Tips for Parents

Shelter-in-Place Superheroes: The Complete Series

Posted on by banyangloballearning

One benefit of quarantine is witnessing the amazing bouts of creativity from our communities as they figure out new ways to connect and collaborate.

It is in this light that a talented group of educators and performers got together to create a variety show to fill the void of socialization left by school closures. It’s got a social and emotional learning backbone and, frankly, it’s pretty great!

Below is the full series. We hope you enjoy!

If you like what you see, here are:

 

Episode 1: Knowing Your Feelings

Superheroes always do the right thing. But how do we do the right thing? Well, first we need to know how we feel. If we’re in the green zone – happy and calm – how do we get back there? Let’s talk to some other Shelter-in-Place Superheroes and have them share their superpowers for getting back to the green zone!

 

Episode 2: Know the Feelings of Others

After superheroes know how they themselves feel they begin to exercise the superglue of superpowers: empathy! Superheroes notice things so that they can see through the eyes of others, hear through the ears of others and feel with the heart of others.

 

Episode 3: Making Good Choices

Superheroes know their own feelings and can use their superpowers to return to the “green zone.” It’s from the green zone that we make the best decisions! And they are even better decisions if we include our superglue superpower of empathy. That way we can make the very best choices: those that are good for us but also good for others.

 

Episode 4: Optimism

Superheroes always believe good things are around the corner. They are optimists! Sometimes when we face great challenges it’s hard to be an optimist. But we can apply the TIE strategy to all our challenges:

T – temporary

I – isolated

E – effort

The challenge will not last forever, it is temporary. The challenge is not the only thing! The challenge is isolated and there are many other things to experience and be grateful for. And, with effort we can overcome any challenge. When we apply this strategy to our challenges we can stay optimistic. And, if we stay optimistic then good things WILL happen!

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Shelter-in-Place Superheroes Livestream: Episode 3 – Make the Best Choices

Posted on by banyangloballearning

Thanks to everyone who participated in BGL’s Shelter-in-Place Superheroes Livestream on April 16!

Superheroes always do the right thing. But how do we do the right thing? In episode 1 we talked about how superheroes know their own emotions and how to get back to the calm and mindful “green zone,” which is the best place from which to make decisions. In episode 2 we talked about how superheroes notice other people to see through their eyes, hear with their ears and feel with their hearts. In this episode we talk about how if you can do both of these things then you can make the best choices: the ones that are not only good for you but also for others!

At the end of the livestream many families joined the video call to share their own super powers and the great choices they made this week. It was awesome! To respect their privacy we left that part out of the video, but the rest of it is here! Enjoy, superheroes!

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Shelter-in-Place Superheroes Livestream: Episode 2 – Empathy is for Winners!

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Thanks to everyone who participated in BGL’s Shelter-in-Place Superheroes Livestream on April 9! At the end of the livestream many families joined the video call to share their own super powers and their “superglue superpower” – empathy. It was awesome! To respect their privacy we left that part out of the video, but the rest of it is here! Enjoy, superheroes!

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This is Your Single Best Online Resource for Home Schooling

Posted on by banyangloballearning

 Wide Open School – https://wideopenschool.org/

For parents who are drowning in free resources during school closures it can be hard to know where to look. We’ll be honest – we think you should look at our site, too – we have great tips for parents and teachers during these crazy times.

But my goodness Wide Open School is doing it right. We love this resource because of the combination of depth and user-friendliness. You answer two simple questions upon entering: are you a parent or teacher and what is your grade level. From there it takes you to an amazingly well-curated treasure trove of “parent can actually accomplish something while child does something productive with screen time”-style options.

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The best feature is the “daily schedule” that plans your day for you with new stuff every day. 

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We highly recommend this as one-stop clicking for parents in need!

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Shelter-in-Place Superheroes Livestream: Episode 1 – Feeling Fun!

Posted on by banyangloballearning

Thanks to everyone who made it to BGL’s first Shelter-in-Place Superheroes Livestream! At the end of the livestream many families joined the video call to share their own super powers. It was awesome! To respect their privacy we left that part out of the video, but the rest of it is here! Enjoy, superheroes!

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Wiggle Wiggle: A Much-Needed 2-Minute Brain Break

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This is just really cute, y’all! Thanks to all the kiddos for their awesome wiggling.

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Shelter-in-Place Superheroes: BGL’s New FREE INTERACTIVE LIVESTREAM Weekly Event!

Posted on by banyangloballearning

superheroes flier.png

 Shelter-in-Place Superheroes

Thursdays in April at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific! 

Shelter-in-Place Superheroes: it’s a short variety show that YOU can be a part of (if you choose)!

Right now, we’re all superheroes! We’re protecting the community by staying at home and keeping the coronavirus from spreading around! Thank you, superhero!

Would you like to meet some other superheroes who are doing the same thing? Then join us for Shelter-in-Place Superheroes where we’ll meet some new friends and talk about how we’re all Feeling Fun!

Vida tells jokes!
Jackie dances!
Lucas plays music!
Courtney trains her dog!
Jimmy and Bella do flips!
Travis, Teddy and Ava do science, and notice things!
Lance and Kris play puppets!
Arielle gardens!
Tutu is mindful!

At the end, you can choose to share your quarantine superpower – art, singing, dancing, and more – with Teacher Seth and other Shelter-in-Place Superheroes!

Then, we’ll see you there on Thursdays in April at 10am Pacific!

*Recommended age groups: 3 to 10 years old. Requires Zoom (free download) and parent supervision.

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Also check out CILC’s Community of Learning – live virtual field trips throughout the learning day via sign ups.

This 4-Year Old Loves the ZooAmerica Livestream

Posted on by banyangloballearning

The following is from BGL’s founder, Seth.

Many thanks to awesome educator Kirstin Edwards for this extremely thorough list of virtual field trips and livestreams that are available during school closures.

It was there that I discovered my four year old’s new favorite livestream: ZooAmerica.

Here I ask him what he’s watching and he says, “The zoo, and it’s happening right now!” Even at 4 years old the concept of the stream being live added an extra level of excitement.

The zoo caretakers are extremely knowledgeable and answer live questions (submitted via the FaceBook page) using language that is accessible for young learners. Plus, the 15-minute running time provides a much-needed break for this tired parent in Week 2 of school closures.

Afterwards we looked up some more otter videos on YouTube and “played otter” for a while in the living room. I will follow up tomorrow with more otter related activities (drawing! Playing with the letters o, t, e and r! More playing otter!) to reinforce the learning.

So, check it out! ZooAmerica livestreams every day from their FaceBook page at 11am Eastern.

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Video Conference Storytime: Another Way to Connect

Posted on by banyangloballearning

“There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place.” – J.K. Rowling

What was your favorite book as a child?

Mine was Are You My Mother?. Not only did I love it as a child, I read it over and over again to my toddler brothers when I was a teenager. Now, I love reading this story to my students as Teacher Jackie. Here I share Are You My Mother? with students at Xing Kong, a progressive kindergarten in Kunshan, China:

 

I marvel at how something so simple – a story – can engage students so thoroughly across the world and through a computer screen. The sense of excitement, the cadence of the voice, the movement, the suspense – when I read to children, especially online, I share that same wonder and passion for storytelling that I admired as a child. Even across the language barrier, the students hang on my words – for the love of story. 

Stories are incredibly powerful. Stories connect us. Stories comfort us. Stories transport us. Stories are the legacy we leave of our time. Whether you weave your own tale or read a classic, sharing stories with children is a net positive for our collective whole.

Do you have a story you want to share? Write it in the comments? Or share a link to your own YouTube video. 

For more stories and read alouds, check out our YouTube Playlist: Storytime: Read with a Teacher.

And, for a little more support reading aloud over video conferencing check out the Caribu app which does much of the work for you. Especially good for young learners!

Want more tips for teachers and parents who suddenly find themselves doubling as teachers? Give us your email and we’ll email you our best blog posts.