Top 5: Resources for Parents Working at Home

So you’re a parent stuck at home with your kids, huh?

You thought you’d love working from home, right? PJs. Unlimited snacks. A midday run to pump you up and no one to interrupt you by “popping by” your workspace. It’s all good. Until you realize you will be working from home with your children as they, too, are under a social-distancing plan. If you’re anything like me, you might have started to get a bit sweaty thinking about all the meals you now have to make (Three? Plus snacks? Why do my children eat so much!) and the fact that it’s not even 9:30 am and you’ve exhausted your stash of, “Shh please, Mommy’s working”. So — what to do?

Here are five resources to keep your kids active and learning while you take care of some business.

1. Videos & TV - We always love a good nature documentary, but this great collection of Nova will get you through at least half of that 2-week period. Set it and forget it. Until lunch, the kids should really eat some lunch!
2. For the Preschool Set - ABC Mouse has really basic visuals and yet, my digital-age children love it. They are also offering free access to school districts closed because of the novel coronavirus (district must apply but send them this link).
3. For the High School Set - Our friends at Ocean Learning Lab Immersive Experience (OLLIE) have pooled together the most engaging set of online resources for learning about and studying marine science. Most resources are interactive, and some even allow for users to create scenarios for climate action and see how they’d play out on the global stage. 
4. Art & Music - Music has been dwindling in our public schools, so take this time to bring it back into your kids’ lives with this Herbie Hancock-approved Math & Science & Music games, challenges, and apps. (More Math & Art here for a dreamy symmetrical “coloring book” from MIT Press).
5. Building & Engineering - Of course, hours of free play with Lego is pretty much the epitome of self-guided learning. Add in some challenges and activities to push creativity and problem solving. Check out the Six Bricks Booklet.
6. Bonus - You are all going to need to get some of your energy out, so take a break and press play on this Dinhe (African Dance) tutorial.