Printable and other resources
| Printables and Activities |
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Have your Kids Create by picking up a free craft kit from the Library—new activities available each month!
Scholastic Canada is allowing free access to their digital platforms to keep kids reading, thinking and learning. Resources are available from Kindergarten to Grade 12. http://scholastic.ca/education/free_digital_resources/ Sesame Street offers ideas to help your family to breathe, laugh and play together. Online and Offline resources are added weekly. https://www.sesamestreet.org/caring Crayola Canada offers a number of create-it-yourself activities for all ages and FREE colouring and activity sheets for kids! http://www.crayola.ca/create-it-yourself-home |
We are social! For more ideas on being active, as well as County of Brant services updates notices and more please follow us on social media!
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