A young boy works on a speech therapy assignment from home. Families are struggling to navigate how to continue their children’s special needs services in a time when social distancing is mandatory and all non essential services are closed down. #REL101

Siblings smile (I think) behind their mask

I have noticed kids playing in our neighborhood again. Parents setting up cones in the street for games and kids riding scooters, all have been more prevalent than ever before. I decided to document this as best I could with a picture of our neighbor’s kid’s chalk artwork to show how even in dark times, people always strive to make the best of bad situations which is something I think we should always remember when looking back at this year.

In the time of corona, we all must make do with safer, and sometimes simpler, forms of entertainment. With schools and businesses closed in many states, parents are looking for new and unique ways to entertain their young kids during the day. Reaching out to social media, many suburbs, like this one in La Grange Park, began displaying miscellaneous items as a sort of community-wide iSpy hunt for the local children to find and count as they go on walks with their parents. #DePaulHST391

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My son sits in a time machine he and his sister made out of the influx of delivery boxes that now arrive frequently with social distancing. He instructs guests to the time machine to choose a time "before or after the virus" to visit.

Having two parents working full time as a high school teacher and a university director, my kids now rely on their grandma, a retired teacher, for classroom instruction. She does most of the day to day communication with their teachers, keeps them on a daily schedule, plans activities, and fixes lunch. Without an intergenerational household, my kids' daily schooling would be near impossible.

Coping with COVID-19 with an Immunocompromised Child _________________________ My step-daughter, Selena, was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2017 at the age of 3. She had to undergo two surgeries, many months of chemo therapy, and is now missing a kidney and part of her lung. This was a very scary time and health was constantly on the minds of our family. We didn’t go anywhere without a mask, washed our hands constantly, had to avoid anyone who seemed like they might be sick. My wife, then girlfriend, and I had to limit our exposure because we knew that anything we caught would get her and be twice as worse. If we came down with a cough or a runny nose, we either had to isolate to a different part of the house or have Selena stay with her grandparents until we got better to try and keep her from catching anything. Selena missed going to preschool so that she would have less exposure and keep getting healthy. Even with her going into remission in June of 2018, she was diagnosed with asthma after a winter cold turned to pneumonia and she had to be hospitalized in late 2019. The health of her immune system has been a never ending concern. The rise of COVID-19 has been a living nightmare. The constant worry of her getting sick came back and hit like a truck. Watching the number of cases rise throughout the world and in the US and the lack of response was awful. As the virus continued to spread, eventually schools and business were shut down. My wife and step-daughter would be at home and not have to go out, but I did. I was considered an essential worker due to working with government contracts and everyday had to work in close proximity of others. I heard or talked to multiple coworkers who said it was only the flu and corona wasn’t a big deal. It would pass and it wouldn’t affect most people, so why should we have to worry? But I worried. Even if most people would survive it, my daughter might not. She was at the forefront of my mind every time someone complained about stores closing or joked about keeping distant from one another. These were the people who would destroy my family because of their carelessness. Every day of work I had to be on my guard. When work sent home those that could work remotely, I still had to work on site. Even as my workplace began to implement precautions like telling people to stay 6 apart, I had to side step around those that would otherwise walk right past you. I would have to hang back and wait while others would crowd into the bathroom. I avoided lunch rooms and break areas, only eating in my car. I wore gloves all day and wiped my work surface multiple times a day. When I got home, I had to immediately put my work cloths in the wash and wipe everything I took with me to work. I would have to tell my daughter to not hug me until I had changed. I hated having to go to work. They said that the work we did was important and thank you for working during these hard times, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t concerned about myself or about the work I was doing. I was risking my daughter’s life every single day so that someone else could profit. I had to risk her life because without my income my family wouldn’t have a house to live in or food to eat. I was forced to put her on the line whether I wanted to or not. It was crushing me inside. How would I live with myself if she got sick because I had to go to work? If she died? I asked myself these questions every single day. Finally, after over a month of increased rules and precautionary measures at work, the implemented a system so you could apply to stay home with pay if you or a family member were at high risk. It took two weeks of back and forth paperwork, but at long last it was approved. The constant daily stress subsided to a much more manageable level. There is still some concern. I have to be cautious when picking up groceries, even though we only use curbside pickup. I had to wait outside of Walmart at open to get toilet paper and then decontaminate upon returning home. I worry about the return of COVID-19 in the fall and if these precautions will be implemented any faster or will we have to same slow reaction. I think about all of those still not able to leave work; risking the lives of those they love against their will. I worry for those less fortunate who don’t have income now and are at risk of losing everything because of something out of their hands. I think what I worry most about after all that has happened this year is nothing changing.

With schools being closed down I have had to take up the job of teaching my younger brother. It all started with praying for a miracle that he would complete his school work. The miracle did not come quick enough for my mom and I had to step in and be the mediator. I felt like I was a counselor trying to persuade the both of them to talk out their feelings. Well, he is in his preadolescent years, so that ended in a failure. Finally, I presented my family with the miracle my mom had been asking for. The miracle was in a form of being rewarded with not taking his PlayStation away. Worried he would fail his P.E. class, my parents bought a trampoline. He used it for a few days... Next, was math. After some very low grades on math quizzes it was time to put my teaching classes into action. First, I had to convince him to start organizing his problems. That took a week and another low math score to convince him. Next, I had to persuade him to start writing his formulas with every problem. How was he going to score higher without knowing his formulas? He seems to have learned more, but this is much more difficult than expected. I am not looking forward to the final month of the school year. #REL101

This photo was taken in the beginning of the outbreak. The amount of states declaring a state of emergency was slowly growing at this time. Amusement parks had seen a drastic decline in people. Though this image may depict a rather large crowd, it certainly was not the case. Rides were no more than a five minute wait, bathrooms were empty, the park itself felt empty. Some areas were completely vacant and it felt unsettling to see a lack of occupants.

The photo features Sarah, age 8, spending the day hunting for morels with her family. When asked Sarah said, "we're outside so much more now. . . I didn't know we could find food." Her parents are taking this opportunity to not only prioritize spending more time together as a family, but to teach her the skills their parents taught them. They want to focus on educating her about a sustainable lifestyle in the event a situation like this, or worse, ever happens again.

A sign in the window of the corner store in the Bronx written in a child's handwriting.

School Crossing Guards are essential workers. Children who have not- continue to frequent the school during the lunch hour.

Families in Southington, CT organize a “bear hunt” to provide an excursion opportunity for youngsters kept at home during school closures. Bears and other stuffed animals were placed in windows or in yards for interested families to find and count. Results were reported via Facebook.

Watching the daughter of a friend of mine design an outfit for her Barbie doll. She cut up a glove to create a top, added bright pink feathers and used the eye mask...as her face mask.

A letter from 4-year-old Hattie Jane Parker of Josephine, Alabama, dictated to her mother, to her 73-year-old great aunt in New Orleans, LA. The letter reads: "I hope we can visit you soon. We can come visit you when the germ is gone. We are at the beach right now. We are having fun swimming and Dada got a new sticker book for me, We want to have fun with you but we can't until the germ is gone. 'Hi Shaun the Sheep!'"

Women dancing and the need to connect to others while we are all isolating ourselves

a request to participate in an art project

The podcast of the breathtaking “Change”, where our guest was Sveta Tsyganova (project “Secret Code of the Child”), which answered questions about education - and the dialogue was just wow-fire. And about the modern school, and about responsibility, and about the authoritarian and democratic [paternal] approach, and how to develop talents, and about sexuality, and everyone got so wound up that they did not notice how the hour passed. Listen, in general, to the podcast and come to Sveta to learn the "Secret Code of the Child", so my gut directly tells me that you may need this very much.

My daughter, my niece & I were trying out the Houseparty app and found a trivia quiz. It was fun to do something together as you can see from our faces (I was extra delighted at getting the question right!)

Here comes the second month of quarantine in our country. There are people who observe quarantine, and there are people who do not care about the situation and they continue to live as they lived before. Students, schoolchildren are studying remotely. I envy them, of course. Studying at home is so great. But there are disadvantages of such an education, schoolchildren are stupid. After all, some parents do their own homework, and children are not explained anything. Beauty salons, trading houses, markets are closed. Only grocery stores are open. In certain shops we only let in 5 people, and at this time on the street 20 people are waiting for their turn to enter the shop and people do not even keep a distance from us being on the street. There are practically no cars on the street. In our city, it is completely banned to travel by private transport, allowed only to certain people. It became so free at once. Public transport has been restricted, it only goes in the morning or evening, but these buses go in small quantities. It's quicker to walk to work. Some people are panicking. They don't know what happens next...

With social distancing in place and stay-at-home rules, kids are playing more in the street right outside their own properties.

The kids are taking over the footpaths with chalk messages

Gennady Khodov provides reflections on the quarantine in their home

When a high teacher and university director begin working from the same week their elementary school children begin having school from home, it becomes clear the middle of the night is the best time to get work done. *Original video, posted on Instagram Stories

My kids, being unable to attend the yearly Easter festivities and egg hunt at their church, hunt for eggs hidden as a scavenger hunt throughout their house. Their church's children's minister, wearing gloves and a mask, left a bag of stuffed eggs, toys for Easter baskets, Peeps and other things for families to use on the doorsteps of each of the families that were part of the church to make it easier for families to be able to celebrate the holiday with their kids at home. *Personal video

This portrait of my son was the first time I have painted since my child was born. Although our household is busier than ever, I was inspired by my son’s love of art. We will look back on our time together at home as a special time.

Children can go to school and child care but can’t play on public play equipment. This makes me think about the all the energy small children are having to contain when confined to their homes.

A message from neighborhood children, bringing joy and hope to those lucky enough to encounter it upon their walk or run.

I've been letting my son Juliían Peralta-Kole paint everyday. He's been painting multiple times a day for a week now, but he seems less interested in painting on paper, and more curious about different uses for paint and painting with his fingers. I used painting to earn myself a brief reprieve this morning, and before I could finish my coffee he had paint all over his hands. I cleaned it up, and now the paint is put away. I'll only get it out when I'm able to watch him carefully.

1yo Julián Peralta-Kole looks on as big sister Maya (5yo) joins her weekly Friday Zoom class offered by Tempe Public Schools. Her Zoom classes take place every week on Fridays at 10 AM. It's always a moment that we look forward to, because she gets to connect with her classmates and teacher. Class activities range from singing songs, show and tell, writing, and practicing "sticky," words (common words that are hard to sight read, so her teacher encourages them to memorize i.e. "stick" them in their brain). Maya attends Scales Technology Academy near the intersection of 5th St. and Beck in Tempe, AZ.

This image shows a line of shoppers located approximately six feet apart outside Your Dekalb Farmers Market in Scottdale, Georgia. Most shoppers were wearing masks, but the woman with the two children in front of the author went maskless. Everyone seemed stressed. A masked security guard let in new shoppers only when other left the store.

A sign posted at Bricolage Academy, located in the Bayou St. John neighborhood of New Orleans, states that meal distribution is no longer available at their location. During the COVID-19 pandemic, New Orleans schools serve as pick up spots for meals for people under 18 years old who are enrolled in public school.

My daughter is well aware of the unfortunate consequences occurring in the world due to the Coronavirus and is practicing healthy routines and staying home. In her art pieces she’s expressing her fear of COVID19 and showing how we much try to keep it out. *Summer Roed 14 yrs old artist *Laura Saenz, Mom

My cousin was beginning to have anxiety about going outside, as he thought he could catch Coronavirus merely by stepping foot outdoors. After my family figured this out we explained to him that he wasn’t going to catch it playing in the backyard, and were able to get him out of the house.

Free, downloadable eBook from Candlewick Press. This informative and accessible guide for young readers defines the coronavirus, explains why everyday routines have been disrupted, and lays out how everyone can do their part to help. With child-appropriate answers and explanations, the book addresses several key questions.

HUM402 In response to social isolation in Australia, the Red Cross have created special Trauma Teddies for children and their families to spot in the windows of local Red Cross branches.

By March 2020, with the spreading of COVID-19, athletics felt the impact. USA Gymnastics opted to cancel all meets, including State and Regional Championships through, at least, May 2020.

The night the closure of Disneyland was announced due to COVID-19, the candy store on Main Street had an uplifting message for guests passing by. The picture was easy to take, as the park was already uncharacteristically empty.

The local church near my parents' house in Chesterfield, MO (where I'm currently quarantined) had a drive-thru style blessing on Easter Sunday. After a priest stood a good 6 feet back and sprinkled holy water on our car, we were directed to exit past a costumed Easter Bunny who waved as the cars left. I snapped this photo from the back seat. To me, the photo is a symbol of hope and human optimism in the face of a crisis, however, at the time of taking it, it struck me as more sad and detached. Something about an Easter Bunny standing outside his car with the trunk open just struck a chord.

Quarantined photo shoot for the first birthday of a young boy. Shows celebrations in time quarantine and how people still made light of the somewhat scary situations.

To make children's daily walks more interesting people started putting plush animals in windows, trees and gardens to create a safari.

5 yo Maya Peralta-Kole plays "Rock, paper, scissors," through the fence with her neighbor and classmate from Scales Technology Academy. Though, it's a bit hard to play without a clear line of site. After calling "Rock, paper, scissors," the girls ask each other what they picked. The first to answer that question is usually the first to lose.

It's a chalk message, presumably written out by a child, which is conveying what we all feel about this pandemic "Corona is a pain in the butt"

The South City area of Saint Louis is a diverse, tight-knit community. It only makes sense that residents would go out of their way to assist each other during this difficult time. The residents of this home near the intersection of Arsenal St. and Gravois Rd. advertised resources in chalk writing on the exterior of the house, including a LinkTree website, toll-free helpline, and email account dedicated to helping those in need and connecting volunteers with service opportunities. There are also children’s chalk drawings of flowers and a rainbow on the exterior and of a rainbow and a pot of gold taped to the window. #DePaulHST391

Luckily my 5 yo continues to lead a fairly normal life. Her screen time is usually limited to when her brother naps, (about 2 hrs. a day), and she is happy to spend the rest of the day playing, painting, and singing. Occasionally, she does talk about missing school, her friends, and her nana in Michigan, but we can usually patch over the pain with a video call.

It's hard to keep an active 1 yo entertained when the parks are closed, swim class was canceled, and I can't even take him to the supermarket for a light distraction. So, I caved. I broke down after watching him cry and say "I want," repeatedly while stretching his hands towards his sister's paints and paintbrushes. On Friday night, I figured, sure it's going to be a mess, and it might be a disaster, but provided he doesn't eat it, it's harmless.

Thoughts on a a new normal

One thing that is overlooked during times like this are the children who come from broken, bad, non-functioning homes. As a school librarian, I celebrated the month+ off but dreaded the prospect of hunger and abuse the majority of my students at a Title 1, poverty stricken school would face. Our parish is currently scrambling to make sure there is food and learning access for our students, but I am afraid that my students, PreK-2nd grade, will slip through the cracks. And who knows where they will end up.

Due to COVID-19, my family and I have tried to find more ways to hang out together at home. Before the outbreak, we usually visited local stores, movie theaters, and restaurants each week. However, since COVID-19 has forced us to stay home, we have been trying to find things to do together that do not involve going out. As a group, we have been playing video and board games, watching TV and movies, eating dinner as a family, cleaning the house, and walking our dog. Recently, for one of our game nights, we decided to play a new game called “Escape the Room: Mystery at the Stargazer’s Manor”. This game is an ‘at-home’ escape room. My family and I love going to escape rooms, so we thought this would be a fun alternative to try during COVID-19. My family was able to successfully escape and finish the game in the allotted time. We really enjoyed playing this game because it allowed us to participate in one of our favorite activities, without leaving our house.