The month of March is known to college basketball fans as March Madness. Fanatics fill out brackets to see if their team wins it all. Undergraduate college jocks go head to head to battle in basketball for the prize to be called National Champions. March is also when we “spring forward” in time and go on Spring Breaks. And then came 2020.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) panic, young men who were looking to win a championship won’t get one more shot to beat the buzzer. Teenage girls have new prom dresses in their closets never to be worn. The entertainment industry from Hollywood to the National Hockey League to the NCAA tournament have either shutdown or suspended current events. Movies, concerts, and senior-citizen BINGO games have all been put on a standstill. The education system is being quarantined, as parents will learn soon enough that it’s “not the teacher’s fault.” At home, moms and dads will be teaching their school-age children commonsense arithmetic over Common Core math.

So, what’s the big deal?

With the coronavirus frenzy, none of these things will be taking place and we as Americans are forced to do normal things like having picnics in the backyard or sitting outside on the front porch. Now, married couples will have opportunities to relax and get to know each other deeper. We might even see a baby boom by December 2020! Children will sit at the table, eat dinner, and look their parents in the eyes. Home improvements around the house can be finalized. Board games replace nationally televised basketball games and going to see a movie turns into a family movie night at home.

Here’s a list of things you can do to help “spring forward” with your families:

• Have each kid pick a topic they’d like to learn about and spend 30 mins each day on that topic

• Spend one day reading every single picture book you have in the house

• Go through all the old mail laying around (ok, that one’s not for kids although they do enjoy helping tear stuff up)

• Bake something every day

• Have each kid write a letter and/or emails to a different friend or family member each day

• Wash your hands!

• Races of various kinds in the backyard (hopping on one foot, crabwalk, walking backwards, etc.)

• Try stop-motion animation with PlayDough

• Facetime grandparents

• Watch everything on Disney+

• Have the kids help with yardwork in between playing games outside — get the garden ready

• Board games, card games

• Legos

• Lots of reading, playing with the dog

• Learning to sew using stuff you have on hand

• Card-making/scrapbooking projects

• Make tents and reading caves — flashlights, tidy snacks, books, and pillows

• Have a shadow show in the reading tent (use blankets over chairs or a table)

• Get binoculars and learn about the birds near your house, look them up on Google and search for their birdcalls on YouTube

• Many educational websites are waiving fees if your student’s school is closed

• Watch all the hand-washing videos & vote on your favorite. Discuss why each is good, helpful, funny. The Holderness Family parody is hilarious!

Americans, let us take this time to realize the bigger things in life have been given a small place in our homes. Although I caution about the hysteria around the coronavirus, I do think we need to take a break and take care of family first. Make March Great Again!