Links to Help Survive Parenting in the All-Virtual Work-From-Home World
Without warning, almost every parent is officially a work-from-home parent. Welcome to the club. By now you’ve likely been at this for roughly two weeks and even though it doesn’t feel like it, you’re doing a great job!
As our team of Agile consultants continues to coach and train adults, we have shared and heard plenty of stories about what all of our kids are up to during the day. We all agree when it comes to finding fun and enriching at-home activities for kids: more is more right now.
While we highly suggest setting up a Kanban chore board with your toddler or grooming that schoolwork backlog, our team has also found some non-Agile fun to explore.
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to the working-while-parenting game, here are some activities to help keep your kids engaged, learning and active under lockdown.
Things for Kids: (K-4th)
- The Lane Anti-Social Club Calendar of Virtual Activities (donation based) This donation based programing offered by The Lane Social Club in Washington, DC features a calendar full of activities including art, music, yoga, and storytime.
- Kennedy Center LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems (free) Have fun doodling with Mo Willems (author of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!) exploring ways of writing and making. New videos posted every weekday at 1 pm (est)
- Storyline Online Virtual Storytime (free) Betty White and numerous other celebrated actors read children’s stories with engaging animation on this award winning children’s literacy site brought to you by the SAG Foundation. Each book is labeled with the suggested grade level (K-4th), but my 2 y/o loves them. Feeling ambitious?… check out there printable teacher’s guide!
- Goodnight with Dolly (free) If you haven’t heard of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library it’s worth a visit to her site. For this purpose she just began sharing videos of her reading bedtime stories, which has become an instant favorite in our household. Also, don’t forget to sign your child up to receive a free book every month through her program.
Animal Cams: (free) You can never go wrong with a free animal cam!
- Georgia Aquarium: Indo-Pacific Barrier Reef or California Sea Lions
- Atlanta Zoo: Panda Cam
- Monterey Bay Aquarium: Shark Cam
Educational: (free)
- NASA Stem at Home for Students (K-4th & 5th-8th) NASA’s Stem at Home features a wide range of play and learn, videos, and hands-on activities to keep your space explorer engaged and learning.
- Learn all the ways Johnson Space Center is exploring space (all ages) Explore complex projects, like the Starliner/CST-100 and the SLS on this virtual field trip brought to you by Discovery and Boeing.
- Learn about Polar Bears and the Tundra with Discovery (all ages) Because who doesn’t want to learn about the life of a polar bear?
- Learn about History and Research on ED YouToo (all ages) These animated, educational videos will teach you about ancient civilizations, critical thinking, and even how to research sources!
- Learn all about Birds (all ages) Explore this comprehensive online guide about birds and birdwatching featuring live cams, bird identification, listen to bird sound recordings and more!
Exercise: (free)
- SWORKIT Free Workout Classes for Children This daily workout app designed for adults has created a library of free workouts for kids! Burn through the SWORKIT videos? Check out this fun family workout by PopSugar on YouTube: PopSugar Fitness Fun Family Cardio Workout
For Parents:
- CDC Children Out of School Preparedness Read about CDC recommendations for keeping kids healthy, safe and learning while school’s out.
BONUS:
- For a slowdown: check out Positive Psychology’s 25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children and Teens
- Medium brings you a list of 19 Great Science Podcasts You Can Listen To With Kids
With no distinguishable separation, work and home life have fused together forming one extra-long week that leaves some of us praying for bedtime.
So, when you’re in back-to-back meetings, drowning in emails and feel it’s getting just a little bit overwhelming– remember that it’s ok to take a break and enjoy your family for a little while. Everyone will be happier because of it.
Keep up the great work, and enjoy the ride!
-Jessey
P.S. Our virtual Agile & Scrum training is family-friendly– we understand what you are trying to balance! Inquire within…
