A few weeks ago, I was watching one of the 3 p.m. daily COVID-19 updates with Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry, where Henry encouraged British Columbians to 鈥済et creative鈥� with virtual ways to connect with loved ones.
I was sitting alone in my office, thinking to myself in a grumpy tone: 鈥淗ow do we make Zoom fun?鈥�
I am a big fan of Henry and I鈥檝e颅 颅interviewed her a few times over this 颅pandemic. I think my initial response was one of fatigue, or as Premier John Horgan said this week: 鈥渆xhaustion.鈥�
I am a people person and there is nothing I love more than spending time with other people. I鈥檝e had a really hard time this 颅pandemic feeling lonely and isolated. (I know things could be worse and I am grateful for my health and other privileges I have.)
As my daughter鈥檚 birthday approached, I told her that with restrictions in place, she鈥檇 have to settle for yet another day with me.
As I thought about her birthday, I was reminded of Henry鈥檚 words about getting creative with virtual gatherings.
The challenge was how to make a Zoom party fun for a group of tween girls.
I googled party games, searching for games I could facilitate virtually. We settled on a virtual game of 鈥淣ever Have I Ever鈥� and I created signs with mirrored text so it could be held up to a webcam and read on screen.
During the party, as I read each question, the kids held up their signs and started to share funny stories. It was really nice to see them genuinely connecting with each other.
The next activity was a makeup 颅challenge. I picked some photos of James Charles, a makeup YouTuber, and had the party-goers pick one of three makeup looks and recreate it sitting at their 颅computers.
We ended the party with a game of virtual music bingo with all the latest pop hits my daughter and her friends listen to.
We delivered cupcakes and sushi rolls to doorsteps beforehand, and the party was a hit. I saw a glow on 10 little faces as they were captivated on Zoom for 2.5 hours.
After the virtual party, I had several 颅parents reach out and share how much fun their kids had. My daughter told me it was her best birthday party ever.
I was wrong when I grumpily thought the suggestion of getting creative on Zoom wasn鈥檛 a good one. It was a great one, and the key word is 鈥渃reative.鈥�
Initially, the problem wasn鈥檛 the 颅suggestion, it was my attitude toward it.
When we find ways to connect with our loved ones, we should share them with 颅others. If you are looking to host a virtual party for a child, I am happy to share any info on the party games I hosted.
Charla Huber is the director of communications and Indigenous relations for M鈥檃kola Housing Society.
