I’m still out of the country – we’re in an area that so far has had no issues getting back to the US, so I’m coming home tomorrow, on the day we originally planned…but I think it goes without saying that I hadn’t exactly planned on coming home to this. Our school district – like so many of yours – has announced that it’ll be closed at least though the end of April, and if the issues that these closures present for a work-at-home-mother such as myself are overwhelming, I can only imagine what so many others are struggling with.
Related: How to Keep Your Pets Safe While Driving (huge thanks to Joey from Ms. Parker’s class for the submission!)
So let’s strategize. Here’s a list of ideas and resources for handling this extended period of self-isolating with our kids without going (completely) insane – and thanks to those of you who contributed ideas via my Insta. Keep ’em coming – I’ll be updating this list as more arise.
- Go here for age-appropriate tips on how to talk to your kids about coronavirus.
- Check out some (SUPER fun) cooking activities and easy-to-follow recipes on Raddish Kids.
- Take virtual tours of twelve world-famous museums, from New York’s Guggenheim to Paris’s Musee d’Orsay.
- Loving Earth Parenting has ideas for keeping “Reluctant Homeschoolers” out of the rafters.
- Here is a list of educational companies offering free services and subscriptions for the duration of the school closings.
- Alex Kids makes great kids’ crafting kits. – MyFoundHome
- Shaving cream and kids’ shaving kits to make bathtime looooong and fun. – Olivia
- Pre-K Pages offers free downloadable educational pages and e-books.
- Busy Toddler’s Instagram has tons of great ideas for simple crafts and activities.
- Buy a few extra activities and games for the kids on Amazon. – Luisa
- Consult this article to find out what to stock your fridge with. – Luisa
- Teachers Pay Teachers offers inexpensive lesson plans created by teachers for their fellow educators.
- Make YouTube playlists on topics that interest your kids, so you can hit “play” and have them learn while you work. – MyFoundHome
- Cosmic Kids yoga for daily PE and stress relief. – MyFoundHome
- Kids Activities Blog offers screen-free ideas, virtual field trips, and more.
- Mystery Science has tons of open-and-go science projects.
- This site created free daily printable worksheets for every grade level (!!!!).
- This Scholastic site has daily reading lessons for third-to-fifth graders (highly recommended by my friend who is both a third-grade teacher and the parent of a third-grader).
- Each weekday at at 1:00 pm ET, Mo Willems (author of the Don’t Let the Pigeon books, Knuffle Bunny and many more) will host an episode of Lunch Doodles where he teaches the kids how to draw.
- Each weekday at 3:00pm ET the Cincinnati Zoo will host a live Home Safari video highlighting one animal at the zoo and including an activity you can do at home.
- Math Before Bed is an awesome resource with images, patterns and puzzles that you can discuss with your child.
- The Monterey Bay Aquarium has ten different webcams focused on different animals, and students can choose which ones they’d like to watch.
- Mad Science offers great, easy at-home science experiments.
- Fun At-Home Activities for Dogs and Kids from the American Kennel Club
If there’s anything specific content you’d like to see from RG during this challenging time, please let me know. And stay safe, my friends. We’re in this together, and we’ll get through this together.
Love,
J
