GRAB YOUR COCKTAILS . WE HAVE GOT THIS MAMAS!
Hi my people! This is cray cray isn’t it? It’s real and a little scary but mostly just uncharted waters. Nobody could have forseen social distancing being how we kicked off this new year, but here we are. First thing I want to say is, please stay home and wash your hands. Got it? Ok, great!
I want to ensure that I am a great support for all of my followers during this time. We are definitely in this together – First, I want to say to relax, deep breathes- we will get through these next few weeks together. You can do this! Just stay home and wash up.
My advice as a mom and educator : don’t stress about block schedules, color coordination, and homeschooling. Don’t stress on your child forgetting what they have learned. Don’t argue with them over work. Focus on connecting, READ together, and try to eliminate all stresses for you and your child. Your child will be fine – the homeschooling situation is not the end all be all. Just be together and pick some random activities to fill the gap time. Here are a bunch of links to some fun but also two big lists of low stress activities and things to do with your child that’s just plain fun. Enjoy eachother.
Let me know if you choose any of these activities – would love to see pictures of your kids enjoying them. Tag @christin.lewis on IG.
TeachMotivateCreate– Amazing Resource for Digital Learning Days (12 printable freebies, tools,& ideas)
Scholastic has INCREDIBLE resources – you can pick the grade level and they are giving you free access to a lot of their books/programs. MUST USE! They even have it divided into a day by day resource.
TeachersPayTeachers – free worksheets and activities
Read at home Bingo- This is an amazing came/resource made by a teacher for your kids time at home. Grades K-4th Reading support.
ABC Mouse – 30 days free – We love this program so much. Ella just loves it and she is 3 years old.
Science: NASA – is providing their whole digital media library for free
I have used a lot of these sites as teacher and a mom – GREAT RESOURCES!
Switcheroo Zoo – watch, listen, and play games to learn about animals.
Seussville – Read, play games, and hangout with Dr. Seuss and his friends
Starfall– Practice your phonics skills with these read-along stories
Highlight Kids- Read, play games, and conduct cool science experiments
National Geographics for Kids – Learn all about geography and fascinating animals
+ n a t u r e
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens – will do a spring break fun and educational facebook live – they will be streaming live every weekday at 2PM- featuring an animal and a fun activity for kids at home.
Cincinnati Zoo is holding a free “Home Safari Facebook Live” to keep kids learning during their time out of school. They are going live each weekday at 3pm where they will highlight one animal which includes an activity to help follow along.
Switcheroo Zoo – watch, listen, and play games to learn about animals.
National Geographics for Kids – Learn all about geography and fascinating animals
Georgia Aquarium- The Georgia Aquarium has live cams so you can go under the sea from HOME.
33 National Parks Virtual Tours- they have gathered 33 National Park Tours you can virtually. Yes, that means you can explore National Parks from the comfort of your home and in your pajamas! Click this link to find their Facebook page for more updates and fun they are providing.
Follow : @play_at_home_mummy on Instagram her arts and craft ideas for kids are amazing. It also contributes to a lot of sensory play as well. Amazing ideas!
McHarper Manor Free Art Tutorial- Free Art tutorials for families to keep engaged and their creativity flowing. See McHarper Manor’s facebook for the live events starting on March 16th.
Free Musuem Tours – here is a list of live streaming museums for kids to keep entertained and learning.
Children’s Author Mo Willems is hosting a livestream doodle every week so that he can connect with kids and doodle together during the time at home.
Kinetic Sand Activities – We have loved this during break and I know I love the mess it DOESN’T make. It is so nice. Here are some activities your child can play using kinetic sand.
Sensory Development- Bright horizons has provided a good post of some easy sensory ideas for students to encourage sensory growth.
Have your child/family write letters or draw pictures to nursing homes since they will not be able to receive visitors for a while.
PlayBill just released 15 Broadway plays and musicals you can watch on stage from home. How amazing is this? Click the link to see what amazing plays they are showing.
Melissa & Doug – I love this company! Their mission statement is “the power of play.” They generated a ton of ideas to embody their mission and help families cultivate the power of play not just with their own toys but in general. Hop on their blog to see the amazing information they provided for families.
Pillow Fort Challenge – build the best pillow fort- snap a picture and tag @generationsgk – this church is giving families tools to play together, build together,sit together and tell each other one thing that has made you scared. Coming together!!!
Cosmic Kids – provide a yoga adventure with different themes that kids love.
GoNoodle– I did these exercises with my students a few times a week and we loved them. They are amazing for all ages and it is so fun to do with the kids also. It focuses on movement and mindfulness created by child development experts.
Podcasts: the podcasts are listed by grade level because some might be more intense or cover more mature topics than is appropriate for younger students. But you are the best judge for your own kids or students, so we recommend vetting all material before sharing.
PBS is giving families support/resource on how to talk and prepare children for the virus and school closure. They are offering free newsletters. If I could hug Mr. PBS I would – or in this case, give him jazz hands to keep it sanitary. I think they have the most amazing shows/resources for kids. Our favorite is Daniel Tiger.
Save this blog post – I will be updating each day with any new ideas or resources I find or are shared with me. Good luck and remember – you’ve got this Mama and you rock!!!!
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