Mid-week ideas for Kids and care givers of all ages! Week #2
Dear Families,
So glad the sun is shining today! I took my dog for a walk this morning and the cool crisp air mixed with bright warm sunshine gave me the feeling of reset button being pressed!
First, I hope this e-mail finds you well. And I do hope now that we are in week #2, you are finding ways to adjust to this new home life. (Please share any tips!)
If it’s of any comfort, reports on this kind of radical shift in daily life say it takes about a week or so to figure out how to adjust and establish routines. Kids are not any different.
Mine hit a wall yesterday with all the home work, missing friends & routines and feeling like “limbo has set in for good”. It hasn’t of course. This is temporary. And- this is how they feel, so we work with it.
Activities like planting seeds, drawing a map of your house, your neighborhood, your village, and making a family tree drawing can all feel really grounding for the younger set. Writing, drawing or collaging in a journal is great activity for middle grade. And listening to or playing music can be wonderfully comforting.
Sheltering at home means something different for each of us of course.
Working from home has afforded me some more time to delve into the many on-line offerings popping up all over the place. I send some to you in the hopes that they offer you and the kids a respite from the school work and the absence of friends.
Please send feedback! Also please share anything your family is enjoying.
Finally: please don’t forget those bird projects I sent last week- I would love to get your photos and create a virtual community wall for us to share.
Yeah for you and your creative, energetic kids!!!
Yours in exploring the pop up universe,
Marie-Louise
Can you name these birds?
Everyone Sang
By Siegfried Sassoon
Everyone suddenly burst out singing;
And I was filled with such delight
As prisoned birds must find in freedom
Winging wildly across the white
Orchards and dark green fields; on; on; and out of sight.
Everyone’s voice was suddenly lifted,
And beauty came like the setting sun.
My heart was shaken with tears and horror
Drifted away … O but every one
Was a bird; and the song was wordless; the singing will never be done.
Public Library Free Movie offerings: Kanopy: https://wls.kanopy.com/
MUSIC ( good for the 2-6 year range)
Dear Friends,
I’m stuck in the house! Are you? Lucky for me, I’m in an “isolation cell” with my daughters and grand-daughters, who are both missing school and looking for ways (or their parents are looking for ways for them) to entertain themselves all day. Papa Tom is happy to play and sing as always, and the Chapin Sisters are around, so we’ve decided to go LIVE on Instagram and Facebook every weekday at 11 AM EST, for a 20-30 minute mini-concert family music break. These will be free, so tell your friends and family with kids, and anyone else you know, about them. They’ll be up for 24 hours from the 11 AM launch time, so watch them at your leisure.
Instagram: @tomchapinmusic
https://www.facebook.com/tomchapinmusic/
On YOUTUBE, look up “Mornings with Papa Tom” https://youtu.be/b3dmcFE5cYU
To get that “good morning breakfast dance” going: https://youtu.be/n0IKwdfiL24 (good for all of us!)
Pretty Little Girl with the Blue Dress On – Rhiannon Giddens
CLASSICAL MUSIC: https://slippedisc.com/2020/03/believe-it-orchestra-plays-beethoven-9th-from-their-homes/
Maybe you and a few friends could try to play some music, or sing a song together like these musicians?
Listening to Authors read out loud and interactive opportunities:
Looking for ways to address screen time? Try Common Sense Media.
Want to try some on-line museum visits?
American Museum of Natural History
SCIENCE FOR KIDS
OLogy: The Museum’s Science Website for Kids
Have you ever wondered why the arms and fingers of T. rex are so small? Or why its teeth are so big? Paleontologist Mark Norell answers these questions and more on OLogy, which also features science activities, games, and more.
Okay- I don’t want to overwhelm you. So I’ll stop here.
Remember to reply with any projects or resources you’ve found too!
Best,
Marie-Louise
