weeLove: We’re in this together

Photo by Alexander Dummer

At Home During Coronavirus

Helpful Resources for Parents & Caregivers

Parenthood in the time of coronavirus feels like we’ve entered the wild, wild west. From school to work to regular activities, practically every facet of our daily lives has come to an abrupt halt. (It’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed, anxious and even sad!) And caring for small children—while staying home and doing our part to flatten the curve—is no simple feat. This is uncharted territory and we’re all just winging it and doing the best we can as we go.

We’ve compiled a list of some helpful resources that our team has been using (or just learned about!) to help you and the caregivers in your life stay sane, and keep your children entertained and engaged.

Guidance for Parents:

• How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus
• How to Emotionally Prepare for Coronavirus Quarantine as a Family
• Tips to Stay Sane When Working from Home with Kids 

Now, what to do with those kiddos…

• Your day will probably be far from zen, but Cosmic Kids offers free yoga adventures for kids. Namaste.
• Go on a Home Safari and learn about incredible animals at the Cincinnati Zoo (it’s live on Facebook every weekday at 3pm EST or you can watch later).
• Head to beloved author Mo Willems’ studio for daily Lunch Doodles.
• Get the wiggles out with Go Noodle dance videos.
• Enjoy free daily art tutorials (live and saved) from McHarper Manor, a mom + pop art studio in Ohio.
• Help your child’s imagination run wild with a podcast from Story Pirates.
• Go on a learning journey with Out of Eden, a free online program for students 3-19, where students of similar ages from diverse geographical and socioeconomic settings come together to learn.
• Foster reading and creativity with free daily learning experiences from Scholastic, tailored to different ages.
• Sometimes, all we really need is to see an adorable sea otter. Take a deep dive and check out live web cams of creatures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
• Skype a Scientist—a cool activity for older kids or as a family.
• Watch Oliver Jeffers do a daily Instagram Live reading of his books (they’ll be recorded and uploaded too).

And please know this it’s okay to do absolutely none of this. We all need to do what we can to get things done; you’re still doing an incredible job, and there should be no judgement—nor feelings of guilt—for that.

Also be sure to find some small ways to take care of yourself. While a lot of your energy is being put toward creating a sense of normalcy for your children, don’t put your own wellbeing on the back-burner.

Stay informed, but keep the news/social media scrolling in check. Take a walk outside. Listen to your favorite podcast. Find a workout you can do at home. Light a candle that smells good. Call or FaceTime a friend or family member. Watch Love is Blind on Netflix (Being in a permanent state of cringe will surely get your mind off of current events!) And get a good night’s sleep. Over these next few weeks, you’ll need all of your energy to keep up with those constant requests for snacks. See? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

We can do this, together.