Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so much has changed for our children. They have faced school closures, altered family dynamics, the loss of extracurricular activities and nationwide protests. The reality of this new unprecedented world is impacting how children are playing. This photograph was shared with me by a friend who was observing her daughter quietly playing in their backyard a couple of months into our region’s shelter-in-place orders (May 29, 2020). She went over to check on her daughter and noticed that she had placed a mask on her Barbie. The mom sent me the photo along with a text that read "Cute and clever but heartbreaking at the same time." This simple photograph shows how much our children are absorbing and adapting as they navigate life during a pandemic. Shelter-in-place orders in the San Francisco Bay Area have been more strict than in other areas in the state and throughout the country. Will children in this region be impacted in ways that other children will not?

I included this video because in my own time practicing social distancing and social isolation, I noticed that my days and nights became dominated by two distinctive scenes, which is a rather harsh contrast to the variety of settings available to me normally. The first being the windows to freedom I had driving in the car to and from the grocery store, or occasionally to go through the drive through. The second is my home, or more specifically the bedroom from within which I have to sleep, study, eat and entertain myself. Whilst I had access to several peripheral liminal zones between these two, such as the balcony outside my bedroom and my local walking track when walking my dog. The neon lights and empty spaces of the outside world through the car window, or through the layer of social distancing in the grocery store exemplify so much of the feeling I have experienced in isolation. I can’t quite pin down this feeling with a pithy phrase yet, but I found that the physical confinement to settings which became routine was so much more traumatising than the lack of social connection which was for me almost an over surplus rather than a lack as I am constantly surrounded by family with both my mother, brother and occasionally cousin being confined to a small cottage house. I feel like the whole world became this strange liminal space in which daily communal expectations were suspended without being overturned with new expectations, I never really got the sense of ‘the new normal’ that others have mentioned.

Youth and children played an integral role in the protests that occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. They showed courage and strength as they peacefully protested and advocated for change. Our children deserve to grow up in communities where they feel safe and accepted for the beautiful individuals that they are.

In a post unrelated to COVID-19 that celebrates a new Pixar short featuring gay characters, a commenter blames homosexuality for “weakened immunity” that they claim has led to COVID-19. This was shared to http://reddit.com/r/insanepeoplefacebook.

The video tells the story of how a Wuhan child thinks about what's going on with the Coronavirus pandemic. His father is a policeman and his mother is a doctor. His grandparents told him there is a monster called Coronavirus and his parents are fighting it. There is so much news about COVID-19, but this video is important because it shows a child's perspective of what his parents are doing and how they are saving other people.

The Twitter page, run by the independent news and media outlet Warriors Talk, posted a video of a young girl chanting "no justice, no peace" during the recent protests in the San Francisco Bay Area. Protests spread throughout the country, including the Bay Area, following George Floyd's death on May 25, 2020. The large presence of children in the protests has been especially noticeable.

Children of huai 'an Experimental Primary School welcome a "anti-epidemic couple" in Huai 'an, Jiangsu province on May 21.Ma Liting, a nurse, went to Hubei to support her husband, who also participated in the front line of the fight against the epidemic.Two people also have another identity, is a student Gu Yuze's parents.In class, Ma told the story of the fight against the epidemic, and her husband showed off his protective clothing.Their son listens attentively in the audience, in the heart can not restrain happy, proud.

Photographer, Richard Grant, captured a photo of a child sitting atop their father's shoulders during the Long Beach, California protests that followed George Floyd's death. It appears as if the cops in the photograph are pointing a rubber bullet gun directly at the father and child. The photographer recently posted the unedited photograph to Instagram and a caption stating that the photograph is not fake and that he does not believer the officer was intentionally or directly pointing the gun at the father and child. This statement by Richard Grant combats one of the reasons that perhaps the photograph went viral in the first place. Namely, that the officer was deliberately pointing the gun directly at the child. "First thing the photo is not fake. It is not Photoshopped. What I saw through the viewfinder is what is here. There was color correction and cropping so it could look better on Instagram when I posted it. I have stated before that I do not believe in the 1/500th of a second that the picture was made in that the officer was aiming at the man with the child. This is an uncropped photo with no color correction. I used a 24 -70mm lens at 70mm and f 3.5." Deliberate or not, the photograph reminds us to stop and think about the impact the events of 2020 are having on our children today and in the future.

I collect images, memes, articles and screenshot to show how people live under the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Poeple are forced to wear mask when outside, including children. The pandemics cause many troubles for people, but the most impressive thing is that doctors work on the front line when the first case was reported. Thousands of volunteers went to Wuhan and help people prevent the pandemic.

Many parents are now at home trying to home-school their child. This meme pokes fun of feeling like parents have become their child's assistant.

This photograph of quarantine barbie perfectly describes the struggle when all routine is taken away. I personally have looked just like quarantine barbie every single day this week.

Since January, I planned to send my 6yo to a summer theater camp. When I moved to Tempe, several people told me that Childsplay was great, and I couldn’t wait to send her. The camp was supposed to start in June, and then thanks to COVID-19 got pushed back to July. I re-arranged some summer plans to make sure she could go, only to have the in-person camp cancelled. Instead, they offered an online version called the “Triwizard Tournament.” I can say that she tried, but after months of being at home she felt weird getting online and seeing a Zoom screen full of three new teachers and new kids. When asked to say her “wizard name,” she clammed up, said her stomach hurt and said she didn’t want to continue. I was frustrated, but I said OK, logged her off, and took a breather. I think, what frustrated me the most is I want her to have a fun activity, one that doesn’t require my input. Honestly, it would be a relief if she were having fun pretending to be a wizard on Zoom instead of bored and complaining that she wants more TV time. After thinking it through, and realizing I was more upset over what I wanted, I got it together and we moved on. I hope she can do a traditional class in the future.

This meme illustrates how we perceive memes right now - as instruments of humor that unify us in a time of crisis. We use these memes to laugh at our own dire situation in a healthy manner. It allows us to escape the constant turmoil for a little while and acknowledge that we are all going through this together, and hope that we come out of this situation stronger and more united.

"The Group of Friends of Indigenous Peoples are concerned over the risks faced by indigenous peoples, both in urban and rural areas, in particular over the health and wellbeing of elders, persons with underlying health conditions, persons with disabilities, women and children."

When their in-person service-learning experience was short-lived due to the coronavirus, Suffolk University students continued their community-based efforts remotely by creating care packages that included food, books, and mental health information. The goal of the new Head, Health, and Heart initiative was to provide underserved children and teens with the most fundamental needs in order to survive, and 200 of the neediest families from four Boston public schools benefited.

A meme quoting the movie High School Musical 2

News story about a nurse's struggle to find daycare for her young son. Her son's previous daycare closed, perhaps permanently, he is far down the waiting list for emergency daycare for the children of frontline workers, and then a spot she did find him fell through when the parents of other children in the daycare, two of whom had weak immune systems and asked the carer not to take the child on as they feared he would carry covid19 to daycare from his mother's work at a hospital. She has not been able to work due to the unavailability of care, during a time when nurses are in high demand. However, the article also mentions that after a story on the situation was aired on the nightly television news, the nurse received numerous calls offering to watch the child for her.

Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020, protests erupted across the nation. During protests in Long Beach, California, Richard Grant captured a striking image of a cop pointing a rubber bullet gun at a father with his child on his shoulders. Children across the United States today are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic and a large scale civil rights movement. What short and long term impacts will these moments have on our children?

It's currently June 2nd, 2020. I'm sitting in my room at 2:47am thinking about how the world is slowly falling apart. I didn't know that Friday would be my last day in school, my last day in those hallways rushing up the stairs to Chemistry for the final period of the day. I didn't think it would be the last time I spoke to my friends and teachers face to face. Every day is a new problem, right now there are protests all over the world following the black lives matter movement. Cops are out of control, abusing their power and killing innocent people. Stores and homes are being looted and burned down. I've been watching the news and our "president" has ordered the military to open fire if they start looting. It would seem the world is falling apart as I sit at home. The pandemic may have helped our environment but it shows that our kind is ruthless. They can't stay at home and have to protest the virus. I sometimes wonder what they think they are doing, you can't protest a virus. Stay home, you are the reason the cases keep going up. The racism and abuse of power taken on by the cops who are meant to protect us has got out of control and everything is being publicized. I wish it would stop. It's important that I got this off my mind because our children and grandchildren are going to learn about this. It's important they know how terrible our president was during this time and how stupid people can be. They should know that millions violated the stay at home order and caused our cases to rise. They should know that while everyone was at home, police were outside giving masks to WHITE people in Central Park while beating up minorities in lower income area because they didn't have a mask or weren't social distancing. They should know how terrible America really is.

First birthdays are an important part of a child's life. However, due to the precautionary measure Illinois has taken, my niece was forced to celebrate hers in an unlikely fashion. My entire family logged on a video conferencing app at the same time to wish her a Happy Birthday. On the same day, we threw her a birthday parade by honking our cars and playing cheery music down her street. Under different circumstances, we would be meeting altogether in a grand hall with gifts and food. This birthday will surely be memorable.

When the stay at home order was called in California, our Brownie Troop was planning for an overnight experience that weekend that had to be cancelled. Then our local Girl Scout council announced the closure of all activities through the rest of March. As the weeks progressed and it became clear all of planned activities would be postponed, we switched to a virtual platform as an experiment. During our first meeting, we just played games over Zoom, because we weren't sure how valuable and fun it would be virtually, but were pleasantly surprised how much the girls liked it. Over Mother's Day weekend, we held a virtual meeting where we had the girls make a COVID-19 virtual capsule, as well as make a Mother's Day craft for an important woman in their lives. We dropped off the supplies to each girls' house (no contact) and facilitated making the craft over zoom.

With all in person Girl Scout activities cancelled or postponed, Girl Scouts has been hosting virtual experiences for girls. In this one, Karis (Brownie, age 9), participates in a Q & A with a female astronaut. She was excited to have her question answered, as well as to learn how toilets work in space.

I wanted the image I chose to show scary it is to be living in this world as a child. There are so many terrible things happening around the world and COVID-19 is another tragic event to add to the list.

The time honoured tradition of summer camp in northern Ontario, usually drawing children from across the country and around the world, especially the Northeastern United States is obviously not viable in its usual form during the pandemic but some camps are lobbying to be able to open nonetheless, with strict precautions, they say.

I feel like 2020 has been the year of major downfalls; every month has had some type of huge incident that has shaken up social media and the world. The pandemic has shown the World what human nature is like in desperate times; Riots that force cities that open up their hair salons and beaches because they believe that going outside is more important than being quarantined and protecting our young children and elderly. Although I miss my friends and I miss going out and I miss normal social interaction, I have not yet stooped down to that level. The quarantine and self teaching tactics that my school has imposed on me has led me to procrastinate more on my works. It did not hit me that AP Tests were rapidly approaching until the week of. It did not hit me that finals are slowly approaching as the year comes to a close. I have many friends that have begun to ignore work, now that my school has implemented the ‘pass/fail’ system. No one likes this system, but no one tries to tell the school otherwise. As for me, I have spent my time reveling in self pity and watching anime. However, in watching the various characters and story lines, I have come to the conclusion that I do not want to be someone that wallows in self pity. The characters in the shows, albeit fictional, represent various aspects of my life that I want to better; from being more social to enhancing my skill set, the possibilities are endless as the quarantine goes on. The photo I submitted has impacted me, as it is both promoting the usages of masks and the characters in that particular show always strive to be better than everyone else. There are also many other shows that have pushed me into becoming better. Despite being sheltered from the outside world, I think I can benefit from the quarantine through improving myself and my self-esteem, so that when people see me next time I am a new and improved version of myself. Many other people have that same mindset, doing various things to make themselves look better when the quarantine is over. From dying their hair to various colours, to shaving all of their hair/cutting bangs, and even working out more often in order to come back to society with an amazing body, everyone can agree that they are trying out new things in order to expand their horizons and to cope with not being able to visit their friends as often.

so the first few days were enjoyable because being at home and all day allowed for much more free time. however upon finding out people were not staying home and the amount of cases in the US jumped to #1 in the world 🤩 made me sad. this meme basically explains the disappointment i hold for americans not being able to quarantine.

This meme is relatable to me because of the fact that my Birthday had passed during this Pandemic. I found it funny because it was a small gathering of my five family members with a small cake. This is important to me because I enjoyed it and I thought it was thoughtful that my family still gave me a cake during a time when money is scarce. Anyways, I enjoyed my cake a lot since it had been so long since I had eaten something other rice and chicken and it was so much more enjoyable because of the thought.

Flyer distributed by the Parents of Princeton High School’s Class of 2020 announcing a “Lights on for Seniors” Parade on 05/22/2020. This event was not associated with the local school district and was completely created and executed by parent volunteers, displaying the efforts of parents to honor their children and celebrate their achievements despite COVID-19 bringing an early end to their senior year.

Letter written by the Colusa County Fairgrounds CEO announcing changes to the Colusa County Fair and Junior Livestock Auction because of COVID-19. While most aspects of the fair would be cancelled, the Junior Livestock Auction would continue, allowing K-12 students to show and sell animals raised prior to the pandemic.

Flyer advertising a parade of school employees traveling through the city of Colusa, California. The parade was intended to allow separated students and teachers to see one another in person, albeit at a distance. Similar parades of teachers and school staff members occurred in neighborhoods around the United States during the COVID-19 campus closures.

Like many others, quarantine has dramatically shifted everyday lives from enjoying the virtues of going out to having to stay at home to prevent the spread of the virus. Personally, I am very anxious and tired of having to stay at home every single day, hoping that everything returns to normal so I can go out with my friends and go to school. But, I realized during the early stages of quarantine, that I should be contributing to help keep out country safe by staying at home. Everyday I am saddened that many of the hobbies and everyday activities I used to enjoy are now unreachable. Many things that I anticipated such as my sport's season, getting my driver's license (my behind the wheel appointment was cancelled), and spending time with friends have been taken away from me. However, there are many of those who do not think the same as me, and find themselves going out leisurely without a care for what is going on. Many of these people believe that this virus is a myth, and if not they are people who are selfish and only care for their own pleasure. This meme I attached to this story is a great depiction of what is going on; people are continuing to go out even though there are plenty reasons they should not be. With people continuously going out for unjustifiable reasons, the virus will never seize to spread. Everyone's lives are affected by this virus, whether it be families witnessing loved ones dying, being unable to pay off bills and rent due to the loss or discontinuation of jobs, and children, who should be going to school and experiencing life, having to be stuck at home. People need to realize that this situation does not revolve around solely themselves and understand that their actions will only result in delaying the process of flattening the corona virus case curve.

Flyer released by Colusa Unified School District announcing free grab-and-go meal service during COVID-19 campus closures. Following the guidance of the California Department of Education, school districts continued distributing meals to ensure that students who relied upon this food did not go hungry.

An uplifting podcast, the daily smile, distinctly chooses to bring joy to others during the COVID-19 pandemic. The May 28, 2020 episode is entitled "Best Teacher Ever." As the title, suggests, the podcast profiles how an exceptional educator has adapted to the new reality of teaching during a pandemic. Amidst the constant criticisms, demands, and pressures placed upon teachers today, the podcast refreshingly celebrates how teachers are adapting in this environment to do what they always do best, support, love and nurture our children. The podcast also highlights how teachers are not shying away from the challenges presented by COVID-19 but are instead leaning into them and finding ways to connect with their students in new and interesting ways. From creating pre-recorded lessons to conducting weekly video check-ins with each student, teachers are doing their best to support students academically, socially and emotionally. At one point in the podcast, the profiled teacher tells a story from her childhood. Despite adequately preparing for a test, she failed her. Her teacher asked her "Did you put your best effort forward?" When she responded "Yes" her teacher told her "That's all that really matters." Perhaps, as a society, we need to see more of the good in what our teachers are doing during this difficult time. They are clearly putting their best efforts forward, and all of themselves into their roles as educators, for the benefit of our children.

Episode 5 of Wondery's Fighting Coronavirus podcast, entitled "Taking Care of Our Kids," tackles the problems facing today's youth as a direct result of school shutdowns under nationwide shelter-in-place orders. Interestingly, of the major concerns surrounding children during this pandemic, learning does not enter the top 3. Instead, experts are more concerned with food security, student safety, and the long term social and emotional impact of the overall pandemic experience. The podcast also discuss the potential structural changes to America's education system as a result of the uncertain future of the pandemic and shift to remote learning. The conversation around remote learning is sure to continue as educational systems determine how best to proceed in the coming months. There are many calls throughout the country to reopen schools in the pre-pandemic format. This podcast suggests a complete different reality.

How I felt and reacted to the situation

For my son’s drive-by birthday, we wanted something fun for people to do as they drove by, but without exiting their cars. We decided it would be fun to have people try to “beat the virus,” so I made a Coronavirus piñata. After the birthday parade, the birthday boy and his big sister finished it off. To keep any guests from thinking it was a traditional piñata, with candies and prizes inside, I made sure everyone knew that the piñata was where I put some of his birthday presents (in this case, legos).

No one loves birthdays more than my son. When it became clear that he wouldn’t be having a birthday party, or taking his traditional birthday trip to Disneyland, we planned a surprise birthday parade for him, and invited guests to try to break a Coronavirus piñata (from their car window). We were overwhelmed by the amount of people who came - we do not live close to our friends/family, and we had people drive over an hour (in Southern CA!) for a five minute parade where they had to stay in their car. We were most touched that even his Kindergarten teacher (who lives 30 minutes away) came by. The birthday boy wore a special homemade Mickey Mouse with a mask shirt that said “turning 6 in quarantine, still celebrating with Mickey.”

Sometimes it just gets you in the feels. A couple of friends of Pioneer Theatre Company (let's not be coy: Jeff Talbott and Will Van Dyke) wrote us a song. Who does that?! Please enjoy "Up the Hill" with us...it's okay if you cry. We did. I think it is important that we recognize those who depend on the being social for their livings and the children we forget to acknowledge in their grief

Elder/Youth Talking Circle, held online via lifesize videoconferencing

So before this whole global pandemic struck, my friend, I shall refer to him as Johnny. Johnny had a crush on this girl we'll refer to her as Emily, this is all happening during our junior year as of 2020. Anyways so Johnny and Emily worked on a particular project together most if not every school calls it the year book. So Johnny has a dilemma, he wants to ask Emily out, but he wants to keep things "professional" in the work place. And so being the great friend I was, I said to him, "Ask her out, what's the worse that could happen?" For about two weeks he holds off, talks to her, texts her, you know the usual. So the day he was going to ask her out was the day that the schools were shutting down for the pandemic. We were having shawarma, and Johnny was going to ask her out after our group meal. Unfortunately we get this email saying that schools are on lock down along with small businesses and other entertainment/activities. Unfortunately he didn't ever ask her out because of the lock down and barely even messages his crush. Honestly if the virus didn't hit Johnny might now be in a happy relationship, but unfortunately he isn't. I really feel for him, he mustered up all his courage to ask his crush out and the virus was like nope. Poor guy

This is an interview from May 29th 2020 with five-year-old Emily of rural Oklahoma about COVID-19. She talks about her doll she named "Corona Barbie" in which she used a high neck dress to cover the doll's mouth like a mask. Emily also talks about missing family vacations, missing school, and especially missing her teacher Mrs. Looper. Growing up in a rural area, she was most excited to be able to share videos of her chickens hatching via Facebook Messenger Kids during the pandemic. Photograph included that inspired the interview is of the actual "Corona Barbie" mentioned in the interview. The photograph was taken on March 16th, 2020. Submitted for the #ruralvoices collection. Contributed by Clinton P. Roberts, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580. #HST580 #ASU

The loss of social interaction has been one of the hardest parts of the pandemic. It's really hard for my 6yo who wants more than anything to see her friends again. Recently, her friend started a book club where 3-4 kids can get together on Zoom and discuss and share their favorite books. They explain what book they like and why. Today, Maya shared the book Potato Pants which is one that we always laugh at. She still misses her friends, and I have to keep promising that we'll see them soon. Fortunately she hasn't pushed for a concrete date, but she's constantly asking and frustrated that she spends everyday at home.

“Piestewa was 23 years old and a mother of two young children. She was Hopi and Mexican-American and the first Native American female killed in combat when her convoy was ambushed. For her actions, she was awarded the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal… The annual sunrise service for Lori Piestewa and fallen heroes scheduled for March 23, which normally takes place at the base of Piestewa Peak, was cancelled because of the COVID-19 virus. However, some community members still hiked to the top of the peak in memory of Piestewa.”

This is a message to parents about what their kids are going through. As tough as things are in quarantine, parents must be mindful that it is equally as difficult for the children.

Homeschooling or remote learning was difficult for so many parents as well as their children. This student was assigned some math problems. His father turned his back, and his kid filled in the word "poop" for all of his answers. The father shared it on social media.

During the quarantine, people found themselves eating a lot and taking a few naps a day. Another popular activity was watching TV and playing video games. While homeschooling their kids, all the screen time rules went out the window. Parents also found it difficult to keep a school type of schedule.

The transition from in-person classrooms to remote learning was very difficult for many parents. Most parents didn't have any idea where to start. Ben's school assigned him a journal project and this is his entry from his first day at home.

During this quarantine, my friends and I felt sadden that we were not able to see each other day to day anymore. We missed the company and speaking to each other face to face again. In order to stay connected to made several Tik Tok's together to pass the time. It was so fun to see the final product and have fun together again. During this pandemic it is really hard to go without company. Even with my family there seems to be something missing and that is my friends. Friends are everything and you must stay in contact no matter what or friendships are going to be difficult to keep up with.

NOTE: The following replica was not created by me but a few friends of mine. They gave me a tour and permission for some of my other friends to use this map for a Spanish Oral. This particular snap of this area is the same area my friends and I hanged out during lunch. Since a month and more has passed in quarantine, it was inevitable that I would dearly miss it. So when I joined my friend's server spawned at the school entrance, I was hit by a wave of pure nostalgia. I tried recreating the routes I got to classes. Not everything was exactly recreated perfectly, though I can still remember those areas by heart. As impressive and nostalgic it was, it showed that there could be potential in using virtual sandboxes to recreate real life facilities. Just imagine if Garden Grove High School required us to run Minecraft in order to go to school.

An email sent to supporters of Feed My Starving Children describing how the pandemic is affecting those experiencing hunger. The email describes the experiences of one woman, Anya who gratefully received support from FMSC partner Mission Eurasia.