Self-Isolation and Pandemics

My day job is working in a High School. So I am in contact with a lot of people who don't have the best of hygiene. But so far we really haven't been impacted much. (I live in New Zealand) My heart goes out to those who have lost family members and are losing jobs and the like. I can't even imagine what that would be like. I work for the government so I don't have to worry about losing my job. But I'm also aware of many people stuck in homes and many having to look after your kids schooling.

Here are some resources for those parents - Me with my teacher hat on.

Audible has free stories for kids. Studies show that listening to something has the same level of comprehension as reading something off a screen. So this is a great way to learn something new. (all the recommendations are free. I'm a teacher so I'm a bit skint so love the free stuff)

I have a website where I have all my lessons - we are a big picture inspired school so we do a lot of things online. It is meant for New Zealand students so ignore the bits about NCEA standards and it is fit for any high school student.

TED- Ed is another place to look for lessons. They have even launched something just for kids trapped at home. They've broken it down into different education levels so it is easy to navigate. The videos are fun and generally not too long.

Crash Course is fast and fun to learn a lot of different subjects. Some of them are even Uni level courses but still accessible for any age group. I loved their history one and just been listening to their one on European history and Myths and Legends.

Try podcasts for kids. You can google those. There are plenty out there. I like But Why? and KidNuZ. And I recommend signing up to K12 reader. They have a lot of worksheets that could keep someone busy for months.

These three Youtube channels are ones I watch myself because I can't help but be curious about everything.

The added advantage of these kinds of resources is that you can set it for the kids and then be able to go about your work. It is the younger kids that will require more attention. I recommend Pinterest for finding ideas. Our school always ends out learning with the kids being able to create, make or do something with the learning.

I'm posting this mostly because I take for granted that I know this stuff and that it will be difficult for people who have expertise in other areas to figure out what to do with their kids. I know many schools are already planning things online and that many awesome platforms that work with schools are doing things free like Education Perfect and the like.

I hope everyone is doing alright. Please look after yourself in this time.