While Oklahoma schools are closed as a means of keeping families safe from the spread of COVID-19, we are all doing our part to stay healthy – and keep the kiddos busy!
We have a special knack at Trinity School for creating unique lessons for kids of all learning levels and integrating technology into everyday learning. Here are a few suggestions on how best to plan kiddo-friendly stay-at-home activities!
Keep a routine: The thing that holds at-home learning together is a steady routine. It doesn’t need to be strict but keep getting up around the same time and keep enforcing bedtime. Have a plan for screen time, learning time, play time and when to take meals. It will help both parents and kids from feeling cooped up.
Write letters:Helping your kids to write letters is a double benefit- they can practice writing and grammar while staying connected to friends and family during this time of social isolation. Especially if you have an elderly or immunocompromised loved one, sending letters written and addressed by your kids is a wonderful way to include them in your child’s at-home education.
Tap into your creativity: Art class doesn’t have to stop just because we aren’t at school! The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is offering daily art lessons live on YouTube at 12pm central called, Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems . Children’s author, Jarrett J. Krosoczka is also hosting live art lessons each day at 1pm central on YouTube . These two live streams go on at different times you can pick which one fits best into your daily schedule, and previously streamed classes are archived so you can watch anytime.
Conduct an experiment: Science teacher, author and TV personality, Steve Spangler, has created a vast catalogue of at-home science experiments! Everything from making your own electric circuit to homemade rock candy to physics tricks are detailed on his website. There are plenty of options to choose from so don’t worry about not having the proper supplies- you will find something you can get started on right away.
Designate time to read: Designate a time each day for reading. You and your children can choose what time of day is easiest to stick to and set aside at least 30-60 minutes per day. For those students who struggle with reading time, visit Trinity Schools guide on shaking up story time ! If your at-home book collection is sparse, you can download free e-books and audiobooks for kids through the OKC Metropolitan Library System
Flex your green thumb: Get outdoors and plant something! Outdoor activities are safe as long as your family is still social distancing. Most seeds will sprout within a week, so kids can watch their gardens grow! If you don’t have seeds handy, try growing vegetables and fruits from scraps. Eating Well Magazine wrote a guide on how to turn the pieces of produce you normally throw away, into whole new plants.
Get Cooking: Get your kids involved in meal planning. Raid the pantries, and the freezer and let them help you with creative lunch and dinner ideas. Cooking is a basic life skill, and a great bonus to teaching kids to cook is increasing kids willingness to try new foods. Popular cooking publication, Delish, is providing live kids cooking classes on Instagram as well as a guide for recipes to help kids get cooking.
There are plenty of ways to keep busy and learn from home! Now is a great time to let your and your kids’ imaginations run free. Tap into which activities your kids enjoy the most, you may just spark passion for a new subject through free exploration. Watch Trinity School at Edgemere’s social media channels for updates through this time of social distancing, and of course, keep actively learning!