Schools have been closed for a while now, and unfortunately, both kids and parents are finding it rather challenging to discover ways to stay entertained during times of social distancing. Here are some fun activities to tackle boredom and keep kids entertained while schools are closed!

2. Enjoy Your Favorite Board Games & Puzzles
It's challenging to be stuck indoors due to weather (or virus) conditions but with a bunch of snacks, and a stack of games and puzzles staying indoors can be a ton of fun! On the upside, surely you'll stimulate family bonding and create some happy family moments!

3. Make DIY Puffy Paint
Painting is fun, but painting with puffy paint is even better. Young kids love this sensory paint and will spend hours creating their puffy masterpieces! For DIY puffy paint, you will need 3/4 cup shaving cream, 1/4 cup white glue, 1/4 cup flour, food coloring. Mix the ingredients until they are thoroughly combined—Color the paint with food colorings. Use squeeze bottles for delicate artwork or paintbrushes for a thicker texture. Make sure to use thick cardstock instead of plain paper– to avoid sogging–and to let the artwork to air dry for a few hours.

4. Make Rock Candy
Rock candy is a delicious, fun recipe that also doubles as a science experiment because you get to watch the sugar crystals form. Get creative with endless flavor and color combinations that will delight children and grownups alike! One of the best things is that it takes time and patience. It can take up to a week for the rock candy to form, which makes it an ongoing project for the next few days! Learn how to make rock here.

5. Have Fun With A DIY Indoor Bowling Game
This DIY indoor bowling game is fun to have on hand as a great boredom buster. Children can help out with making the pins and use their counting skills to set up the game. Create a simple bowling game with recycled bottles for some stay-at-home fun! The only things you'll need are 10 small water bottles numbered from 1 to 10 with stickers or labels, and a small ball. Place the water bottles in a triangle shape in the garden or at the end of a hall.

6. Make Salt Dough
Use 1 cupful of plain flour (about 250g), half a cup of table salt (about 125g), and half a cup of water (about 125ml). Knead the dough, cut out different shapes, and cook in the oven for 3 hours in low heat. When your creations have completely cooled down, paint them with colors and glitter to create little masterpieces!

7. Make Rainbow Rice
Follow these easy steps to create colored rice without using rubbing alcohol. You will need 1 cup of long-grain white rice, 1/2 tsp vinegar, several drops of liquid food coloring, and a food storage container. Put the rice, food coloring, and vinegar in a food container and shake very well. Open the box and leave the rice to dry for a couple of days. You can make batches of different colored rice. Rainbow rice is excellent for sensory bins and craft projects.

8. Make A Sensory Ice Bucket
Add water in a plastic food container or bucket and toss in small plastic toys such as plastic animals or lego bricks. Let it freeze in the freezer and then ask your children to break the ice and discover what's hidden inside!

9. Make An Indoor Obstacle Course
Use your creativity to put together an obstacle course inside your home. The goal of an obstacle course is to get your child moving. Use any variation of the items below for your toddler's obstacle course. You can use pillows, blankets, sofa, chairs, masking tape, a basketball and hoop, boxes, step stool, a tunnel, and a ball pit. While setting up your obstacle course, include activities such as shooting a ball into a basket, climbing on pillows, crawling under a row of chairs and through a tunnel, and much more. The indoor obstacle course will keep your little ones happy for a long while!

10. Get Reading
Being read to is usually a toddler's favorite time, while older kids also love diving into a good book. Make an effort to read your way through The Book Trust's 100 Best Books– a list of the 100 best children's' books from the last 100 years.

11. Make A Habitat Diorama

Kids love to learn and explore, so help them recreate the habitat of their favorite animal, think of its natural habitat, its food, and its habits. Not everything in a habitat diorama needs to come from nature, leaves can be made out of paper, trees might be made of plaster, and the entire animals can be made from plastic! Use a shoebox, glue, and all your favorite materials to make something truly wonderful.

This content has been sourced and prepared by Codico Lab

 

It is important to remind our readers that XpatAthens is not in any way a media source. While we do our best to keep our readers informed, we advise you to consult Greek media outlets such as ekathimerini.com, amna.gr, naftemporiki.gr, and protothema.gr and/or international news sites for up-to-the-hour updates on the coronavirus. Be wise and stay safe.

There are people among us who maintain their optimism even though they may be going through challenging times. People who continue to offer their care to others, although their situation may not be rosy. People who look you in the eye, smile at you and ask if they may be of help. Some people are successful - not necessarily because they are at ease financially or because they have everything in life - but because they live in the now and are grateful and happy with what they have. These are the people who know what their priorities are; who wake up in the morning and are thankful simply because they are healthy. They are grateful to have a roof over their head. They are grateful to have even one friend. They are grateful to see each day as a new beginning.

Here's a question for you: How do you start your day? Do you tend to think about what you have or about what you don't have? It's a good test to take for yourself. Do the test for a week and then add your pluses and minuses. Even if the scale tilts towards what you have (although it usually tilts towards what you don't have), start making your own 'List of Abundance.' Record everything you own; however big or small, material or non-material. Keep adding and watch your list grow day by day. Read your 'List of Abundance' every night before going to bed; every morning when you wake up, even during the day, if you want. Keep adding to it–there's so much more–and watch your life transform step by step. ❤️

 

The second out of the 4 supermoons of 2020 is expected tonight. Its elliptical orbit will bring the Moon closer to the Earth; tonight at 19:48, the full Moon will appear larger and brighter than it usually does. Compared to an average full Moon, supermoons are 7% larger and 15% brighter.

 

The next supermoon will be on April 8. Native Americans called the March full moon, 'worm moon,' because in March, the soil begins to soften causing earthworms to resurface.

 

The Moon follows an elliptical orbit, and so its distance from the Earth is not fixed. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384.400 kilometers. However, this distance increases by approximately 5% at the apogee and decreases by around 5% at the perigee.

 

It is worth noting that the word supermoon is not a scientific term, but a name probably devised by astrologers.


Originally posted on newsbeast.gr.

Translated by XpatAthens.

Athina Luxury Suites hotel is designed for discerning guests looking for a perfect combination of serenity and luxury on the island of dreams, Santorini, Greece.

 

Each one of the perfectly designed suites provides its own unique set of super-luxury amenities, astonishing caldera views and the top service you deserve while on vacations. 

 

Additionally, an unforgettable dining experience awaits you at Esperisma bar-restaurant, where you may enjoy Mediterranean and Greek cuisine inspired by the freshest local ingredients available. Note that Esperisma Bar-Restaurant was this year’s winner of Luxury Lifestyle Awards in the category of Luxury Restaurant in Greece. 

 

Moreover, you may experience the ultimate rejuvenation of body and soul in the brand-new Aphrodite’s spa, while you can spend some time relaxing with your refreshing cocktail in the fully renovated new infinity heated swimming pool with a pool bar, admiring the perfect view to the Caldera of Santorini.

 

Last but not least, Athina Luxury Suites is the perfect setting for your special day too: Imagine your wedding or honeymoon in Santorini with the caldera and volcano as a backdrop... In the courtyards of the island’s churches and on our terrace, Athina Luxury Suites offers couples a real-life fairytale wedding venue each year.

 

With all that being said it wasn't, of course, a coincidence that Athina Luxury Suites with its breathtaking views and world-class services in Fira was awarded as the Best Wedding Hotel in Europe, Best Destination Wedding Hotel in Greece and Best Romantic Hotel in Greece by the Haute Grandeur Global Awards on October 19th, 2019 at The St Regis, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

 

Athina Luxury Suites also triumphed at the World Luxury Hotel Awards winning the title of the Best Luxury Honeymoon Hotel in Europe, at the 13th Annual World Luxury Hotel Awards ceremony held on October 12th, 2019, at the Arctic Tree House Hotel, in Finland.

Looking for an unforgettable stay in Santorini? Search no more as you have already found Athina Luxury Suites! 

 

 

In the wake of Women's Day on March 8, this video is a tribute to pioneering Greek Women Immigrants. This inspiring video describes the life and accomplishments of some of the most open-minded, hard-working, and fierce women immigrants that immigrated to the USA at the beginning of the 20th century.

Even though it is impossible to recount the heroic Greek immigrant women, speaking of just a few invokes the memory of all of them.

It is certain that whatever heights the Greek ethnic community has attained today, is much owed to the love and labors of these extraordinary women!
 

 

 

Athens ArtCore is a recently-formed association of artist-run spaces in Athens, with the goals of creating a network of support, advocacy, and collaboration, as well as raising the visibility of the value of these types of independent spaces. In recent years Athens has seen a proliferation of alternative art spaces, joining the global trend toward artist-run, non-commercial initiatives, which provide an arena for experimentation and innovation in the art scene that traditional galleries cannot. In its first event, Athens ArtCore invites the public to a 3-day festival, to take place 13-15 March 2020, in which each space/platform will independently host a project under the common aegis of Athens ArtCore.

The festival’s title, “Death in Athens”, refers to Thomas Mann’s classic Death in Venice, and its themes of inspiration, creation, and the distinct relationship of the creative process to city and location. The novel also addresses the Platonic theory of forms and how its legacy in Western traditions of art-making furnish disjunctures of idea and form, of signifier and signified. Death in Athens prods these themes for their specific resonance within the Greek capital today. Each participating platform will address these themes with its own curatorial project. 

Friday 13/3 (opening): 18:00-23:00
Saturday 14/3: 14:00-20:00
Sunday 15/3: 14:00-19:00, (closing party): 20:00-24:00

The following initiatives will participate:

 

Halva is a semolina pudding, sweetened with syrup and studded with nuts. Halva is an easy to make, delicious, lenten dessert that is widely served on Kathara Deftera and during the fasting period before Easter. Make sure you brown the semolina enough to get a lovely cinnamon brown colour and a delicious nutty flavor.

 

Serves: 8-10
Difficulty: Intermediate

Cooks in: 40 minutes
 

• 3/4 cups sunflower oil
• 1 cup coarse semolina
• 1 cup fine semolina
• 3 cups granulated brown sugar
• 4 cups water
• Zest of 3 oranges
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 150 g almond slivers

 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C set to fan.
2. Toast the almond slivers in a shallow baking pan lined with parchment paper for 5-8 minutes.
3. In a non-stick pot saute the vegetable oil with the fine semolina and coarse semolina, over medium-low heat.
4. Stir the mixture continuously for about 4-5 minutes, until the semolina becomes golden brown. Do not rush this process since semolina burns easily. Sauteeing the semolina gives it a rich and nutty flavor.
5. When ready, add the sugar, water, orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves.
6. Stir for another 10 minutes until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. You will know it is ready when it starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan.
7. Add the almonds and continue to stir.
8. Transfer the mixture into a 22 cm bundt cake pan, hit the cake pan on a hard surface to make sure the mixture settles and your halva is nice and compact.
9. Turn it over after 5 minutes.

Find this and other great recipes on: akispetretzikis.com

 

FokiaNou Art Space is pleased to present “Nude”, a solo photography exhibition by Maria Bourbou, opening Saturday 7 March at 7 pm. Bourbou’s work appears as dreamlike images where fiction is mixed with reality and where past, present and future are fused. In this series, she focuses her lens on the naked body using natural light. The interior environment is bare, so that the subject imposes itself. The work acts as a mirror of ourselves, and attempts to display emotions and strength. At the same time it is displayed as a symbol of beauty and harmony.

Born in Athens, Maria Bourbou studied Photography at the private photography school «E.M.E.F» of Dimitrios Xliveros in Athens, as well as German Language and Literature at the University of Kiel (Germany). In recent years, Maria Bourbou has been living and working in different countries in Europe. Her work has been exhibited and collected internationally including at the Instituto de Camões in Lisbon, the gallery Teambox, (LX- Factory, Lisbon) and at the Konrad Adenauer Building of the European Parliament in Luxemburg. She recently had a solo show at the Hellenic American Union in Athens, and has participated in many group exhibitions, most recently at the Salon du CAL 2018 in Luxembourg, at “Back to Athens 6” (International Art Festival in Athens), presenting the digital poem «Myopia» . Some of the works in this series were shown in the exhibition “Gender and Other Boundaries” at the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of Setúbal, Portugal.

FokiaNou Art Space is an artist-run project space in the intimacy of a small apartment in an old building in the center of Athens. The space encourages collaborative creative efforts between Greek and foreign artists, thereby promoting and supporting the local art community. The space hosts exhibitions, workshops and projects under the direction of two artists, Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris. 

Opening: Saturday 7 March 19.00
Duration: 7 – 28 March 2020
Hours: Thursday – Saturday 17.00-20.00