THE REMOTE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

For this topic, I turned to one of my dearest friends - and international expert on the subject - Pam Allyn, Senior VP of Innovation and Development at Scholastic, and Founder of LitWorld and LitLife.

In her words:

During these challenging times, here are three ways to nurture the inner lives of our children.

1. Be reassured that children are deeply optimistic and resilient. While mask-wearing and social distancing are hard, children are so adaptive and flexible that adding these elements to your routines (when done in a positive way and especially with framing around the power of helping others with these actions) will help a child adjust more quickly.
    

2. Value a child's time to play. Imaginative play is such a deeply, profoundly important part of a child's development. This can be a time to create a rich environment that supports when outdoor activities are less of an option. Even in small spaces, children can find many ways to reinvent the room and use ordinary objects as magical instruments of the imagination.
    

3. Use the power of story to help your child feel strong and connected. Center their thoughts of those they cannot see every day (grandparents, or dear friends, for example) by creating stories about them, or telling them stories through text message or by drawing pictures of memories. Honor their feelings of sadness in separation by using their power of storytelling to bring their loved ones closer in spirit.

Additional Resources:

• Your Child's Writing Life

• Every Child a Super Reader

• Children's Read Aloud Videos Featuring Pam Allyn and Scholastic children's book authors

For the life-long learners, here's another perspective from my friend, Seth Godin:

• From education to learning