Shanna Gagnon conducts an interview with Anonymous. Anonymous is a 5 year old boy that lives in Northern California. He explains his initial reaction to COVID-19. Anonymous discusses how the pandemic has impacted his daily life, including who he can and cannot play with. He describes what people are acting like in his neighborhood. Anonymous details a recent family trip to the beach. He shares what he believes worries people most. And talks about why it is important for his family to stay extra safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anonymous imagines what life will be like a year from today and includes a possible new reality for what playground time will look like when he returns to school. His responses also cover how businesses are responding to COVID and his family’s consumer behaviors during the pandemic.

Shanna Gagnon interviews an anonymous 8 year old girl about the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains her initial reaction to learning about COVID-19. Anonymous describes how the pandemic has impacted her daily life. She discusses how her family and friends are responding to COVID-19. She talks of the things that are important to and worrying people right now. Anonymous details the most difficult parts of the pandemic for her. She shares how COVID-19 is impacting local businesses and schools. She also discusses how she thinks life will be different moving forward and includes her thoughts on vacations and milestone celebrations, such as Halloween and birthdays.

This clip is SO funny! I've watched it many times now and it seems to just get funnier. The father, in early days of quarantine, is doing a news segment for BBC news. His toddler comes marching in with flair and gusto. Then his baby son scoots in using his walker. Then the mom flies in the door, grabs them, and yanks them back out.

It is a huge summer tradition in our family to go to the Orange County Fair. Even when we go somewhat ironically, we always have a great time. When the fair was cancelled this year, my mom and I decided we would run the fair for my kids at our house. We went all in. We made a “photo booth” and a theme, to emulate the somewhat cheesy themes the fair has every year. My daughter made rides and games, with tickets for purchase. There was an art exhibit, and a “carnival of products” where my daughter “sold” suncatchers she and her brother made. We awarded items in our garden with fair ribbons. And, most importantly, we home made every fair food you can imagine - Orange Julius, soft pretzels, sausages, grilled corn, corn dogs, funnel cake and more. Orange County Fair 2020, COVID, Quarantined, and Closed actually turned out to be a pretty amazing day!

As part of a virtual Girl Scout camp out, Karis, age 9, participates in a virtual art class to paint her version of "Starry Night." Girls Scouts has had activities every week of the summer to help girls continue to thrive.

Everything in Tempe has been closed since late March. Well, almost everything. The bars and restaurants have opened and re-closed. By contrast, playgrounds, splash pads, and pools have stayed closed. It’s been so hard not be able to take the kids somewhere to burn off energy. But, because of the inconsistency in state and municipal responses, the counties surrounding Tempe have different rules. That means we can go to a swimming pool in Chandler or a splash pad in Chandler. I realize that taking the kids anywhere in a pandemic is polemical, but they need a break from the monotony. It’s way too hot during the day (111-118 F) to just go on a bike ride or walk around the neighborhood. Therefore, we have to do something with water. We don’t go out every weekend, but we try to get out once in a while. My 6yo is struggling the most, she misses her friends, she misses school, and I feel like these outings help with morale.

This is a heartwarming article about daughter who noticed her father was becoming despondant due to the COVID quarantine. She had given him a book called Exceptionally Bad Dad Jokes for Christmas, so she dug it out and they got the idea to post one joke a day on a whiteboard in their front yard. Soon people made special trips to read the daily humor. The dad felt a new sense of purpose and he was very happy to brighten other people's days.

This is an interview with two sisters, Adelaide, 13, and Eloise, 10. They discuss their lives since COVID-19 hit as well as humor and its role in facing hard times.

These photographs were taken to document some of what people in Evansville and its Tri-State region saw and experienced as the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic came to the area in the spring of 2020. Many of these images represent literal signs of the time, while others figuratively depict signs of the pandemic.

As I gear up to teach high school remotely this fall, many members of my community are demanding "robust" and "rigorous" curriculum with a live daily bell schedule. We have received the opportunity to train on a host of technologies. Conversations are centered around ensuring that students do not fall behind academically. For me, these topics are misguided. How can we teach students rigorous academics without first addressing their emotional well being and the state of their mental health? If we truly want students to learn this year, we need to first focus on who they are and what they need as humans. Only then can true learning occur. Numb, created by Liv McNeil - a 9th grade student in Canada, captures what many of our students are likely experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that global education systems can prioritize the mental well being of our students over "rigorous" and "robust" curriculum.

Recently my school district announced that we will begin the school year with remote learning. While many members of the community were in favor of remote learning, many were also incredibly vocal about their wish for a return to full in-person learning. This does not surprise me. There will always be multiple perspectives and positions on any major decisions that need to be made that impact large groups of people. Some individuals in support of full in-person learning have taken to social media and have begun attacking district teachers blaming them and their union for the district's decision to start the school year with remote learning. There is an aggressive tone to many of these posts. As a parent of children that attend school within the district, as well as teacher within the district, I worry about the environment that teacher's are going to be educating children in this year. With remote learning, we will literally be teaching in the homes of parents that are openly demonstrating hostility toward teachers. This brings a great deal of worry and anxiety as I prepare for the upcoming school year.

In the case that schools return in person this fall, I decided to stock up on face masks for the kids. I realized that we'd likely need as many face masks as the kids have socks or underwear and worried that kid's masks would sell out as the school year neared. I found these super cute animal masks for the kids and they love them. I was really worried that my kids have trouble wearing masks. To my surprise, they have yet to complain about them. Although they are young, their ability to grasp the seriousness of this pandemic is truly amazing.

This is an oral history interview by AG, a 39 year old mother of three young children living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She discusses the stresses and worries about the Coronavirus time.

Christina Lefebrve conducts an Oral History with Dr. Anna Vouros, a doctor as Massachusetts General.

Theodora Christopher interviews Robert Graham whose background is in pediatric ICU respiratory treatment. He discusses COVID-19 and its effect on children and adults and the difference in number of cases in different locations. He also discusses the effect COVID has had on facilitating clinical trial, etc.

I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Today, I interview The Kid about her 7th-grade school experience, which has been interrupted by CoronaWorld.

In response to California's decision to require schools to begin the school year with remote learning, and to only allow schools to reopen if they have been off of the state "watch list" for 14 consecutive days, local San Ramon Valley Unified School District parents are forming co-op groups. These groups are designed to allow small cohorts of students to learn together during the remote learning phase. California's decision to require remote learning is due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases across the state.

On Wednesday, July 16th, 2020 Austin, Texas area teachers held a sit in/protest around the state capital building to express their fear of being forced to go back to in person school this fall. School begins in one month. Having personally watched this protest be planned I know that the reason they chose this location was because they could not get onto the capital grounds. Entrance to the grounds are barricaded and National Guard troops are present. I also know that TEA, Texas Education Agency, has announced they will work from home until January 2021. How can they look out for themselves but send precious students and teachers back to work?

On July 7, 2020, Heartspring, a special needs school and residential campus for autistic children and teens in Wichita, Kansas, announced that six of its school employees tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the immediate closure of its pediatric services building and surrounding facilities until further notice. Although all staff underwent testing, Heartspring administrators feared that the outbreak may not have been detected in time and were preparing for more cases to manifest in the coming days and weeks, with local authorities recognizing the outbreak as a COVID cluster. These photographs show the shuttered pediatrics services building and the neighboring residences; a silent testament to the burgeoning case load that swept the city, the state, and threatened its hospitals in the summer of 2020. It also recognizes the efforts of Heartspring staff in taking care of this vulnerable community.

Video produced by WGBY discussing museums throughout Massachusetts as they transition to a digital environment. The video highlights commemorations of Dr. Seuss, including programs at the Springfield Museum, as well as other programming at the Eric Carle Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. The video highlights the thoughts of museum staff as they transition to an online environment, and shows some of the approaches that different cultural heritage sites are undertaking to continue engaging with their audiences.

Video created by the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston as part of the activities for their Play Date events, which are tailored to families and young children. The video is aimed at younger viewers and models for them how to look at a piece of art, and includes some questions for the audience to ask themselves. As museums have transitioned more to digital spaces, they have had to create programming that can appeal to all parts of their audience. This video highlights how museums are continuing to engage with children during the pandemic, and how they are using their collections in an educational environment even at a distance.

This past Saturday, I went to the craft store at the local strip mall with my mom. I needed yarn to knit some lace onto a project I have going and she, upon hearing this, called a single 93 year old lady we do the shopping for during the pandemic and asked if she would like any yarn since she knits too, and she did. It was 1 pm when we were there and the line to get into the local Loblaws grocery store was the longest I have ever seen it. I counted at least 14 families in line, which would mean it would likely take them as much 30 mins to an hour to get into the store. The other notable fact about the line is that it contained multiple children. Up until recently the policy was that only one individual per household was allowed in the store at a time and parents were not allowed to bring in children. As this policy has react parents and guardians, according to my mom who does our groceries, have started bringing their small children, sometimes in groups of 4 or 5. There are two sides to this of course, because firstly, many do not have the childcare to do others but the children often do not understand or observe social distancing in the stores. As we drove around to leave and saw the line my mom exclaimed "Well that settles it! If ever I was tempted I am not doing groceries on a Saturday! No matter how desperate we are! It is never that busy on weekdays!"

Local Contra Costa County dentistry practices were closed during the county's shelter-in-place order that begin mid-March 2020. The dental practice my children go to, Danville Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, was closed on March 13, 2020 and reopened May 18, 2020. In preparation for their opening, they thoughtfully sent all of their patients an email with a video explaining the new procedures they would follow as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their communication was calm, uplifting and reassuring. They have taken all possible precautions to keep their staff and patients safe. I appreciate the responsible manner in which they are operating in these uncertain times. As always, Danville Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics is truly a class act.

The Californian, a student run newspaper at California High School in San Ramon, recently ran the story "What should the school year of 2020-2021 mean for Cal High's students?" The story features three student articles, each advocating for a different scenario. The first discusses returning to school full time, the second champions a hybrid learning model, and the third article evaluates fully remote online learning. All of the articles address the challenges and realities of education during the COVID-19 pandemic for students. Interestingly, none of the articles discuss the impact of these models on teachers.

Finally found the perfect chocolate chip cookie! This was the year that I hoped would finally earn recognition in the Orange County Fair (California). Alas, it was not to be. How sad to get the email that the fair was being cancelled. But, like so many others, the fair decided to go virtual. While it's not the same thing, it was fun to pick a few pictures out and "enter" them online. We'll see if the online community likes the cookies and crafts. Seeing the cookies isn't the same as tasting them! Unique categories were created and included things like home office decor and bad hair! I entered Collin (age 6) in the improvising sports at home category - in May our family purchased a trampoline and set it up in the living room! This boy jumps non-stop.

It's July and many of my Christmas crafts are already completed! In a good year, I'm pleased if I'm finished in November. Being at home FULL TIME since mid-March, I've needed to keep busy - after monitoring the children's distance learning of course. I have definitely been mastering the many uses of the Cricut. Always accused of being a hoarder . . . all those after-Christmas craft supplies I stocked up on have come in handy. Thank goodness for Joann's & Michael's for delivery service too! Just don't know what I will do with all that I've made!

With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. Another puzzle complete on Day 2 of our get away. A puzzle to match his shirt!

With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. A family member that lives nearby was out of town so we decided to pack up for a little get away. The change of scenery was incredible on so many levels. We also scored access to a new collection of puzzles. We started with a small 200 piece puzzle within 30 minutes of arriving!

My 7-year-old daughter and one of her best friends since the toddler room were signed up for their first year of softball and first team sport together. Then the Stay at Home order happened. The organizers kept asking us to hang on and wait and see if we could play this year. In June, they got the go ahead from the state for practices. I was on the fence, but they had good safety protocols in place and my daughter is high energy and very athletic, so I decided she could go ahead and play. So did her friend’s family. The girls have been good about wearing masks and kind of good at keeping 6 feet apart through the 2 weeks of practices. This week, which would have been the end of their regular season, they had their first game. At the end as we were leaving, they came up with this way to be together and connected while being safe and apart.

Cooped up with the kids for 24 hours a day with no end in sight is enough to drive anyone crazy. This meme makes note of the idea that one day lasts forever while in quarantine. In fact it lasts 362,648 hours!

Boston Children's Museum has posted updates regarding reopening in July 2020. Their June 24, 2020 announcement discusses BCM's commitment to their community and the safety measures BCM will be taking. "As we begin summer, I wanted to bring you up to date with our work to re-open the Museum. But first, I wanted to acknowledge your patience and support over the last three months. As parents and caregivers of young children, you have no doubt been challenged with schools and day care services being closed, work and employment disruptions, navigating through health challenges, and most recently the social upheaval in our country resulting from the death of George Floyd. More than ever, our children need our love and support. Their routines, friendships, and opportunities for play and learning have all been upended. It has been a trying time, with much anxiety and uncertainty testing us all."

I asked my friend, Jennifer Aspen, to send me something for this archive. She sent this drawing that her little girl did. She explained how her daughter captured their situation well: The girl is wearing a face mask, is crying, and surrounded by the virus.

We live in a small town. Our city of Moriarty NM has a population of about 1800 people, and the town next to us, Edgewood NM has close to 6100 people. This is a town that you can hide your true feelings because you're not around a lot of people, especially people of different backgrounds and nationalities. On June 6th, 2020 our local High school kids put together a peaceful protest to speak up against police brutality and racial injustice. They had been personally affected by this because they are of different nationalities, or are close friends with people who have been racially profiled before. They went through the proper channels, speaking with the local police department and securing a protest permit. When the Facebook page was created, it spread like wildfire, and the people who have hidden their hatred in this small town for so many years were now outraged at the thought. My daughter, Faith Ridenour was apart of the group setting up this protest. She and her friends were proud to speak out and we were proud of her for raising her voice but that pride turned into fear real quick when we started seeing the things our community members were saying about them on Facebook. A page called, "Torrance County Bulletin Board" posted the event and the comments were frightening, "Stand in my way and I will run you over" said one community member, and another chimed in with, "We will be there to clean up the mess after you take them down." I commented on every post I could to let them know that these are kids from our High school standing up for injustice. I begged people to remember that they're young and our next generation and we must lift them up and allow them to have voices or we are doomed as a society. I was immediately responded to with, "If you play with the big dogs, you will get hurt." Because of the hatred that was being spread online, my husband and I were in fear of our daughter's life and chose to stand out there with her. In one of the pictures, you will see our daughter standing with her sign, and my husband standing behind her to protect her. As a mother, it made me proud to see my daughter standing up for her fellow man, and my husband standing behind her to keep her safe. As an American, I was devastated at the idea that we have not grown from racism and are still against people who will stand up to it. As we arrived on the day of the protest we quickly saw the opposition. The picture attached only shows one of them with their automatic weapon, but the truth is, all of them were armed. As our kids shouted "Use your voice, black lives matter" the other side of the street shouted back, "All lives matter." Keeping in mind that this is all happening during the Covid-19 pandemic, our protestors wore masks to keep everyone safe, where the "All lives matter" group, did not. I found that to be pretty ironic. I am proud of these kids who stood up to adults. I am proud to know them and lift them up, and I believe our future will be better because of this generation.

Someone suggested to me that I make a blog of ideas to keep kids entertained during lockdown. So I started this blog and promoted it among my friends and relatives. It did not get a wide following, but I got plenty of grateful comments from parents who needed ideas on how to keep their kids busy during lockdown. Every time I received those comments, I felt happy that I was able to help others even in a very small way.

My kids and I have not left our street since March due to the continual rise in cases. Despite an all time high and no desire to venture out, my Girl Scout troop needed their cookie prizes and the materials for our end of the year, virtual “Bridging” ceremony. I decided to drop the items on the girls’ doorsteps, wearing a mask, and not actually ring a doorbell but instead text from the safety of my car. Basically, run out, run back to the car. To do so, I enlisted my mom (who lives with us) to drive to lessen the variables for infection. Realizing my kids might want to see the world outside our street, I allowed them to ride in the car. I figured the risk was minimal because I was coming into contact with no one. Both kids have been keeping “quarantine” journals and I found their reflections interesting. My daughter was agitated that so many people we saw were not wearing masks. When we went out, our area had just been re-opened, despite a continual rise in cases. Our state has seen an 80% increase over the last two weeks and, as of today, is re-closing “indoor businesses.” My son, on the other hand, seemed relieved to see that McDonald’s still existed and had an open sign. He told us he was happy everything was “in order.” It makes me wonder what he thought was happening beyond our street. I did stop to take one picture, of our local playground. I was so surprised that every park we passed had the playgrounds roped off. It makes sense, but was eerie to see. I don’t foresee us venturing out again soon.

Fear of COVID-19 has kept us from ordering any restaurant food, even take out or delivery, since March. Then, during the second week of June, my kids won a contest at (virtual) Sunday school where the prize was the children’s pastor delivering dinner of the kids’ choice to our house, and my husband’s work gave everyone Grub hub credit for their virtual end of the year party. Worn down by hunger, I relented and we got McDonald’s (for the kids’ prize) and Cali Tacos (from Grubhub). Not having either for so long, we may have gone a little overboard with our orders. It did take 20 minutes before we ate, because I removed all the wrappers wearing gloves, transferred the food to plates, threw all trash outside, and washed vigorously hands before we ate. It’s been two weeks, so I’m hoping it was safe. It’s a strange experience, we were used to having 85 Degrees or Starbucks at least once a week. It’s like when I was a kid and restaurant food was a special treat.

This lovely lady was demonstrating in the recent protests. She was killed by the police's use of teargas on the crowd. One report said that she had asthma, but a later report said that she did not. I looked at her picture, and felt so sad for the loss of a beautiful soul.

All the playgrounds were shut and it was school holidays. The kiddies had only bikes and walks as nothing was open at all during our period of lockdown. A young mother I vaguely knew was walking past one day and I said I was meaning to drag some bears out of the shed and she was so pleased as she was finding it hard to keep her 6 year old entertained. For the next 4 weeks they walked past every day and she sent me a message saying her young daughter was making up stories about Old Bear. In a very small way, Old Bear helped her and the other kiddies who would help out when they saw Old Bear. I felt in a small way we were helping to brighten someone's day.

My daughter was having the gymnastics season of her life in 2020, placing in every event at every meet, and even reaching #19 on America’s Top 100 for vault for her level. One of the last places we went before quarantine in March was a gymnastics competition and I remember being uneasy at the crowds and the fact that the girls used the same apparatuses and equipment throughout the day. No one else seemed concerned, and when I asked if State Championships were still happening, everyone looked at me like I was insane. Of course, two weeks later, everything shut down. She has now been away from gym for over three months - the longest she’s been without her coaches since she was 3 - and both State Championships and Regionals were cancelled. No word on whether there will even be a 2021 season. To keep up the morale of the team, her gym sent information about a virtual State Championship, where gymnastics could submit videos from previous meets and judges would watch and score. I submitted without telling her, because I wasn’t sure what to expect. When she received medals and a champion t-shirt in the mail because she scored 1st All Around for her level (first in every event) she looked happier than she has since quarantine began. It’s not USA Gymnastics sanctioned, so it doesn’t “count,” but to my daughter, it is as real as any in person meet and was exactly what she needed to have closure to what had been an amazing season. We don’t know when she’ll go back - her gym opened three weeks ago, but with numbers rising dramatically in our area, the risk isn’t worth it for us. Competitions are fun, and my daughter loves her sport and is extremely dedicated, but a healthy and alive daughter is way more important to us than medals in a coffin.

teaching/tutoring

During the Coronavirus period, people worked from their homes. Meetings were held via video chat which had its own set of problems--things such as getting the software to work, positioning the camera, looking presentable, keeping the kids and the pets under control, etc. Remote school had the same problems with the additional challenge of keeping the kids involved and learning. This is a funny look at those meetings. Youtube user MrAndrewCotter holds a business meeting with his two dogs, Mable and Olive.

Wilton is a small town in Connecticut where I grew up. Due to the Coronavirus, their traditional graduation was canceled. Instead, they got together and had a graduation parade on the school grounds. I also included a column from a graduating senior

This is a picture of my daughter doing her speech therapy during Covid-19.Normally it is done in person but due to the stay at home order zoom meetings were instead utilized.These meetings although better than nothing were not as effective since my child is so young and cannot sit still for a 30 minute meeting.It's important to show how the coronavirus has impacted children with learning disabilities or delays.

A small child plays on an empty lawn in front of San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts. A favorite place to relax for local residents, as well as a event and tourist hot spot, the Palace of Fine Arts is typically a spectacle. On any given day, groups gather for picnics, bridal parties pose for photographs, and tourists zoom by on Segways. The emptiness of the Palace of Fine Arts during the early days of California's shelter-in-place orders is definitely a moment in time.

A search was on for the white woman who coughed on a baby because his mother was speaking Spanish in a yogurt shop.

Excerpt from article: Citing the unrelenting spread of the coronavirus, a federal judge has ordered that all children currently held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for more than 20 days must be released by July 17.

This Israeli woman had a meltdown when she first attempted to homeschool her kids. She was overwhelmed by what the school wanted her to do. The way she put it, no mother would be able to keep up.

Last weekend, my dad (Grandpa) fell ill. We spent the week anxiously anticipating the results of his Coronavirus test while he quarantined in his bedroom. When the results came back negative, the grandchildren wanted to celebrate. So, my Mom (Grandma) promised them a fondue party. The fondue set in was a wedding gift for my parents, and they had only used it once in their 46 years of marriage (married 04/27/1976). The chocolate fondue was delicious, and the fondue set is yet another relic we've dusted off during this long shelter-in-place.

Trying to keep the family busy and happy during the shelter-in-place is a challenge. I unrolled a sheet of butcher paper on the kitchen table to occupy the kids one morning, and over the next few weeks, a mural emerged. All members of our family could be found sketching, painting, and coloring on the mural at random times until this beautiful mural was created.

Our family has been following strict a shelter-in-place since March 13. We have only left the house for contactless grocery pick up and have visited the gas station once. Other than that, we have been isolated. Today, we decided that it would do us all some good to get some fresh air. We left for a favorite nearby hike as soon as we woke up to beat the crowds. We encountered a total of 10 people but were successfully able to keep our distance of 6-10 feet. All but 2 people were masked on the trail. It baffles me as to why people still refuse to wear masks. Especially in this situation in which they could easily remove the mask once they passed other people. Overall, the hike was wonderfully and did us all a lot of good. I was really impressed by my children who had no problems masking independently throughout the hike.