It can be difficult at the best of times to get our children to talk about their school day. But it is important to understand how they are experiencing learning online so we can support and motivate them. Each Friday for the next few weeks, we will post five different questions that might help your child open up about their experience online. Here are this week’s questions:

1. What are you looking forward to after the break?
2. What are you reading?
3. What was the hardest rule to follow today?
4. Teach me something I don’t know.
5. If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?

FUN IDEAS FOR THE BREAK!

We’ve nearly completed one quarter of online school.  Typically families would be heading off to relax and unwind during their October break.  This year, as we all know, the airport is closed and our social options are limited.  This doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the week with our children.  Here are a few suggestions to help encourage some family time.

Storytime: Read a book out loud or better yet, act out the story after you have read it.  Children love to play make believe.  Become the characters and take the story to the next level.

Physical Activity: Organize physical activities throughout the day and week.  Be creative, make up a new sport, for example, combine two sports into one or use an unusual ball, like a rolled up sock.  You don’t need the official equipment, just your imagination.

Obstacle Course: Children love to create and race through their ideas.  Brainstorm ideas for what might make an interesting tunnel or stepping stone.  It gets them critically thinking and physically moving!

Dance Party: Who doesn’t enjoy dancing?  Set the mood, decorate and put on some dancing outfits.   Share music from your past with your children.  Play freeze dance or put a few moves together and create a family dance. This gets your family moving and brings a smile to everyone’s face. 

DYI Challenges: KiwiCo.com offers weekly challenges to get families thinking and working together.  Develop a marble run, build a costume out of cardboard or create an invisible ink message are just a few ideas.  The site groups activities to ensure they are age appropriate.

Gardening:  With the rainy season nearing an end, think about starting a garden.  This website has everything you will need.

A few online Ideas:

Tour a famous museum from the comfort of your own home and without the hassle of long hours traveling.  This site from Travel & Leisure allows you to explore 12 famous museums from London to Seoul.  The Smithsonian also offers a wonderful tour of The Museum of Natural History.

GoNoodle: Is a website filled with songs and dances that your children love and know.

Animals:  Switch Zoo allows students to create a new animal and build a habitat from them.  It’s fun and educational.  Explore Live Cams of animals in their natural habitat.  The US National Aquarium offers a virtual tour that gets you up close to the sealife. 

However you choose to spend your October break, I hope you return feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and above all healthy.  To those celebrating the upcoming holiday, Happy Thadingyut!

Warmly, Ms. Patty

escounselor@isyedu.org  

Virtual Recess will be offered again after the break from 1:00-1:30 PM.  Students should use the All Grade Specialist Link to join on their assigned day.  All activities will be student driven but will include fun and games.