The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on everyone, but it can be especially disruptive to kids. With their normal routines thrown off, missing their friends and normal activities, and having to learn the ins and outs of virtual classes, it’s no wonder many kids are stressed out.

If your child’s birthday is approaching, they may also be feeling sad and upset that their birthday plans are cancelled. It’s perfectly normal to feel that way, but just because you can’t host a birthday party in public doesn’t mean your child’s birthday has to go uncelebrated!

There are tons of virtual birthday party ideas out there, but these are a few of our favorites. Take a look at these ideas for virtual birthday celebrations and create fun memories despite the situation. 

Virtual Birthday Party Ideas

Throw a streaming party.

If your child’s heart was set on a magician, princess, clown, or character appearance at their party, consider organizing a Zoom party where all of the guests can tune in and watch the performance from home! The performer will be grateful for the work, and your kid can still get a fun experience with their friends. Even if the performer doesn’t have a set show format, they can still facilitate games for the kids to liven up the party. 

Collect video greetings and have a viewing session with your kids.

Birthdays are such a special time, and not just for kids! It’s heartbreaking for grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other loved ones to miss the occasion, but they can still make the day special. If a video conferencing party doesn’t appeal to your crowd, get them to record videos of themselves wishing the birthday kid a happy birthday. Make some popcorn, dim the lights, and have a “screening” of all the nice messages. 

You can easily organize this type of virtual birthday party on Facebook by creating a private group and inviting the friends and family members you’d like to participate. For bonus points, do a Facebook live while your child watches the videos so the group can see their reactions!

Host game night online.

If your kid and their friends love board games, a game night is in order. There are all kinds of cool options for virtual game night these days, from the Houseparty app (trivia, Chips & Guac, Pictionary) to Playing Cards to Scattergories! 

While these virtual party ideas don’t compare to the fun of getting together with friends and family in person, we hope they’ll bring a smile to your birthday kid’s face on their special day. Remember, once the coronavirus restrictions are lifted, you can still plan a party at Rainbow Skateland! You could even team up with the parents of other kids in your child’s class whose birthdays got “skipped” due to the pandemic and organize a joint party.

Staying home during the pandemic has been hard for everyone, but it’s especially tough when you have kids who need to burn off some energy! Without P.E. class, team sports, or even the ability to play with neighborhood friends or use the local playground, kids are bouncing off the walls and parents are looking for ways to get their kids some exercise. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for kids to get physical activity despite the coronavirus pandemic. 

How to Keep Kids Physically Active During the Pandemic

Outdoor Roller Skating

Just because we’re temporarily closed doesn’t mean your kids have to give up skating! Roller skating is an awesome full-body workout that provides cardio exercise and builds muscles… And you can do it outside of the skating rink as well!

To convert your family’s roller skates for outdoor use, you’ll just need to purchase and install a different type of wheel. Changing skate wheels is easy, and there are lots of tutorials online if you need help. Outdoor roller skate wheels are softer and wider, providing more “give” and absorbing shocks from all of the imperfections of outdoor skating surfaces, from cracks in the sidewalk to sticks and pebbles.  Give us a call at 716-507-4381 to purchase skate wheels, roller skates, and safety equipment to help your family get started skating outdoors. (When you shop local in Lockport at our skating pro shop, you’re supporting Rainbow Skateland and the local skating community. We appreciate your support!) 

Online Fitness Classes

Another great way to stay active without leaving the house is to stage a fitness class right in your living room! Check out some of the great free fitness content available on YouTube, including: 

• Yoga for Kids: This video from Yoga with Adriene walks kids (or any beginner yogi) through a simple routine that can be customized for many ages and abilities. 
• Bollywood hip-hop dance class: If your kids love to dance, there are plenty of cool dance class and choreography videos available to help them hone their skills. 
• Family cardio workout: The best way to lead is by example, so join your kids for a cardio workout to blast some calories. 
• Body weight workout with your kids: Can you bench press your kids? This family workout is great for little kids and parents alike. The kids will be thrilled to be included, and parents will get a whole new level of challenge in their workouts. 

Daily Walks

While there are lots of cool ways technology can help us be active, don’t forget about the classics! You can still walk around your neighborhood or local park as long as you maintain proper social distancing of at least 6 feet and wear a face covering.

Are your kids practically climbing the walls? Do you feel like you just might be living in a zoo? Is there a rising tension of possible mutiny and/or meltdown brewing among your darling family members? If so, you’re not alone! Stay at home orders and social distancing are hard enough for adults, but add kids to the mix and you’ve got a whole other challenge. 

While our skating rink is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, we don’t want your kids to be sitting at home bored! Check out these ideas to keep your kids busy and entertained until it’s safe to reunite with friends, family, neighbors, and classmates in person again.

Ways to Keep Your Kids Busy

Bring back imagination play.

Remember when we were kids, before cool modern video games, hundreds of streaming movies and TV shows at our fingertips, and mobile games on every phone and tablet? (Look, we may have had video games, but Frogger and Space Invaders can only keep you entertained for so long.) 

What did you do as a kid? For many of us, some of the best memories from our childhoods are of playing pirates or superheroes in the backyard, playing dress up with odds and ends from around the house, “cooking” in play kitchens or “shopping” at a homemade grocery store. And let’s not forget good old “The Floor is Lava.” 

If you’re having trouble setting limits on your kids’ screen time, try getting there in a roundabout way: Set quotas for unplugged playtime instead. Chances are, your kids will have so much fun once they get into their imaginative games that they’ll want to keep playing. (And hey, you don’t have to tell them when their unplugged time is over.) 

Travel the world.

You may be stuck in Lockport, New York, but there’s no reason you can’t still travel the world! If you’ve got internet connection, you’re in business. Send your kids off on a (virtual) adventure to a National Park or famous museum. These are just a few of the cool cultural destinations to explore. 

• From Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, Google Arts and Culture is a treasure trove of artistic, historical, scientific, and cultural marvels from around the world. 
• Introduce your kids to the works of the Bard with the free content offered by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, or get them hooked on Broadway with The Shows Must Go On!, a YouTube channel that posts a different Andrew Lloyd Webber musical each week.
• Can’t get out in the great outdoors? Let the great outdoors come to you with virtual tours of National Parks and Historic Sites.
• From puppet shows to workshop videos and more, The Center for Puppetry Arts has lots of great content available on Facebook, Zoom, and their website, much of it for free!

Like everything else these days, kids’ birthday parties have become quite involved. Add in the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s easy to see why so many parents are looking for simple kids birthday ideas that can be done at home. Some folks have come up with extremely creative ways to celebrate birthdays while social distancing, from birthday “parades” to virtual brunch dates! 

If you’re looking for ways to make your child’s birthday special while still protecting your family and doing your part to flatten the curve, these ideas are for you. We hope you’re able to enjoy the day despite the current stresses, and we can’t wait to once again celebrate your special days with you at Rainbow Skateland when it’s safe to do so. 

Simple Birthday Ideas for Kids During Coronavirus Isolation

Celebrate face to face—on the computer screen.

Remember, just because you have to keep a physical distance during this time, doesn’t mean that you have to be socially isolated! One of the simplest ways to celebrate your child’s birthday is to host a virtual birthday party. With schools closed, your child is probably missing their friends quite a bit, so they’ll be thrilled to discover that their guests have all “arrived” to sing Happy Birthday via Google Hangouts, Skype, Facetime, or whatever your favorite video conferencing platform may be. 

Make it extra festive by asking each guest to create a party hat out of construction paper, magazine pages, or whatever they have on hand! Everyone can color and sticker the hats, and then do a show and tell to the rest of the group. 

Let your child plan a staycation.

Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t have a fun birthday celebration. Ask your child to help you plan their “perfect” day of at-home activities, from breakfast pancakes to building a fort in the living room where the whole family can watch a movie together. (Birthday kid’s choice, of course!) You might be surprised at how much fun your family can have and how creative you can all get by just working with what you have on hand. 

Celebrate while social distancing.

For inspiration, just look to the families in the article we linked at the top of this blog post. One child got an amazing birthday surprise when his parents took him outside to see the parade of friends and family members driving slowly past the house to send their birthday wishes. The would-be guests of the postponed birthday party showed their celebratory spirit by decorating their cars, wearing costumes, singing Happy Birthday, and more. 

Another family enlisted their whole neighborhood to create an unforgettable Sweet Sixteen experience for their daughter. When her mom asked her to go on a walk around the neighborhood, she never guessed that she’d be taking a tour of birthday tidings! Neighbors had written notes in sidewalk chalk, decorated their yards, and even sang from their front doors as the birthday girl and her mom walked by. 

It just goes to show you that with enough creativity and heart, you can make any birthday special—even when you’re in the middle of a pandemic!

Mondays are the worst, right? Well, not anymore! Your hometown skating rink is changing the game with Adult Retro Skate Night. Find out why this event is a must-see addition to Lockport nightlife below. 

Adult Retro Skate Night at Rainbow Skateland

No Kids Allowed

You hear the shrill sound of a whistle, then the lifeguard yells, “Adult swim! Kids out of the pool!” Suddenly there are no overexuberent kids screaming, splashing, and cannonballing too close for comfort. You can enjoy the relaxing luxury of a kid-free pool, if only for a few minutes.

Imagine that feeling of relief, but instead of the pool, you’re at the skating rink. While we’re all about family fun here at Rainbow Skateland, sometimes grown folks need a break. That’s why Retro Skate Night is for ages 18 and older only. Don’t forget to bring your ID to this kid-free weekly event. 

Old School Tunes

Even if we did allow kids to this event (which we don’t), they just wouldn’t get it. Retro Skate Night is all about going “back in the day” with your favorite old school skate jams, from deep cuts to chart toppers. What were your favorite songs to roller skate to in the past? We’d love to hear your suggestions, so head over to our Facebook page and join the conversation. 

Drink Specials

This one almost goes without saying. Come on, if there’s anything that could make Monday, well, less Monday-ish, it’s a good drink special! Get your sip on and skate that case of the Mondays away. 

Something Different

Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut with your social or romantic life? Tired of meeting up at the same bar with the same people all the time? Tired of the same predictable date night? Tired of Netflix and falling asleep on the couch?  If this is sounding familiar, it’s time to shake up your routine! Adult Retro Skate Night lets you start the week off with a dose of affordable fun, socializing, and yes, even exercise. That excitement can carry you through the week when you’ve got a lot on your plate. 

Memories Old and New

One of the reasons people love our Retro Skate Nights is because the music takes you back to simpler days. Music is one of the best ways to evoke happy memories, so come out and be reminded of some blasts from your past … And make some new memories, too!

Adult Retro Skate Night: What You Need to Know

• Who: Anyone 18+ 
• What: Retro music, drink specials, good times
• When: Every Monday evening from 8:00 pm to 10:30 pm (unless otherwise noted)

Don’t forget to RSVP and invite your friends! 

The holidays are officially here and in full swing, and you know what that means—the clock is ticking on buying gifts for your kids. If you’re looking for a great gift idea for kids, look no further—it’s roller skating to the rescue! 

Reasons to Give Roller Skates as a Gift

• It’s fun, obviously!
• It’s social and provides a family-friendly space for kids and teens to hang out with friends.
• It’s active and encourages kids to get off the couch. Skating burns calories, builds muscles, and can even improve stamina and agility. 

Roller Skating Gift Ideas

Your kid will feel like a boss going from rental skates to their very own skates in a style and color that expresses their personality.

Riedell Dart Ombre Skates

These rink and speed skates are not only high quality skates made by one of the leading roller skate companies, Riedell; they also look super cool thanks to an ombre gradient effect in a range of stylish colorways like purple/lime green, pink/purple, and blue/pink. 

Vanilla Junior Jam Skates

If your child loves to bust a move to their favorite music, jam skates are the way to go. These skates are designed to be worn for jam/session skating, with a toe plug instead of a toe stop allowing for more maneuverability and some pretty sweet moves. Vanilla’s Junior Jam Skates are high quality and stylish, available in several colors including mint, black/pink, and red/white. 

Moxi Roller Skates

It doesn’t get any more stylish than Moxi Roller Skates! Your tween or teen will be overjoyed to open a box and discover their very own pair of Moxis in candy-colored suede or cheetah print. Don’t worry, these skates have style and substance; they’re hand-made in the USA with the highest craftsmanship and quality materials. 

Pacer Comet Light-Up Skates

These fun, kid-friendly skates have wheels that light up when you skate, and come in two cool colorways: white/hot pink/purple, and grey/black/yellow. 

Skate Accessories

Don’t forget to complete the gift with some awesome skate accessories! Wheels, toe stops, pom poms, light up laces, and boot covers all make great stocking stuffers. Skate tools and skate leashes or bags are also a great way to finish off a gift, and they’re useful to boot. (Pun intended.)

If you have an avid or aspiring roller skater on your gift list this year, the Rainbow Skateland pro shop in Lockport is your go-to source for gifts they’ll love. Check out our catalogs for yourself, and give us a call at 716-507-4381 to place your order. (These are wholesalers; they do not sell to individuals.) Not sure what exactly you need? Just stop by to chat with our pro shop and we’ll get you all set up with everything you need for the perfect roller skating gift.