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We are in really strange times. There is no doubt about that. We are living through a future history lesson right now and we will get through this. I’d like to highlight some of the silver linings I’ve observed in these darker moments (and not highlight all the awfulness because no one needs that).
We live in Gig Harbor and for those that are lucky enough to live here, you know how magical this place has always been. We chose to live in this small charming town even though we came from larger cities. We wanted to raise our kids in a small community where it feels safe and where we still have trees (honestly, right?!). Like every kid in Washington, school is closed and that is a huge loss for our community. The ways our school keeps our children educated, safe, fed, and provides structure for all of us is something I’ll never take for granted again. That being said, this time with our two children is a gift. It really is a gift because these moments while they are small will not last. I’d like to take a moment to share how much our teachers in this community means to us. With the school closures, normalcy is out the window for us but both of our children’s teachers have spent so much time preparing materials, resources, strategies, and example schedules to help us with this transition. This took a lot of time to prepare and they did it so quickly. I’m just so impressed with their dedication to our children. Since the closure, I’ve been in communication with teachers about resources and tips etc. and they have been very responsive. It’s just really amazing how lucky we are to have these committed educators in our lives and in our children’s lives.
I’ve also seen so many families and friends quickly jump into action to help families in need with lesson plan ideas, getting lunches out to kids who need them, volunteer to help elderly with groceries and errands, and so much more. There has been an outpour of community support and spirit and it’s just wonderful to see. Like Mr. Rogers has taught us, in times of crisis, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping”
I’d like to share some resources for those who are looking for free activities, resources for those with little ones I received from these amazing teachers.
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The Cincinnati Zoo invites you to join them for a Home Safari Facebook Live each weekday at 3pm where they will highlight one of their amazing animals and include an activity you can do from home. This starts Monday, March 16 at 3pm EST
https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden – Home | Facebook
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati. 1.3M likes. The mission and vision of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is dedicated to creating adventure, conveying knowledge, conserving nature,…
www.facebook.com
🦍The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games. Enjoy the tour!
https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/
🐃 Tour Yellowstone National Park!
https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
💥Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover.
https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/
🐳Play games and learn all about animals
https://switchzoo.com/
🇫🇷 Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual field trip.
https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
🇨🇳 Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China
https://www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china
🔢Math and Reading games https://www.funbrain.com/
🔠Phonics skills https://www.starfall.com/h/
🐫 British Museum Virtual Tour. Includes Egyptian mummies. https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
🌏Geography and animals
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
📚Fave kids books read by famous people https://www.storylineonline.net/
🎨Crafts, activities, mazes, dot to dot, etc,
https://www.allkidsnetwork.com/
🔢🔠Math and reading games https://www.abcya.com/
🏃♀️ Movement and mindfulness videos
https://www.gonoodle.com/
🌏Carmen Sandiego videos, stories, and lessons for all subject areas https://www.carmensandiego.com/resources/
🔠Online education program for toddler through high school… https://www.khanacademy.org/
✏️ Free Printables for PreK-2nd Grade https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Literacy-With-The-Littles/Price-Range/Free
🧘♀️ Free at-home kids yoga lesson plans https://littletwistersyoga.com/online-store/
🔢Elem Math games, logic puzzles and educational resources https://www.mathplayground.com/
🔠🎼Poetry and music https://www.thewell.world/mindful-music/mindful-poetry-moments
📝Teaches students how to write a paragraph through interactive online tutorial http://www.paragraphpunch.com/
💡Critical Thinking resources for K-6 students https://marketplace.mythinkscape.com/store/redtkids
🧘♀️ Kid-friendly workouts — choose from Strength for Kids, Agility for Kids, Flexibility and Balance for Kids, Warm-Up for Kids, Cooldown for Kids, Stand Up and Move for Kids, OR create your own custom kid workout. https://app.sworkit.com/collections/kids-workouts
⌨️ Keyboarding practice https://www.typingclub.com/ or https://www.typing.com/
🌊 This educational website hosted by the Smithsonian Museum takes a deep dive into ocean life. https://ocean.si.edu/
🐻Alaskan Wildlife cams http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=viewing.webcams
🧩 Online photograph jigsaw puzzles You can set the pieces from 6-1000+ https://www.jigsawexplorer.com/
Jigsaw Explorer – Online Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw Explorer – Premium online jigsaw puzzles. Assemble the puzzle to reveal the rest of the image
www.jigsawexplorer.com
AR (Accelerated Reader) https://hosted411.renlearn.com/296528
