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If you’ve stumbled into an education conversation or joined a parent discussion group recently, you’ve surely heard of pods or micro-schools. As families grapple with a changing education environment, some hope to find the flexibility, safety, and community they desire in small, local learning arrangements called learning pods.

Micro-schools, pods, pandemic pods, and learning pods all refer to the same concept, one that is pretty easy to understand: students gathering together in a small group – with adult supervision – to learn, explore, and socialize. Usually, pods are formed when families in a neighborhood or vicinity bring children similar in age group together. Parents and students in a learning pod have significant flexibility. Based on the needs of the community it serves, a pod may gather for just 10-20 hours a week or only certain days. Families may work independently the remainder of the time.

Why pods? Interest in pods has spiked due to the pandemic. In pods, many families see an education environment where their children can learn and socialize with fewer health and safety concerns. In a recent poll of families nationwide, just 1/3 of parents said they were comfortable sending their child back to school under the present circumstances. This means there’s a lot of parents who are looking for alternative learning environments. For many, pods seem like a way to both prioritize safety and engage in much-needed in-person learning and community. In fact, the Chicago Tribune described pods as “Equal parts traditional homeschooling and Mary Poppins-style nurturing — with a COVID-19 sheltering-in-place twist.”

Learning pods may be a popular topic of conversation, but It’s important to understand what kind of pod you’re signing up for and whether it meets your child’s necessary school requirements. Pods can take a variety of legal forms. Some pods are private micro-schools, others are support groups for online schools, and some are simply homeschool co-ops.  

National School Choice Week’s guide to school choice in Connecticut includes all the details on how to start or join a learning pod. Beyond pods, it lays out information on all types of school choice in Connecticut: traditional public school, public charter school, public magnet school, private school, online school, and homeschooling. Whether it’s a learning pod or your neighborhood public school, finding the right fit for your family this year starts with knowing your options.  

National School Choice Week is an independent, non-political, non-partisan public awareness effort that works to inform parents about the options they have for their child’s education. 

We were lucky enough to have a 2020 Buick Enclave Avenir for a weekend so the kids and I decided to go on an adventure! We jumped in a 2020 Buick Enclave Avenir, which is such a beautiful and roomy car!

For the ride, my son used the wireless charging pad and hooked "his" music up to the bluetooth. We were off to seek out the gems in outside gems of Connecticut.

Silver Sands State Park in Milford was our destination. This is one of the great state parks in Connecticut. Silver Sands has 297 -acres of a massive recreation area that is home to many dunes, restored salt marsh, open areas, woodlands, a beach, and the bird sanctuary. We had a full day of swimming walking and walking the boardwalk.

At the end of the day we climbed back into the 2020 Buick Enclave Avenir for our hour ride home. This car comfortably fit all 5 of us plus our beach gear and extras we brought with us. Our ride home was comfortable and enjoyable for all.

If you are seaching for a new family car, this one is a beauty!

Some important features to note on the 2020 Buick Enclave Avenir:
- Premium Appointments: Everything from the wood tone accents to the leather appointed seats, there is luxury in every detail.
- Advanced Technology: (based on what you used!)
o Wireless Charging - modern amenities like a standard wireless smartphone charging pad
o Apple CarPlay/Android Auto – enables you to display certain apps and functionality from your phone on the vehicle‘s infotainment display
o 4G LTE WiFi Connectivity – comes with built-in Wi-Fi hotspot capable of pairing up to seven devices so everyone stays connected
- Safety: To help raise your awareness when driving, Enclave Avenir empowers you with an advanced suite of safety technologies, including standard features like Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert.

Getting kids ready to go back to school is always a bit stressful for parents. With the added tension and pressure of COVID-19, this year is bound to be one of the most challenging yet. There are so many decisions to make and so many changes to prepare for, so it’s understandable for parents to feel overwhelmed right now. If you’re a concerned parent, hopefully the back-to-school resources in this guide can relieve some pressure.

Social-Distancing & Shopping for School Supplies

Even before coronavirus, shopping for your kids’s school supplies could feel stressful. Social-distancing has made things more complicated but these tips can help:

●     Know that you can pick up everything your kids need online and have it delivered.

●     Most major retailers, including Target, are also offering free curbside pickup.

●     With an emphasis on handwashing, you can bet that hand soap is on the list.

●     But you may also need to pick up some essential supplies for at-home learning.

Keeping Coronavirus & Other Germs Out of Homes

If your kids will be attending school in-person, you may be worried about them tracking harmful germs back into your home. To ease your fears, be sure to take these safety precautions:

●     Plan a good deep cleaning so it will be easier to keep your home germ and COVID-free.

●     As an added bonus, a clean home can also help lower your stress levels.

●     You can pick up cleaners and disinfectants for your home online as well.

●     Just be sure to use these COVID cleaning tips to ensure maximum safety.

Preparing Children for a Safe & Productive New Year

Safety is going to be your top concern for this school year but getting your kids back into the groove of learning can also help reduce worries and tension. These tips can help:

●     Start early when it comes to adjusting your kids’ routine.

●     Plan educational activities to prevent learning loss and set your kids up for success.

●     You can also set your kids up for success by ensuring they get enough sleep at night.

●     Go over safety guidelines, like social-distancing, before the new year begins.

Deciding Whether Kids Should Continue Learning at Home

There are quite a few ways you can help your kids get ready to get back into the classroom, but you may feel safer keeping them at home for now. If so, use these tips to keep them learning:

●     Check with your school district to see whether online classes are an option.

●     If online classes are not available, you can always consider homeschooling your kids.

●     As you may already know, learning at home can require a very different schedule.

●     No matter how your kids learn online, security and safety should be a priority.

Even with the resources above, navigating this back-to-school season can be pretty tough. So have some patience with yourself and your children as you work through all of the changes. With any hope, we will see this pandemic draw to a close as the school year progresses and we will all be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Photo Credit: Rawpixel

As families continue to navigate the impacts of the COVID pandemic, there’s one thing most families have in common: they have been at home, sheltering in place, self-isolating or quarantining…children have had to adjust to learning virtually, leaving many parents with taking on the role of “teacher,” entertainer and more – all while continuing to run a household and complete their own work from home.

With no foreseeable end in sight, it’s important we all learn how to live (or re-live) with family members and find new ways to forge ahead, adapting to the “new normal.” While some children will return to school in the Fall, countless kiddos will continue remote, distanced learning or even a hybrid of both – making it essential to have a comfortable home office the whole family can use.

With this in mind, we’ve tested and reviewed three products sure to not only upgrade the family’s in-home workspace, but increase productivity. 

1.    X-Yoyo Active Stool – need more support in your less than traditional work-space? Meet the X-Yoyo...Renowned Norwegian industrial designer Svein Asbjørnsen developed the breakthrough Floating Pitch™ mechanism in order to enable users to effortlessly float their spine into its natural posture, thereby increasing blood flow and reducing muscle fatigue. The best part, it allows users to transition from sitting to standing, seamlessly and comfortably, throughout the day. The active stool also offers a height adjustment range making it perfect for parents and kids alike, as well as an auto-return Ergo-Saddle™, so you can easily use the X-Yoyo at any workstation, be it a traditional desk, height adjustable table of makeshift workstation. It’s also incredibly simple and intuitive due to the 360° swivel, tilting and auto-return. Active seating has been proven to increase concentration and productivity, encouraging free movement. We found it both stimulating and relaxing, and we hope you’ll give it a try.

2.    X-FlexTop Adjustable Standing Desk – one to two hours per day is the optimal amount of time to work while standing, and the X-FlexTop Adjustable Standing Desk rises to the occasion and helps the entire family achieve this goal. You can also use the X-FlexTop to change your desk height, making sure your monitor or laptop are at a comfortable height when sitting in your X-Chair or X-Yoyo active stool, which is key for sharing your WFH space with your kids, big or small. We must mention, it’s easy to adjust, very sturdy, portable and discrete, has a sleek, stylish yet minimal design and comes in both black and white. Constant movement is one of the key factors to staying comfortable, productive and happy, and it also promotes a healthy, active lifestyle, thus making this product a must-have for the family’s home office.

3.    X-TS Monitor Arm – if you’re looking to instantly increase the usable surface space on your desk, this is the product for you! Immediately upon using the X-TS Monitor Arm, we noticed an instant improvement in our posture as well – having the monitor elevated and being able to adjust the screen to eye-level provides an ergonomic workspace, and is especially important for protecting children from future back or vision problems. The X-TS Monitor Arm was designed to make life easy and productive, and it delivers. Creating an organized and healthy work environment for your family doesn’t have to require an ergonomist and a handyman…In 10 minutes or less, YOU will be able to set up your new X-TS arm and be back to work with more space on your desk and a level of comfort previously unimaginable.

Over the past few months, we’ve all observed how chaotic and distracting the reality of working from home has become. This is the time to shift gears, change direction, and invest in creating a quality home office the whole family can use, and ergonomically designed products, such as the items outlined here, can pay health dividends for many years to come!

For more information or to purchase these products, please visit www.xchair.com.

5 tips to help prevent COVID-19 learning loss.

1. CREATE HAND-BUILT PROJECTS. With all the screen time kids are getting from online learning (not to mention their non-educational screen time), sometimes the best thing you can do to get kids flexing their brain muscles is to have them physically design and create something with their own two hands like a 3D puzzle, creative board game, pop-up storybook, or time capsule, to name a few examples. 

2. TAKE UP AN EDUCATIONAL HOBBY. Now is the perfect opportunity for students to take up a new hobby. Learning a musical instrument, taking a coding class, or joining an online trivia league can help students of any age stay sharp through the pandemic days.  

3. MOVE THE LEARNING OUTDOORS. It may seem basic, but a little sunshine and fresh air are excellent for everyone’s mental health and can help bored students reinvigorate their learning by helping them escape the monotony of their home learning space. Physical activity can also help memory recall and increases mental dexterity. Try passing around a soccer ball in the backyard while learning the state capitals, or playing hopscotch while reciting new vocab terms.  

4. ENROLL THEM IN AN ONLINE EDUCATIONAL COURSE. Think of it as a virtual summer camp. But before you blindly sign up for some online program, look for some specialized programs designed to keep children learning with engaging activities and personalized instruction, and take advantage of these slower months boost problem areas.

5. ENCOURAGE THEM TO KEEP THEIR CURIOSITY PIQUED. Even inquisitive children can use some coaxing to keep learning over the summer. There are many services, like Brainly, where children can ask questions, learn new things, and keep stimulated to prevent the COVID slump. 

Regardless of what you choose, staying mentally active during school closures (and throughout summer) can give your child a leg up come September.

Eric Oldfield, Chief Business Officer of https://brainly.com/, the world's online learning community, and father of two school-age daughters, is well aware of the risks of two months out of the classroom can have on students, and he has tips aimed at combating it. 

I feel as though right now is such a transitional time for so many moms. I am at home with my kids’ homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, and trying to be a sexy wife. All while trying not to go crazy. I don’t know about you, but I have gained so much more respect for teachers and mothers. On Mother’s Day, even though I cannot go anywhere, I am going to put makeup on, get dressed up, and take some pictures with my family to celebrate. 

The meaning behind Mother's Day is so amazing, and I think Mother’s should be celebrated daily. I hate when moms say,, “Well, I am just a mom,” as if it’s not a worthwhile adventure! Being a mom has been the hardest, most rewarding adventure of my life. I believe that my greatest lessons and deepest insecurities have been shown in motherhood. I think that being a mom has shown me the purest form of love, not because I love my kids unconditionally (I do), but because they love me unconditionally. My kids have shown me to love without expectation, especially when they are so little. You can hurt their feelings and they will forgive you quickly. They look up to me. They cheer for me. They love me in all my mess and in all the chaos, sometimes I think they love me more than I love me. 

I have found a lot of mixed emotions around Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day can be happy for some because they get to spend it with their children and family. On the other hand, it can be extremely hard for mothers who have lost a child or had a miscarriage. My heart also goes out to the moms who don’t get to be with their children — those with strained relationships with their mother or mother-in-law, with moms in prison, in the hospital, in the military, or who have passed on. Mother’s Day may be a special day for me, but it is also an extremely difficult one for so many others.

I think even men, specifically husbands and significant others have it difficult! I know, don’t roll your eyes just yet.  They are expected to buy their wife something from the kids and then make sure they get something for their own mother, all while trying to balance who they spend the day with. Do I try to get dinner with my mom before Mother’s Day? Do I send her flowers? While most of the time our partners forget to take the garbage out or pick up something from the store.

Seriously, maybe it is just me, but I want to feel special on Mother’s day and be thought of! But when kids are young they can’t go buy you a gift, and if your husband doesn’t take the time, he (insert eye roll) forgets. Or, if you are divorced or separated, then what? Even if they remember, what should they get? Fresh flowers? A necklace? I’ll be honest, I can be challenging to buy for.  Half the time my husband picks something out for me and it’s not exactly what I wanted anyway. Then he feels bad and unappreciated as if it was a waste of his time to try. 

Then there are women like me. I know that my husband is most likely going to forget, so I buy his mom something, my mom something, and myself something. I think that there are so many things to think about that we miss. I am a mom, I have a mom, and my husband has a mom. I also have a blended family and want to make sure that my kids recognize all their grandmas. You put all that together and it can be difficult to manage. I am by nature a people pleaser, so it's hard for me to demand that I get all the attention. I want to celebrate the moms in my life. I have spent years on mother's day exhausted going from one place to the next with the hopes of getting home in time to maybe celebrate me. It's a challenge for me to balance it all in one day — even on a day, that’s supposed to be about celebrating me. 

Self-care is different for every woman I know. Some women lock themselves in a closet just to get away because they need some quiet time. I know some moms who like to relax and take a bath with a glass of wine, while others just want to take a nap. I do not believe there is a one size fits all. Self-care for me is coloring my grays, putting on a face mask, and taking a bath. Some would say that “self-care” is selfish, but I believe that I cannot fully show up without taking care of myself, physically, emotionally, and spiritually first. I can’t pour from an empty cup. Be sure to take time for yourself and your heart. What makes you feel celebrated? How do you feel loved the most? Do those things. Here are a few ideas of my own to get you started.

Self-care Tips For Mother’s Day

·         Take a bath

·         Paint your nails

·         Walk around the block alone

·         Put some headphones on and listen to your favorite song

·         Ask your kids to tell you things that they love about you

·         Plant a garden

·         Buy yourself flowers

·         Buy some new shoes

·         Do a 10-minute work out video

·         Make a new habit body ritual — dry brushing, happiness oil, and lotion.

I am a mom every day. Some days are the best days of my life; other days are miserable, challenging, and absolutely exhausting. Sometimes I feel like I am messing everything up — including my kids. (It scares me when I think of all the therapy they are going to need.) But at the end of the day, I believe with all my heart that every mom is the perfect mom for her kids, though it is not an adventure to be taken lightly. You were chosen to be a mom. Celebrate that every day, especially on Mother’s Day.

About Leslie Lee: 

As a mother, entrepreneur, beauty guru, and registered nurse, Leslie Lee is able to offer a distinctly personal approach to both her business and mentorship programs--one that is centered on providing care and helping individuals nurture the things that make them unique. Her life experiences have molded her into the kind of professional that she is today. Leslie is on a mission to transform the aesthetic industry by shattering traditional beauty standards and helping her patients find their own brand of beauty regardless of age, gender, or skin tone. 

Leslie is also the owner of Liv and WYLD, a monthly subscription box that provides consumers with premium, medical-grade skincare products that they can try out to see how they answer their needs and fit their lifestyle. She carefully hand-picks all the items that go into each box based on the information she receives from the person who subscribed to the program, ensuring professional personalization. And what’s great about it is that for every purchase, Liv and WYLD donates a box full of basic necessities and personal care products (aptly called HopeBox) to “And Now She Rises”, a non-profit group that helps victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

Turn Chores into Lesson Plans.

While becoming your child’s teacher can be very stressful, this may be a wonderful opportunity to turn chores into lesson plans. We should insist children help around the house, using everyday things that need to get done as opportunities for them to learn math, science, language arts, and social studies.

• Emptying a dishwasher and stacking plates of different sizes is an excellent opportunity to teach younger children about ratios.
• Sorting laundry is great for learning the concept of ‘sets’, not to mention expanding vocabulary regarding colors.
• Preparing a shopping list and calculating the number of people in the household, what they eat, the number of days they need food and all the other aspects of food preparation is an opportunity to apply math concepts in the kitchen. Baking and measuring ingredients is also a wonderful way to learn everything from math to chemistry, as well as improve children’s literacy and vocabulary when following a recipe.
• For older children, learning politics and geography is as easy as watching the news and looking up online facts about other countries.
• Bio-chemistry -- research the coronavirus pathogen.
• A class in ecology can be built around understanding how a pangolin got sold in a food market in China, and what happens when wild animals are used commercially (a pangolin may have been the original host for the virus, having been infected by bats).
• Social studies are as easy as calculating a child’s social network and mapping how it has changed.
• Civics can be taught by asking children to do a good deed for others like checking up on a senior or doing some yard work (when it can be done safely).
• Physical fitness and every aspect of health studies should be a breeze when everyone is discussing handwashing, mental health and the right amount of sleep to grow healthy brains. An exercise routine and downtime from being online is all part of a good schedule at home.
• To perfect language skills, reading together with little ones, or keeping a daily journal or online blog if a child is older, are great ways to get children reading and writing. So  are letters and emails to extended family members when visits aren’t possible.
   

Rather than struggling to teach children curriculum that has little to do with what they are living now, use the experience of being at home during a pandemic as the basis for a child’s learning. Be creative. There is no subject that can’t be taught in your home. Post your ideas for others to see. Better yet, have your child post their own lesson plans and in the process improve their literacy skills.

Use the curriculum provided by teachers, but let it inspire new approaches to teaching the same content. While I certainly couldn’t take on calculus, there are plenty of ways to learn statistics online and to apply these ideas to probabilities of infection.

Older children will need more structure and should be expected to advance through their standard curriculum, but even then, it will be more meaningful and easier to motivate them to do their studies if they can see the application of those ideas to their world now and, even better, let them teach their parents things we adults don’t understand.

Michael Ungar, Ph.D., is a Family Therapist and Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience; and author of Change Your World: The Science of Resilience and the True Path to Success. More about Dr. Ungar: www.michaelungar.com

Even if you're stuck inside, you can still give back to our troops and veterans through Soldiers' Angels. With many virtual volunteer opportunities, including special support for the Coronavirus crisis, our virtual volunteer opportunities will keep you, your kids, or even your employees engaged!  See the full list at soldiersangels.org/COVIDVirtualSupport.

Virtual Volunteer opportunities for all ages include: 

Make Masks: Have a sewing machine and basic sewing skills? Urgent help is needed to help supply VA Hospitals with masks. As medical supplies continue to run on low supply, healthcare workers are now requesting homemade masks to help protect against COVID-19. 

Here's a video providing instructions for the preferred type of mask that includes a pocket for the insertion of a filter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87EEfUGQA6k&feature=emb_title. 

Cards of Support: Stuck at home in self-quarantine or shelter-in-place orders? Don't let boredom set in-- pick up a pen and greeting card and write a note of support for deployed service members and veterans! After you write your cards, simply include $1 per car card and mail the cards to Soldiers’ Angels headquarters in San Antonio. The cards will be included in care packages that are shipped to deployed service members around the world and will also be sent in bulk to VA's and veteran-focused assisted living facilities. The $1 will go towards one of the many Soldiers' Angels programs providing COVID-19 relief and support. 

Mail your cards and $1 per card to: Soldiers' Angels 2895 NE Loop 410, Suite 107 San Antonio, Texas 78218

Make No-Sew Blankets: Nothing says I appreciate you like a warm, cozy blanket. Our Sewing & Crafting Team makes No-Sew Blankets all the time for deployed service members, veteran patients, and military families who are expecting. We constantly get thank you notes from recipients who tell us how much they treasure the handmade gift they were given. 

No-Sew Blankets are easy to make and are a fun activity. Check out instructions here. Check out our No-Sew Blanket Supplies Idea List on Amazon!

Make Para-Cord Bracelets: A para-cord bracelet may seem like a small item to include in a care package, but service members love them! Not only are they useful survival items, but creating a para-cord bracelet requires a personal touch and an item that a service member could carry with them at all times. Personal items like this have a tremendous impact on morale and often become cherished by the recipient. 

Please Note: Since these bracelets are going to deployed service members, the bracelets must be made from MIL-SPEC cording in the colors black, olive green, tan, or camo only. All the supplies you need in the correct color and specifications can be found on Amazon! 

Virtual volunteers can mail your completed Para-cord bracelets, cards of support (including $1), masks, and blankets to: Soldiers' Angels 2895 NE Loop 410, Suite 107 San Antonio, Texas 78218

Our friends at Chevrolet wanted to share six free, printable coloring book pages of the 2020 Corvette available on Chevrolet’s Pinterest and Instagram channels. Parents can download and print the pages, for a creative coloring activity for any children that love cars.

There are other coloring book page options out there as well.

By Stephanie C. Nash, LICSW
President & CEO, Episcopal Center for Children

This is an unprecedented time in our world and, understandably, there are many questions and concerns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The shut down of schools, business establishments, and restaurants combined with social distancing, and self quarantine have resulted in major changes to how we navigate our daily lives.

Families with children of all ages are impacted by these changes. Parents are creatively looking to adapt to new routines to support their children while seeking to establish responsibility, peace, and joy in the household. The balancing act can bring both rewards and challenges.

Staying at home and following the directives from government officials is important. We all need to find safe and meaningful ways to support our children, one another, and seek self care. Here are some tips to help.

Tips for family and self care while home:

• Do frequent hand washing with soap and water. When not available use hand sanitizer.
• Wash or clean incoming groceries before bringing them into your home.
• Wipe down common household surfaces that are used frequently, such as the kitchen counters, dining table, door knobs, refrigerator handles, bathroom counters, faucet handles, and other surfaces.
• Create a calm tone in your home. Adults should strive to be self aware. Anxiety may be high for adults in the home, but it is important to provide reassurance and calm to your children - they are watching and listening to how you respond to this crisis.
• Check in with your loved ones and talk with your children about their thoughts and feelings. For younger children, follow their lead. Be honest and use appropriate talk. Limit child viewing of daily news broadcasts. For older children, be honest and have age appropriate discussions. Validate their concerns while providing reassurance and understanding for their feelings.
• Maintain routines as much as possible. Young children especially will need structure that replicates a school week. Make time for snacks and movement breaks.
• Give daily, positive affirmations and encourage family members. This might be as simple as saying, “Wow, you are doing great at sharing the game with your sister” or “Thanks for being helpful by clearing off the table” or “You were so responsible with your online assignment.”
• Offer healthy and nutritious snacks and meals.
• Use the time at home to engage in activities with your family - such as board games, baking, puzzles, home projects, book discussions, arts and crafts,  jam sessions, home recitals, dance and exercise workouts, yoga, barbecue, cookout, front porch picnics, and more.
• Set boundaries. Give yourself permission for some quiet time/space during the course of the day. For many parents or guardians, that might mean getting up before everyone else, or having a quiet time to pray, meditate, or do breathing exercises.
• Encourage family chores that are age-appropriate for everyone in the family. Offer praise for completed chores and talk about how everyone is working together.
• Set intentions and realistic expectations for yourself. One way to do that is to write down what you intend to accomplish for the day.
• Exercise self- compassion. Be kind to yourself during this time of challenges.

The gratitude for the commitment and compassion of first responders and health care providers is beyond measure. Thoughtful expressions of kindness from friends and neighbors within our communities continues to reflect humanity at its best.

About the Episcopal Center for Children
The Episcopal Center for Children (Center) is a nondenominational, nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to serving the needs of children and their families for the past 125 years. In June 2019, the Center suspended operation for its K-8 therapeutic school for children with emotional challenges from the greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. The Board of Directors continues to be committed to its longstanding mission of serving children in determining plans for the Center’s future. More information is available at eccofdc.org and on Twitter and Facebook @ECCofDC.