During a time when everyday life has been turned upside down, Major League Baseball is finding ways to create a little bit of normalcy for its employees and their families. Two recent activities in particular served as a stark reminder that even in the strangest of times, there are ways to continue with business as usual. It just takes a little creativity.

Take Your Child to Work Day

Example 1: MLB's Business Resource Group (BRG) recently celebrated National Take Your Child to Work Day -- but with a twist. Since everyone is working from home, this "holiday" was observed from the comforts of employees' living rooms, through the magic of -- what else? -- Zoom, the digital communication mechanism that has kept us all connected during the COVID-19 shutdown.

A two-hour session for parents and kids (and team mascots -- we'll get to that a bit later) included a workout session, arts and crafts, a dance lesson and an all-out dance/jam session that encouraged kids to let loose and just have fun.

Last year was the first time Home Base BRG celebrated National Take Your Child to Work Day, and employees were able to gather in person for the event. This time around it took a little creativity to pull it off. The results were largely the same: It was enjoyed by all.

"This year we felt we could still achieve the same goals of celebrating this nationally themed day by doing activities virtually," said Corey Smith, MLB's senior director of diversity and inclusion. "We wanted to make sure that part of the inclusive culture that is MLB factors in some of the new challenges parents are facing in balancing work and home."

The Zoom session opened with a welcome message from MLB Network personality Lauren Shehadi, who, with her two daughters in tow, held up signs that set the ground rules: Mute your mic, and have fun.

From there the party started. Chana Balk led a 30-minute exercise session that included cardio, squats and a few yoga moves, such as planking and the downward-facing-dog position. At least one team mascot showed up for this rigorous exercise session -- notably, the Cardinals' Fredbird, who did his best to keep up with the group.

Next up was an art lesson with Ms. Mor, who led the group in a crafty session of using shaving cream and food coloring to create colorfully decorated paper baseballs. That was followed by a dance lesson with Daniel Campbell and a dance jam session with 13-year-old host DJ Kool Flash.

"We wanted things that were engaging, fun and tried to find a nice balance between a variety of activities that would allow for some physical movement, some creativity and finally that could cater to different ages," Smith said.

Several mascots rocked out with the kids, including Clark the Cub, Lou Seal (Giants), Slider (Indians), Wally (Red Sox), Rosie (Reds) and Fredbird.

It was, by all accounts, two hours well spent.

"We are all getting used to the new normal of working remotely and home schooling and really wanted MLB employees that are parents to know that we appreciate them balancing work and parenting and schooling, and that MLB was in full support of their new daily routine," Smith said, adding that it was important to have the mascots present to add an extra layer of team morale.

"That really gave the event the baseball feel it needed, which was an exciting reminder that baseball will be back," Smith said.

Virtual Mentor Day

MLB's HYPE BRG for young professionals traditionally has an annual mentorship program for the summer interns in the Commissioner’s Office, but with the challenges faced because of COVID-19, the difficult decision was made to cancel this year’s program. However, HYPE thought it was still important to offer some insight on how baseball works to the candidates who would have been summer interns this year, as well as diverse students looking to have a career in sports.

MLB hosted Virtual Mentor Day, pairing employees with students for Zoom conversations that lasted approximately 30 minutes. A total of 52 mentors were a paired with 57 mentees, who have interests in myriad fields, including marketing, public relations, special events, contracts, social media, data analysis, finance, sports law and journalism.

"Being able to leverage technology and hold a virtual mentorship conversation that still provided the students with a connection to MLB is important to show our commitment to the younger generation as we recognize the value they can contribute to the game," Smith said. "Their innovation and perspective will carry the game forward."

Smith categorized the exercise a "win-win."

"We may potentially repeat the exercise and invite more to participate, including MLB clubs," Smith said.