Keep On Keeping On

I was nearing my breaking point, and I knew it. It had been over a week since we went into hiding from this invisible virus that is spreading like wildfire. We left the house very seldom to get things we needed or to exercise. We kindly declined social gathering invites and basically hunkered down. 

I was glued to the TV newscasts, in horror at what I was seeing and hearing about all the death around the world, lack of toilet paper and other essentials, and the level of contagiousness this virus had. Something had to give.

I was a ball of nerves, fearful for my little asthmatic, and thinking about all the what-ifs that could possibly go wrong with each and every member of my family facing this with uncertainty about the future. 

I couldn't make myself do much, I sat or walked around in a daze so worried about all the things on my mind, but telling myself to have faith, trust, not to worry. But as much as I told myself that it would all be OK, my doubt would creep in, nearly drowning me in the process. 

Monday of week two, I headed to the school. We met as teachers, keeping our distance as much as possible and talking about what this whole distance learning think should look like. 
I decided I needed to give all this worry a rest. To let it go. To face the fact that my worry, my fear, my irrationalness in all this was transferring to my own daughter, keeping her up at night wondering if she or the people she loved would survive this pandemic. Hearing her words, "I wish I could die and come back when all this is over" hung around my shoulders weighing me down with helplessness. It was a turning point, watching her struggle. I knew I had to muster some normalcy for her...for us both. Be strong for the two of us. Quit watching the news so much, it was quite frankly scaring her as much as it was scaring me.

I determined that I would wake up. Read, play, draw, and have fun just being with my babies. I would take time to slow down, enjoy this moment we've been given, and really take time for my kids. 

We drew on sidewalks (and watched how if affected others walking by...the best), baked, did art projects, played board games, and enjoyed each other. I went to bed on time, and slept the best I have in days...with no tossing or turning for hours. I even slept in. And you know what? The Earth went on without me worrying about it. And I woke up happier and refreshed. 

I know worry may creep in again, but I'm ready to push it down. I will treasure these days as a gift that I have been given and spend time loving on my family and doing things that I don't normally get to do in the hustle and bustle of real life. 

Next week we will begin teaching online and also doing homeschool. That will be a new challenge, but for now everyone is excited about learning from home and this new adventure. So, here's to today's adventures, tomorrow's adventures, and to the future! Cause it's gonna be O.K. 

Art to Keep Your Kiddos Creative

If you are like me, you are always trying to find ways to keep your kiddos from getting bored at home. I love having activities that they can choose to do and also time for them to just be creative. But with this whole COVID-19 thing going around, spring break is no longer just a staycation, it is a homecation. We're just not leaving home to do the fun activities around town this year and we are minimizing our time with friends who live nearby too. It's only been three days and with no end in site, I've heard, "I'm bored" more times than I care to admit. 

So I was especially relieved to see that some of my favorite people around the web were offering free art activities especially for kids and maybe you have already stumbled across them as well, but just in case, here goes.

Cassie Stephens is an amazing art teacher in Tennessee. She is super creative and fun and always has projects that I love. I have "copied" many of her assignments for use in my own classroom and they have always been a hit among the students...and parents.  

This week, she is offering a robot-themed art class everyday. And she is making it super simple so that people can use the things they have around the house with them. We have already completed her first activity and are ready for activity number two. Here's a picture of us at work. 

It is something that you can do right along side your kids. We enjoyed doing this together. You can find her first class here and her second one over here. 

Also, if you LOVE the Piggie and Gerald books as much as we do, author and illustrator Mo Willems is also offering classes that roll out each day at lunchtime. Check those out here and here.  

Extending the Break

Last week something crazy happened in schools all around the country and if you are a teacher, I am sure you already know what I'm talking about. Schools have closed their doors for weeks, months, or even the rest of the year. But what does this mean for teachers, students, and families?

In my school, we have been told that after spring break, which is this week, we will be out for another week. I teach at a private school, but we follow the county that we are in. As of right now, they are taking two weeks, including spring break.

After a week of spring break, we are to make a plan for online work for the students for the remainder of the time we are out. We are figuring out what that looks like. There will be internet programs to use, of course. I have seen a lot of teachers posting freebies for teachers to print out for their students who will be out of school and I am joining the bandwagon.

In my master's degree program, I studied outdoor education, which to some may seem like glorified recess, but that's not it at all. In our culture, so many children do not connect with nature or go outside much at all. Children these days have what some are calling "nature deficit disorder." Many children are even scared of being in nature. My program is something that can help to combat this trend. It teaches students about nature across the curriculum. This is not just something for recess. You can teach science, reading, writing, social studies, and yes, even math using outdoor education strategies. I encourage you to learn more about it. You can even find the book about Nature Deficit Disorder on Amazon.

In light of COVID-19 and being out of school, I would like to offer a free resource for getting your child out into the sunshine, which by the way has been proven to kill bacteria and help reduce the time or even chances of being sick. This resource has two different nature journaling pages. One is designed for early elementary and includes a spot for drawing and prompts for writing about the nature a child sees outside. The other page is taken from one of my nature journaling resources. It is designed for older students to allow them a place for drawing their observations as well as a place for writing about them. I hope you enjoy using this resource. You can find it here.  

Partner Multiplication Game for Third and Fourth Grade: Race to the Moon

Partner multiplication games are such a fun way to get in extra practice of the dreaded process of learning those times tables. I love to create little games that make the learning fun. When I introduced this game, one of my fourth graders announced to me (in front of the whole class), "You always make the BEST games!" I'm not gonna lie, that made my teacher heart very happy. I want my students to LOVE learning and to have fun doing it. 

This partner multiplication game is called Race to the Moon. It is tested and tried by my very own class. They loved it (I'm sure the little spaceships have a lot to do with that fact). 

The reason why I love to use partner multiplication games vs. small group games is that:

1. It is so much quieter. Partners can sit close together and talk softly so I am not interrupted by noise while teaching another math group.

2. I also love that partner multiplication games are so quick and easy to play. Seriously, the directions are simple and the game does not take long at all. 

3. Another reason is that students get more practice than if they had to wait their turn for a whole group. 

If you'd like to try out a partner multiplication game like this one, check it out by clicking on the link right here.

Read Across America Journal

What are you doing for Read Across America Day? I think a reading marathon would be just the thing! Imagine engaging in reading and reading activities for one hundred minutes or more. Sound difficult? It's not. Check out this fun and free pirate themed journal that you can use to make this a reality. I've done many reading marathon's in the past and they are always great. You can literally use any book or books. You can read or have the students read on their own, the sky's the limit! Simply print the color or black and white version, staple, and go!

Click here if you want to snag this resource!