Resources For Managing During This Trying Time
Hello everyone! It’s Melissa Lyon here again. This month I had planned to write a blog about resources for accessibility, but due to the extraordinary situation that has been forced upon us, I thought I would switch gears and write a blog about resources related to the coronavirus and being quarantined at home.
I also wanted to mention that in my last blog, we were asking the Kleos community to take part in the Art for Little Hearts program, making art for children who are in the hospital. Unfortunately, due to the virus, that program has been closed for now, so if you have already created something for the program, please hold on to it for later.
Coronavirus Resources
There are many great resources coming out to help parents explain the situation to their children. Parents, we recommend you watch these first to ensure they are going to meet your families needs before watching them with your kiddos.
Here are just a few that I think are good:
First up!
This is a very short video that has five excellent tips for helping your child cope with the barrage of information relating to the coronavirus and other disturbing events.
This is a great video that explains the coronavirus in easy terms that kids can understand.
Sifting Through The Coronavirus Pandemic
This blog is a great resource teaching students the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims and quotes) as it relates to the coronavirus.
Social Distancing Graphic:
This graphic is great to teach kids about what social distancing is and the things that are safe to do.
Racism and the Coronavirus Lesson Plan
This website provides an outline for discussing racism in the context of the Coronavirus. It would be a good lesson for older students. It also has several excellent resources that may be useful for discussing the virus.
Educational Resources
Since we are all stuck at home, I thought I would share a few of my favorite resources that may be useful additions to your home learning program.
On this Youtube channel, every weekday morning there will be a new kids workout for them to follow at home. There are also other videos for other family members.
Apps! We love a good app. Here are few that you might find helpful during isolation.
This Chrome extension gives people regular notice to get up from their computers and move. This would be a great tool for students while working on Kleos courses.
You may already be using this tool as part of the Kleos courses, you can access Google tools. If not check out Google Read & Write- it’s a wonderful accessibility tool that I want to make sure you know about. It has a text reader, highlighting tools, dictionary, dictation tool, and more.
Some mindfulness apps for you and your kids during these stressful times. Here are a couple we like!
Stop Breathe and Think & Stop Breathe and Think Kids
These apps are available for iphones, ipads, and Google Play users. They provide instruction on mindfulness and meditation. The adult app includes daily emotional check-ins, guided journaling, and integration with the Health App.
‘The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore’ Book and App
This is a beautiful book and interactive app. You must have the physical book to use the app. It tells the story of a man who devotes his life to books and it provides a stunning visual display of how books can come to life and enrich your world.
‘Weirdwood Manor’ Book Series App
This is one of my favorite book apps for ipads or iphones. There is a whole series of six books and the first two are free. It is wonderfully interactive and is great for lovers of mystery and magic.
I hope that you find these suggestions useful and enjoyable. I will close with this cute reminder:
Stay safe and healthy everyone! ~ Melissa