With summer now around the corner, and the weather getting warmer you might be thinking….”What else can we do with the kids while social distancing?” This can be a challenge especially if you are running out of activities for your children to do, since being at this from March.

Below are some great resources to check out to hopefully jump start those ideas to get kids outside while social distancing:

Getting Outside While Social Distancing: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/Getting-Children-Outside.aspx

Keep Kids Active While Social Distancing: https://www.strong4life.com/en/news/keep-kids-active-while-practicing-social-distancing

40+ Ideas for Family Fun: https://newywithkids.com.au/family-fun-social-distancing-coronavirus/

Ref: healthychildren.org, strong4life.com, newywithhids.com

With social distancing and distance learning, kids are spending a lot more time online. While kids are getting a chance to learn how to use a computer more, it is also important that we know how to keep kids safe.

1. Make sure to talk to you kids about what is okay and what is not okay to do online. Set some rules and make sure your kids know them.
2. Set parental setting on computer and devices.
3. Talk to kids about NOT giving out their personal information online.
4. Double check what sites your child is going on.
5. Set a schedule of when your child can go online.

For more tips and great resources, check out the sites below:

Common Sense Media - Privacy & Internet Safety: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/privacy-and-internet-safety

Kids Health - Internet Safety: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/net-safety.html

Ref: calvadaynday.com, commonsensemedia.org, kidshealth.org

With all the time we are now spending at home, it may be a good time to learn a little more about social emotional learning? SEL "…is the process in which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others…” to help make and keep positive relationships and make responsible choices. This just like math, science, and reading takes time and practice. Below is a site with a list of great resources to help parents in their own social emotional learning journey. There is A LOT, so pace yourself and take your time!

SEL Resources for Parents & Communities

Ref: casel.org, insidesel.com

How are you doing this week? With so much unknown going on and the changes of either not going into work or having to be the teacher for you kids, it is normal for parents and kids to develop some anxiety. Below are two great sites that have awesome times for the adult and how to talk to kids to help manage the anxiety in the both of us.

Check them out and let me know if they were helpful!

7 Ways to Help Kids Cope with COVID-19 Anxiety

Managing Anxiety Around COVID-19

Ref: blog.chocchildrens.org, rulerapproach.org

We can all use some additional resources and tips. Some may work better than others, but the more we have the more we can feel better prepared to handle anything. Please click on the links below for the exact page.

Below are two great resources to check out:

Tips to Keep Calm at Home - healthychildren.org

Supporting Families During COVID-19 - childmind.org

Okay! You’ve got a daily schedule in place…the kids are following it…KIND OF. So, why do you feel like pulling your hair out? Not to worry, you’re not the only one. Here are some tips, to hopefully bring down the stress levels:

1. Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself

Please remember to take it easy on yourself, don’t expect homeschooling to be perfect. You are doing the best you can, you are NOT trying to recreate school. There will be hard days. There will be good days. You got this.

2. Keep at the Schedule

I know that schedule and routine isn’t easy, but make sure you create a routine and adjust the schedule to fit YOUR family. It is important that your child knows what to expect each day and that they will be working on schoolwork. This will keep the “No!” to a minimum.

3. Reach Out to Your Child’s Teacher

Your child’s teacher wants you to reach out to them. Any questions you have about work (how much to do, how to do it, etc.), they can help! The best way to reach them is email, and I know they check it often! We are all learning together and they care about your child’s education.

4. Allow for Brain Breaks and Movement

I’m sure you’ve noticed…it’s hard for kids to stay in one place and focus on work for more than 10 minutes at a time. You’re not alone! Brain breaks can help with this. It can be 10 minutes of work and a 5 minute break or it can be a 15 minutes of work and a 10 minute break. Find one that works for your child. A great place to find some brain break activities is in the Mindful Mondays section.

5. Limit the Electronics

Say what? I know, everything seems to be on electronics, but make sure to set limits. Help you child understand using electronics for learning vs. electronics for fun. Setting this time in your schedule will keep them from asking all day!

I hope the tips were helpful. Do you have any tips that really have helped you out? Share below!

References: Mrs. Hill (Belshaw Elementary)

Getting started can be the hardest. A great first step is to create a daily schedule for your family. This is something that will help not only during distance learning, but will be something that you and your family can use when we are able to get back to whatever our new “normal” will look like.

Below are some of my favorite examples for you to download. Let me know down below, what is the hardest thing about getting your kids on a schedule?

Sample Schedule 1

Sample Schedule 2

References: Mrs. Hill (Belshaw Elementary), prodigygame.com, littlethings.com

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” -- Aesop

While February has come and gone, my hope is that our challenge to Keep Kindness Going will continue. Our annual Month of Kindness, which happens in February has returned for the 2018-2019 school, with the same mission: Be kind, Make a difference, Pass it on.

Students and staff alike were all responsible for catching others doing kind acts and recognizing them by giving them a Kindness Bracelet, which can found at Kindness Stations around the school. Once receiving a bracelet, students are encouraged to catch others doing kind things and passing their bracelet on.

This year, we celebrated with Create Kindness Stations for the kids available for the students every Thursday during their lunch recess time, extra special recognition from adults with kindness stickers, and the option to complete a Kindness Challenge sheet where they had the chance to win several large Kindness Bears. Congratulations to all of our winners.

Below are some great videos to check out that all of our students watched to kick off our Month of Kindness. I've watch both of these hundreds of times, and still think it is worth another watch!

Kindness Boomerang:

Color Your World With Kindness:

The more we know, the better we can solve problems and the more we'll be able to learn in school. Below are some great videos on what being an upstander means, and the difference between bullying vs. conflict. Have a watch!

Be an Upstander:

Bullying and Conflict:

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Each year, I go into the classrooms and review what bullying is and how we can all build a safe community together by being upstanders. The chart below is an example of what we go over in each classroom and the importance of knowing the differences and attaching the correct name to a specific event or incident. Many day to day occurrences fall under the Rude or Mean category. Be sure to review and use those “I” messages!